What if we made our own super healthy dairy-free drink?
Preparing your own dairy-free milk is remarkably simple. In addition to being able to flavour them according to your wishes, dairy-free milks are also very interesting from a nutritional point of view. Oilseeds are such true nuggets that it would be a shame to exclude them from your diet.
Commercial drink VS home-made drink
What are the advantages of home-made drinks when it is so simple and quick to open a carton and pour its contents into our cup/bowl?
Firstly, your homemade drink will be RAW, which means that you can make the most of all the good nutrients available. It is important to know that the commercially available cartons are made from oilseed “paste”. And to guarantee an XXL best before date, they pasteurise the drink (goodbye dear heat-sensitive vitamins!).
Secondly, and this is well known, industrialists love to add ingredients that we don’t want! Example: adding sugar, fat, salt, extract, flavouring, etc… No, thanks!
Thirdly, the flavour! It is impossible to compare a delicious home-made drink with that of the supermarkets. And for me, the most important argument is its taste. The concept of pleasure must always be there. So, have I convinced you? (I can still feel a hint of hesitation coming from you…)
One last important argument for you,, then! You’d be surprised if I told you that I don’t need more than 5 minutes on the clock to make my dairy-free drink in the morning? (Ah, now I see that I’ve convinced you!)
So, let’s start preparing a delicious homemade vegan drink
First of all, what you need is a good quality blender with enough power to make a smooth, creamy drink.
Depending on the consistency you are looking for, you may find it useful to have a cheesecloth (cotton gauze) on hand. Some people like to filter their milk, while others prefer to leave it as it is (this is my case). Just know that if you decide to filter your milk, you can reuse the resulting pulp to make pastries for example. Nothing is thrown away, everything is reused!
1. Choosing the right oilseeds
Preferably opt for good quality, untreated oilseeds, if possible of organic quality. You can make your dairy-free drinks with almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, walnuts, pistachios…
2. The soaking bath
As you may already know, soaking your oilseeds for a few hours in a jar of water reactivates the germination process. As a result, oilseeds increase their nutritional value and become real nutrient bombs! They become alive again somehow… It’s crazy, isn’t it?!
The soaking time depends on the type of oilseed you choose. For example, a whole night will be necessary for almonds and hazelnuts, and only three to four hours for cashew nuts.
Also, the taste changes radically when oilseeds are soaked. Try biting into a dry almond and then into an almond that has just come out of its soaking bath: it feels like eating a fresh almond!
When the soaking time is reached, rinse your oilseeds with clear water and pour away the water used for soaking.
3. Measure out the amount of water
Once your oilseeds have been reactivated and rinsed, you can place them in the mixer bowl and add water. If you want to obtain a smooth and fluid plant-based milk, I advise you to add at least three times as much water as oilseeds. For example, if you have soaked a jar of almonds, add three jars of water.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a creamier texture, reduce the amount of water.
4. Add flavour to your dairy-free drinks
At this stage, either you prefer to leave the plant-based milk plain (very practical for making pastries, for example). Or you opt for a flavoured milk, which is particularly pleasant for the making of breakfasts such as porridge, fruit bowls, etc.
Now all you have to do is blend your drink until it has a smooth, flowing texture.
And in terms of health, what’s in it for you?
Oilseeds are excellent sources of good fats, fibre and minerals. Walnuts, for example, have a super omega 3/omega 6 ratio. Hazelnuts are moreover a good source of antioxidants, while almonds contain calcium. In short, they are real health allies that you can consume every day for the greatest pleasure of your taste buds!
What do you think?