To your surprise (and mine), making almond milk is very easy—you just have to set time aside for the nuts to soak. Unlike dairy milk, this inexpensive alternative is healthy, unprocessed, and cholesterol-free. The leftover almond meal is an added bonus, ideal for baking cookies and granola, and can also be used as a substitute for bread crumbs. Nutty in flavor and creamy in texture, this raw treat encourages easy digestion for all types of diets, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.

So, got milk?

—Georgia Pinter, founder of Inspired Spoons.

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This week's homemade nut milk: Raw Vanilla Almond Flax Milk 🎦

A post shared by georgia 🍑 (@inspiredspoons) on Jan 26, 2015 at 8:10am PST

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup raw, unsalted almonds
• 3-4 cups filtered water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

1. Pre-soak almonds in cold water overnight, or for a minimum of 6 hours.
2. Drain the liquid.
3. Add almonds to blender. Add filtered water (depending on desired creaminess of milk), vanilla extract, and kosher salt. Blend on high for at least one minute.
4. Strain almond mixture through cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Squeeze almond pulp until it appears dry and crumbly.
5. Sweeten with honey, if needed.
6. Serve and store in refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.