April's shine day 10/30 - raw vegetarian/vegan milk

vegetarian milk different colors

Vegetarian (you can make it even vegan) milk is really delicious, healthy and nourishing.

(For Dutch friends: voor een NL versie van dit artikel click alsjeblieft op: Haagse BV groep)

Because you do not use any "real" milk, is the vegetarian variant "lactose free" and thus very good for the ones who are allergic to (cow) milk or to lactose (the "sugar" in the milk). 
This veg variant also contains really healthy, body friendly  "fats" for you.

As always, please use organic stuff to make it. 
(..and I had to abruptly stop here as my telepathic son V. asked me for the first time in our life for "chocolate milk")..

My invitation for you is to experiment with materials and to use in the beginning whatever you have in the house (and that goes also for the blender..:-) ).

You can make vegetarian/vegan milk from:

• nuts: cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, brazil nuts, etc;
• seeds: wheat, rice, Chiaseeds, flaxseeds, sesame, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds (with peel or not..), etc.

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Here are two older vids I made about making vegetarian milk. Mine is vegetarian and not vegan because I use honey and honey is not considered a vegan product.

As a principle: the rawer (not or less cooked) the milk, the better your body can digest it and use it. The big secret for a milky milk is to sprout the nuts and seeds. You do that by putting them in (you know, the cleanest possible) water for at least overnight. If you prefer to let your seeds and nuts longer in the water - you could do that up to 24 hours but you'd have to wash them at least once in 8 hours. After 24 hours you could put them in the fridge so they do not go bad or you could rinse them and let them sprout further outside water. I have the simplest system possible and I manage to sprout a lot of stuff (look here for an example) but if you want to look more into that, more info soon. 

Your digestion works  generally best with raw materials because raw fruit and vegetables have enzymes that connect and react very well with your stomach and digestive system. This helps your body take the most vitamins and minerals it needs from the food you ingest.

Nuts and seeds on the contrary have the so called "enzyme inhibitors" so that a seed or a nut does not start to make a plant or a tree in the "wrong" conditions. They need water and a good place to "trick" them into sprouting - and that is also how  and when the enzyme inhibitors are dissolving. Not only that the seeds and nuts are now more digestible but when they start to sprout they also bring tremendous energy to your milk (or if you eat them, directly to you:-) ). Imagine the energy they unleash to make a tree or a plant:-) That is what's going into you (yay!) :-)

The nuts also get a sweetness to them after 8-12 hours of soaking. Yum:-)

Please be aware that both seeds and nuts take a lot of water in, cover them at least two times the volume they have dry and check after a while if they are still underwater. Chia seeds swallow as much as 9 times water / their volume when dry.

Soaking time: to be on the safe side you can let them soak over night: 8-12 hours (or over day if you go to work early in the morning)
How: just in a jar, covered lightly, with a cheese cloth or a plate on top (so that you do not get any kind of flying protein in your milk).
Where: just on the kitchen table will do.
Equipment: 

• you'll need a blender: the stronger the blender, the tastier and efficient use of materials you'll experience. You could also use a hand-mixer if you do not have anything else: it juts takes a lot more time and you will have more "pulp" (the remains of the seeds/nuts after you strain it) at the end; it does make you some milk, though.
  
• you'll also need a strainer: you can use a normal (big) strainer but your milk will oxidate [1]  quickly (depending on what you use, between 1/2 hour and a few hours); it also can get a metallic taste and you'll be left with big pieces of pulp that digest less easy - and it's also not so nice to drink:-); better use a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag, get the organic ones if possible (or make a nut milk bag yourself if you are handy like that);

You want to use cooked material? Also possible, especially for rice. Cook it lightly in filtered water and you can use the cooking water in your milk.
Please note: cooked and non organic, or through a metallic strainer, your milk is still much healthier and tastier than any pasteurized milk of any kind.

Making the milk:
throw in your blender (from a small distance, please!):

• the nuts and/or seeds - around one handful / 1l water (if you want more concentrated milk, like for yogurt, use less water);
• a pinch of salt (try real organic salt and not "table salt" - examples: pink Himalayan or sea salt);
• for more taste, put some (a pinch or more) herbs or spices in: a pinch of cinnamon, or cardamon, whatever you like;
• a bit of sweet: I use honey but if you want it vegan you can always try maple syrup, agave syrup or anything in that line; I use a table spoon per liter water; it does not make it very sweet, it just gives it some taste;
• 1l water (as clean as possible);

Blend. Strain. Drink:-)

It goes without saying, if you have a smaller blender (a personal blender in EU or a Nutribullet, for example), please change the quantities accordingly.

You can use this milk for everything you used the other one:-) Cakes, pudding, smoothies, pancakes, you get the picture.
It's best when fresh but you can also keep it in the fridge for 2 days. Use glass bottles, please.

Go on and experiment with different tastes, you will probably have your favorites and least loved.

Tips: 

• you can make instant milk from peeled hemp seeds (you do not have to soak or strain them);
• if you have a powerful blender, like Vitamix, Blendtech or others in that family, you also do not have to strain soaked cashews milk (unless you really want to);
• Chia seeds milk is better for your digestive system (and tastes better) with pulp; 

• Brazil nuts milk has a powerful "earthy" taste,
• Rice milk is more efficient and for some of us more digestible if the rice is cooked; also try wild rice or risotto;
• almonds with peel: you can use them like that and leave the peel on for the whole process, it does not have much effect on taste or color, especially if you have a powerful blender;

Possible recipes:

• in place of chocolate milk from the supermarket, make your own with the vegan/vegetarian milk; eventually use raw cacao powder; you can also add superfoods and such, in small quantities if you give the milk to the kids and you do not want them to notice; I just made one for V. before I went on to write this article, I used peeled hemp seeds, raw cacao, a bit of cinnamon, some raw cashews pasta, plus a bit of honey (and shhh, I also put in some chlorella);
• use chlorella, spirulina or other green powders: put it in your milk, drink it in place of the daily coffee; add a bit of something sweet and you have a powerful green smoothie that gives much energy and is also healthy;
• mix your milk with (frozen) (organic!) fruit for different colors or tastes (V. asks for a different color milk sometimes, like orange or yellow, purple, or red);
•  using the brazil nuts (I actually do not soak them anymore, I did not notice any changes when I did) you can add less sweet stuff and more salt and  some garlic and you have a great raw "champignons" soup:-); It really tastes like that and if you want you can also warm it up a bit. (you still want it raw, do not go above 42 C). It is really powerful so do not make too much:-)
• you could also make a raw pudding from the Chia seeds, add less water and after soaking them for a while you can mix them with fruit, honey or whatever. Blend it for a better "pudding" appearance;
  

Enjoy!:-)

[1] Oxidation from Wikipedia: 
Oxidation is any chemical reaction that involves the moving of electrons. Specifically, it means the side that gives away electrons.
Oxidation has a negative effect on the (any) body. It leads to cells being destroyed and that is why it's seen as one of the most important causes of getting old or sick. 
This is the reason we'd better eat or drink non oxidized stuff:-) Coffee oxidizes like crazy, if you wanna know.. (also if you don't want to know, it still does);