Maple cinnamon pecan milk

If you’ve read my almond milk post (which you surely have, right?), you’ve probably already had a snicker (or two or ten) over the idea of nut milk, so I’ll spare you the dirty jokes here. Besides, we’ve got more important business to attend to than wisecracking nut-milking quips—a GIVEAWAY! More on that at the end of this post, but first, the star of the show: Maple. Cinnamon. Pecan. Milk. Need I say more? This is a riff on a recipe in Sarma Melngailis’ book Raw Food/Real World, and it’s fantastic.

1 cup raw pecans
3 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of sea salt

Soak the pecans in a bowl of filtered water for 4-8 hours, or overnight.



Drain and rinse the pecans well and place them in a high-speed blender with 3 3/4 cups of cold filtered water.



Cover and blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Pour the milk through a nut milk bag into a pitcher or large bowl.



Strain the milk through the bag, squeezing and twisting and wringing to extract as much as possible. Transfer the nut meat from the bag to a small container and refrigerate for later use (add it to other goodies like oatmeal, smoothies, cookie dough, and so on). Pour the milk back into the (rinsed) blender and add the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt (and, if you want to be really indulgent, a spoonful of coconut oil!). Cover and blend to combine. Taste for sweetness, adding more maple syrup if desired, then pour into a pitcher or other container for storage.



Smooth, silky, luxurious—this stuff’s liquid velvet. It’s so rich and creamy that it’s almost closer in texture to a thin milkshake than simple milk, and maple syrup + pecans + cinnamon is a [polygamous] marriage made in flavor heaven. Normally I’d suggest all kinds of uses for a milk like this, but honestly, I’ve yet to ingest it in any way besides simply drinking it from a glass. It’s that good.



Yield: about 1 quart. Per 1-cup serving: I’m not sure! There is no good way to calculate how many calories and fat/protein grams are left behind in the nut meat. Since pecans seem to leave less pulp in the bag than almonds, it’s a fair bet that there’s more fat, and therefore calories, left in the milk. My very rough estimate for 1 cup of pecan milk would be about 90-100 calories and 7-8 grams of fat.

Oh, you thought I forgot, did you? Hardly! I am ecstatic to present to you the first-ever
ALMOST VEGAN GIVEAWAY!
The wonderful folks over at Pure Joy Planet have offered to award one of their excellent nut milk bags to three, count ’em, THREE lucky winners! This is the very bag I myself bought and use, and it works like a charm—this pecan milk and my almond milk can attest to that! You can also use it to strain juices or make sprouts. It’s versatile, sturdy, easy to clean, and you can win one here!

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment below telling me your favorite kind of nut and how you like to eat it—raw, roasted and salted, as nut butter, in a baked good, in a stir-fry? Now, I’m no stranger to having a little naughty fun when talking about nuts, but let’s keep it family-friendly and limit it to TREE nuts ;] The deadline for entries is Tuesday morning, May 25th, at 9:00am CST (which is around 3pm that afternoon for anyone in the U.K. and midnight that night for those of you in Australia), and I’ll be choosing the three winners at random. Good luck, everyone! I can’t wait to see who will win!



If you like this, you might also like...
Homemade almond milk
Very berry "green" smoothie
Watermelon agua fresca

Homemade almond milk

Allow me to be crass for just a moment, please. I try to keep this blog family-friendly, but today, I just have to tell you that sometimes, a girl needs nuts. Yes, that’s right; there are just those times where nothing sounds more delicious than a shot of fresh, creamy nut milk. You could pay for someone else’s nut milk, but why would you do that when you can make your own at home? Sure, it takes a little manual labor, but it’s so worth it. All you need is a blender, a nut milk sack, er, bag, and some almonds, agave, and vanilla. Not only is it cheaper, but you get to experience the joy of squeezing the nut milk straight from the nut milk sack, freeing the sweet, velvety liquid from the rich nut meat left behind. When you’re done, you can remove the nut meat from the sack and save it for later uses as you enjoy your entire batch of fresh-squeezed nut milk in everything from cereal to baked goods. You can also whisk just a dab of nut milk into the nut meat and voilà! You’ve just made nut cream, a wonderful topping to drizzle on scones, pound cake, or fresh fruit. Ladies, there are so many ways to enjoy nuts and their tasty contents. As with this metaphor, you are only limited by your imagination!

1 cup raw almonds
3 Tbsp agave nectar (or to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Soak the almonds in plenty of (filtered) water for 8 hours or overnight.



The next day, they’ll be swimming in a murky stew of enzyme inhibitors. Drain the almonds and rinse them well.



Place the almonds in a high-speed blender with 4 cups of cold (filtered) water. My Vitamix rocks! As you can see, some of the nut skin came off my almonds when I rinsed them, but it makes no difference.



Cover and blend into a frosty nut-blizzard! It’ll take a good minute or two to get smooth.



Pour the nut milk into a large bowl through a nut milk bag. I got mine here—it was cheap and shipping was free! If you don’t have a nut milk bag, you can use a fine sieve, just be prepared for it to take quite awhile to strain.



Squeeze and wring that nut milk bag – be gentle, but not too gentle – until all the milk is extracted, and you’re left with nothing but nut meat inside. (Alternatively, use a large spoon to help force the the nut milk through a fine sieve.) Transfer the nut meat to a small container to use in other treats—you can dry it out in the oven to turn it into almond meal/flour, or you can just add it to cookie dough or cake batter as-is. You can also stir it into oatmeal, blend it into smoothies, or (my favorite) top with a splash of honey or agave and eat with a spoon. Mmm, who doesn't love a nice big hunk of nut meat?!



Pour the nut milk from the bowl back into the (rinsed) blender. Add the agave and vanilla, and cover and blend for several seconds, until incorporated. Transfer the fresh ‘n frothy nut milk to a container and refrigerate for up to one week.

I love using it in recipes, eating it with cereal, and simply guzzling a tall, cold glass of it at my kitchen counter. Every mouthful is such a creamy treat, you wouldn't dream of not swallowing it all down! Make sure to share your nut milk with friends, too. If they like it, offer to let them try your nut meat as well, or to show them the perfect technique for massaging the nut milk from the sack. If the men in your life are squeamish about drinking nut milk, just tell them that real men eat nuts. This is simply too good to keep to yourself, people. Nut milk: all-natural, nutritious, and delicious.

Ok ok, I’m done! But truly...that joke will never get old.



Yield: about 1 quart. Per 1-cup serving: I’m not sure! There is no good way to calculate how many calories and fat/protein grams are left behind in the nut meat. If commercial almond milk is any indication, though, you can estimate that 1 cup will have roughly 40-50 calories and 3-4 grams of fat.

Use your nut milk or nut meat in…
Overnight steel-cut oatmeal
Rotini with walnut sauce
Cherry almond muffins

Very berry “green” smoothie

I truly do mourn the fact that I don’t like greens. I just can’t stand the taste or texture of anything leaf-like. I’ve wanted to find a way to incorporate greens into my diet despite my aversion, but I admit that my complacency had me in a state of inertia. Now, however, it’s time I make a move on this desire of mine, and feed my body what I know it’s long hungered for.

You're not going to see me munching on salads or anything like that, but I was inspired by Kati’s post about "green monster" smoothies. I resolved to take the stealth approach, and sneak some greens into me. Reassured by the promise that I wouldn’t detect any leafy taste, I took a deep breath and bought my first ever bag of spinach last Wednesday. Go me! On Thursday and Friday, this was my breakfast.

6-8 strawberries, hulled
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cups (2 big handfuls) spinach leaves
1/2 banana, frozen
1/2 scoop protein powder
1T ground flaxseed
1/3 cup vanilla or plain soymilk
1/4 cup crushed ice or ice water

Watch out; this’ll go fast. Put all ingredients in a blender.



Pulse to combine, then purée completely. You can add extra water a spoonful at a time if it looks too thick.



Pour into a tall glass, and enjoy! I’m thrilled to report that you cannot, in fact, distinguish one hint of greenery in there. I looove my berries, and all I could taste were their sweet, tart, fresh flavors. And it’s so very healthy—just look at those nutritionals! This made a fantastic post-workout, pre-work meal, and it’s made me eager to find more ways to slip spinach and other greens into my diet. Look forward in the next couple of weeks to a post about how I used the remainder of that bag of spinach to craft a mouthwatering, savory…well, you’ll see.



Yield: 1 serving. Per serving: 252 calories, 4.6g fat (trace sat), 38g carbs, 14g fiber, 20.4g protein.

If you like this, you might also like...
Watermelon agua fresca

Watermelon agua fresca

I’m jumping on the Cinco de Mayo bandwagon here. Sure, it’s about as meaningful a holiday in America as St. Patrick’s Day, but I am categorically in favor of any celebration where Mexican food is involved. Agua fresca is a simple and refreshing drink made with liquefied fruit combined with an acid and sometimes seeds, flowers, or other additives. It’s commonly sold at roadside stands in Mexico and Central America, and it's a great way to cool off on a hot day. I bet if you throw in some vodka, it could also make a killer cocktail.

2 1/2 lbs. seedless watermelon, cubed
1/4 cup superfine sugar, sugar, agave nectar, Splenda, etc.
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup ice cubes



Put everything in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Complicated, I know.



Strain the mixture over a pitcher or carafe. If your strainer is like mine, it might take a few minutes to strain it all, but it’s worth it.



Serve in tall, frosty glasses, garnished with a slice of the lime if you like. It's sweet and summery, and makes the perfect foil for spicy Mexican food.



Yield: about 6 servings. Per serving: 91 calories, trace fat, 23g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g protein.

P.S.—If you're looking for something fast and festive to fix tonight, try what I did last night. In a large skillet or saucepan, combine 1 can chili beans (with sauce), 2 cans rinsed and drained black beans, 1 can rinsed and drained sweet corn (Mexi-corn would be great here), and 1 undrained can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Add about a tsp of ground cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper if you want it hot. If you'd like to include some fresh veggies, sauté up a chopped onion and green pepper before adding everything else to the skillet. Heat and serve with tortilla chips or warmed corn or flour tortillas, plus any other accompaniments you want, like salsa, soy sour cream, chopped avocado, etc. ¡Olé!