Hazelnut Almond Milk

Since pretty much quitting dairy in my commitment to embrace a more Primal or Paleo diet there have been a few, though only a few, glitches – so far. Dairy is one of them.

I’ve never been much of a milk drinker as I just don’t like it but I do LOVE cheese. Love it. I named my dog Brie…’cuz I love dogs and I love cheese.

So far, I’ve just avoided cheese and though sometimes a bit rough, I’ve done pretty well.

However, the one place that a substitute was needed was for my morning coffee. I admittedly was somewhat addicted to flavoured artificial creamer in my coffee, which has proven to be a bit of an issue to overcome. Clearly, there is no place for a petroleum based product on a whole foods diet so it was either drink it black, go without, or find a creamy alternative. (BTW, dandelion tea is a pretty nice substitute worth trying if you think you’d like to kick the coffee habit)

Soy milk is out of the question on Paleo and I’ve never been exactly clear whether it is a good idea for me anyway as breast cancer runs in my family. Though almond milk doesn’t really have quite the same  creaminess as it’s flavoured plastic companion it is a decent alternative. However, finding brands that don’t contain a bunch of additives can be a challenge.

Luckily, nut milk is really easy to make. Nuts, water, dates if you want it a bit sweet, and some vanilla if you’d like a little flavour boost. That is it. The only other thing you need is a good quality or high powered blender and a nut bag.

I happen to own a Vitamix already and the nut bag was easy to find at my local whole foods grocer so I was set to go.

You’ll want to gather 1 cup of raw, unroasted nuts. I like almond or a combination of almond and hazelnuts.

 

Soak these overnight in two cups of water to rehydrate them (you can do this for just four hours if you are in a pinch). Drain and put them into your blender. Add an additional 2-3 cups of water. I find that reducing the water to 2 cups makes it a bit thicker but not noticeably.

Add 2-3 unsweetened pitted dates, a whole vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract. If you plan to drink the milk on its own I’d use the bean, if it is just for your cup ‘o java the extract is just fine.

Blend for about a minute on high speed. This may take longer with a less powerful blender. You want the nuts to be very, very finely ground and the mixture to be liquified.

Drape your opened nut bag over a pitcher or a large bowl and carefully fill the bag. I use a pitcher and secure the bag with a strong elastic band while I’m pouring. Let the mixture drain through the bag for several minutes and then you’ll want to give it a hand by gently squeezing the bag to extract the nut milk. A big enough container is essential to keeping the mess to a minimum. Once the majority of the liquid is squeezed out you can pour your new yummy nut milk into a 2-3 cup container and keep it in the fridge.

 

I loved this adorable Weck container that I found at Crate and Barrel. It holds about 2 1/2 cups and came with the traditional glass top and rubber ring, but I also purchased a plastic top which is more convenient for daily use.

The milk will keep in the fridge for several days and is not only good in coffee but it is also lovely warmed a bit as a night time treat.

The nut pulp can be used in smoothies, homemade crackers or these yummy brownies. You can also discard it if you can bear the thought of it.