How to Make Delicious Nut Milk

Nuts and seeds are nutritionally dense foods that make for delicious beverages as well! Did you know that almonds are rich in Vitamin E and B, as well as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and folate? They are also high in omega-6 as well and are an excellent source of protein. Make sure you’re maintaining a health omega-3 to omega-6 ratio in your diet, however, as omega-6 over-consumption can have a deleterious effect on your health!

In this post you’ll learn how to make a great nut milk with help from Raw Family Signature Dishes by Victoria Boutenko. Nut milks are surprisingly simple to make and are a great beverage to unwind with after a stressful day. The following recipe is by Victoria Boutenko.

Equipment needed: blender, nut milk bag, large bowl, small bowl for soaking nuts, and a pitcher.

Ingredients: 1 cup of almonds, 3 cups of water, 3 tbsp raw agave nectar, and 1/8 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Directions:

Pour the nuts into the small bowl and cover with water. Set the bowl aside for the night, or for about 6 hours. We recommend that you always soak nuts or seeds overnight in water. Dry nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors that are not good for the body. Soaking destroys the inhibitors and makes nuts more digestible.
After the nuts are soaked, pour the leftover water out and place the nuts in the blender. Add 3 cups of fresh water, cover the blender securely, and blend well.
Over a large bowl, pour the mixture into the nut-milk bag and tie the bag tight.
As you squeeze the milk through the bag, make sure you use both hands so that the pressure from your hands is spread evenly, which will prevent the bag from splitting at the seam.
Gently squeeze the nut-milk bag, alternating pressure between your right and left hands. Keep squeezing until the bag is completely drained, and only the pulp is left inside.
Carefully open the bag over the small bowl and pour out the pulp.

Fun fact: 1 cup of almonds contains 40% of the US RDA of protein whereas a cup of low-fat cow’s milk contains just 16%.

You can drink the nut milk as is or place it back into the blender with agave nectar and salt for stronger flavor. Be adventurous with your nut milks! Victoria recommends experimenting with the following nuts and seeds: almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pistachios.

Enjoy!

Featured images by t-dubisme and www.healthaliciousness.com on Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Thank you to http://nabcommunities.com for this post.

Inspirational yoga-related quote...

"Blessed are those who are flexible for they won't get bent out of shape." - Maize Hutton

Coconut, Chocolate, Almond Dream Bars

Dream Bars with Chocolate, Coconut, Almond

Ingredients-
1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar,1 cup flour
Almond-Coconut-Chocolate topping (below)

Mix butter and sugar thoroughly. Stir in flour. Press into 13x9x2inch pan.
Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Spread with topping and bake 25 minutes more, until golden brown. Allow to cool a while before cutting into bars.
Almond-Coconut-Chocolate Topping
2 eggs beaten
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup unsalted almonds.(I used whole roasted almonds, they can be chopped, slivered, etc)
1 cup chocolate chips
Mix eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix with flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in coconut, nuts and chocolate chips.
Pour onto crust, bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees as instructed above.

Variations can be made by leaving out the chocolate, or coconut or nuts in whatever combination you like. These have a great toffee flavor from the brown sugar!

Thank you to http://sunsetcoasting.blogspot.com.au for the above recipe.





Raspberry Coconut Magic Bars
Ingredients

1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 stick {1/2 cup} butter, melted
2 Tbls sugar
3 cups sweetened, flaked, coconut
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup seedless raspberry preserves {or the flavor of your choice}
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white baking chips
1 tsp shortening

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a small bowl.
Press into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.
Sprinkle the coconut over the crust and drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until coconut is lightly browned.
Let cool completely.
Spread the preserves over the cooled coconut crust and sprinkle with pecans.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and stir until nice and smooth. Drizzle over pecans.
Melt the white chips in the microwave and add shortening. Stir until nice and smooth. Drizzle over the top.
Let chocolate firm up in the fridge or on the counter and cut into bars.
Makes 36 bars.

Thank you to http://www.momontimeout.com for the above recipe.

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