First time ever, attempting to make nut milk. It turned out really good! The nuts I used were almonds. A while back, there was a glut of almonds in the neighborhood. I know it sounds weird but they were all these 2-pound bags of almonds going around the free food distribution supply-chain, so much so that even the people who depend on the free food distribution as their main source or only source of groceries were leaving the bags of nuts.
So, I would literally pick up bags of shelled almonds that had been left in boxes at the curbside or whatever. I was like, this is insane! And yet, at the same time, who can use 2 pounds of almonds? Even if you have a big family it might be a challenge. At one point I had like 10 pounds of almonds!
A neighbor and I explored the possibility of making candied nuts and selling them at the farmers market, but that proved to be unwieldy and not economically viable.
So, several pounds of almonds have ended up living in my fridge and freezer and in a jar in my cabinet. Finally yesterday it occurred to me to try making almond milk. I found a very easy recipe, here, from Minimalist Baker: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-almond-milk/
In addition to nut milk, the recipe produces a wonderful by-product: almond meal, which can be used in recipes for brownies, cookies, breads, and more. It’s popular with people who are trying to reduce or eliminate gluten from their diet.
You can add anything you want to flavor the the almond milk. I added cardamom, cinnamon, and some dried pepper flakes. (I added them at the soaking stage so they really had a chance to permeate. The milk is thick and creamy, and it has a nice kick to it.