Quick & Easy Homemade Almond Milk

Raw almonds plus water... that's it folks- absolutely no fuss. Best with organic almonds and filtered water, but in a pinch or regular raw almonds and tap water will do. This nut milk is fresh and creamy, and reminds me of ice cold skim milk but with a beautiful almond flavor. To perk it up and make it a real treat, try adding a tablespoon of dark maple syrup and a splash of almond extract to a cold or warm glass of the stuff. Also great in tea and cocoa.

• Ready In: 15 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 32 ounces

Ingredients

• 1  cup  organic raw  almonds
• 5  cups  filtered water

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, blanche almonds for about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool on a wire rack or on a tea towel.
2. When cool enough to handle pop the skins off the nuts, and throw them in the compost.
3. Pour nut meats and 5 cups of filtered water into a blender and blend on high for about 3-5 minutes. If 5 cups of water seems too much for your blender to handle at once, start with 2 cups of water and then add the remaining 3 cups half way through blending.
4. Strain the mixture with cheesecloth or a fine sieve over a large jar (or recycled glass juice container). Once should be fine but if you really don't want any almond granules left in there, twice should cover it.
5. Et voilá! Fresh homemade almond milk. Refrigerate any milk you won't be drinking immediately for up to a week. For creamier milk, use less water. For lighter milk, use more water.