Eat Like a Yogi

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Cashew milk of the gods

I could just call this cashew milk but it’s so much more than that. I simple cannot explain the joy it gives me to make it for my family. It’s purely luscious, for one thing, but on top of that, every single element in the finished product is deeply nourishing. I don’t have to wonder if the cashews were fed some weird growth hormone or if they’re full of pesticides. I swear you can taste the integrity in the milk. And integrity…is delicious!

The first time you make your own nut milk you might feel a little intimidated and maybe kind of freaked out by the weird sounding ingredients. But I guarantee—once you do it once, you’ll be sold. You’ll be begging people to drink more milk so you can make it again. So just don’t freak out and you’ll see…

But before we begin: unusual equipment alert! You’ll need a few special items for your nut milk, which will pay for themselves in cost savings, I assure you:

  • one clean nut milk bag
  • a large bowl with a spout
  • a glass pitcher with a lid

(Like I said…don’t freak out. It’s worth it.)

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Cashew milk of the gods

Prep

Inactive

Total

Yield 6 cups

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of soaked cashews
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 5ish cups filtered water
  • 1/4 cup refined coconut oil
  • 3 T non-GMO lecithin granules

Instructions

  1. Put the soaked cashews into the blender and add enough water to make 6 cups, along with the remaining ingredients. Blend on high speed for 20 seconds (30 seconds if you are not using a high speed blender).
  2. With clean hands, pour the milk through the nutmilk bag into the measuring bowl. The fat will coat the bag so you have to agitate the bag to keep the moisture moving through. Move the milk stuff around a bit, then squeeze out the milk. Move the stuff, squeeze the milk. Move it, squeeze it.
  3. When you’ve gotten out as much moisture as possible, set the bag aside. Now you have your milk! Pour it into the glass container and seal it with the airtight lid. (Isn’t it pretty?!)
  4. But wait…what is this goodness left over in the nut milk bag? That is cashew cream! It’s the basis of many nut cheeses on the market. You can also add it to smoothies, muffins, soups, etc. If you can’t use it within a couple days, you can freeze it and use it later. 

Notes

Now for the variations I promised:

  • Vanilla milk—Add two dates and a dash of vanilla per cup of milk for a not too sweet snack.
  • Chocolate milk—Add two dates and a heaping teaspoon of raw cocoa powder per cup of milk. Warm it slowly on the stove and you’ve got the world’s best cocoa!
  • Banana milk—Blend half a banana into a cup of milk; this is especially delicious over granola.
  • Strawberry milk—Add six strawberries per cup of milk plus a squeeze of agave to taste. (If you loved strawberry milkshakes from McDonald’s as a kid, but are maybe not too excited about McDonald’s these days, you’ll love this one.)
  • Horchata—Two teaspoons of agave plus a half-teaspoon of cinnamon per cup of milk will make a delicious horchata-like drink. Warm it up for a cozy bedtime treat.

Drink up! 

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