Extravagantly rich, deliciously creamy almond nut milk is the ideal dairy substitute. It is a large part of raw food diets, and is a healthy addition to vegan and vegetarian diets. Almonds are rich in protein (with 26% carbohydrates), fibre, and mono unsaturated fats. This is a cocktail of unrefined macro nutrients that satisfy ones health and taste buds.
What you will need:
A blender, a
lmonds, water, natural vanilla essence/extract, salt, dates/honey/agave/xylitol.
When purchasing your almonds to make your nut milk, take note of their shape. Almonds come in two different varieties – the short fat bitter kind, and the larger slender sweet kind. Experiment with these and find the variety you prefer.
The quantities of almonds and water you use, depends entirely on how rich you like your milk. Start with 2 cups almonds to 4 cups water, and adjust your recipe from there.
How to make Almond Nut Milk: 8 Easy steps:
Soak almonds for 6-8 hours i.e. overnight
Discard the water and rinse
Add nuts, water to cover, a few drops of natural vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a light sprinkle of xylitol (or try raw honey or a few dates if rather desired).
Blend
Pour contents through a muslin cloth (I used a pair of stockings layered twice I.e. leg in leg)
Squeeze the liquid out into a container
Save the nut fibre for something else, like a stuffing, a tart crust, or a nut bake.
Serve in a glass on its own, or in cereal etc. Can be refridgerated for up to 3 days.
Health benefits of Almonds:
Almond nut milk is thought to be good for weight watchers because it fills for longer. This may be due to the Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids it contains, which help stabilise blood sugar levels, and are also shown to lower LDL ('bad' cholesterol), and raise HDL ('good' cholesterol).
Almonds contain significant doses of the alkalising electrolytes Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium – involved in bone and heart health, and nerve and muscle function. Not to mention that Calcium is involved in blood clotting, and Potassium rich foods are a vital addition to the typical western diet which is high in sodium.
Other nutrients found in almonds include the antioxidant Vitamin E, which helps combat the damaging effects of ageing and environmental toxins, and Folic Acid, a B vitamin involved in DNA and energy metabolism, and essential in the diets of pregnant moms.
