How to Make Home-Made Almond Milk

Did you know that commercial almond milks you buy at the store usually only have about 2% almonds? (Gulp!)

The rest is water, thickeners, fillers. And some even have carrageenan, a thickening agent from seaweed that has been shown to cause inflammation and ulceration of the gut, some say it's even carcinogenic! (It's also used in yogurts and other nut milks, so please read ingredients.)

If you want to learn how to make home-made almond milk, you're in the right place!

Nothing compares to the scrumptious, delectable, sexy feel and flavor of true almond milk. If you wanna learn how to make almond milk, you're in for a treat, 'cause I'm gonna teach you how to make it!

No, you don't have to milk each little almond like a tiny cow titty.

The process is fun, easy and you can be creative with different flavors, like turmeric and cardamom for an exotic Indian twist, or blueberry for a shot of added color and awesome antioxidants. Sky's the limit here, so let's get started!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raw almonds. (Soaked overnight with water, a dash of salt and a t-spoon of apple cider vinegar. I get them at Costco.)

• 4 cups organic Coconut Water (or half coconut/half fresh water)

• dash of cinnamon

• 3-5 drops Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme Stevia

TO DO:

• Soak almonds overnight, as mentioned above. In the morning, toss water with all those nasty enzyme inhibitors that would've caused tummy upset and bloating. Rinse.

• Toss in the Vitamix (I hope you have one, if not, please hunker down and get one! Honestly, the best investment for your health you can make in the kitchen!) Or try it in your blender, though you'll need to strain the gritty stuff well.

• Add 4 cups of coconut water (adds to the nutritional content, natural electrolytes AND flavor!) Note: If you are 100% off sugar, then use fresh water instead.

• Dash of cinnamon and 3-5 drops of Vanilla Creme Stevia. (You can use 2 pitted dates - soaked in hot water for 5-10 minutes instead. If you are off sugar, best to stick to natural Stevia.)

• Turn it on, and speed up slowly. Then on High for about 30 seconds.

Almost done!

• Place a nut milk bag (or cheese cloth, doubled, over a strainer) over a large bowl. I really love Ellie's Best milk bags. They're big and sturdy and easy to clean.

• Pour the almond milk in the bag, and close the top.

Now, this is the REALLY FUN part! Get that inner farmer ready... Yee-haw! 'Cause this is the milking part. It won't moo, but almost!

• SLOWLY squeeze the mixture, extracting the milk onto the bowl. I say slowly, because if you don't, you will get squirted on the face or on your clothes. Not good.

• Squeeze till nothing else comes out, and Ta-da! All done!

HOW TO STORE IT

It's best to store the milk in a glass bottle. I use a funnel, and this recipe will make slightly more than a quart. So, you get an extra treat; drink whatever's left in the bowl!

GET CREATIVE!

If you want to add flavors like the once I mentioned above, do it in the blender AFTER you strain. Why? Because you may want to use the almond pulp to make some delicious Almond Coconut Macaroon Cookies or Almond Pulp Spread! And you don't want to alter the flavor with other ingredients.

Yes, we LOVE to recycle and reuse. But, the pulp only lasts a few days before it goes bad. You can save it in a glass container 2-3 days, and when you get two or three batches, make the Macaroon Cookies. You will LOVE them! (You can also freeze the almond pulp until you're ready.)

BONUS TIP: You can also make a fab body scrub with the pulp!

1 c. pulp, 2 tbsp coconut or sweet almond oil, and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Lasts only a few days, and you must store it in the fridge. But it's a nice treat to exfoliate those old cells away and bring your inner beauty out to the surface again!

By the way, almond milk only lasts about 3-4 days in the fridge. So, I make small batches at a time. This proves it's fresh. The store-bought stuff has preservatives to make it last longer.

TO PEEL OR NOT PEEL? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Some people ask me if they should use the entire almond with skins or without. Honestly? The taste is smoother and more luscious without them, but only if you have royalty taste buds. (If you're sensitive to lectins, then you will want to remove the skins... Thanks for the tip, Marcia!)

I used to peel them at first, but I usually don't have time. Having said that, it can be a really beautiful meditation to, one by one, squeeze the skins off. If you want to zone out, I highly recommend it.

When you squeeze the wide end, the skin comes right off, but be careful: the almond can go flying off across the room.

(Great fun if you're husband, partner or kid is annoying you! Just aim and Zing!)

That's it! I know you you will LOVE this luscious almond milk as much as we do!

I'm excited to hear from you. Please let me know in COMMENTS BELOW how things turned out OK? Or any specialty flavors you come up with... Or, if you have any questions about the process. I'm always listening!

Cheers and Big Hug!

Eli