Raw Organic Coconut Almond Milk

1. Soak the almonds overnight in about 6 cups of water. This releases phytic acid, an enzyme inhibitor that can interfere with digestion.

2. Strain the nuts and discard the water.

3. Rinse the nuts very well until the water runs clear.

4. Place the nuts, coconut, the 6 cups of filtered water, dates, and sea salt in a blender. Let the mixture sit for an hour to allow the coconut and dates to soften. This is an optional step but makes blending the milk easier in a conventional blender.

5. Blend until very smooth and creamy. (This will take a bit longer in a conventional blender).

6. Strain the nut milk through a nut milk bag into a clean glass jar.

7. Alternatively, you can use several thicknesses of cheesecloth, a paint strainer, coffee “sock” or strainer (colador de café), all available online or at your local hardware or health food store.

8. The milk will keep for about 4 days in the refrigerator.

*This version is fairly creamy; you can always add an extra cup of water if you want a more economical or thinner milk. If you want to make something resembling half and half or light cream, cut the water in half. If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec blender, it’s possible to bypass straining the nut milk, but you’ll have a slight residue. If you do strain it, the ground leftover pulp can be dried and used as nut flour for baking.