Homemade almond milk

Since I was a little girl I have always hated milk so giving up dairy for me has not been too hard; I don’t drink coffee, tea or other milky drinks and have never really been a huge fan of yoghurt or milk in cereal. I came across almond milk when I started Paleo ten months ago as someone recommended that it was a great accompaniment for a chia pudding. So, I went out and bought unsweetened and ready-made almond milk from the shop, it was delicious. Since then I have been making it myself with just three ingredients, almonds, vanilla essence and water. We have it almost everyday; my husband has it in his coffee, I make porridge with it, bake with it and have it with my homemade granola , I also make a sinfully yummy chocolate milk with it. It’s delicious to drink on its own over some ice too (which you would have NEVER heard me saying about any other type of milk before!)

Note: You do need to allow time for the almonds to soak (usually over night), so there is some preparation, but once that’s done it’s a very straight forward process!

What you need:
(Makes 2 pints)

*150g almonds
*4.0 cups water (preferably filtered)
*1tsp vanilla essence – or pure vanilla pod if you have it.

Directions:

• Place almonds in a bowl and cover with water and leave to soak over night- for a minimum 8 hrs
• Drain all water and place almonds in to blender with vanilla essence and 4 cups of water
• Blitz on highest speed for around 1 minute
• Place a nut milk bag over a wide rimmed bowl or jug and pour the almond milk mixture in to the bag. As you get towards the end the mix will be come thicker and the almond pulp will remain
• Squeeze the bag to drain out the remaining moisture from the pulp
• Pour in to sealed glass jars and keep in the fridge for around 3-5 days

Note: Do not get rid of the almond meal that’s left. Place on a baking tray and pop in the oven on 180degrees for 15 minutes until toasted. Allow to cool and then place in a sealed jar until you next need it for baking / granola etc 

Suitable for: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo

Almonds health benefits:

HEALTHY HEART: Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats which have been associated to reduce the risk of heart disease. This may be also due to the antioxidant action of the vitamin E found in the almonds. Almonds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that help your heart by preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks.

VITAMINS: As well as being high in healthy fats and vitamin E, almonds are also hight in magnesium and potassium. Having enough magnesium in the body lessens resistance and improved blood flow, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Potassium, is an important electrolyte which is involved in nerve transmission and helps to maintain normal blood pressure and healthy heart function.

DIABETES: Almonds are a low- glycemic index food which help to lessen after-meal surges in blood sugar and helps protect against type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease by lessening the increase in cholesterol- damaging free radicals that accompany large elevations in blood sugar.

WEIGHT LOSS: There’s a common misconception that all nuts cause weight gain. There have been conclusive studies to show that people who ate nuts at least twice a week were much less likely (31%) to gain weight than those who almost ever ate nuts.

BRAIN: Almonds contain riboflavin and L-carnitine, nutrients that boost brain activist and may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease

CHOLESTEROL: The fibre content in almonds helps to lower cholesterol and make you feel fuller for longer