So I've decided that it is more economical to make my own Almond Milk since I am using it every day now. There are a TON of different recipes out there for this, but I kind of found a few and then adjusted to my own liking.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of plain almonds
16 oz hot water
24 oz filtered water (cold)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
Take the almonds and soak them overnight in the hot water. You can leave them out or throw them in the fridge once the water cools. (If you are in a serious rush, you CAN soak them for only an hour-it comes out almost the same.) Once you are done soaking, rinse the almonds well and place in a blender with 24 oz filtered water, vanilla, and cinnamon (in reality I probably shake the cinnamon in and use about 3-4 shakes, but thought you'd like an actual measurement.)
Blend on the highest setting for about 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or use a nut bag (I need to get one of these!) Make sure to press or squeeze out all the moisture. And "Ta-Da!" You now have almond milk. Just pour it into a container and store it in the refrigerator.
By the way, you can make it plain too or add any other seasonings to it when mixing to create different flavors.
Now before you throw away all that great nut pulp, here are some things you can do with it so you don't waste it! You can toast it and use it as a topping on yogurt, you can mix it in with granola or cereal, you can dry it out and grind it up more and use it as almond flour, or you can store it in the fridge or freezer as is and use it in this next recipe...for COOKIES!
A friend of mine recently posted about finding some easy and quick to make cookies that were totally clean and healthy for you. So of course I had to try them... I LOVE COOKIES!!!! They really are totally easy, and they are pretty good too.
The basic recipe is:
2 ripe bananas
1 cup quick oats
(and then add anything you want, I used cinnamon, raisins, and some vanilla extract).
The second time I made these I changed it a little because I thought my first batch was a little too gooey. So here is my revamped version of this easy cookie. And of course this time I made them chocolate chip!
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1 1/4 cups quick oats
2 tbsp. flax seeds
almond pulp (from making almond milk - it's around 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 cup Enjoy Life brand semi-sweet mini chips (depends how much chocolate you want!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas until they are basically like baby food. (I just mash them up with a fork - I get a good arm workout that way - LOL!) Add in oats, vanilla, flax seeds, and almond pulp. Stir all ingredients together by hand until well blended. Add in the chocolate chips (or whatever you decide to use). Spoon mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet (I make them about 1 1/2 inch diameter). I usually get about 8 on each sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for about 1-2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Then EAT! Just don't eat the whole batch!
I seriously have to watch how many of these I eat each day. When someone tells you that there is a cookie out there that you can eat while staying healthy, it can be pretty hard to stop. But I limit myself to 3 max per day (if I can!) I also added dried cherries to part of this batch, but the plain chocolate chip ones were my favorite. Kind of like chocolate chip banana bread...YUM! But there is so much you can do with this recipe. That's one of the reasons I love it. I think next time I'm going to try them with chopped up apple. Maybe I'll be able to control myself better that way! LOL!
What would you put in them?
I am always on the search for a healthy cookie for my son for school that he likes and I can live with. I wonder if I could grind up sunflower seeds to replace the almonds. I will have to try.
ReplyDeletePaola, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to add sunflower seeds. This recipe tends to be very flexible. I hope he likes them, my son does!
DeleteAwesome! I love making my own almond milk. You can flavor it however you want. You can do it with walnuts too and it's also yummy!
ReplyDeleteI never even thought of doing this with walnuts. Great idea!
DeleteGreat! I did not knew I could make my own almond milk! Thanks for sharing. And the cookies look like something that I definitely gotta try :)
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to try both recipes Ivonne. They are both totally worth it! :)
DeleteI did not know you could make your own almond milk. May have to try that. Do you know how long it lasts in the fridge? As for what I would put in the cookies, probably some walnuts or pecans just because I love nuts. Good article.
ReplyDeleteHey DeeAnn! Thanks for stopping by. I usually use up my almond milk before it can go bad, but I would think a week or 2 should be ok.
DeleteI like the idea of making your own Almond milk! So much cheaper!! I think I am going to have to try these and experiment with different ingredients!! They look so good!
ReplyDeleteYes Cori, it is a lot less expensive to make your own. And these cookies work so well with so many different ingredients. Have fun trying different recipes!
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