“Waste Not, Want Not” Almond Milk and Crackers

Long before I transition to a raw food diet, I would suffer through just to enjoy cheese, and ice cream. I was never big on drinking milk by itself, but really enjoyed the things that were made with milk. The problem was that I am and have been lactose intolerant for most of my life. So, milk shouldn’t even be on my menu whatsoever. But like many non-raw foodies, I would have it anyway.

Then the food industry introduced soy milk. Well, that was great, but once again, something that is not the best thing to have on a daily basis. Next was rice milk – a great alternative! Expensive, and sometimes loaded with too much sodium and sugar. So many “processed” alternatives…some better than others – but still not the best choices to have. So when I went “raw”, that’s when I discovered NUT MILK!

Nut milk or mylk as I like to spell it, is simple to make, nutritious, and easy on my stomach. There are many types of nut milks and even seed milks you can make, but simple almond milk is my favorite. Although you don’t have to soak the nuts to make refreshing nut milk, it is preferred and very much recommended. You see, soaking the nuts actually makes the nuts come out of their dormant state, and cause them to become more nutritious, alive, and easier on the stomach. Soaking nuts help to release the enzymes within. It’s the pre-sprout stage that you want for making nut milks.

The following nut milk recipe is one of my favorites, and is also well received by my family members. In fact, we don’t even have cow’s milk in our house any more. I make about a 2 to 2 1/2 gallons of nut milk a week. Wow! Here’s the recipe, enjoy! 🙂

Almond Nut Mylk. (makes 6-8 cups or more)
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds (soaked for 8-12 hours or more)
5-6 cups purified water
2-3 pitted dates
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract (non-alcoholic)
1T lecithin

Preparation:
Depending upon how much milk you plan to make, good rule of thumb is to measure 1 cup of nuts (soaked for at least 8-12 hours or more) to 5-6 cups purified water. If you were to use dry nuts, then reduce the amount of water by 1-2 cups.

Add all the ingredients listed into a high-speed blender. Standard blenders will work, but may take longer, and waste more. I find that you get the best results when using a Vitamix or Blendtec type blender. (Just so you know, I’m still using my old Cuisinart for now, but I did get to try out the better blenders for 10-days – it was great!) Blend on high until all ingredients appear frothy, creamy, and “lliquified”.

Using a nut milk bag, and/or fine mesh strainer (I use both) over a big bowl, pour milk into the bag and squeeze milk through into the big bowl. Squeeze as much as possible out, leaving nothing but slightly moist almond pulp. Save the pulp for crackers (next recipe). Once milk is completely strained, pour into a large glass jar with tight fitting lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Always shake before serving; and always keep lid tight.

So now that the milk is done, and you have all this almond pulp, let’s make crackers! “Waste not, want not!”

Almond “pulp” crackers.
Ingredients:
Leftover almond pulp
1/2 cup ground flax seeds or chia seeds
1/2 cup (more or less) purified water
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3-4 chopped, pitted dates
dash of sea salt

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl, and mix well. Allow the mixture to form a dough. Spread the dough over dehydrator trays. Score the dough, making square shapes. Dehydrate for 12-18 hours, flipping over half way. Dry until crisp. Let cool and store in an airtight container or baggie.

That’s it! You can spread coconut butter over them, avocado, raw honey, or just have them plain.

Now you have milk and crackers, and no waste!