How-To Make Almond Milk

Enjoy a pure raw almond milk with no preservatives or artificial ingredients added; and it's easy to make! This recipe produces a creamy almond milk that is suitable for drinking as a beverage or for adding to your favorite cereal or smoothie.

Ingredients --- Makes: about 2 1/3 cups

1 cups of raw almonds
2 to 3 cups of filtered water, for soaking
2 1/2 cups of filtered water (for almond milk)

Additional Requirements
cheese cloth
blender or food processo
1L sealable container
colander or strainer
large bowl for collecting milk

Instructions
Put almonds in a sealable container 3/4 filled with water and gently shake for 30 seconds. Pour almonds in strainer and dispose of the water. This is just to give the almonds a first good rinse.

Place almonds in a large bowl and add about 2 to 3 cups of filtered water. Soak almonds uncovered for 8 to 24 hours; this will soften the almonds and make them plump. The longer the almonds soak the creamier the almond milk will be. Pre-soaking makes the nuts easier to digest and will helps your body to absorb the nutrients.

After soaking almonds for at least 8 hours, drain the water from the almonds using a sieve or strainer and discard the water.

In a blender or food processor, pour in the almonds with only 1 cup of the filtered water. Blend the almonds and water until almonds are broken down to a fine meal and the water is white or opaque. The highest speed and pulsing action may be required with a blender; as well a food processor and may take up to 4 minutes to finely grind up the almonds. When the almonds are finely ground, add the remaining water and mix.

In a large bowl, place the colander or strainer and line it with cheese cloth. Pour the almond mixture into the colander and strain the almond puree, collecting the almond milk in the bowl underneath. Gather the almond meal in the cheese cloth and twist close. Squeeze and press to extract as much milk as possible. This recipe should make just under 2 1/2 cups of the almond milk.

Refrigerate the almond milk in a sealed container and use within four days. Since not preservatives are being used it must be used quicker, I usually have a plan to use the almond milk and meal before I make it. Shake before using as settlement can occur.

The left-over almond meal can be used in baking recipes such as cookies. In the recipe Muscle Mix Cookies, the almond butter can be replaced with the almond meal. I added 1/4 cup of the meal instead of adding 2 tablespoons of almond butter and it resulted in extra crunchy cookies.

If you have a dehydrator, the meal can also be dehydrated into almond flour, which can also be used in one of your upcoming baking projects. Dehydrated almond flour should be used within a month, kept in a fridge.

Recipe shared By: J. Marshall from http://nutritionalhealingrecipes.com