Homemade Almond Milk
I wanted almond milk that didn't have additives, sugar, and other stuff that I couldn't control. Also, some of the almond milk had roasted or blanched almonds in them. I wanted them raw, and in a small town like the one I live in, you just can't buy it off the shelf.
I found that our local Meijer's store sells raw almonds at a decent price. I can make the milk, dry out the remains of the milk process, and make almond meal, that is almost as fine as regular flour, right in my food processor. Win-Win. I don't know if you have priced almond flour, but you would probably cramp the budget some.
I make the milk by the 1/2 gallon in my 1/2 gallon ball jars I got from Amazon by accident. I was a bit miffed at first, but just love them now. This doesn't make lots of flour, but it is enough to bread some cod fillets, and they are yummy (all recipes below). It also has the added benefit of being gluten free. It also meets the requirements for the Clean Gut process, see video for info.
Milk Recipe
Ingredient list 1/2 Gallon:
2 C Raw Almonds (Soak overnight in filtered water in the refrigerator.)
Enough Filtered water to make 1/2 gallon after the milk is processed
1/4 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla (Optional)
15 drops of alcohol extracted Stevia-the powders and glycerin extracted ones stink for this. (optional)
You can use any sweetener that suits your fancy.
Rinse the soaked almond, don't worry about taking the hulls off these, it just doesn't matter. Place them in a blender that seals, use enough filtered water to process. Process until the almonds are ground well. Strain the almonds from the milk at this point. Pour the milk back into the blender. Save the left over almonds.
This part must be done quickly as possible to prevent lumps. Mix the Xanthum Gum with a bit of water, and pour into the blender while it is running. If your blender doesn't have a port for that you can stop briefly, but begin processing quickly or you may end up with gum lumps. Process for a while to mix the gum well into the milk.
Add the sweetener and vanilla, if using, and blend a bit to incorporate.
End of Milk Process
Almond Meal/Flour
This process will give you a finer consistency of flour than using almonds before the milk process. Spread the wet almonds out on a cookie sheet, (if you have a dehydrator that also works). Place the almonds in an over set at the lowest possible setting. You really don't want to roast them, just dry them.
Depending on how much you have this takes about 1-2 hours. Check them occasionally to judge the timing. Once they are completely dried out, process them in a food processor or blender until they are a fine powder. Keep an eye on it; I'm told this could end up going to almond butter, but I have never had that come close to happening.
Fish Breading
This was a major surprise to me when I first made it. I don't have a picture of it right now, as I am still processing my next batch. I will post the picture of my fish later this week, as it is on the menu.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Almond flour
1 egg
1/4 C milk
Old Bay Seafood Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste. I don't use salt, and we don't miss it.
Enough oil to cover bottom of pan. I use grapeseed oil, and keep my pan on medium heat.
Mix the egg and milk. Dredge the fish in the wet mixture, then in the flour. Place in a hot skillet, and season with the old bay. I make sure you can see it really well, as we like this a lot.
Cook until the flesh is opaque, and flakes easily. This will depend on the type of fish. I use cold water white fish, such as cod for this recipe, but my daughter uses almost any fish in the process.
I hope you enjoy the recipes.
Namaste