Plant-Based Milks with a Vitamix – Cashew, Almond, and Coconut

After receiving a Vitamix as a Christmas gift, I was excited to ditch the cartons of nut milk and coconut milk bought 2 times a week.  It is truly a powerful blending machine.  The following are the proportions I use for cashew milk, almond milk, and coconut milk.  All of these milks will stay in the fridge for about a week. You will need to shake them up or stir before serving.

Cashew Milk – I prefer this one for my coffee.
3.5 Cups Water
1.5 Cup Raw Cashew Pieces (why pay extra for whole ones that we are going to blend?)
1.5 Tablespoons Coconut Sugar
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Blend for 45 seconds and strain into a jar. I find that the raw cashews are a little bit bitter and that the addition of coconut sugar balances that without making the milk too sweet. Coconut sugar has a very low glycemic index!  I have not experimented with adding dates to sweeten but have read that others prefer the taste.

Almond Milk – I prefer this one for my cereal.
3 Cups Water
1 Cup Raw Almonds – Soaked Overnight


Blend for 45 seconds and strain with a nut milk bag or cheesecloth into a jar. Save the grounds for a salad topping, oatmeal topping, or even a fabulous moisturizing and exfoliating body scrub.
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Coconut Milk – I prefer this one for a milk substitute in recipes.
2.5 Cups Water
1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar (optional)

Blend for 3 minutes. You must blend for the entire 3 minutes. Strain with a nut milk bag or cheese cloth. I have used the solids for salad topping, pasta topping, skin scrub, and even added them once to a hot bath.
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I have experimented using the larger coconut flakes or chips for this. What I discovered is that they need to be soaked for at least 3 hours before blending. The shredded coconut makes for a much smoother texture.

 

Elder-Mary Greyhound Cocktail

A fun play on a classic Greyhound but with a fun spring twist.

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Ingredients:
2 oz freeze squeezed grapefruit juice
1.5 oz vodka
.5 oz Elderberry liquor
1 tsp simple syrup
1 sprig rosemary
1 thin slice of grapefruit peel

Method:
Fill a glass and a shaker with crushed ice.
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Add juice, vodka, liquor and syrup to the shaker and shake well. Strain over crushed ice.
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Rub the sprig of rosemary between your fingers and plunge into to the drink. Squeeze the grapefruit peel slice over the drink and drop it in.
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Cocktail Syrup

A simple 50/50 mix of sugar and water can take your cocktails to the next level.   Boil 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water until all of the sugar dissolves (this happens fast!).   Try boiling down seasonal fruit in the mix and straining prior to canning for a fun twist.  Here is blackberry, raspberry and simple syrup.

syrup