Almond & Brazil Nut Milk

My high school choir teacher used to tell us not to eat two things before a concert: dairy products and nuts. “They coat the throat,” he said. I could understand milk and cheese, because those products were obviously creamy, but nuts? That didn’t make sense. I couldn’t see the cream in nuts. But have you ever tried blending nuts with water?

Even if you’re not lactose intolerant, cutting back on dairy products is a healthy dietary choice. In Health Concerns about Diary Products, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) links the consumption of dairy products to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and more.

Nuts and seeds make excellent dairy substitutes that are nutritious and delicious! Here’s a simple recipe for two of my favorite nut milks:

ALMOND OR BRAZIL NUT MILK
Blend the following:
1 cup Almond or Brazil nuts
(soaked–if possible–overnight in filtered water)
3-4 cups water (to taste)
1 Tb. Agave Nectar (or other sweetener, such as honey. Optional.)
Pour through nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer.

Use on cereal, drink as a snack, blend into your favorite hot beverage, add cacao to make a chocolate nut-milkshake, supplement smoothies, or pour into raw vegetable soups to make them creamy. Yum!

Almond meal makes a wonderful base for cookies and cream sauces, and it freezes well.

I’ll be posting nut cheese, nut-cream sauce and soup recipes soon.