Archive for almond milk

INSPIRATION:

My Hubby saw a recipe on social media for Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes. We made the pancakes, and we had some leftover pumpkin puree. I decided to be adventurous and seek a recipe that used pumpkin puree. I came across this recipe for flourless pumpkin bread online and decided to modify* it a bit.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 1 cup creamy almond butter

• 2/3 cup organic pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup Raw Honey

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp baking soda

• Cinnamon

• Nutmeg

• Ginger

• Pumpkin Pie Spice

* Modifications: I used Raw honey in lieu of sugar, I did not measure the spices, and the original recipe includes cloves (not pumpkin spice).

Instructions I followed:

Preheated oven to 350°F (325°F convection).
In a food processor (or blender), add all ingredients.
Blend on high speed until everything is mixed.
Pour batter into greased 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Bake about 40-45 minutes, until done.
Cool sufficiently on a wire rack before slicing.

My experience: I preheated the oven to 350°F. However, I set it to "convection", so the temperature showing up on the panel was "325". When I made this recipe, our oven decided to act up and I had to reset the temperature about 10 minutes into the baking time. I checked the loaf at 40 minutes, and the toothpick definitely did not come out dry**. I checked it again after 5 minutes, and it was still not ready. After a few minutes, it was finally ready (albeit a little toasty at the corners).

**Toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Extra Bonus: Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup oats
1 egg
1 tsp ground flax
1 tsp baking powder
a couple of drops of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup almond milk (I used homemade almond milk).

Hint: Blend the wet ingredients first. Add the dry ingredients slowly, until you reach the desired consistency of pancake batter. I used oat flakes. You might wish to experiment with variations & quantities until you get it just right for you and yours.

Even with all of this weirdness, the Pumpkin Loaf was DELICIOUSLY moist and absolutely WONDERFUL!

Pancake recipe: What Really Happened

I added all the ingredients into the nutribullet (next time, I will use the food processor) and the mixture was much too thick. I then added a 2nd batch of ingredients (without the oatmeal). It was still very thick, but workable.

Almond Milk

July 29, 2011

Almond Milk

Did you know that you can make your own? The original recipe, which called for 4 cups of ice, was obtained from New Earth Wellness. I found that, depending on the kitchen equipment you have, the amount of water and crushed ice will vary. I’ve modified the recipe to decrease the amount of ice initially used. You can add water and crushed ice as you blend the ingredients, as desired:

You will need:

1/3 cups pitted dates
2/3 cups of almonds
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup crushed iceAdditional ice and water, as required, to obtain desired consistency.

Directions:

Place the almonds and pitted dates in a heavy duty blender or food processor and cover with water. Let the almonds and dates soak overnight. In the morning, process (or blend) the mixture until it’s smooth (it will be very thick). Add the water and ice slowly to the mixture and continue blending well. Continue to dilute with water and ice until the desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate well and use within 24-48 hours.

If you want a very smooth almond milk, without any of the almond residue, you can strain it accordingly. I”ve made this recipe with a regular smoothie blender, a magic bullet, a Nutribullet, and a Vitamix. The Vitamix was amazing. If you can afford one, I would highly recommend it. Due to financial considerations, I opted to buy a Nutribullet. It works amazingly well and does a very good job on this recipe. In fact, I love my Nutribullet!

Enjoy your home-made almond milk in smoothies, cereal, or as a thirst-quenching drink.

Archive for almond milk