recipe: chocolate almond milk

There truly is nothing like homemade nut milk. (That's what she said.)Store-bought is better than dairy-milk, in my opinion, but if you have the time to make your own - it's SO much creamier. It's tasty. And, you know exactly what's in it. You can use almost any kind of nut (or seed): cashew, brazil, almond, pumpkin seed, hemp seed...or a combo of a few of these.Usually I just make a plain version of almond milk to use for ... literally everything. Smoothies, hot chocolate, dessert recipes, granola, oatmeal, dinner recipes like dairy-free nacho cheese (!) or just a glass on its own sweetened up with a little honey and cinnamon.Lately, I've been really enjoying this chocolate variety, which reminds me of a chocolate milkshake. Sure, it's not as versatile, but I guarantee this will make your life more fun and interesting. And if you want to start easy with plain Jane almond milk - just take out the cocoa powder!If you're wondering why we soak the almonds - compare a dry almond and a soaked almond side by side. Night and day. That shriveled up nut is going to be harder to digest than a nice plump guy. And, they taste better. And, they are easier to blend. And, we are trying to remove some of the phytic acid that naturally occurs covers nuts. Phytic acid is known as an anti-nutrient that blocks the absorption of many nutrients and key minerals such as iron, calcium,zinc, and magnesium.Lastly, a nut milk bag? Seriously? Ha! You can also use cheesecloth, or old pantyhose, but I'm telling you right now that the $10 investment for a nut milk bag on Amazon Prime is totally worth it. It's a handy little mesh bag that makes the pulp/milk separation way easier (and cleaner).Get the recipe below!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raw almonds, soaked 8+ hours
• 3-4 cups filtered water, depending on how thick you'd like the milk
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• pinch of sea salt
• optional:
  • 2 pitted Medjool dates, to sweeten
  • 1 whole vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place almonds in a bowl and cover with a filtered water. Soak the almonds for 8+ hours (or, overnight). After soaking, rinse and drain well.
2. Place drained almonds into a blender along with the remaining ingredients and blend on the highest speed for about 1 minute.
3. Place a nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the almond milk into the bag. Start squeezing the bag to release the milk, and continue doing so until it feels like you have squeezed as much as you can squeeze. You are now left with milk in the bowl, and almond pulp in the bag. (You can dehydrate this pulp and grind it into flour if you are super advanced.)
4. Transfer your milk to a storage container (large glass mason jar is my favorite) and store in the fridge for 4 or so days. Shake the milk each time you use it as it will separate upon sitting.