Raw Almond Milk

Raw Almond Milk
to be used as you would milk or soy milk!

1 cup raw almonds (soak in a bowl of water overnight, drain & rinse before using)

3 cup water

sweetener of your choice, and to your taste. choose 1 or 2:
stevia (sometimes we use vanilla flavored stevia drops!)
agave
3 - 5 soft pitted dates
honey
real maple syrup

vanilla (optional)

To make raw almond milk blend the soaked almonds with the water until smooth (give it a minute or 2, on high). Then strain the mixture through cheesecloth, or strainer into a big bowl. (we use a fine strainer) If the pulp texture is fine & soft, then you know you've gotten the most milk for you buck! Save the almond pulp in a container and put in the refrigerator for later use.... it can be used for many nummy things: add to cereal, add to cookies, eat with fresh fruit & almond milk.

Put the almond milk back into the blender, and blend in the vanilla and sweetener until smooth. (We sometimes skip this step and just add these to the blender in the first step, this way the pulp is sweetened too!) This milk will last in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days. Shake well before using.

Variations: Blend in a banana and nutmeg to make a festive rawnog. Blend in mango & ice for a nice mango lassi. Blend frozen papaya & fresh mint for a refreshing cooler (this is the Hawaii version) Blend frozen blueberries & fresh mint for a Pacific Northwest Cooler ;) See how much fun this can be!

Here's a tip: Raw almonds can be a pricey thing if you don't know where to shop. Organic is always best, though for more budget conscious, Costco has a great deal on a large bag of almonds (and they are raw, too!)