Improved Almond Hemp Milk

So...I've been making my almond hemp milk for over 6 months now and have learned a trick or two that has resulted in an even better product! I didn't think it could get better before, but boy was I wrong.

Tip 1: Blend all the ingredients (including sweetener) before running it through the nut milk bag.

This should have been obvious to any seasoned nut milk makers, but I had not a clue. The result is a silkier, smoother milk which heats beautifully. Not to mention there's no pesky pulp left in the bottom of the glass.

Tip 2: You can add more water without compromising the flavor of the milk.

I have found that adding an additional cup of water stretches the milk at least another day for me and I don't have to make as many batches.

Tip 3: A masticating juicer can help you make nut milk.

If you have a masticating juicer like I do, I like to run the nuts and seeds through the machine with water like I'm making juice. This started out of laziness to avoid my least favorite task of milk making: straining the nut milk bag. But I also feel like it gets more out of the nuts because of how dry the resulting pulp is. I also like how much quicker the mixture strains through the nutmilk bag after adding sweetener.

I have updated the instructions below and included a second set method for making this delicious milk.

Almond Hemp Milk

Ingredients

• 1 C raw almonds, soaked overnight
• 3 tbsp raw hemp seeds
• 4-5 C water
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 3 Medjool dates
• Pinch of salt

Method #1

1. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender, blending until smooth, about 45-60 seconds.
2. Strain the liquid in a nutmilk bag or fine sieve.
3. Pour in a pitcher or container for storage and refrigerate. Use within 5 days.

Method #2

1. Using a masticating juicer (such as a Breville Slow Juicer or Hurom), slowly run the almonds and hemp seeds through the juicer while pouring 2 cups of water through the machine.
2. Once the nuts and seeds are done, pour the remaining water through the juicer to flush out any remaining nut milk.

Pour the nut milk into a high speed blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth, about 45-60 seconds.

3. Strain the liquid in a nutmilk bag or fine sieve.
4. Pour in a pitcher or container for storage and refrigerate. Use within 5 days.

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Almond Hemp Milk

I recently had the most amazing and inspiring meal at a local restaurant I had read about on a vegan blog. What I loved about Prasad was that they offered simple vegetarian/vegan food with minimal fuss, yet incredible flavor combinations I'd never have thought of on my own. While I only had a breakfast bowl and drink, I walked away feeling inspired to try making some of their menu items on my own.

This almond hemp milk was inspired entirely by Prasad. The iced dirty chai latte I had featured the milk which was incredibly smooth and delicious. I've been on the hunt for a non-dairy milk alternative for a long time now; store bought or homemade, nothing seemed to work well for drinking plain, putting on oatmeal, or serving with coffee until this! I love this recipe so much and have made 4 batches (including one double batch) in the past week. These two ingredients play so well together--the extra fat from the hemp strengthens the lighter almonds, and the almonds mask the flavor of the hemp. And best of all, it makes for a great latte, hot or iced.

Almond Hemp Milk

Ingredients

• 1 C raw almonds, soaked overnight
• 3 tbsp raw hemp seeds
• 4 C water
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 3 Medjool dates
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Combine the almonds, hemp seeds, and water in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth, about 45-60 seconds.
2. Strain the liquid in a nutmilk bag or fine sieve, then return the liquid to the blender and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Blend the mixture again until smooth.

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Almond Flour Waffles

I love making and eating waffles but almost never get around to doing it. This week I found a recipe for Almond & Yogurt Waffles which sounded good enough for me to whip out the waffle iron for a batch. For mine, I used fresh ground almond flour and added a couple teaspoons of vanilla with the wet ingredients.

The waffles have a hearty, rustic feel to them courtesy of the almond flour, but it goes quite nicely with a little butter and some maple syrup, YUM.

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Almond Milk

I've gotten into homemade non-dairy milks as of late, first it was pecan milk, then coconut milk, and now I'm at almond milk. After some hesitation, I recently bought a nut milk bag. Previously I had used a sieve to strain out the pulp, but even that leaves you with a slightly grainy texture, so I decided to take the plunge.

The thing I love most about using a nut milk bag is the speed. The one I purchased suggested using your hands to squeeze out the liquid from the solids which is much quicker, and releases more liquid in my opinion, than simply allowing the liquid to drain on its own (as I had been doing with the sieve method). Not to mention, the nut milk bag yields a much creamier milk.

Almond Milk

1 cup raw almonds

water for soaking

4 cups water

1/2 vanilla bean

3 pitted dates

1. Place the almonds and soaking water in a large bowl for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds well. Combine almonds and remaining ingredients in blender, blend until smooth.
3. Place nut milk bag over a bowl or storage container, then pour blender contents into the bag. Allow milk to strain for several hours or squeeze the bag by hand to extract the milk.

Stays fresh for 2-3 days, if you can hold onto it that long!

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Sweet and Spicy Almonds

I found this recipe for spiced pecans a while back and filed it away. A couple days ago I finally came around to making it with the almonds I had on hand.

I'm not 100% sold on the final product, but I'm sure they'll grow on me :)


Sweet and Spicy Nuts

2 tbsp butter
3 cups nuts (the original recipe calls for pecan halves)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chile powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup cider vinegar
salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.
2. In a large saucepan or skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add nuts and saute until slightly browned (3-5 minutes). Stir in sugar and cook for about 1 minute until a bit caramelized. Keep a close watch on the mixture because it burns quickly! (Personal experience tells me...a burned the first mixture--oops!) Don't be afraid to turn down the temperature, use your instincts. Add in the spices and vinegar, stir until cider has evaporated. Season with salt.
3. Spread nuts on a pan in an even layer and bake for 5-10 minutes until crisp.
   

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Coco Loco Brownies

I've tried a Rachael Ray recipe for brownies in the past and it was a total disaster...we're talking an inedible hot mess of chocolate and marshmallows. I found a recipe for brownies in her magazine and decided to try it, half blocking out my negative experience and half wondering what would come of it.

I followed the recipe to a tee. Did it seem right? It did not. But I stuck with it. While they are not the best brownies I've ever had, they are extremely delicious and I will recommend the recipe.



Coco Loco Brownies

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 stick butter (I used salted) at room temperature
1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 1/2 whole almonds, roasted and chopped (to roast, stick in the preheated oven until lightly toasted--do not let them burn)
3/4 cup chocolate chips
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (this will make it much easier to remove from the pan and put onto a cooling rack, preventing the brownies from steaming in the pan).
2. In a saucepan, cook the sugar and butter over medium heat until bubbling. Remove from heat, stir the cocoa powder and 1/2 tsp salt; cool for 10 minutes.
3. While cooling, mix the coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
   
4. Whisk in the vanilla and eggs into the cooled sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in the flour, then almonds. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
5. Spoon dollops of coconut mixture over the tops of the brownies. Gently pat down any large mounds. Bake until the coconut topping is golden brown and the brownies are set.
6. Take the brownies out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
   

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cinnamon roasted nuts

I have a soft spot for cinnamon sugar roasted almonds and walnuts. I don't know what it is, though, they just have such great flavor. A friend let me try a batch she made a while back and I've been hooked ever since. She gave me her recipe as well, so I was in heaven. This past week I bought almonds and walnuts in bulk for the purpose of roasting them up, only it turns out I lost my recipe. A quick google search for a recipe and I was on my way.

Final result:

And now I have 5 cups to devour. Yum :)

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