Recipe: Almond Milk

Prior to meeting the bf, I wasn't really aware of almond milk and its existence.  I only knew that I loved the actual nut and how it tasted when roasted or used in baked goods, and disliked the weird way it tasted in almond pudding or tofu.   For whatever strange reason, the smell and taste of almond pudding reminds me of cockroaches (ick)!  Not that I've ever tasted them, thank goodness, but if you've ever squished one of them, you'll know what I mean about the smell they emit.

Ok, back to more appetizing talk! 

As the bf is lactose-intolerant, he's unable to drink the usual Meiji milk that I have in the fridge, and has to buy his own pack of almond milk from the supermarket.  When I had my first taste of commercial almond milk, I found it quite unappealing.  It tasted very fake, with a strong vanilla flavour and the list of ingredients seemed chock-full of other flavourings and additives.

So when I read that almond milk is amazingly easy to make, I decided to give it a whirl this weekend.  And now, I have something that even I will enjoy drinking.  It's fresh, nutty and completely free of preservatives.  Awesome!

I think I might start drinking almond milk in place of cow's milk, especially with the recent talk of hormones in cows.  Plus, almond milk is rich in antioxidants, protein, and low in fat!

As a bonus, I've also baked the leftover almond meal in my Airfryer (a very speedy oven) and will use it in my morning oatmeal, as a topping for crumbles or in cookie recipes.

 
Almond Milk 

1 cup of almonds 

3.5 cups of filtered water
Nut or coconut milk bag
Optional: sea salt, vanilla extract

- Soak the almonds in a bowl, covered with water, and leave in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.  If leaving for an extended period, change the water every 12 hours.  Apparently, the longer you leave them soaked, the creamier the milk.

- Rinse and drain the almonds.  Pour into a blender and top with 3.5 cups of water.  Blend for approximately 1 to 2 minutes till frothy.  Add optional salt or vanilla extract, and blend for a few more seconds till mixed.

- Pour into a nut or coconut milk bag, and squeeze to extract all the milk.  Alternatively, you could use a fine sieve but the result won't be as clean.

- Refrigerate and consume in 3-5 days. Enjoy!