Liam loooves smoothies. Jack thinks he's a big kid so he wants to eat everything Liam does. For most foods this is no big deal, but it became a problem for smoothies. I put milk in Liam's smoothies instead of juice (to thin it out), but Jack isn't old enough to drink cow's milk for another few months. The solution? ALMOND MILK!
But... I didn't have any. So I decided to make some. As usual, I was too lazy to take both kids to the store (other parents should understand this!), but I checked my freezer and found a bag of almonds. Woohoo.
This actually turned out better than I was hoping, because in addition to the almond milk, which turned out great, I now also have several cups of almond meal to bake with. Score.
This was actually really easy, messy too, but clean up was really quick so no biggie. And I ended up with half a pitcher full of almond milk.
Start out by soaking two cups of almonds overnight in a bowl of water on the counter. Make sure to add enough water because the almonds will swell. Don't freak out when the water changed color. It will darken and maybe turn slightly cloudy.
Dump the water out and add the almonds plus four cups of fresh water to the blender and turn on high for 3-5 minutes. I know that sounds like a long time but think about it. You're pureeing nuts.
When the almond mixture looks smooth turn off the blender. Get out a pitcher, or other container for your milk. Over the top put a sieve and a square of cheesecloth.
Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth. Do this in multiple small batches so over don't overload your sieve or the cheesecloth.
Let the liquid drip down into the pitcher.
When all the liquid has come out on its own squeeze the cheesecloth and twist it to release all the available milk.
The solid almond meal left in the cheesecloth looks like this.
Get a lipped baking sheet covered in parchment paper to start offloading the almond meal.
When there is only a tiny bit of almond mixture left in the blender add half a cup of water and blend for a minute. Pour it into the cheesecloth.
The finished product. See what I mean though? Messy. All it took was two swipes of a sponge though and the counter was shiny clean again.
I ended up with about two cups of almond meal. Spread this out on the baking sheet and bake until it dries out. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Or toss it if you don't want to bother with it.
The whole product.
The almond meal fresh from the oven.
This is my super simple smoothie that both boys can enjoy.Just strawberries, blueberries,and almond milk.
almond milk
Fresh almond milk with almond meal by-product
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds
- 4-5 cups water
Instructions
1. The night before put 2 cups of almonds in a large bowl on the counter covered in plenty of water. The almonds will plump up and they need to be covered completely. The water will darken and possibly cloud the next morning.2. Dump out the water and put the almonds plus 4 cups of clean water into the blender and blend on high for 3-5 minutes until there are no noticeable pieces.3. Get out a large pitcher and cover it with a sieve with a large square of cheesecloth over top. Pour the almond mixture into the cheesecloth in small amounts and let it drip down into the pitcher. Once the liquid has drained on its own squeeze and twist the cheesecloth to get all the available liquid out. The leftover solids are almond meal. Dump them out onto a lipped baking pan with parchment paper. Continue to pour the mixture into the cheesecloth until there is only a tiny amount left in the blender. Add half a cup of water and blend for a minute. Pour into the cheesecloth. You now have almond milk! The almond meal on the baking pan should be spread out and baked at 350 for 20-30 minutes until it dries out. Then store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1/2 a large pitcher
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