Nut Milk and Smoothie Recipes
I love the smooth, cold, creamy taste of a milkshake, and since milkshakes are out -- the nutritious delicious smoothie is in. Making a terrific smoothie that, not only tastes amazing, but also provides the type of nutrition your body needs is not as easy as throwing it all into the blender and hoping the end result is palatable. It's an art of try and try again until you have that perfect smoothie! A smoothie should leave you invigorated and satisfied, not sluggish and satisfied.
The following smoothies are some of my favorites and I hope they will become yours too. I have favorite whole food and raw restaurants as well as juicing joints. In Boca Raton, FL there are some fantastic places to go for healthy eating. Raw Juce is a fantastic juicing whole where every ingredient in your smoothie is either homemade or high end organic. They make their own nut milks, masticating juices, and incredible Acai bowls. Other great restaurants include Darbsters (a piece of vegan heaven), The Farmer's Table (someting for everyone), 4th Generation Market, and Green Wave.
The reason I am mentioning a few of these restaurants is because their smoothies become an idea in my test kitchen. So, the basic formula for many of these smoothies are not original with me, but they have been tweaked for you.
Nutty Energy 12oz or 20oz
1-2 Cups of Almond or Cashew Milk
1-2 TBSP Almond Butter
1-2 TBSP Hemp Seeds
1/4 - 1/2 Cup of Cold Pressed Coffee
1/2-1 TBSP Maca Powder
1/2-1 TBSP Mesquite Powder (optional)
1 Banana (frozen is best)
1/2 TBSP Cinnamon (or to taste)
1 TBSP Raw Honey (or to taste)
pinch of grey Celtic Sea Salt (Optional)
Put all ingredients in a high speed blender, add ice, and blend until creamy. Enjoy! Great Post-Work out smoothie.
To garnish and chopped Almonds and Raw Honey, and to add sweetness used dates or maple syrup!
Almond Milk 28-48 oz.
This is a perfect alternative to milk. Very easy to make and delicious to add to all your milk dishes. I would suggest trying a couple recipes to find the taste you love!
1 Cup of raw Almonds (soaked at least 6-24 hours)
3-4 Cups of Water (or Coconut Water)
2-4 Medjool Dates
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla or Almond Extract (optional)
Put all ingredients into high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy (may take a couple of blends if using a timed blender). Make sure your dates are blended in.
Strain by pouring into a nut bag or cheesecloth with fine mesh strainer.
Notes: I buy my Almonds from Costco which is the cheapest. If you want organic you can buy them from Whole Foods or online. Also, the water determines how thin or thick your Almond milk is. If you want a thick Almond creamer just reduce the water to 2 Cups. Also, add the Medjool dates to taste. I store mine in 28-32 oz Mason Jars.
Almond Milk lasts 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Below are a couple of great videos (until I make one) on how to make Almond milk.
Hemp Milk 12oz or 20oz
Hemp seeds boast 10-15 grams of Protein in 3 Tbs. So, using Hemp milk as your base for a smoothie is an excellent way to get your protein without adding a couple scoops of whey protein into your smoothie. I buy my Hemp Seeds from Costco! They are almost 1/2 the price of Whole Foods.
To make this delicious milk just combine the following in a high speed blender:
1/2 C of Hemp Seeds
1 1/2 C Water
4 Medjool Dates
Pinch of Sea Salt
1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract (optional)
Put all ingredients in a high speed blender, add ice, and blend until creamy.
Store in a 16 oz mason jar or similar container.
Cashew Milk 28 oz
Cashew milk is amazing in coffee and smoothies because its naturally sweet and super simple to make! There is no need to strain Cashew milk so it makes it very convenient to make in a hurry.
1 Cup of raw Cashews (soaked at least 30 minutes, preferrably 2-4 hours or overnight)
3 Cups of Water (or Coconut Water)
2-4 Medjool Dates
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla or Almond Extract (optional)
Put all ingredients into high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy (may take a couple of blends if using a timed blender). Make sure your dates are blended in.
Notes: I get the 365 cashews from Whole Foods, they're good and only 8.99 for a pound which is the cheapest I have found. Like Almond or Hemp milk, water determines how thin or thick your Almond milk is. If you want a thicker Cashew creamer just reduce the water to 1-2 Cups. Also, add the Medjool dates to taste. I store mine in 28-32 oz Mason Jars.
Cashew milk last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.