How to Make Nut Milks & Other Life Skills

I'm not a fan of cows milk, for a variety of reasons...

There is the ethical side where I question how kind it is to force cows to have calf after calf just so that they can make milk.
Then there is the 'Nutritiony' side, where we often notice digestive difficulties when drinking milk, whether that be bloating or nausea or runny noses or poor immune function.
And then, of course, there is the 'that's weird' side, where, when you take a step back and look at it, humans drink the 'breast' milk of another lactating animal that mother nature made for little calves and calves only to drink to get really big and fat really quickly. Imagine for a moment, if you will, a human expressing milk all year round and feeding it to her dog. Weird.

In saying that I know that most of us have grown up with cows milk as a part of our diets. If you enjoy food and like trying new things, why not experiment with oat, rice or soy milks or better yet, why not try making your own nut milk?

Stop rolling your eyes. You do not have to be a pot smoking, non-working hippy with only commune life to tend to to make nut milk.

This Almond milk will literally take 10 minutes to make. Add to that the fact that making a litre of organic almond milk will set you back about $2.50 versus $6.50 and you can see what I'm saying...it's a good idea.

Almond Milk
Makes 1litre

1c Almonds
4c Water

Equipment
Blender
Old clean pillow case cut on the diagonal to make a triangle shape like this ...

Place almonds in a bowl and cover well with water. Place in fridge for at least 4 hours, but I find doing it the night before you want to make the milk works well.

In the morning drain the water off the almonds and discard it. Place the soaked almonds and 4 cups of fresh water into a blender. Put the lid on and blend for about 4 or 5 minutes. Use any bowl that will hold 1 litre and place your pillow case in it like so ...

Pour all of the liquid in the blender into the pillowcase. Bring all the edges together and squeeze all of the milk out of the pillow case. This might take a minute or two to get all of the liquid out.

Hey presto you have fresh almond milk ready to be stored in the fridge.

The solid meal left in the pillow case is almond meal, which can be stored in the fridge for a few days and used to make cookies, energy balls, cakes etc.

This couldn't really get any easier and the idea can be extended to cashews, hazelnuts, whatever you like, really. Use in smoothies, on cereal or just drink it plain.

Happy drinking guys!

The Blogging Wagon Vs Travelling

Can anybody find the blogging wagon? I need to get back on it. Travelling Vs blogging - travelling wins every time.

I had a fantastic time in Northern Ireland, Dubai, Spain and Singapore. We spent most of our time in Northern Ireland which meant, despite it being summer there, lots and lots of 'comfort food'. Irish stew, potatoes, chille con carne, potatoes, roasts, chips ... potatoes.
'Lean meats' and 'leafy greens' are not in the vocabulary. One of the great things about NI food though, is their amazing and affordable range of berries. Each morning I would have a bowl full of blueberries, raspberries & strawberries. Delish! The other thing that I loved was the endless array of forests to run in. In a great twist of fate Colin washed my ipod and broke it, forcing me to run with nothing but the sound of my feet, trickling streams, the pitter patter of rain and the singing birds to accompany me. Tough, I know.

After a month abroad, I was just so very ready to lighten the food load. I want vegetables, and fruits, and nuts and seeds and juices. I wanted to get reacquainted with what it felt like to actually get hungry. I think we can all agree that holiday eating can be fun with its 3 course meals and endless time to eat at a variety of places, but there comes a time where it loses its shine. That time is usually when you are getting dressed and your pants no longer do up.

I stumbled across this old recipe that I think I got and adapted from the magical Angela over at Oh She Glows. It is a vegan website so to be honest I usually use her recipes, and then add meat. I hope this doesn't devastate her. It probably does. Anyway, This is a Vegan Taco Mince recipe which can be put into soft or hard shell tacos but I prefer to just eat a bowl of it. Its warm, a little bit crunchy and the spices make otherwise plain ingredients work in perfect, tasty harmony. Are you sold yet?


Vegan Taco Mince
Serves 6Seasoning
1t chili powder (adjust according to taste
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t dried oregano
1/2t paprika
1 1/2t ground cumin
1t sea salt
1t black pepper

Combine spices and set aside. Extra can be made and stored to be used in other dishes.

Mince
1/2c brown rice
2 1/2c water
425g can canellini beans
1/4c sunflower seeds
1/4c pepitas
Prepared seasoning
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

Boil water and rice in a medium saucepan. Cook for approximately 30-40 mins, making sure it stays slightly al dente. Drain the rice and set aside.

Place cooked rice, beans, seeds, and seasoning in food processor and pulse until ingredients are broken up but not mushy. Transfer to a large frying pan, add 2 tbsp of coconut oil, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from heat and serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Easy, right? Store the extra in the fridge and sprinkle it over salad or into wraps for lunches the next day

Have a great week everyone and stay warm!