How To Make Almond Milk and Almond Smoothie Recipes

I couldn't to much toward making my own milk - cow's milk that is.  But when it come to almond milk, which is my preference, I can do this.  I have been checking out all kinds of recipes for this and have decided which I like best.  If you have ever checked this out too, you know that I am truly joking since the recipe is pretty much just almonds and milk and maybe a little bit of sweetener.  So it's all about the presentation.  The photos.  The entertainment factor.  Sometimes, the options.

I found the recipe on the site The Shiksa in the Kitchen to be amazing.  Not just the pics and description but the follow up recipe on what to do with the 'almond solids' that remain after making your almond milk.  Many or most would throw out these solids.  I would have throw it into the yard for the wild to enjoy.  But not after reading Tori's post.  Super cool, as you will see when you go to her site.

The recipe is simple -

1 cup raw unsalted almonds, skin on  (the skin part surprised me)
4 cups filtered water, plus the water for soaking
1  1/2 tsp honey or agave nectar, or one whole pitted date
Dash of salt - optional

The process is simple.  You soak, and blend, and drain and save the 'solids' and before doing any of this, just read her full explanation.  Click here to go directly to her site. 

I've journeyed around her site for quit a while and love a lot of Tori's recipes.  Please check it out.

I want to share a thought here that is really important to me.  I do a little prepping.  I'm a bit of a Mini Prepper.  Is this not perfect for me?  I have nuts stored in a Food Saver bag that will be good for years.  Now, I will be storing more almonds than anything else because of the many uses I will get from them.  If I have no access to fresh milk for the kids, or off the shelf almond milk, I will be able to make it.  How great will it be to have this wonderful treat!  Then to top it off, I will have a bit of almond meal for cooking.  This is a preppers dream food.

Now for a couple of recipes.  And just a couple for now. If we are making almond milk, we might as well make some smoothies too.

Cherry Vanilla Almond Smoothie 

 

Ingredients

2 cups frozen pitted cherries
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 pitted Medjool date
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until completely smooth. Serve immediately.

Almond Apple Smoothie

Ingredients

2 Cups Almond milk
1 Banana
2 Apples
¼ Cup Pecans
½ Cup Dates or Raisins
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Allspice

Blend the dry ingredients and liquid first
Blend the fruit and the rest of the ingredients until smooth
Done!

Tropical Smoothie 

Ingredients

1 Cups Almond Milk
1 Cup Kale or Spinach
2 Cups Melon
3 Cups Pineapple
1 Banana
1 Cup Oats
2 Tablespoons Ground Flax seed

Blend all ingredients completely; make sure you use ground flax seed.  If you are in the mood to be a bit more adventuresome, add a couple more different fruits.  And a little umbrella in the drink too.

Here's one that I found, but have not tried.  It comes from Green Thickies.  You really should check out their site for many great recipes and a ton of into about the health benefits of their suggested foods.

This one is for Blackberry Smoothie with Basil -

Ingredients

2 Cups Water (If you are drinking this straight away substitute one cup of water for ice)
1 Cup Basil, loosely packed (Or any other mild green if you really can’t face basil but it really is delicious with the basil)
¼ Cup Almonds (or any plain seeds if you don’t eat nuts, or leave out for less calories)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (Pure or ground vanilla has a better flavour)
½ Cup Raisins (or any other dried fruit which can also be pre-soaked for a smoother blend)
1 Cup link Oats Or one cup of Quinoa
4 Cups Blackberries (I used one punnet of frozen blackberries)
1 Banana

Instructions

Blend the ingredients in the order listed. Blend the greens and liquid first and then blend the rest of the ingredients. This creates more space in your blender. Add more water if required to thin it out. Substitute any of the ingredients for whatever you already have. If your smoothie is too warm, you can cool it down in the fridge or freeze some of your ingredients before blending.

I think when I make this one, I will replace the water and almonds with 2 cups of almond milk.

There you've got it.  A few recipes for smoothies, nutritional facts, and the even instructions on how to make your very own almond milk.  With my new obsession, that began with making the fresh stuff from raw almonds, I am sure there will be more post on this subject to follow.

Got Milk? Got Almond Milk?

As a child, I loved milk.  I would sneak milk, I would drink milk as a meal and I would get in a lot of trouble for drinking my milk before I ever took a bite of dinner.  My mom was forced to withhold my milk until after I had eaten a reasonable amount.  I learned at an early age to fake the choking thing to get my way.  I must have been an utterly annoying child, when it came to meals. (sorry; couldn't resist)

About ten years ago I became extremely allergic to milk and dairy products.  Please don't confuse this with being lactose intolerant.  There is a huge difference.  I switch to soy and really didn't care for the flavor but persisted, for a few weeks, with trying different brands of soy until I realized that I am also allergic to soy.  It took drinking it to wake me up to the reason that I had been getting such bad head aches from edamame beans. 

I eliminated my daily milkshakes, and my bowl of cereal before I went to bed, and for sure the edamames had to go.  What is left?  I didn't have any replacement until a couple of years ago when I noticed almond milk on the shelves.  I don't enjoy the flavor enough to drink a glass of it but I do enjoy it on cereal and will mix it all up with some fresh fruit and make an amazing smoothy.

I was all about finding out info on this new discovery.  I was afraid that i would be disappointed in the info that I would find, but wasn't.   Check out what  I recently found from Dr. Andrew Weil.

Almond milk is becoming increasingly popular as a reasonable alternative to cow's milk or soy milk. However, almond milk doesn't provide enough protein to be direct substitute for those products. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use it, but if you do, be sure that you get adequate protein from other sources.

If you're trying to get away from cow's milk, I usually recommend switching to soy milk. It is widely available and provides more protein than other "milks" on the market. It also has a creamy texture, but you need to be aware that some brands contain additives and thickeners, including carrageenan, which should be avoided. If you are allergic to soy or dislike soy milk, almond milk is a good choice as long as you pay attention to your protein intake.

Commercially available almond milk is often enriched with vitamins A and D, as well as calcium, to make it seem more like regular milk. (Almonds provide some calcium, but not as much as cow's milk.) Almond milk is low in calories compared to other milk substitutes and contains some heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

Be sure to check the labels of almond milk before you buy, because some brands contain preservatives, and other additives. Note that you can make almond milk at home – an easy process, requiring only organic raw almonds, water and a little sugar or other sweetener. You can find many recipes online.

Dr. Weil has some great suggestions about oat, rice and hemp milk. Read more of the above article by clicking right here.

Back to the joys of almond milk - I am amazed at how reasonably priced this product is.  At the market that I shop at, the regular price is about $3.  On sale it is about $2.25.  Top that off with the coupons that surface on a regular basis - I am picking up a quart of almond mild for about $1.75. I believe that is quite a deal.

In the past couple of months, I feel like I am coming full circle with my special treats.  I can have cereal before bed time, if I want.  I can make a great smoothie.  And I have found a recipe for a milkshake that is pretty good.  It will never be the same as good ole' cows milk, but I do know that i so much healthier and for me, the only alternative that works for me.

Try the recipe below, even if you do not have a problem with dairy products.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

Home Made Almond Milk

This is one of those situations where you can go to  the market and purchase almond milk right off the store shelf.  Easy peasy!  Right?   But, some people would like to know that what they are putting in their body is as pure as possible.  For those, there is home made almond milk.

There's a recipe that may be right up your alley.

Ingredients -

1 cup almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 dates
pinch of salt
water

Directions

Soak almonds overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain water, and place almonds in a heavy duty blender with 4 cups of water, vanilla and dates. Blend for about a minute and a half.

Pour Almond mixture through cheesecloth or a nut bag to strain.  Try and squeeze all of the moisture out of the cheesecloth, and reserve pulp in a small bowl.

Pour almond milk into a pitcher and store in the refrigerator for 3-4

days. Denitra suggests using extra pulp in cookies and quick bread mixes for added protein.




Yield 1 Quart Almond Milk.