Why to make at home
Many people are switching to nut milks in an attempt to avoid dairy altogether. Thus natural food sections at the grocery store are stocked with several types of non-dairy milks. And while they are all different—some are sweetened, some flavored, some come from soy, some come from almonds, and so on—they are all the same in the sense that they now belong to the processed food group. What began as a nut milk now has fillers, preservatives, and sugar. The good news is these are easy to make at home to avoid any unnecessary ingredients.
Flavoring and Sweetening options
You can use a variety of flavors depending on what you like. My personal favorites are vanilla extract, regular or flavored organic stevia, nutmeg, cacao, cinnamon, coconut oil, maple syrup, and sea salt. The possibilities really are endless if you get creative!
Which is better?
Which nut milk is better comes down to personal preference. I’ve found that depending on what you put into it, they can taste very similar. That being said, almond milk is more labor intensive because it is best if the pulp is strained from the milk. But as a result of straining, you get piles of almond pulp that can be dehydrated and saved as almond flour for other recipes. Cashew milk is quick and easy, no straining required, and is considerably higher in good fat calories.
Preparing for your recipes
Make sure you leave enough time to soak your nuts! This makes them easier to blend as well as easier to digest. Just look at a dried raw nut and a soaked one. Which do you think is easier to digest?
Also remember to check that you have all of the ingredients you need and have plenty of filtered water.
The almond flour takes time to dehydrate so be sure you’ll be home when the oven is on and you have 3–6 hours depending on how much pulp you have to work with.
Cashew Milk
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked
- 6 cups filtered water
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 10 drops stevia or sweetener of choice to taste
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
**I use a 4:1 (cups of water to cups of raw unsalted cashews) ratio for regular use in shakes and a 3:1 ratio if you want a richer milk.
Directions:
Soak your cashews in filtered water for at least an hour or overnight.
Put your cashews in a blender with your water and other ingredients. (I use the Vitamix because it really pulverizes them.) Blend on high for 2 minutes
Pour into glass bottles and store in the fridge for up to a week. Serve chilled.
Almond Milk
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw unsalted almonds, soaked
- 6 cups filtered water
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 10 drops liquid stevia or sweetener to taste
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice seasoning
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
**I use a 4:1 (cups of water to cups of raw unsalted cashews) ratio for regular use in shakes and a 3:1 ratio if you want a richer milk.
Directions:
Soak raw almonds in filtered water for at least an hour or overnight.
Put your almonds in a blender with your water and other ingredients. (I use the Vitamix because it really pulverizes them.) Blend on high for 2 minutes
Strain your finished product through a nut milk bag and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set aside the pulp to make almond flour. Pour into glass bottles and store in the fridge for up to a week. Serve chilled.
Almond Flour
To make your almond flour, simply take the pulp from your almond milk and spread it out on a sheet pan. Set your oven to its lowest possible setting and allow the low heat to dehydrate the moisture out of the pulp. You will need a couple of hours, so be patient! Go ahead and remove the flour from the oven when it is completely dry and run it through a food processor to make it really fine.
Coconut Lemon Bars with Almond Flour Crust
Ingredients
BASE:
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 egg white
FILLING:
- 4 eggs, 1 yolk + 3 whole eggs
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons raw honey
- Pinch sea salt
- ⅓ cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon powdered stevia extract
For serving:
- ¼ cup coconut flakes to sprinkle on top
Directions:rn
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix ingredients for the base together in a food processor until combined. Add a single teaspoon of almond milk at a time until combined if it needs more moisture. It should stick together when pressed between your fingers.
Grease a 5x9 baking dish with coconut or line it with parchment paper for easy removal. Press the dough into the bottom of the dish until firmly packed.
Bake the base for 10–12 minutes until firm. Allow the base to cool while you make the filling.
Next, beat the eggs until they are foamy then combine them with the rest of the ingredients until a smooth batter is formed. It will be very runny, that’s ok! Pour the batter atop the cooled crust.
Bake for 18 minutes and top with the remaining coconut shreds for another 2 minutes. After 20 minutes total, the bars should be solid throughout.
Cool completely and carefully remove from the pan, cut, serve, and enjoy!
