DIY Vanilla-Maple Almond Milk

So, last year I found out that my unexplained chest pains were related to a dairy intolerance. Crazy, right? A couple months ago when I took Andrew to a holistic practitioner I also found out that dairy was seriously affecting his immune system.

Damn dairy! So good, yet so destructive it seems like.

Since then I’ve eliminated a lot of dairy products from mine and Andrew’s diet but it has not been easy. Every day I tell myself that I will find an alternative to butter so I can continue to eliminate dairy but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I love butter. I need butter. I can’t live without butter.

No joke.

Oh, and sour cream. I have a really hard time giving up sour cream, so does Andrew. Tacos, quesadillas and life is not the same without sour cream.

In regards to milk and cream though.. yeah I’ve given that up completely. I now drink my coffee black and stay away from things that contain lots of milk or cream. It usually results in a stomach ache for me which is not fun. Andrew drinks raw goat milk and that seems to do well for him but I can’t really handle the taste.

But lately, I’ve really been missing milk — especially with chewy brownies or crumbly coconut cookies. I had to figure out a way to consume something milk-ish to satisfy my craving. I know you’re probably thinking, “well Loriel, you can buy almond milk from the store!” You are totally right! However I’m not too keen with the ingredient list so I usually stay away from it and at the time I didn’t have a blender that could make almond milk.

Until a few weeks ago when I got my Blendtec. Then the gates of heaven opened and I was introduced to so many possibilities! First I made blender banana bread because I bought crate of bananas for $5 (what was I thinking??) and then I made homemade almond milk.

It took a few tries to get the consistency right. At first the consistency was too watery but as I continued to reduce the water each time I tried, I finally achieved the right water to almond ratio. Now, even my raw milk loving husband drinks my almond milk. I usually snarl at him when he does because I’m the one that can’t handle dairy, not him. Don’t be wasting my almond milk!

I decided to flavor it with my signature ingredients: vanilla and real maple syrup. I basically use those two ingredients in everything. I use them in my moist vanilla cupcakes, my strawberry popsicles, real food version of fudge sauce and my iced maple chai tea latte that I’ll be sharing soon.

The vanilla and maple syrup are not used heavily in the recipe so when you take a sip of the fresh made almond milk, you’ll get just a hint of it. Plus, there are no additives or anything “extra” to be found. Soooo yummy.

Oh and one last note, you can try making almond flour with the leftover almond pulp or give it to your chickens for a treat.

DIY Vanilla-Maple Almond Milk

 

Print

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• High powered blender (where to buy)
• Cheesecloth ([where to buy|])
• Glass bowl and measuring spoons

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic almonds, soaked over night in water
• 3 cups water (filtered if possible)
• 1 Tbl real maple syrup (where to buy)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp unrefined kosher sea salt (where to buy)

Instructions

1. Place soaked almonds in a high powered blender along with 3 cups of water; blend on high for close to a minute
2. Lay cheesecloth over a bowl and pour liquid into it; strain out all the liquid.
3. Pour almond milk back into the blender and add maple syrup, vanilla and salt; pulse a few times until thoroughly mixed
4. Transfer to an airtight container and use within 3 days

3.4.3177

DIY Vanilla-Maple Almond Milk

 

Print

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• High powered blender (where to buy)
• Cheesecloth ([where to buy|])
• Glass bowl and measuring spoons

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic almonds, soaked over night in water
• 3 cups water (filtered if possible)
• 1 Tbl real maple syrup (where to buy)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp unrefined kosher sea salt (where to buy)

Instructions

1. Place soaked almonds in a high powered blender along with 3 cups of water; blend on high for close to a minute
2. Lay cheesecloth or a nut milk bag (these make cleaning up so much easier) over a bowl and pour liquid into it; strain out all the liquid.
3. Pour almond milk back into the blender and add maple syrup, vanilla and salt; pulse a few times until thoroughly mixed
4. Transfer to an airtight container and use within 3 days

3.4.3177