Easy Almond Milk

Before I get to today's easy almond milk recipe (I'll give you some ideas for what to do with the pulp too!), I have one crazy announcement and another exciting announcement. Actually, they are both pretty exciting.

The insanely crazy one is that in two weeks I will be moving to Beijing, China for one year with my boyfriend. We will be teaching Kindergarten English in a school in Beijing. Because of this new job in this new exciting location, I am guessing that I will not be blogging too often. The good news is I will still do posts for this blog and for one year my blog will be Vegan 101 Girl Goes to China! I hope to have posts about being vegan in China and what that's like, as well as restaurant reviews, and how to use Chinese ingredients that are unfamiliar to most of us in the United States.

The other exciting news is that next week for my last blog post, I will be doing a book review and giveaway as a going away present to you all. This isn't just any book though, it's Whole by T. Colin Campbell and Howard Jacobson. I will give more details next week, but basically this is The China Study Part II and Campbell does not disappoint! So be sure to subscribe to my blog so that you can get an email about when the giveaway goes live!

Okay, now that we have taken care of business, let's get to making almond milk!

After soaking 1 cup of whole raw almonds overnight, drain them and put them in a blender with 3 cups of fresh water. Blend on high for about 1 minute or until completely smooth.

For this next part you are going to need a nut milk bag. This is the only recipe on my blog that requires a special kitchen tool. You can't use a strainer or cheesecloth for this, it just doesn't come out the same. If you want it to be like the almond milk you buy in the store, you must purchase a nut milk bag. Fortunately, they are pretty darn cheap. I bought mine for $4 at High Vibe, a raw foods store in NYC that I went to while I was training to become a certified vegan lifestyle coach. Nut milk bags are super easy to find on the internet and you can probably find them in health food stores as well.  

Now that you have your nut milk bag, in batches, you are going to pour your almond/water mixture into the bag and strain it into a glass container that you will use to store your milk in. As you strain, hold the top of the bag in one hand and use your other hand to squeeze down the bag, almost as if you were milking a cow. When you have gotten all the liquid you can out of the bag, remove the pulp and place it in a separate container to use for another recipe later. Repeat this whole process with all of the almond/water in the blender. 

Once all of the milk has been strained, finish by adding sweetener. I add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup. Keep it refrigerated and it will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Almond Milk

Yield: about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of whole raw almonds
• 3 cups of water (plus more to soak the almonds in)
• small pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1. Place 1 cup of almonds in a bowl, cover with water, and allow to soak overnight.
2. Drain the almonds and place in a blender with 3 cups of fresh water. 
3. Blend on high for about 1 minute or until completely smooth.
4. Using a nut milk bag, strain all of the milk into a glass storage container or jars. 
5. Save the pulp in a separate container.
6. Stir in the salt, vanilla extract, and maple syrup into the milk. 
7. Enjoy a nice big glass of fresh almond milk!

What about the pulp?

Well, there are a million and one things you can do with the pulp (and probably more than that!). 

• Use it to make crackers and cookies - google almond pulp recipes and you will find tons of recipes
• Just like with juicer pulp, put small amounts into breads, loaves, muffins, and cakes
• Put small amounts into smoothies or stirred into oatmeals
• If you have more than you know what to do with, save it for later by freezing it in the freezer

Mostly recently, I made this cracker recipe using the almond pulp leftover from making almond milk. These crackers were super yummy and easy to make!