Almond MilK?

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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby lucyethel » Fri Jul 12, 2013 3:11 pm

Oh, WOW!! That sounds amazing! I will try that this weekend, and let you know. Thank you so much!! :eek:
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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby aurora » Sun Jul 14, 2013 5:18 pm

lucyethyl,
Maybe you've tried making your own almond milk by now. Hope it was easy and turned out yummy!

lucyethel wrote:you certainly know more about this than I do!!

I just joined this discussion board as well, after lurking for a while. I was checking out the different forums when I saw your question and was kind of excited to share what I've learned about plant-based milks! (the Sandbox forum might not have been the right place to do it...)

I actually study food labels at work a lot, so thinking about this kind of thing is second nature, I guess. After starting strict plant-based eating early last year, I've stood examining labels in the "milk" aisles at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's more than a few times now, searching for an ingredient list I could stomach...

Also experimented a little with making my own milks, but turns out my stomach doesn't like too much raw nuts or soymilk, even pure ones, so I just do without most of the time. But I know lots of people do like to keep homemade almond milk in the fridge.

flabingo wrote:I put one cup of almonds in filtered water overnight. I add a small amount of vanilla and add four more cups of water to my VitaMix blender.

If you like, you can also pop the almonds out of the skins after soaking and/or strain with a cheese cloth or nut milk bag after blending.

Back to your original question about almond milk being allowed by Dr. McDougall. He does discourage high consumption of nuts. So, for everyday use, I'd think you'd need a less rich milk.

If you use 1 cup unstrained almonds in 4 cups water, that's approximately 14-17g fat per cup milk (compared to just 2.5g in the Almond Breeze)!!!!!

If you reduced to 1/4 cup almonds per 4 cups water, that takes you down to the 3-4g fat per cup range. (Tip: blend the almonds with just 1/2 to 1 cup water first to get them smooth before adding the rest of the water.)

The Starch Solution has a recipe for Cashew Milk (using 1/2 c. cashews or almonds with 2 c. water - so the same proportions as flabingo above). It mentions using for French toast or as a sauce base. Definitely seems like it's intended for occasional use, not pouring on cereal every morning.

I've found I really like a little cashew cream once in a while - in salad dressing, swirled in soup, or dabbed on pizza. I also blend up whole almonds in smoothies for creaminess or with other ingredients to make cooked pudding. I love adding the whole nut directly to the recipe instead of having to keep milk on hand all the time (a fancy, high-speed blender makes this possible).
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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby flabingo » Mon Jul 15, 2013 10:56 pm

Thanks for your help. It just occurred to me that after soaking the nuts for over eight hours, I could just add the nuts directly into my breakfast using the blender, and skip the step of creating the milk.
My morning meal is almonds,carrots, 3/4 cup oatmeal, banana, filtered water, frozen Blueberries from Costco and a few ice cubes using the Blender.
As a non cook, it works for me. My other item during the day is peeled orange leaving the pith on, slice of fresh pineapple, a wedge of lime and a handful of spinach, and a few ice cubes. Sometimes I use Agave sweetener. But I have no weight problems. But I will cut back on the amount of Almonds or nuts based on previous posts. I learned these recipes at the VitaMix demo at Costco the other advantage of the VitaMix. Or Blendtec is that at Costco,you can return it within 30 days for full refund I am not knowledgeable about the problems with fiber breakdown as Jeff suggests, but I feel fine and my lipid numbers are excellent.
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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby lucyethel » Tue Jul 16, 2013 2:52 pm

Oh, dear... this all sounds terribly complicated! I never got the homemade almond milk made.... I bought the almonds, but then realized that since I don't have a VitaMix, I probably wouldn't like the consistency.... and if making it as flabingo suggested is increasing the amount of fat, then there is no point in doing that! I am going to try the low-fat soy.... not sure that I will like the taste, but can at least use it in cooking.

Thanks again for all of the input. SharonMiles - I don't do dairy at all - too much bad news about casein (ingredient in cow's milk) increasing the risk of heart disease as Drs. Esselstyn and Campbell have attested to. Also, Dr. Pam Popper of The Wellness Forum has a number of research studies available that show that dairy products DO NOT promote bone density and are actually counterproductive when it comes to building strong bones. She suggests that we get our calcium from plant sources.
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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby flabingo » Tue Jul 16, 2013 5:46 pm

Thank you for your input. I cut the amount of almonds in half and also cut my cost in half. Wow! What a country!
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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby Vegankit » Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:29 pm

lucyethel wrote:Oh, dear... this all sounds terribly complicated! I never got the homemade almond milk made.... I bought the almonds, but then realized that since I don't have a VitaMix, I probably wouldn't like the consistency.... and if making it as flabingo suggested is increasing the amount of fat, then there is no point in doing that! I am going to try the low-fat soy.... not sure that I will like the taste, but can at least use it in cooking.
lucyethel, I made almond milk in a regular cheap blender - no need to buy a Vitamix or Blendtec. I did soak mine over night to soften the nuts. I only made it once so I don't remember the volume of water I used to blend but it was probably a cup or two and I let it blend until it looked smooth, then added in the rest of the water. I've also made rice milk using well cooked rice using this same method.
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Re: Almond MilK?

Postby veg tom » Fri Nov 29, 2013 2:26 pm

rice milk is great a must try
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