Nuts and seeds are nutritionally dense foods that make for delicious beverages as well! Did you know that almonds are rich in Vitamin E and B, as well as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and folate? They are also high in omega-6 as well and are an excellent source of protein. Make sure you’re maintaining a health omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in your diet, however, as omega-6 over-consumption can have a deleterious effect on your health!
In this post you’ll learn how to make a great nut milk with help from Raw Family Signature Dishes by Victoria Boutenko. Nut milks are surprisingly simple to make and are a great beverage to unwind with after a stressful day. The following recipe is by Victoria Boutenko.
Equipment needed: blender, nut milk bag, large bowl, small bowl for soaking nuts, and a pitcher.
Ingredients: 1 cup of almonds, 3 cups of water, 3 tbsp raw agave nectar, and 1/8 tsp. sea salt (optional)
Directions:
- Pour the nuts into the small bowl and cover with water. Set the bowl aside for the night, or for about 6 hours. We recommend that you always soak nuts or seeds overnight in water. Dry nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that are not good for the body. Soaking destroys the inhibitors and makes nuts more digestible.
- After the nuts are soaked, pour the leftover water out and place the nuts in the blender. Add 3 cups of fresh water, cover the blender securely, and blend well.
- Over a large bowl, pour the mixture into the nut-milk bag and tie the bag tight.
- As you squeeze the milk through the bag, make sure you use both hands so that the pressure from your hands is spread evenly, which will prevent the bag from splitting at the seam.
- Gently squeeze the nut-milk bag, alternating pressure between your right and left hands. Keep squeezing until the bag is completely drained, and only the pulp is left inside.
- Carefully open the bag over the small bowl and pour out the pulp.
Fun fact: 1 cup of almonds contains 40% of the US RDA of protein whereas a cup of low-fat cow’s milk contains just 16%.
You can drink the nut milk as is or place it back into the blender with agave nectar and salt for stronger flavor. Be adventurous with your nut milks! Victoria recommends experimenting with the following nuts and seeds: almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pistachios.
Enjoy!
Featured images by t-dubisme and www.healthaliciousness.com on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.
Looks good. I’m wondering what the nut milk bag is made of.
I make cashew milk and sometimes add a few drops of vanilla to it.
Ellen, I think most are made out of nylon. You can do a simple search online to look at different options. A good one I found was Elaina Love’s “Amazing Nut Milk Bag” on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Nut-Milk-Bag-Elaina-Planet/dp/B001UEPGFY.
Adding a few drops of Vanilla sounds delicious too!
Lol, no wonder Victoria Boutenko is a blimp! A cup of almonds for just 3 cups of water,and 3 Tbsp of agave? Gross! That’s almost 1/4 cup of agave, there’s no excuse for that! Unbalanced diet in the making.
Here’s a better recipe:
16 raw organic walnut halves (soaked)
18 ounces chilled spring water
1 tsp raw organic coconut nectar (liquid)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Blend, do not strain. Alternatively, you don’t need a blender.Simply pound the walnuts in a mortar and pestle for 10-15 min, add with other ingredients to a shaker cup and shake for 1 minute.
Note: Walnuts have an awesome amount of omega-3, and in a good ratio to omega-6.