One of the biggest things stopping me from cutting out milk, is having an alternative. I use coconut milk for some things, but other milks are either too expensive or have added sugar.
I decided to have a go at making almond milk, as it seemed fairly simple, and I have a stash of raw almonds in the cupboard waiting to be used!
The first important step is to soak almonds first for at least several hours to soften and also to remove toxins that protect the seed. The outer covering contains phytates that prevent your body from absorbing minerals, thus acting as an anti-nutrient. There are also other inhibitors, meant to prevent premature sprouting, which are nullified by soaking. I soaked 1 1/2 cups of almonds overnight, but you can soak them for longer if you want to.
I drained and rinsed the soaked nuts and put them in a blender with 3 cups of water. Blend until the nuts are completely blitzed and the mixture is smooth.
Then strain the milk through a cheesecloth, or if you don’t have one a clean piece of any cloth would do (I used a piece of cotton)
Gather the cloth up and wring out any remaining liquid.
The leftover pulp you can keep to add to porridge, smoothies, baking etc
Store in an airtght container in the fridge. These Kilner bottles are perfect for the job!
loved and free 