Today was another horrifically busy day, our IT team of 5 people was down to 2 and we were scrambling. The word tired just doesn’t seem to cut it after today. This morning before racing out the door, I used the last bit of almond milk in my coffee and was in no mood to grab some on the way home. And I didn’t soak any almonds to make fresh which is why I switched from regularly making almond milk to fresh hemp milk, planning around almond soaking time always seemed to be an issue for me during my work week. But I still like mixing it up with almond milk for coffee, cereal and chia seed pudding. Occasionally I’ll buy the pre-made stuff if it’s going to be a crazy week. But, that’s one of my goals for the new year – make fresh nut and seeds milks at home all the time. Not only is store bought stuff pricier and have preservatives in them, they also use a lot of packaging that I don’t like paying for and throwing out. Tonight I experimented with a quick almond milk recipe to get me through the weekend and it worked out.
Busy Day Almond Milk
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 packets stevia
- 1 tbsp. lecithin (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups water
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
It tasted just like the version I usually do from whole, soaked almonds. But this version did not require soaking or the time-consuming process of straining out the pulp with a nut milk bag. Hmmm, this may be the only way I make almond milk for awhile!
Since both hubby and I had long, stressful days at work and he was running late leaving the office, we opted for a quiet evening at home – not exactly an exciting Friday night, but just what we needed. I went simple and fresh for dinner creating hummus collard green wraps with home-grown sprouts.
To me this is raw fast food, the wraps throw together faster than a sandwich and don’t require a lot of brain power – a good thing after the week I’ve had!
“planning around almond soaking time always seemed to be an issue for me during my work week.”–which is why i NEVER make my own nut milk. or almond milk, specifically.
i am frugal on some things to a fault, but for 1.69 or whatever it is, i can hardly buy the nuts that cheaply and then soak, strain, blend, etc..nah, ill pay up :)
ive read in sarma’s books or online that the “cheater’s” almond milk is like you did! i dont have lecithin gran’s laying around but i would figure for immediate consumption, that’s not a key thing.
your wraps look delish
and your email re macro lens, one lens cant do it all, your suggestions, thank you…going to read, ponder, think…and figure it out. thanks for going thru this learning curve process stuff with me! :)
Wow, where are you finding almond milk for $1.69? If I’m lucky, the Diamond stuff is on sale for that, but it’s usually $2 – 3 dollars for the quart carton. And more for the organic stuff.
I’ve tried Sarma’s version of quick almond milk and as you said, it’s great for instant use, but separates fast and it separates in coffee too. The lecithin helps with that a lot and that jug was $10 at Whole Foods, not bad for so much that lasts awhile. I’m adding it to hemp milk also.
No problem on the lenses, I wish there was one perfect, all purpose lens – but not for food shots. But carrying two isn’t bad since most camera bags easily facilitate that.
pretty sure TJ’s is less than $2 bucks? I knew if i used a dollar value, it would be wrong…lol.
but cheap. Cheap enough that I dont make my own!
very good info about the lecithin.
And the lens info..majorly have enjoyed all our camera chats :)
I love your cheaters milk (something I do myself now and then too) but today I actually just made the almond milk without soaking. It was something we learnt at 105degrees. Of course it is best to pre soak them but if you run out of time, especially as you are blending them up anyway, and the fragments will be soaked after you make the milk, then it isn’t such a biggie. But still a good idea to continue to soak of course :)
Loving the look of your wraps too!
Thanks, I’ve tried not soaking the almonds too and it works okay, but seems more watery after the pulp is strained out – kind of like almond skim milk I guess. :-)
I’m not exactly a wrap artist, but I’m much better with collard wraps than nori wraps.
I just got a nut milk bag … why? Because I read too many food blogs! :) So I am going to try to make my own almond milk (someday). I like how you did this quick version though. And I’m with you on easy .. I love wrapping things up in a collard green. Such a fast and filling meal!
I still use my nut milk bag for traditional nut milks occasionally and it’s also useful for straining liquids out of veggie based “rices”. :-)
I LOVE collard wraps! People are weirded out that I prefer them to tortillas or bread.
You are making me really miss my blender. I brought a personal one with me to London, but I can’t find a converter for it.
Oh, so sorry about your blender – I hope you can get a converter soon. But I’m so jealous you’re in London – wow! I hope you’re having a blast.
I’m convinced I need to start making my own milks given that I just noticed how much sodium is in my regular soy milk. Argh! I can’t believe I didn’t noticed that before. I’m going to try hemp milk first. P.S. Your collard wraps look amazing, I want to try them, too. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hemp milk is great because it’s so fast not requiring soaking or straining. It has a different flavor than almond milk, but I like it too. You may want to use lecithin in it because it does separate and require shaking before each use. The lecithin helps keep it creamier in coffee too.
Your wraps look fabulous! I love all the ingredients. It’s funny how something relatively simple can be so great!