Almond Milk

OK so you've made the ginger cookies, now you want some nice cold milk to go with them...

Or something creamy to splash on your oatmeal...

Here's my favourite non-dairy milk. If you're wondering what's wrong with cow's milk, read this article: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds

2-3 pitted dates (optional- this is for a little extra sweetness, but it tastes great without it!)

Method:

Soak almonds and dates overnight in the fridge. The next day, drain and place in a blender along with 3 cups fresh water (add a little water at a time, to really pulverize the nuts and dates.) Over a medium sized bowl, pour mixture into the cut-off leg of a pair of unused tights* and gently squeeze out all the liquid. Discard nut meal. Rinse tight leg in warm water and hang to dry.

Transfer almond milk to a jug and keep covered in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.


*You can buy mesh straining bags for making nut milk online- they are only about $10- but I've got my trusty tights for now!

Green Smoothies

This is how I get my kids to eat their greens! Add greens to any mix of your favourite fruit, plus a cup or two of water to blend. Some favourite combinations in our house include:

Apple Pear
2 apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 pear, cored and quartered
2 bananas, peeled and broken into chunks
1 handful greens
2 cups water

Pineapple Strawberry
1 small pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks (core included)
6 large strawberries, no need to remove leaves (this is a green smoothie remember)
1 banana, peeled and broken into chunks
1 handful greens
2 cups water

Orange Blueberry
3 oranges, peeled and broken into segments
1/2 cup blueberries
1 banana, peeled and broken into chunks
1 handful greens
2 cups water

Increase the greens as you become braver! Greens can include: bok choy, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, radish greens, parsley, cilantro, mint, stinging nettle, dandelion greens etc.

Frozen is just as good as fresh for smoothies, so buy fruit and greens when on sale and freeze for later use. Only very tough skin and cores need to be removed, so you use up more and waste less.