Homemade Almond Milk - Easy

We are pretty much a family with food allergies. Dairy is one of them. I found out when I was pregnant with our youngest when I had allergy testing done. I knew something wasn't right but had been blaming it on bread. Turns out dairy is in lots of stuff. Bread included. I do love my cheeses though, so on occasion, I'll use some of the good stuff in my food. Butter doesn't seem to affect us as much, so that is our cheat.

Anyway ... milk is off the table. Even goat milk. So, I turned to the first alternative that is readily available: soy. I knew there had to be something better out there and so started trying other milks. Tried rice milk - too watery. Coconut milk was yummy good, until I realized it upset my stomach as well. Oh the pain! Weird too, because I can use coconut milk for cooking, so my guess is that the daily milk was too much. And then I found almond milk. Yummy, satisfying and no issues with my tummy as well. So, now the boys and I are drinking almond milk, but it can get pricey. I've decided to give it a try on my own - it's almonds for goodness sake, how hard can it really be?

Turns out, it's not. It's actually really easy in fact. Here's the process:

Soak 1-2 cups RAW almonds in 4 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt for 4-8 hours. This will remove any bitterness from the skins. The more almonds, the richer and creamier the milk will be.

I have no idea why Blogger wont adjust the orientation of this picture...

Strain and rinse the almonds.

Place the nuts in your blender (mine is big and strong so I do them all at once. You may need to do batches) along with 4 cups of water, 1 Tablespoon vanilla and 2 Tablespoons sugar/sucanut (both are optional). BLEND on high for 1-2 minutes. Really, the time depends on the blender. Taste and add more vanilla or sugar if needed.

Let sit for 5 minutes. Give a quick blend for 20 seconds.
Strain through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. When it is done dripping, I gather the corners and then give it a good squeeze to get the liquids out - I do this into a 4 cup measuring cup and then pour into my container for the fridge.

Ended up with almost 4 cups after straining and squeezing

That's it. Easy! Now don't go and throw those grounds away. I'll be posting a recipe and photos soon, but I've made almond cookies with the pulp as well as added it to bread dough too. I've tried to make crackers but can't get them to stay together ... still tastes amazing but not a cracker.

Enjoy your new found hobby that is healthy and nutritious.