Dairy and I have a love-hate relationship. Sometimes we can handle each other, and other times dairy hates me, which in turn makes me hate dairy. But, I love dairy so much, why doesn’t it love me back?
To get rid of the hate in my life, I try to minimize dairy as much as possible. I go through phases where I break up with dairy and swear it off for ever, and then it somehow talks me back into the relationship (cheese, why you so good lookin?).
Right now, I’m in the dairy-in-moderation stage. I try to choose only one meal a day that will have dairy in it. Since I can’t resist cheese (and vegan cheeses don’t do it for me) I usually replace my cows milk with almond milk. Luckily almond milk goes really well with my morning chai tea. If only they would stock the Swiss grocery shelves with decent almond milk, it would make my life a whole lot easier. But they don’t, and I’m left to my own devices to make it the hard way…by hand.
But it’s actually not that hard! It just requires a little bit of thinking the night before you want it, because your almonds need to soak overnight. And, it’s actually the healthiest way to consume almond milk since we can pronounce all the ingredients. No additives (like the controversial carrageenan) necessary when it’s fresh. So let’s get juicing; almond juicing.
You almonds are soaked, plump, and raring to go.
Throw them in your juicer or blender.
Let it do it’s magic.
Cheese cloth that jar and pour in your milk.
See that? I betcha didn’t even know those little flecks were there.
But they are, and they make your milk gritty. No one wants grit.
Add some vanilla extract if your heart desires. And drink up! This only lasts about 3-7 days in the refrigerator.
Are you worried about the waste of the almond pulp like me? Want not, waste not! Try to squeeze as much excess juice out of the pulp and then spread it out on a baking sheet. Throw it in the oven on the lowest temperature for about 2-3 hours, or until the almond pulp is dried out and golden brown. Leaving the oven door open a tiny bit helps to let the moisture seep out. I sprinkle the dried almond crumbs on top of my oatmeal in the morning. Alternatively, you can pulse it in your food processor until fine. Recognize that? It’s almond meal!
Two birds, one stone.
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Cheese cloth
- Soak the almonds and water in a sealed container overnight in a cool, dry place.
- The next day, prepare your juicer or blender. Juice or blend the almonds and water. Place and secure a cheese cloth over a medium sized bowl or pitcher of some sort. Pour the juice from the almonds through the cheese cloth. Do this slowly, otherwise the juice will overflow before it strains.
- Once strained, add a teaspoon of vanilla or your favorite extract.
- It will last about 3-7 days in the refrigerator.
7 Responses
OMG, I love this. So easy and organic!! Though I live in the USA you’d be surprise about how hard it is to find organics in my neighborhood. Many of the Almond milks I find are not organic. I think I’ll try it in my nutribullet first, then the blender if it doesn’t work out. I’ll let you know how it does.
ya they got all sort of crap in them that you don’t need. the bullet should work! let me know how it goes.
Aw I feel so sorry for you. I really can’t live without dairy either (but for me it is yoghurt I can’t resist – seriously, you don’t want to meet me in the morning before I’ve gotten my yoghurt 😉 ). But that doesn’t mean I don’t love dairy free recipes. I love this recipe. It sounds so delicious and easy. I definitely have to make my own almond milk soon! Thanks for sharing.
luckily, i’m not totally intolerant so I still get to indulge, just in moderation 🙂 yes, almond milk tastes great in a lot of things, sometimes better than milk!
I was so happy the day I discovered almond milk! So much better than soy milk. I actually really like the flavor. Great idea making your own! I’m going to have to give that a try. I bet it tastes even fresher. They just started carrying almond milk at Costco, and it always kind of weirds me out that you don’t have to refrigerate it until after you open it.
I was recently introduced to home made almond milk too, so much better than the stuff from a carton! Good to know I don’t have to hold out for a Vita Mix to make my own, will try it out in my good old champion juicer 🙂 Thanks for the helpful hint cousin!
yep, no vitamix needed, but man I wish I had one!!