Maple/Almond Milk
It’s maple syrup season. This is the time of year that sugar maples release their sap and it’s turned into that beautiful golden liquid that makes pancakes sing. It also makes coffee, oatmeal, and baked goods so much more interesting.
Recently I was lucky enough to dine at Andrew’s, a lovely little restaurant in Delafield, Wisconsin. The menu included an outrageously good vegan meal, but what really knocked my socks off was the almond milk that our thoughtful server brought to our table with our coffee. He knew that I was a vegan, and he realized that I wouldn’t be adding cow’s milk to my coffee, so he kindly put the most delicious homemade almond milk next to my coffee cup -one taste and I was like – oh my God! It was so sweet and creamy that I had to share it with everyone at our table, and they all loved it as much as I did. Needless to say, there wasn’t a drop left in the little pitcher once it got back to me.
The recipe was a “secret,” but my palate was sophisticated enough to pick up vanilla and a hint of maple. I made a vow to myself that I would make almond milk at home that tasted just as delicious, if not better, and I did.
If you’ve ever made your own almond milk, you know that there isn’t anything better. There isn’t a mass produced brand that can come close. Fresh milk is creamier and has a smoother taste. It might take a little time (and I mean little), but it’s actually so easy that it doesn’t even make sense to buy store bought. Besides, would you rather drink something that has locust bean gum, lecithin, or carrageenan added to it, or just almonds and filtered water from your kitchen? Yeah, I thought so.
Anyway, on to my delectable recipe that was inspired by Andrew’s secret recipe.
First you need to make plain almond milk, then you can make the flavored version, so gather up your ingredients.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Yields 8 cups
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups of raw almonds
- 6 cups of water
- 1 tbsp. of pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put the almonds in a medium bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl and soak overnight.
- In the morning, the nuts should look plump and feel a little squishy. That’s good.
- Drain the water and rinse the almonds. Put them in your blender. I love my Blendtec blender, it can do almost anything. Rinse the bowl and set aside.
- Add six cups of filtered water to the blender and blend until the nuts are ground up. They should be the size of a grain of sand.
- Put a nut bag (Zimtal, available at Amazon.com is a great nut milk bag) in the bowl and pour the milk from the blender into the bag to strain. Squeeze the bag to get all of the milk out.
- Pour the milk into a storage container with a lid. Preferably one that has a lip on it for easy pouring.
- Since my milk only lasts three days before it’s time to make some more, I poured one cup into a separate container for the maple/almond milk. That makes just enough for coffee, and then I have plain milk for cereal or anything else I need it for.
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the one cup of almond milk and stir well.
Now taste it. Well………..uh, huh, right! Sooooo good!!
It’s so yummy it makes me do a little happy dance. A very nice way to begin the day.
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