Home Made Almond Milk

INGREDIENTS

1 cup almonds (or cashews, hazelnuts, etc.) soaked overnight

3 cups of water

3 pitted dates (soaked in 1/2 cup water for at least 4 hours)

1 pinch of vanilla (optional)

1 pinch of salt (optional)

PREPARATION

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender using medium speed for few seconds then switching to high speed for one minute until very smooth. Strain using a nut milk bag (you can save the leftover pulp for baking purposes, freeze it if you would like to use later). Keep the milk refrigerated for up to two days. Adding dates is optional and a wonderful source of nutrients. Vanilla and salt are basically to add flavor and amount can be adjusted to taste. Nut milks are basically soaked nuts mixed in water. When freshly made at home they are delicious! Bought in bricks at the supermarket they are quite expensive and will most likely be made of around 2 percent of almonds and the rest is an unhealthy mixture of sweeteners, water, added vitamins, and a thickening agent (usually carrageenan). Not to mention the ecological aspects and waste generated from packaging and transportation... Very few brands out there can be quite fair when you check the ingredients list, but for me just the idea of packaging pollution don't worth to the product.

Good to know:

This is one of these recipes where having a high-speed blender makes totally sense. I resisted the idea of getting an expensive blender for over three years and went the hard way... I had a juicer that quickly stopped using due to the huge waste of fibers (I was basically composting most of my organic fruits and veggies. Non-sense!), then my grinder did not resisted the preparation of churnas from spices;. two regular mixers from quite good quality started showing performance problems quickly when I insisted in making nut milks using them. So, I decided to join those who invested in a sturdy blender and have to say: It worth the investiment.