Homemade Almond Milk

Following on from my healthy eating theme of the last post (Christmas Sprouts) I thought I'd include a very simple way of making your own almond milk - no special equipment (nut bags, anyone?) required.

I haven't replaced all my milk with almond milk because it does not naturally contain calcium (although the nuts do) and as my cancer has left me at risk of osteoporosis, I need to keep those levels up.  However, almond milk is lower in calories (approx. 30 calories per cup vs. 90 for skimmed milk and 150 for whole milk) than other milks and doesn't contain saturated fat, so I use it on my cereal.

It's really easy, firstly just soak a handful of unblanched almonds in water overnight.  

This step isn't even strictly necessary from a recipe point of view but nutritionally, it removes protease (enzyme) inhibitors from the nut skin which occur naturally and prevent the nuts from germinating.  It is believed that removing these inhibitors activates the enzymes and makes nutrients more available for digestion. (I don't know if "raw" almonds have been pre-processed before packaging, which may make this point irrelevant; I think most raw nuts available in the U.K. have been treated to remove toxins but theoretically still retain the ability to germinate). Then add the nuts to fresh water (I used about 700 ml, doesn't need to be exact).  

A quick blitz in a blender is all that's required before sieving the liquid and keeping it in the fridge. I keep it in a re-used milk container. 

It does separate so just give it a quick shake before each use.  I presume that stabilisers, gums and fats are added to commercial brands to prevent this separation, but the homemade version tastes the same, if not better, to me and there are no added sugar or sweeteners (also I note that the Alpro brand only contains 2% almonds, see their website, although it does have added vitamins and calcium).

The remaining nut pulp can be added to breakfast cereal and I have also found it's good added to bread and cake recipes as it keeps the mixture moist and increases the protein content (healthy cakes? Count me in!).