Almond Milk

Just the other day I says to myself, I says: "Hm, I'm really in the mood for some tricalcium phosphate, xanthan gum, potassium citrate, sunflower lecithin, vitamin a palmitate, ergocalciferol, and some dl-alpha tocopherol acetate!" Oh wait, no I didn't. I just wanted some almond milk, and that is what they put in the stuff at the store. Come on!

While it can't be denied that organic almonds are a touch on the expensive side, I'd say avoiding all that weird stuff mentioned above is worth the extra cost, yes?

Something interesting to know about almonds (all nuts for that matter, as well as legumes, seeds, and grains) is that they have what is called phytic acid, which can block your body's ability to absorb calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron and copper. It also inhibits certain enzymes from doing their jobs. Phytic acid is a lot of the reason that grain sensitivity is so prevalent in our society - because we are not preparing our grains (and legumes and nuts) properly. Read more about phytic acid here.

How do you prepare them properly, you ask? The answer is by soaking and/or sprouting them. Soaking them greatly reduces the level of phytic acid, whereas sprouting activates the nutrients stored inside of the seed (nut, grain, legume) that is meant to help it germinate when it's planted in the ground, thereby making those nutrients available for our bodies to use. We will be soaking our almonds, not sprouting them. For an example of sprouting, see the post on sprouted lentils.

1. Place 1-2 cups almonds in a bowl of water, and let soak overnight. (The more nuts you use, the thicker the milk will be).
2. Peel the almonds, if desired. This part is really fun, as the nut just slips out of its skin!
3. Drain the almonds from their soaking water and place with 4 cups of fresh water in a blender. Blend for a minute or so depending on the power of your blender, until the nuts and water are homogenous. Do this in 2 batches if necessary.
4. Place pulp in a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl. Squeeze to release all the milk. (Save the remaining pulp for a future baking project).
5. Add a touch of vanilla extract, if desired.

That's it! It took no time at all and you'll be so glad you skipped all those chemicals. Also, the price of making your own is pretty comparable to the store-bought stuff.