Homemade Almond Milk

The new alternative milk craze (almond/cashew/hemp/coconut and good ‘ol rice or soy) is in full gear. These products take up nearly an entire aisle of Whole Foods (or your local equivalent)! This is a good thing for those of us who don’t do well with dairy - it allows us to try different varieties of nut milks and have some non dairy milk on hand in case of a culinary emergency. However, the commercial brands, even the best of them, contain some or many undesirable preservatives (think carageegan) to keep them fresh for a longer shelf life. It really is incredibly easy to whip up some homemade almond milk if you have a good recipe and a high-powered blender. And trust me, once you go homemade, you will never want to go back to commercial.

EASY AND SUPER DELICIOUS HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

YIELD: 3.5 CUPS
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

1 cup raw almonds, soaked in water

3.5 cups filtered water

1-2 pitted Medjool dates

1 whole vanilla bean chopped (or 1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

small pinch of fine grain sea salt, to enhance flavor

DIRECTIONS

Place almonds in a bowl and cover with filtered water. It’s preferred to soak them overnight (for 8-12 hours) in the water, but you can get away with soaking for 1-2 hours.

Rinse and drain the almonds and place into a blender along with 4 cups filtered water, pitted dates, and chopped vanilla bean.

Blend on highest speed for 1 minute or so.

Place a nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the almond milk mixture into the bag. Gently squeeze the bottom of the bag to release the milk. This is a tad labor intensive and messy, but trust me, it is worth it.

Rinse out blender and pour the milk back in. Add the cinnamon and pinch of sea salt and blend on low to combine.

Pour into a glass jar to store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. Shake jar very well before using, as the mixture separates when sitting. Enjoy!

Bonus: The leftover almond meal is great for gluten free baking recipes- I also use it as a filler for homemade veggie burgers and salmon patties.

Delicious Vegan Smoothie: Berry, Coconut & Cacao

Before you run out the door in the morning, find a moment to make a quick, beautiful, delicious and vitamin-enriched smoothie. Here is one of my favorite gluten-free and vegan combinations – blueberry, raspberry, cacao nibs and coconut. Pour 2 cups coconut milk or almond milk into blender then add ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp probiotics, ½ cup shredded coconut, 1 tsp of cocoa powder or cacao nibs. Toss in 1 cup of fresh blueberries and 1 cup of fresh raspberries (if it’s no longer berry season, try frozen organic berries) Top it off with 1 tsp local raw, organic honey. Blend and pour

Tip 1: Coconut milk makes a luscious base for dairy-free smoothies -just make sure to see our product list for carageenan free brands- or make your own coconut milk if you feel so inspired. Tip 2: Add your supplements or powders into the liquid first so they have a chance to dissolve (see my smoothie boosters) Tip 3: If you use frozen fruit, crush the frozen berries first (I would thaw them first if you have time), and then add your other ingredients.

Carrageenan: The Devil You Didn’t Know

Even the most conscientious consumer can get confused and distracted by the myriad choices in our supermarkets and even our co-ops, healthfood and specialty stores.  For the past several years, there has been a deluge of information pointing us toward organic and vitamin-enriched foods, and driving us away from allergens and pesticides.  This is great progress!  Unfortunately, even within the small universe of healthy alternatives, the mysteries, controversies and contradictory evidence presented by food organizations, doctors, scientists, corporations, advertisers and trade organizations can be overwhelming and seemingly impossible to decipher.  It’s enough to make me want to throw up my hands and say: “pass the Cheetos.” While we all want to trust that our local co-op only carries products made with healthy ingredients, and we generally believe that organic is better than conventional and that “natural food” is just that, there is one ubiquitous ingredient lurking beneath the sea salt, behind the xanthan gum or next to the sunflower lecithin in many of our highly evolved products: carrageenan.

Carrageenan is a food additive derived from red seaweed - sounds natural and nutritious, yes, but in actuality, it has notably high correlations to colon cancer, inflammation, and a depressed immune system.  It’s cheap and easy for manufacturers to use, and makes otherwise bland food taste palatable. Check your fridge- you’ll find carrageenan in such healthy foods as organic yogurt, hemp milk and Applegate Farms sliced turkey.

The controversy around carrageenan involves the idea that there is one type of carageenan that is healthy and one that causes cancer and other disease.  Indeed, corporations and other heavyweights in the food industry successfully lobbied the FDA to have carrageenan deemed safe.  However, the safety of the “healthy” carrageenan has been refuted by top medical professionals who suggest we stay clear of the additive. I only recently became aware of the additive, the controversy and the realization that so many of the products we have switched to in an effort to eliminate inflammation may in fact be exacerbating inflammation.  My son and I haven’t eaten any dairy for almost three years so we’ve been making healthy smoothies filled with vitamins and antioxidants- until just last month when I realized that our almond and coconut milk have been processed with carageenan.  So essentially, we have been trading the devil we knew for the devil we didn’t know.

So where does this take us, to the point where we cannot trust anything or anyone leaving us no choice but to create our own concoctions?  That would be an option.  But while we all wish we had the time, space and patience to make all of our own food from absolute scratch, even the crunchiest among us often reach for some ready-made grocery items. What you may find is that carrageenan often appears where you least expect it, including toothpaste, beer, shaving cream, gummy products and yes, organic dairy. In my mind I ask, why not chose the products without carageenan and support companies who use whole ingredients and stay away from potential carcinogens? The good news is that there are many products out there that do not use carrageenan.  Here is a comprehensive list of some very nutritious and healthy foods that in fact have carregeenan in them- and the brands that don’t.