Homemade Almond Milk

I have been snacking on raw almonds for the last several months.  I never did before so it took me awhile to like them but now I don't think twice when reaching for a snack.  When I saw this recipe in my Food & Wine magazine, I knew I had to make it especially since I had most of the ingredients.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw almonds
5 cups filtered water plus more for soaking
4 plump Medjool dates, pitted (optional) - I skipped these
2 tsps. sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 pinches of sea salt

In a medium bowl, cover the nuts with filtered water.  Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Here are the almonds 24 hours later.  The water is a bit foggy and the nuts are soft and plump

Drain and rinse almonds nuts

Transfer nuts to a blender and add 5 cups of filtered water as well as the dates, cinnamon and salt.   Puree at high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

 Line a fine sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl.  Pour in the nut milk and let drain for 30 minutes.

 Using a spatula, press down to extract any remaining milk; discard the solids.

This is what it looked like when I removed the sieve and cloth.  Doesn't it look like real milk??

Pour the milk into a an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.  Stir or shake the milk before serving.  milk can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

This reminds me of Horchata, a Mexican rice milk we drank quiet often growing up in West Texas.  But this is much healthier.  I enjoyed my Almond Milk with some ice. I need to find a place on the internet where to buy raw almonds in bulk and cheaper.  The small bag of (1 1/2 cups) I bought at the local grocery store cost me almost $7!  That's expensive milk!!!  If you know anywhere I can buy some good raw almonds please let me know!

Have a great week, keep warm, until next time,