So GMO non-organic soy is out. What to pour over your oats now? Well, the answer is simple—and so much more delicious and nutritious than any supermarket packaged non-dairy milks that are often laden with preservatives and goodness knows what else.
Making your own almond milk at home takes a small amount of preparation, and not only leaves you with great tasting milk, but also the peace of mind knowing exactly where it came from.
As with any recipe, you can change this around to suit your specific taste. Even add some raw cacao for a chocolate drink like no other. Here is the basic recipe I use to make my very own fresh almond milk. Enjoy!
Raw Almond Milk
1 cup of soaked raw almonds
Spring water for soaking
3 cups of spring water (for actual milk)
3 to 6 pitted dates
• Almonds are best soaked overnight in a refrigerator, but if you’re in a rush, soak for a couple of hours and you’ll still be on your way to making a fabulous milk. Be sure to rinse them before using.
• I usually soak the dates in spring water for half an hour or so, but this isn’t always necessary if you’re using soft dates.
Blend the soaked almonds with the spring water until smooth. Then strain that mix through a strainer or cheesecloth (I find a strainer much easier to use). You can also save the left over pulp to sprinkle over cereal or use in baking recipes. Waste not, want not!
Place the almond milk back into your blender, throw in the dates and blend until smooth.
And, voila, there you have it, fresh almond milk. If you prefer a thinner or thicker milk, simply add or take away water as desired. Your milk will last in the refrigerator for about three days. Be sure to shake before using.
To make vanilla almond milk
Add the seeds from 1 vanilla bean or a natural sweetener such as stevia.
One last tip: You can also add your almond milk to a green smoothie recipe to make it that much more delicious.
Pics courtesy of www.thehealthyeatingsite.com
I often come across do-gooding vegans in my travels, from Hollywood types to everyday bloggers. Actor, raw foodist and long-time vegan, Woody Harrelson has been meat and dairy free long before many had even heard of the term vegan. This makes him the perfect pick for Vegan of the Month.
He recently told Maxim magazine: “It’s been at least 20 years. I used to eat burgers and steak, and I would just be knocked out afterward; I had to give it up.”
“The first thing was dairy. I was about 24 years old and I had tons of acne and mucus. I met some random girl on a bus who told me to quit dairy and all those symptoms would go away three days later. By God she was right.”
Harrelson has also been quoted as saying: “Yeah, milk does a body good – if you are a calf”.
Catch Woody in his upcoming flick Zombieland on October 9. See trailer below.
I’ve been travelling a lot lately. Country hopping via long haul flights, sandwiched between lengthy hours on the road. Tripping from country to country has affected my diet much more than I expected. My usual raw food diet, which I eat around 80 per cent or so of the time, has turned to mostly cooked (gasp!).
The great thing about such a big change in my diet, besides the not-so-good noticeable decline in my usual joie de vivre? It has been a fabulous experiment.
I can easily tell the difference in my body from transitioning to mostly cooked, from raw, meals … physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My energy levels have dropped, my thinking isn’t as clear and my usual Reiki practice and meditation has come to almost a complete standstill.
But why, one may ask, does eating cooked food make so much of a difference? Well, because I’m a) not thinking clearly and b) tired, I thought it best I get the lowdown from living-foods.com.
What are Living and Raw Foods?
They are foods that contain enzymes. In general, the act of heating food over 116 degrees F destroys enzymes in food (enzymes start to degrade in as little as 106 degrees F). All cooked food is devoid of enzymes, furthermore cooking food changes the molecular structure of the food and renders it toxic. Living and raw foods also have enormously higher nutrient values than the foods that have been cooked.
What are Enzymes?
Enzymes assist in the digestion of foods. They are known to be the “life-force” and or “energy” of food.
Why are Enzymes Important?
They assist in the digestion and absorption of food. If you eat food that is enzyme-less, your body will not get maximum utilization of the food. This causes toxicity in the body.
A raw creamy kale salad from chef Russell James. Delish!
