Recipe: Strawberry-Almond Milk Shakes and Homemade Almond Milk

STRAWBERRY-ALMOND MILK SHAKES

"Fresh almond milk is a wonderful thing unto itself-creamy and dreamy! Mixed with sweet, fresh strawberries, this shake is de-luscious. For maximum creaminess, use homemade almond milk or opt for whole milk instead. And for the best flavor, use ripe strawberries at the peak of their growing season. Look for berries that are deep red, with no white spots."



Makes 2 servings

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 ripe (but not overripe!) banana
2 cups Creamy Dreamy Almond Milk (recipe follows) or whole milk
2 teaspoons honey, or to taste
3 ice cubes
YOU WILL NEED:
Measuring cup, measuring spoons, paring knife, blender

Hull (remove the green stems and leaves from) the strawberries and cut the berries in half. Peel and slice the banana.

In a blender, combine the fruit, almond milk, honey, and ice. Blend, starting on low speed and gradually working up to the highest setting, until there are no visible chunks of fruit and the liquid turns pink, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust the flavor with more honey, if needed. Stir again, and pour into tall glasses.

Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE CREAMY DREAMY ALMOND MILK

"Fresh almond milk is naturally sweeter than dairy milk, and creamier, too. Use it everywhere you would use regular milk or soy milk-it makes the best shakes, hands-down, and it's tops with granola and fresh fruit. The hardest part is waiting for the almonds to soak overnight-after that this recipe is done in 5 minutes flat."

Makes about 2 cups

1/2 cup whole raw almonds (skin on or blanched)
4 cups water
YOU WILL NEED:
Measuring cups, large bowl, blender, fine-mesh strainer, pitcher, cheesecloth, clean 2-cup (or larger) glass jar with tightly fitting lid

At least 24 hours or up to a day and a half before you plan to serve, put the almonds in a large bowl, add 2 cups of the water (to cover), and put in the refrigerator. After the almonds have soaked, drain and rinse them.

In a blender, combine the almonds with the remaining 2 cups water. Blend, starting on low speed and gradually working up to the highest setting, until the water has turned milky white and the almonds are ground fine, like sand, about 1 minute. This may take 30 seconds longer with a low-power blender.

Strain the almond milk in three batches. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher and line with cheesecloth (if you don't have cheesecloth, just use a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it between each batch). Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth to form a ball and twist gently to squeeze the ball. Discard the solids between each batch.



Pour the almond milk into a 2 cup glass jar. Rinse the strainer and the bowl and strain the liquid back and forth between the bowl and the jar a few more times, until the almond milk is smooth and there is just a little almond meal left at the bottom. Strain into the glass jar once more and cover with the lid.

The milk will keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days. Almond milk will naturally separate (the solids from the liquid) in the refrigerator; give it a good stir before you use it.

Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: New Favorites for New Cooks: 50 delicious recipes for kids to make by Carolyn Federman