Almond Milk
Category Nut and Grain Milk recipes
Servings 3
Time 1 day

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes 

| Beverages | Raw Diet

Almond Milk is plant milk that is one of the vegan substitutes for dairy. Plant milks are suitable for people who have a lactose intolerance or simply want to try something different.

Unlike cow’s milk, this recipe contains no cholesterol, is much lower in saturated fat, and lacks casein, making it suitable for more people, since some choose a Gluten-free, casein-free diet or are allergic to casein.[1]

Unlike Soy Milk, this recipe is suitable for those who wish to avoid soy due to its estrogenic properties or hexane content or people who are have soy allergies.

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 bowl of water
  • 1 cup (236 ml) almonds
  • 3 cups (708 mL) pure water, such as rosewater, orange blossom water, spring water, distilled water, or iodized water
  • 3 dates

Procedure

v This recipe is vegan; it contains no animal products of any kind.
  1. Put the almonds into a bowl of water. Make sure they are covered completely underneath at least one (1) inch (2²⁷⁄₅₀ cm) of water. This is called sprouting or steeping. Leave them in the refrigerator overnight, and then drain the water.
  2. Put the almonds from the previous step into a blender and add 3 cups (708 mL) of pure water. The mixture will start clear and quickly change color. Stop blending after a few minutes when there is no visible change in color or consistency anymore. Wash and dry your hands, and strain this mixture over a pitcher. You can either strain it through a fine sieve by squeezing the milk from the moist mixture through the sieve with a wooden spoon, or simply place mesh sometimes called a sprout or nut-milk bag that is usually made of nylon on top of the pitcher in order to squeeze the mixture through the mesh by hand. You may either discard the pulp or use it for other recipes, such as mixing it into almond agar jelly. Wash and dry your hands, and then pour the almond milk back into the blender. Add the dates and blend until there is no visible change in color or consistency anymore.
  3. Pour into a drinking cup and enjoy!

Variations

Unlike dates, artificial sweeteners usually do not have any nutrients. If you would like to substitute the dates for something else, try natural sweeteners, such or stevia or honey instead of sugar or syrup, if you can. Just bear in mind using honey would make this recipe not be vegan, if that is important to you.

Warnings

  • Do not use bitter almonds, since the combination of bitter almonds and water releases cyanide.[2]
  • Do not keep the mixture from step 2 above for more than 2 days, since it spoils quickly. It's best to make it fresh.
  • There are recipes that use a stove or boiling water, but heat destroys the food enzymes in the almonds.
  • Using water that is not pure, such as tap water, may have an adverse taste.

See also

References

  1. ↑ G. H. Docena; R. Fernandez; F. G. Chirdo; C. A. Fossati (June 1996). Thomas Bieber. ed. "Identification of casein as the major allergenic and antigenic protein of cow's milk". Allergy (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons) 51 (6): 412-416. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.1996.tb00151.x. ISSN 0105-4538. OCLC 119867765. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119209344/abstract. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  2. ↑ "Bitter Almonds". Revolution Health. Everyday Health. http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/vitamin-index/bitter-almond-ns. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
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