As featured on Vegan Mainstream for Vegan MOFO 2011!

Now this is natural!

Non-dairy mylks are in my life everyday: in my oatmeal, my smoothies, my baking, my dinner (ie. mac & cheeze), my coffee & tea…you get the idea. I use it a lot. And though there are some great brands of non-dairy mylks out there, they can be a little pricey, especially when you’re guzzling them like liquid candy. This foodie needed to either cut back on how much she used them, or learn to make her own. How much fun it would be to try the latter!

When I first started making my own almond mylk, I always left the pulp in. I didn’t mind, & I figured it just meant extra fibre (if you’re one of those ‘I don’t like weird textures’ people, don’t do that). But when Dallas started drinking it, too, he wasn’t happy about almond floaties. Time to invest in a nut mylk bag!

This step really only takes an extra second or two & leaves you with a creamier almond mylk than if you were to skip it (plus, I’m gonna show you a fun way to use up all that almond pulp!).

First, soak your almonds for a minimum of 4 hrs (I usually leave them overnight). Drain water & rinse them.

Next, put your almonds into the blender with 1 cup of water.

Blend until thick & creamy.

Add the rest of the water: blend.

The nut mylk bag has an *awesome* elastic at the top, so it’s easy to secure around the top of your milk jug. No need to hold it, & the bag won’t fall in! 

Go ahead…pour your almond mylk into the jug!

Use your hands to gently squeeze the mylk from the nut bag, until there is only a dry pulp left (take that how you will…)

Ta da! Your very own, homemade almond mylk!

I bought my nut mylk bag for $4.95 at a vitamin store. You can also use cheesecloth if you like. Apparently nut mylk bags are good for 4-5 uses, but I’m cheap thrifty, so I’ve made mine last two months, making almond mylk about twice weekly. It’s still going strong.

Now what to do with all of that leftover pulp?

Chocolate truffles, of course!

These raw treats come together in minutes! All you need is a bowl & a spatula, no fancy stuff. Thechocolate truffle recipe isn’t mine, as I have yet to perfect my own recipe using almond pulp (it’s in the works!), but it’s the best one I’ve found so far. The only substitution I made was using raw almond butter in place of the Tahini.

I brought these to a raw potluck & they all got devoured. My brother & Dallas love them, too. Dallas is pretty stoked that these will be in the fridge as often as almond mylk now.

Want some of my other favourite ways to use almond mylk? Try out my Green Vanilla Mylkshake,Chocolate Vanilla Mylkshake, or my Pumpkin Pie Mylkshake. Of course, feel free to try making your own cashew mylk, hazelnut mylk, walnut mylk, coconut mylk…possibilities are endless! Om nom nom  Enjoy, foodies!

From my kitchen, to yours <3

Directions:
1) Add almonds and 1 cup of water into your blender and puree. When almonds are finely ground, slowly keep adding water and allow to blend a little longer.
2) Strain milk into glass jug using a nut mylk bag or cheesecloth. Add maple syrup, agave, or cocoa as desired, or just leave plain. Keep refrigerated.
3) Use in cereals, baking, or smoothies

peace, love, food <3

Char, xo