Spiced Cashew Milk

Making my own nut milk has been on my “list” for a long time. The process is really easy, and I don’t know what took me so long, especially since most store-bought nut milks have some undesirable ingredients…

For my first try, I decided to make cashew milk as I had read that you may not need to strain it if you use a high powered blender, which was true for me. But the milk will be a bit thicker than what you are used to; if you want thinner milk, strain it. I believe hemp milk is another milk that doesn’t need to be strained, but I was out of hemp seeds.

I flavored the milk with a little cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, vanilla extract, and a little honey. The result was delicious, and I’ll definitely make more nut milks soon.

Spiced Cashew Milk

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• 4 cups water, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• a dash of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Put the soaked and drained cashews, 2 cups water, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and honey into a blender.
2. Blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the rest of the water, and process for another 30 seconds. If you are using a high powered blender and are happy with the consistency (smooth but a little thick), pour the milk in a storage container at this point. If you want thinner milk, strain it through a small mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or a mesh nut bag.

The milk is slightly sweet and perfect to use in other dishes. You could definitely increase the honey and spices, especially if you want to drink it by itself and enjoy a bit more sweetness and spiciness. Store the milk in the fridge and shake it well before drinking as it will separate. We enjoy it most when it’s really cold.

On Saturday, we went on another beautiful 4-mile hike.

We have been doing quite a bit of walking and hiking lately. Last Monday we all had the day off and went on a 6.5-mile hike in the morning, and then the kid and I went on a 2-hour afternoon walk. He ended up walking 31,000 steps, and I made it to 25,000 steps. The kid and I had actually been waiting for the perfect day to walk over 30,000/25,000 steps respectively to get our next Fitbit badge. It had to be a holiday with no other plans so that we would have enough time to walk that many steps. I love that he is at an age where he can go hiking and walking with us and that he enjoys it (at least for now; I sure know that things can change…).

Questions: Have you ever made your own nut milk? If so, what’s your favorite? Do you have any tips to share? What was the highlight of your weekend?

Be well,
Andrea