Homemade Almond Milk + Almond Meal for Hiking Breakfasts!

Homemade Almond Milk

I got on a Almond Milk kick a few years ago - store bought kinds - Silk and Blue Diamond. I stumbled across a few web sites on how easy it was to make your own and tried that this past weekend. I was amazed with the results - its really not comparable to retail milk! On top of that, I used the left over ground almond meal in my John Muir Trail hiking meals. Its great in Oatmeal!

Ingredients

The recipe itself is straightforward:

• Raw Almonds (do not use roasted or salted)
• Water
• Honey or other sweetener (optional)

Gear

The gear you need is straightforward as well:

• Food Processor or Blender
• Cheesecloth, nut bag or (like me) a clean kitchen towel.

Directions

1. Soak the almonds and water in the fridge for up to two days, and atleast 24 hours. The almonds should be covered with water. 
1. I've found the full two days results in a thicker and more flavorful milk. 
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2. Drain and rinse the almonds. They should have expanded nicely. They have a more creamy texture at this point when eaten. Try one!
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3. Combine the almonds, water and honey in a blender. 
1. I use a 2.5:1 ratio of water to almonds (ie 1 cup of almonds + 2.5 cups of water.). 
1. You can vary this as you see fit. 2:1 for a thicker milk, 3:1 or even 4:1 for a thinner version.
2. I use 1 tablespoon of honey per cup of almonds. YMMV. You probably cant overdo the honey :)
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3. Blend for 2-3 minutes until its creamy; the almonds should be completely ground.
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4. You likely need to do this in batches. My food processor held 1 cup + water of almonds. Don't overfill your processor or you'll have a sticky mess.
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4. Empty the results into a nut bag or cheesecloth, suspended over a large pot. I used a standard towel, cleaned of course, inside a colander over a pot.
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1. It will naturally drain, though some encouragement - with a wooden spoon - to force out the liquid helps. 
2. This is also a great snack at this point :)
5. After finishing all batches, I rolled the towel into a ball covering all the almonds and squeezed out the last remaining liquid. When done, the remaining almonds should be damp, but mostly dry. No liquid should remain.
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6. You can now continue with the Almond Milk and seperatly make the dried Almond Meal
1. Almond Milk
1. Drain the filtered almond milk into your choice of container. 
2. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Its best chilled.
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2. Almond Meal
1. Spread the crushed almonds on a large baking pan
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2. Bake at low heat - ~200 degrees - for 2-3 hours, stirring the mixture every hour until the almond meal is completely dried and no moisture remains. It should have the consistency of steel cut oats, or similar.
3. The Almond Meal will keep for several weeks in an airtight container. Its great as an additional to baking (muffins, cakes, pie crust). I used mine as a filler for hiking breakfasts with Oatmeal :)
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Enjoy!