Milking the Almond Queen (A non-dairy alternative to milk)

Homemade Almond Milk

8.5 ounces (approx) roasted, unsalted almonds
Spring water (variable amount, see recipe text)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Pinch kosher salt

This is a perfect alternative to dairy milk, for all of you vegans and lactose-intolerants. It is tons better than any store-bought brand, as it does not contain any spurious ingredients and is fresh, wholesome and nutritious. The most labor-intensive part is the straining, which is actually a two-step process, but it is well worth it. Just recruit somebody else to clean up afterwards.

Soak almonds overnight, in the refrigerator, in enough spring water to cover. Place almonds, and the water they soaked in, into a blender, along with approximately one additional cup of water and the rest of the ingredients. Blend until relatively smooth. You will most likely need to add more water to allow for adequate blending. … Now the fun part, straining: cut a large piece of cheesecloth and securely place over a pitcher or other container (this may require an additional set of hands) and pour some of the mixture out; when the cheesecloth gets bogged down, which will happen quickly, gather the cheesecloth into a ball and carefully squeeze out the ‘milk’. Clean out the cheesecloth and repeat the process until all of the mixture has gone through this first straining. Then, using a fine-gauge strainer (we used our German-made ‘in-mug’ contraption, which has two support ‘ears’ that fit onto the rim of whatever vessel you’re using), pour the mixture into a 3-cup capacity Mason Jar. You will need to force the milk through, but it will go through much more easily than the first round.

Take a sip or two of the finished product; you might, once again, need to add more water depending upon your preference for thickness. With the amount of almonds used in this particular batch, our yield was about 2.5 cups. We estimated that a little under one total additional cup of water was added during blending and into the resultant milk. Your total yield might differ, but it should be in the ballpark. Cheers to your health!