Recipe – Almond Milk

Ayurveda describes almonds as sweet, heating and hard to digest. Soaking them makes them easier to digest and balancing for all three doshas. Almonds nourish the brain, support the male reproductive system, and are an excellent tonic for restoring energy. Soaked almonds are great during pregnancy.

An added benefit of making your own almond milk is the remaining almond pulp which can be added to oatmeal, for cookies or in a salad or dressing. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days, you can freeze it for up to a month or dehydrate it. Check out the recipe for Sesame Cardamom Delights for a great way to use your almond pulp.

You’ll need a a nut milk bag or cotton cheesecloth to strain your milk out of the almonds, you can buy a large “gasa de algodón” at your local Farmacia.

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
3 cups water
small pinch of salt (optional)

The Magic

Place the almonds in a bowl, rinse them and cover with room temperature water, there should be at least 2 inches of water above the almonds.

Refrigerate and soak for 8-12 hours.

Drain the nuts and rinse them well, peeling the almonds at this point is ideal for optimum digestibility, you can skip this step though.

Place them in a blender with the water and salt, if using.

Blend on high speed until the nuts are completely broken down, the timing will depend on your blender, usually about a minute.

Layer your cheesecloth over a bowl and pour the mixture through. Take the 4 corners of your cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the milk as possible.

You can enjoy this almond milk on its own or in other recipes.

Store your almond milk in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Shake well before using.