beverage Archives | figgy and sprout

Homemade Nut Milk

May 8, 2012

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE NUT MILK

Things you need:

▫ Organic nuts or seed

▫ Large mason jar or glass pitcher

▫ Blender or food processor

▫ Nut milk bag or cheesecloth

It’s as Easy as 1, 2, 3

1. Soak and rinse the nuts. Soak the nuts in water to cover overnight. Soaking de-activates the compounds that keep the nuts dormant, and activates the enzymes that make them sprout. Soaked nuts and seeds tend to be easier to digest and have better bio-availability, meaning that the nutrients have an enhanced ability to be utilized by the cells. Plus, soaking the nuts makes them tender enough to blend. Drain the water and rinse the nuts well before using.

2. Blend the soaked nuts with water. Place the soaked nuts into a blender or food processor and add about 3 cups of fresh water for each cup of presoaked nuts. If you want a thicker, richer milk, decrease the amount of water to your liking. Blend until the nuts are very fine ground and the water has turned a light milky color.

3. Strain the pulp. A nut milk bag is used specifically for this purpose – it’s clean and easy and also reusable. A cheesecloth folded in 3-4 layers or a large fine-meshed sieve also works well. The pulp can be used for a variety of purposes (see below).

Care to add a bit of flavor and dimension? Here are a few ideas for additions:

▫ Dates

▫ Vanilla extract

▫ Brown rice syrup

▫ Agave

▫ Cinnamon

▫ Raw cocoa powder

Here are five ideas for your pulp:

1. Nut Flour. The pulp can be dehydrated or placed in a 200 degree oven until dried. Grind the dried pulp in a spice grinder or high-speed blender until fine.

2. Raw cookies. Blend the pulp with some dates, nut butter, shredded coconut and sweet spices. Roll into balls and roll in shredded coconut or raw cocoa powder.

3. Soft, raw cheese. Blend the pulp in a food processor with a little nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and salt. Serve with crackers.

4. Cereal. Combine the pulp with your fresh nut milk, dried fruits, nuts and sweet spices for a porridge-like cereal.

5. Body Scrub.

This recipe is the simplest seed milk recipe you will find. It doesn’t even need to be strained. Make this when you are pressed for time. Pour it over your morning cereal, mix it in a smoothie or heat for a nutty latte.

Hemp Milk

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup hemp seeds (shelled)
5-6 cups of purified water
Natural sweetener, such as agave nectar or raw honey
Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Combine the water and the shelled hemp seeds in a blender. Use more water to achieve a skim milk consistency and less water to produce a heavier cream consistency of the milk.
Turn blender on high for 2-3 minutes, or until you reach your desired consistency.
After blending you can sweeten the milk by adding: agave nectar, raw honey or vanilla. Blend again to mix sweetener. You can drink it thick or strain it through cheese cloth to remove the large seed particles.

It will stay fresh for 3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed glass container (I use a mason jar). Shake well before each use.

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Alternative Milk Guide

April 26, 2012

Whether you’re looking for a solution to lactose intolerance, a casein allergy or just want a little variety, you’re in luck–the options in the faux milk section seem to grow daily. You can now sport a white mustache that comes from almonds, oats and even hemp. There is no need to cry over spilled milk with these animal-free dairy alternatives.

Here’s my Alternative Milk Guide:

NUT MILKS

Nut milks are exactly what they imply – dairy-free, liquid refreshment gleaned from ground nuts. Like most of the alternative milks, they’re actually very easy to make since it is just soaked nuts blended with water and strained. Try using almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamia, brazil nuts, pistachios, walnuts – oh the possibilities!

Nutritional profile: Nuts are high in a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, iron, fiber, zinc and calcium. The most popular nut milk, which is almond milk, is lactose, gluten, casein and cholesterol free – it’s also free of saturated fats. Clearly, nut milks cannot be consumed by someone with a nut allergy.

COCONUT MILK

This is made by pressing the coconut flesh and adding water. Another way is simply adding coconut flakes to a blender with water and blend.

Nutritional profile: Coconut milk is a very creamy, dairy-free alternative for those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to animal milk. A vegan drink, it is also soy-free, gluten-free, cholesterol-free and nut-free while its fat content is considered to a ‘good fat’, easily metabolised by the body and quickly turned into energy rather than being stored as fat. Coconut milk is also rich in lauric acid, a substance also found in human milk, which researchers have shown have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Coconut milk is very low in carbohydrates and low in protein.

SEED MILKS

Seed milk is made by blending seeds with water and straining it. There are a wide range of seeds that can be used: hemp, sunflower, flax, chia, pumpkin, sesame.

Nutritional profile: A good alternative for anyone with soy and nut allergies, seed milks is are also cholesterol and lactose free, low in saturated fats and rich in healthy omega fatty acids. It’s also an excellent source of protein and tastes creamy and nutty – they tend to be a bit thicker than other plant-based milks. It may be unsuitable for people with nut or seed allergies. It is gluten-free.

OAT MILK

Oat milk is made by soaking oats in water, blending and straining it.

Nutritional profile: Like many plant milks, oat milk is cholesterol and lactose free, and also contains high levels of antioxidant vitamin E. It also contains folic acid, which is essential for most bodily functions and is needed to synthesize and repair DNA, produce healthy red blood cells and prevent anaemia. Thanks to its plant source, oat milk is usually tolerated by people with multiple allergies, and is also a good source of phytochemicals; naturally occurring chemicals in plants that help fight diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke. The main argument against oat milk is that it, like rice milk, is high in sugar and has low calcium and protein content. It is appropriate for those with nut allergies, but is not gluten-free.

RICE MILK

Rice milk is made by blending cooked rice with water and straining.

Nutritional profile: Rice milk is the most hypoallergenic of all the milk substitutes and is extremely nutritious. It’s also the least fattening of all the milk alternatives with only one gram of unsaturated fat per cup. There are also plenty of heart healthy nutrients in rice milk. The unsaturated fat comes from rice bran oil, which can help lower your blood cholesterol. Niacin and vitamin B6 are also good for this while the high magnesium content helps to control your blood pressure. Iron and copper increases your red blood cell production, giving you better oxygenated blood and more vitality. On the downside, since rice is highly starchy, so is rice milk. One cup of rice milk contains 33 grams of sugary carbohydrates. It also has a very low protein and calcium content, so choose the fortified product instead. It is suitable for people with nut allergies and it is gluten-free.

SOY MILK

Soy milk is made by soaking soybeans and blending them with water and straining. You can find unsweetened, sweetened, flavored and chocolate versions in markets.

Nutritional profile: Soy milk has the highest protein content of all the alternative milks and is low in carbs with a moderate amount of fat. Many soy milks contain additives, since straight soy milk doesn’t taste wonderful, so be careful of all the flavors and sweeteners added. I would encourage you to look for organic or “non-GMO” soy milk. Many people consider unfermented soy difficult to digest. In addition, soy contains the cancer-fighting isoflavones. A recent study has demonstrated that isoflavones have potent antioxidant properties, comparable to that of the well known antioxidant vitamin E. The antioxidant powers of isoflavones can reduce the long-term risk of cancer by preventing free radical damage to DNA. On the flip side, studies may show that isoflavones mimic estrogen in the body and can be disruptive to the body’s hormonal cycles. As long you use soy products in moderation, it can be a good addition to your diet. It’s also safe for the lactose intolerant and anyone with a milk allergy.

Check back later as I’ll be sharing a yummy and creative seed milk recipe with you soon!

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Quick Guide to Juicing

April 13, 2012

Starting your day with a fresh vegetable juice is one of the best ways to set you off on the right track for the rest of the day. Drinking fresh juice gives you a boost of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that is easily absorbed and digested by the body. What is wonderful about juicing is that your body needs to do almost nothing to digest the nutrients from juice and they are immediately available to your system. Since the fiber is removed during the juicing process, the body has direct access to the nutrients. Try eating the amount of vegetables that you fit into a juice and you’ll be chewing for quite some time!

Green juices are especially healthful and should be your juice of choice. They pack a punch of chlorophyll which is a plant’s energy produced directly from sunlight. Did you know that a chlorophyll molecule is almost exactly like a red blood cell? So, by ingesting it you are rebuilding your blood. Green juices are highly alkalizing and detoxifying as they give your liver a welcome helping hand. In addition, they are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals which boost the immune system.

The benefits are really endless and to see proper results it is best to drink them consistently either in the form of cleansing or at least drinking a juice each day. Some of the results people find are: balanced pH and sugar levels, clearer skin, weight loss, increased mental clarity, diminished aches and pains, blood and tissue cleansing, better sleep patterns and better liver function. And this is only the beginning – many diseases are attributed directly or indirectly to an unhealthy digestive system. Your immune system and health depend on healthy elimination of toxins from the body which is what juice cleansing allows to happen, as it gives the digestive system a proper and much-needed break from the work it has to do on a daily basis.

So many people are lacking proper nutrition these days, as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices, as well as factors that are often out of their control. Juicing is a wonderful way to get the freshest and most direct sources of vitamins and minerals that our bodies require to keep them in a vital and healthy state.

Green Lemonade

1 cucumber
2 med size apples
1 bunch kale
a few large handfuls of spinach
1 lemon

Run all ingredients through a juicer and enjoy!

Here are a few tips I can give you about my experience with making juices at home:

have your greens and herbs washed and properly stored in the refrigerator so they are ready to go. If they’re not, you may not be as motivated to juice.
blend mostly vegetables with only a little fruit to make the juice not taste too bitter. I prefer to use one apple — peel, seeds, everything.
if you want to juice low-liquid food, such as ginger or a clove of garlic, make sure you follow it with a high liquid vegetable such as carrot to flush it out of the juicer.
clean your juicer as soon as possible after using it. I don’t love cleaning my juicer, but I love it a whole lot less if it has been allowed to sit. Those fine vegetable fibers are way harder to get out of there once they’ve dried.
the fresher the juice, the more nutrients it contains, but if you need to make your juice the night before, store it in a glass jar filled all the way up to the top so that there is a minimal amount of oxygen in contact with the juice. Cover and refrigerate.

If you don’t have one already, go buy a juicer and make it your best friend.

Please add your comments or questions below. I get asked about this topic so often – your questions and experience will be helpful to others, no doubt. For those of you who are juicing, what are your favorite recipes? I love hearing from you!

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