Amy Chaplins Homemade Almond Milk Recipes

AMY CHAPLIN'S HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

Steps:

• Place almonds in a small bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Let soak overnight in refrigerator.
• Drain almonds and remove skins with a paring knife. Discard skins. Transfer to a blender and add 2 cups water, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Blend on high speed for 1 minute.

COCONUT, CHERRY AND VANILLA BEAN ICE POPS

Steps:

• Bring the cherries, maple syrup, cinnamon and almond extract to a simmer in a small pot over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the cherries are juicy and soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and set aside.
• In another small-to-medium pot, bring the coconut milk and vanilla bean seeds and pods to a simmer over high heat, whisking occasionally. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool for 5 minutes, then whisk in the honey and vanilla extract. Remove and reserve the vanilla bean pod. Pour the mixture into a pitcher or measuring jug and set aside.
• Place a strainer over the blender jar. Add the cooked cherries, and press out the juice. Add 1/3 of the cherry pulp and 1 cup of the coconut milk mixture, and blend until smooth. You should have about 2 cups of liquid. Refrigerate. Divide the remaining coconut milk mixture among ice pop molds, and place them in the freezer until semifrozen, about 1 hour. Remove them from the freezer, and divide the remaining cherry pulp among the molds. Top with the blended cherry-coconut mixture, place the lids on top, add sticks and freeze until solid, at least 8 hours.
• To remove the ice pops, dip the molds in warm water for a few seconds, then carefully pull on the sticks to release.

BLUEBERRY AND CHIA SEED SMOOTHIE

Steps:

• Place the chia seeds in a cup or jar, add 1/2 cup of the almond milk and stir thoroughly to combine. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes, or refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.
• Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the blueberries, vanilla, coconut butter and cinnamon, and blend until smooth, adding honey to taste.

HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

Steps:

• Place almonds in a bowl and pour in enough water to cover; soak at least 12 hours. Drain water.
• Blend almonds and 3 cups water in a blender on low speed for 10 seconds. Turn blender off for 5 seconds. Blend almonds and water on high speed for 60 seconds. Pour mixture through cheesecloth or a nut bag into a bowl. Discard the pulp or save for another use.
• Clean the blender and return milk to blender; add agave nectar and salt. Blend milk until smooth.

GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN CRANBERRY-ALMOND TARTLETS

Steps:

• For the crust: Process the rolled oats, almonds and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in the oat flour and brown rice flour. Drizzle in the coconut oil, and mix well. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, then stir to combine. (The dough will be quite wet.) Cover the bowl, and set aside for 30 to 60 minutes or until the dough is moist but no longer sticky.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly oil ten 3-inch tartlet pans, and press the dough evenly into each, trimming excess dough from the edges. Prick the bottoms with a fork several times, place the tart pans on a baking sheet and bake until golden and fragrant, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool.
• For the filling: Line a medium strainer with a thin kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth, and place it over a medium pot; set aside. Blend 2 1/2 cups water and the almonds in a blender until smooth. Pour the almond milk through the lined strainer into a pot. Gather the edges of the cloth, and gently squeeze out the milk; discard the dry pulp that remains. Add the maple syrup, agar flakes and salt to the almond milk, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking every minute or so. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the agar is dissolved, about 15 minutes. Combine the arrowroot with 1 tablespoon water, and slowly drizzle the mixture into the simmering liquid. When the liquid returns to a simmer, remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
• Carefully remove the crusts from the pans. Pour 1/4 cup of the warm filling into each tart shell. Place the tartlets on a flat tray, set aside until the filling has stopped steaming, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
• For the topping: Bring the cranberries, orange juice, maple syrup and cinnamon to a boil in a small pot. Stir the mixture, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for until the cranberries are soft, 5 minutes. Dissolve the arrowroot in 2 teaspoons water, and slowly drizzle the arrowroot mixture into the cranberry mixture. Remove the pan from the heat once the mixture has returned to a simmer. Let cool. Top each tartlet with a spoonful of the cranberry mixture, and serve.

GLUTEN-FREE PEAR AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 12-inch square piece of parchment paper, and press it into a 9-inch round cake pan. (Don't worry about the sides overlapping-this is what creates a rustic edge.) Set aside.
• Process the almond meal, oats, oat flour, rice flour and baking powder in a food processor until the oats are ground. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat the egg in another medium bowl; set aside. Peel and roughly chop 1 of the pears. Process the chopped pears, coconut oil, maple syrup, maple sugar, vanilla, almond extract and salt in a food processor until smooth; add the mixture to the bowl with the egg, and whisk to combine. Pour the pear-egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir to combine. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, and lightly spread it out.
• Working quickly, peel, quarter and core the remaining pear. Cut each quarter into 4 long slices, arrange them in a circle on top of the batter and sprinkle with chopped almonds. Bake the cake until the edges are deep golden and a toothpick comes out clean, 50 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Drizzle the cake with maple syrup, and serve warm or cool. Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

GLUTEN-FREE ZUCCHINI BREAD WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, and lightly oil the exposed ends of the pan. Spread the zucchini over a few layers of paper towels, cover with a few more layers, and use your palms to press out excess moisture. Set aside while you prepare the batter.
• Whisk the almond milk, maple syrup and chia seeds in a medium bowl to combine; set aside for 10 minutes or until liquid has thickened.
• Sift the coconut flour, millet flour, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda into another medium bowl. Add the almond meal and whisk to combine; set aside.
• Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, vinegar and salt to the chia mixture, and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the zucchini, and stir the remainder into the chia mixture. Add the flour mixture, and stir with a spatula until evenly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread the remaining zucchini over the top, and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
• Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 1 hour. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan before turning out.