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https://github.com/jlevy/pandemic-recipes

Healthy, easy, and oddly specific recipes developed during quarantine.
https://github.com/jlevy/pandemic-recipes

Last synced: 3 months ago
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Healthy, easy, and oddly specific recipes developed during quarantine.

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README 

        
# Pandemic Recipes



(This list of recipes is a work in progress, starting with just one recipe.)



![Image 2021-10-17 at 2 49 54 PM](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/2058167/137646234-567c7829-3464-43ca-bca6-7eaeef289135.jpg)



## Ultimate Homemade Almond Milk



### Background



During the pandemic, like so many, I found myself in the kitchen more—and, crucially, with

more time to try making things I never had before, often with incremental experimentation

and improvements.



If you haven’t tried fresh almond milk, you should.

If you have, you know how much better it is than what you get at Starbucks or out of a

container from the supermarket.



The TLDR is, you can make almond milk just by grinding up almonds in water as finely as

you can, then straining the result.

Go ahead and try it!

It’s simple, like many of the best things in life.



But of course, the best things in life are also complex.

A lot of [recipes online](https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-almond-milk/) cover the

basics. If you want the details to take it to the next level, read on.



This milk is excellent for combining with coffee for nondairy lattes or even drinking

straight. This recipe is chosen after some fine-tuning and experimentation with all kinds

of nuts and seeds, comparing other recipes and ingredients on commercial almond milks,

trying different sweeteners (and none), and with and without a few additives.



This is the combination I’ve found works best.

But you can also think of this as more of a *framework* for a recipe than a specific

recipe: all ingredients are optional, except for the almonds (and those can be partially

or fully replaced by another nut or seed).



Some background and rationale on the ingredients and preparation:



- **Composition:** You can make milk out of almost anything!

  The flavor and nutritional aspect will vary substantially, of course.

  In this recipe, the addition of a fraction of pumpkin seeds is my own invention (it’s not

  mentioned often online) but it gives a mild grassiness and depth of flavor that almonds

  alone lack. I’ve also tried walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and others.

  (Black sesame is an interesting one!)

  But almond seems like a nutritious, neutral, and still flavorful base.

  Note that blending two or more kinds of nuts or seeds seems to be little discussed but

  generally works really well.

- **Sweetener:** You can always make almond milk unsweetened and sweeten it later.

  But adding figs or dates (or even better, a couple of each) is a natural sugar with a

  deeper flavor than just adding brown sugar.

  For a sugar-free alternative, try adding pure monk fruit to taste.

- **Shelf life:** The one major downside of making almond milk yourself is it won’t last a long

  time, even in the refrigerator.

  Drink it within about 3 days.

  The addition of potassium citrate was an idea to help with this.

  It’s a commonly used and potassium additive that adjusts pH slightly.

- **Smoothness:** Without straining, you can drink it, but it’s thick, slightly grainy, and

  might make you cough.

  You usually strain almond milk with cheese cloth or a “nut milk bag,” which is just a

  nylon or cloth mesh bag with a drawstring at the top.

  But how fine this mesh is affects the result.

  The best approach, which takes only a minute more, is to use a regular (100- or

  200-micron) nut milk bag to filter, followed by a second strain of a finer 48-micron mesh.

- **Viscosity and foaming:**

  Having a little thickness and some foaminess when frothed is nice for lattes and in

  general. Additives like locust bean gum or guar gum give it a much richer texture.

  Locust bean gum is better for froth.

  Guar gum is a bit thicker.

  By most accounts, these are natural and healthy in moderate quantities.

- **Emulsification:**

  Another dimension is whether the almond milk separates over time, or when you mix it with

  things like coffee.

  Sunflower lecithin mitigates this to some degree and is also generally considered a

  healthy nutrient.

  (Soy lecithin is similar but some have conerns about soy.)

  It adds a little flavor, and you can see if you like that.

- **Preparation:** Many recipes you’ll see suggest you soak the almonds overnight.

  Feel free, but I’ve not found this is necessary with a strong blender and ground finely

  enough. Soaking them may also have an unexpected downside:

  it won’t last as long.



I’ve given Amazon links for the products I use, but you can find others.



### Preparation Time



Takes about 20 minutes.

Makes about 1.5 quarts.



### Ingredients



- 1.5 cups raw almonds ([link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HH79Y0U/))

- 0.5 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) ([link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PR88GKG/))

- 2 to 5 dried dates and/or figs, according to taste

- 1/8 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon potassium citrate ([link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UI9F01C/))

- 1/2 tablespoon sunflower lecithin ([link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MA9R8M2/))

- 1/2 teaspoon locust bean gum or guar gum ([link 1](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QBCVJ99/),

  [link 2](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IZDIMG8/))



### Equipment



- A strong blender, like a Vitamix, with an 8 cup (64 ounce) capacity

- A nut milk bag ([link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KLT6X9W/))

- Optional: A finer filter bag, 48-micron or similar ([link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B54G632/))



### Steps



1. Add almonds, pepitas, dried fruit, and salt or potassium citrate to blender.

   Add water to fill to 8 cup capacity.

2. Blend on high for at least a minute.

3. Strain through nut milk bag.

   It’s usually easiest if you seal the top and squeeze from the middle until fully drained.

   (Set aside or freeze pulp for other purposes.)

4. Rinse blender and pour the nut milk back in.

   If you have the finer filter bag, filter it a second time with this bag as you pour it

   back.

5. Add lecithin and thickeners, blend once more.

6. Use immediately or store in a jar in the refrigerator.



### After Making



- It’s fairly thick compared to a commercial almond milk, so when mixing in lattes or coffee

  or for other purposes you may wish to add water.

- For making lattes or other coffee drinks, heat the milk in a pan and use a whisk to froth.

  Do not boil. Then mix the espresso or coffee into the heated milk, whisking as you go—this

  prevents separation.

- The almond pulp residue can be saved and frozen, and used for making excellent gluten-free

  crackers and cookies.

  (Coming soon.)



## Feedback



Was this useful?

Please star it!

This lets me know.



Feedback, issues, and PRs welcome.

💚



Josh