♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ I am so clever. I am so clever. ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬
Yes, I jumped around the house yesterday afternoon singing this to any and all. Why am I so clever? Because after trying something 5 years ago and failing I recently had another go. And the result was delicious! I felt clever for actually doing something successful.
Almond Milk and Nutty Granola
A few years ago I tried to make Almond Milk and a dehydrated granola from the recipe in Serene Allison’s book, “Rejuvenate Your Life – Recipes for Energy“. I failed miserably. 🙁 In fact, salads and nut sprinkles are pretty much the only things from that book that I do well.
But in my travels around the world (with the help of the Internet) I stumbled across a video of Jennifer Cornbleet, at LearnRawFood. She was making Zucchini Pasta with Marinara Sauce. We tried it ourselves and loved it! Then I searched for ‘raw foods’ at my local library and Jennifer’s DVD was available so I sped er, mosied along over to the library, borrowed it and watched it. She makes it look all so easy and achievable! I was so inspired that I tried the Almond Milk and Granola myself… and […drum roll please…] IT WORKED!!! It is delicious! Rich, nutty and creamy and it keeps for 5 days in the fridge.
Jennifer Cornbleet’s Almond Milk
Yield: 2 1/2 cups, 2 servings
- 2.5 cups water
- 1.5 cups soaked almonds (see note)
- 3 pitted medjool dates ( I didn’t have medjool dates so just used normal ones)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Equipment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- blender
- fine-mesh strainer or mesh bag
- medium bowl
- rubber spatula
Method
Place 1.5 cups of the water and the almonds, dates, and optional vanilla in a blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth. Add the remaining 1 cup of water and blend until smooth.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the almond mixture through it. Using a rubber spatula, stir and press the pulp that is caught in the strainer to extract as much milk as possible. Alternatively, use a mesh bag to strain the milk.
Discard the pulp left in the strainer. Transfer the milk to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator. Almond Milk will keep for five days. It will separate, so shake well before using.
Note: To soak the almonds, place 1 cup of them in a mason jar (or bowl). Fill with cool water, screw on the lid, and soak for 8 hours or overnight at room temperature. Drain and rinse. 1 cup raw almonds yields 1 1/2 cups soaked.
** I didn’t use vanilla but added a teaspoon of honey instead.
If you try it, let me know how it went. If you have any other tips, please let me know.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlOg7LGrDEE
