Almond Milk

The other day I tried making my own almond milk. No, I am not vegan, allergic to milk, or severely lactose-intolerant, but I do get tired of cow's milk from time to time. I have also suffered from minor cases of lactose-intolerance in the past, provoked by drinking a greater than usual quantity of milk. I have tried soy milk before, but I wanted to try something different this time. I went with almond milk, and since I like to make as much as possible myself, and I now have a dandy new food processor, I chose to make my own almond milk instead of purchasing it. This is probably cheaper and has much less additives than store-bought versions, but keep in mind it won't have nay of the added vitamins or minerals, so if you are following a diet excluding milk products, you may be missing out on some key nutrients if you make your own almond milk.

Making almond milk is incredibly easy. Just soak the amount of almonds you will need in a bowl of water overnight. Drain them, then put them in the food processor along with fresh water - four times the amount of almonds (for example, one cup of almonds and four cups of water will make approximately four cups of almond milk). Then process until smooth, it should only take a few minutes. Drain well, as there will be little almond bits leftover. Then add any flavoring you would like - salt, sugar, vanilla, honey, cocoa, etc. Don't throw out the leftover almond meal though! It is extremely nutritious and great to use in baking. You can eat it as is, sprinkled in yogurt, or cereal, or you can add it to your favorite baked goods or recipes that call for ground nuts. Of course this almond meal will be quite wet, it will only keep in the fridge for a few days. To prolong storage, toast it in the oven at 350◦F for 10-15 minutes. It may also be frozen. The milk itself should keep in the fridge for about a week or so.