Whip Up Your Own Tasty Nut and Seed Milks
Nut and seed milks provide a delicious source of nutrition for those following raw and living food diets, and they’re easy to make at home.
Anyone searching for dairy alternatives will appreciate the fact that nut/seed milks are customizable to taste.
Look for basic recipes online and in raw food books. For starters, visit The Epicurean Table’s nut milk page.
Some sources suggest soaking the nuts and/or seeds overnight in water, then blanching to remove outer skins. Others don’t bother with these preliminaries and simply suggest processing the raw ingredients in a blender (with water) and filtering the milk through a fine strainer or nut milk bag. Experiment with the different methods to see which one yields the tastiest milk.
The Base
For your nut or seed base, try using organic version of:
- almonds
- cashews
- pecans
- walnuts
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- hemp seed nuts
Some of the base ingredients (such as cashews) will yield a very rich, creamlike texture. If you prefer a lighter milk, simply cut back on the amount of nuts/seeds.
Homemade nut/seed milks should be refrigerated (glass keeps them cool) and polished off within 1-2 days—they’re so light and refreshing, that should not pose a problem!
Flavoring
For extra flavor, add a teaspoon of cinnamon or a drop or two of pure vanilla extract.
Nut and seed milks often need a bit of a sweet boost. Try these healthy, natural sweeteners that make the prospect of using sugar seem less-than-tasteful:
- a few pitted dates
- a spoonful of carob powder
- honey
- agave nectar
After you strain your milk, you’ll be left with a supply of nut/seed pulp, which you can use in your next batch of bread or as a skin softening body scrub (search up simple recipes like honey almond scrub).