How to make plant-based 'milks'

When I first started shifting to a plant-based diet, I found giving up dairy products quite a challenge, both intellectually and practically.

From an early age, I'd been told to drink milk to make my bones strong and help me grow. In fact, I was the milk monitor at primary school. 

I had trusted this advice and now I was reading scientific evidence suggesting that cow's milk is not really that healthy for humans, especially over the long term (1).

At a practical level, what could I consume instead?

Soy milk didn't agree with me. Besides, I was suspicious of a product which, despite food industry claims, has never been a staple in Asia, except in conditions of extreme food poverty; even then, the soybeans would be fermented first to improve digestibility (2).

Rice milk was subject to concerns about contamination with inorganic arsenic and the EFSA and the FDA recommended not giving it to very young children. 

Then I discovered plant-based 'milks'.

In supermarkets and health food shops you can buy all manner of non-dairy milks in addition to soy and rice, for example, quinoa, hemp, oat, almond and hazelnut.

These products are convenient and reasonably priced but there is a limited range available and they often contain considerable amounts of sugar and other additives.

Then I discovered you could make your own plant-based 'milks' very easily by blending raw nuts, seeds, and grains with water. 

Almonds, cashews, macadamias, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, coconuts, soybeans, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, quinoa, millet, rice, and oats can all be liquefied into delicious milks. 

Home made milks are tasty, fresh, free of additives and preservatives, and you can completely control the integrity of the product: the quality of the ingredients, the level of sweetness, and the texture.

So this is how you do it, using hazelnut milk as an example.

Recipe for hazelnut milk

Ingredients

Makes about 3 cups (750ml, 1.5pints)

• 1 cup hazelnuts 
• 4-5 chopped pitted dried dates
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 small squeeze of lemon juice (optional but I find it balances the flavour)

Method

STEP ONE - SOAK

Soak nuts overnight in cold water. This makes them soft and easier to blend.

STEP TWO - BLEND

Drain soaked nuts and rinse in cold water, add the chopped dates, a pinch of salt, 3 cups of water and blend until smooth. 

I just use a simple hand blender, which is perfectly adequate if the nuts have been soaked. You can use a fancy machine like a Vitamix if you wish but it isn't really necessary.

STEP THREE - STRAIN and SQUEEZE

Pour contents of blender into a nut milk bag placed over a bowl or a jug.

A nut milk bag is just a piece of fine mesh nylon sewn together with a draw string. You can buy them online.

Squeeze the nut milk bag until as much liquid as possible has been extracted.

STEP FOUR - POUR

Taste the nut milk and add a dash of lemon juice if required. You'll learn what you like by experimenting.

Pour nut milk into Kilner (Mason) jars, or a jug with a lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days (if it lasts that long).

You will be left with fine nut grounds which you can put in a bag, freeze and use later in baking.

That's it. Simple, nutritious, no additives and with much more flavour than shop-bought nut milks.

You can apply the same method to other nuts, seeds and grains. Here's another example:

Quinoa milk

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water for cooking quinoa

• 3-4 cups water for blending cooked quinoa
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

STEP ONE - SOAK

Take 1 cup quinoa and soak overnight in cold water.

STEP TWO - COOK

The next morning, drain and rinse the quinoa.

Place the soaked quinoa in a pan with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes until soft and fluffy.

STEP THREE - BLEND

Place cooked quinoa in a blender with 3-4 cups filtered water. Blend until smooth.

Strain and squeeze through a nut milk bag.

Add a pinch of sea salt and 1 tsp vanilla essence.

Pour into storage jars or a jug and keep chilled in the refrigerator.

Variations

You can add other flavourings, for example:

Cinnamon

Cacao

Rice malt syrup

Dates

Uses

I use plant-based milks as drinks in their own right; on breakfast cereals and porridge; in smoothies; in desserts; and in savoury dishes which require a white sauce, such as dairy-free toppings for lasagne.

If I'm making a savoury dish, I'll choose one of the less sweet grains or nuts, such as oats or almond, and omit any added sweetness.

Hope you enjoy experimenting and do let me know how you get on by posting in the comments below.

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References

(1) Campbell, T.C. and Campbell, T.M. The China Study. Benbella Books, 2006.
(2) Shurtleff, W. & Aoyagi, A. History of soymilk and other non-dairy milks (1226 to 2013). Soyinfo Center, Lafayette, CA, 2013. ISBN 9781928914587

Pecan pie - free from dairy, gluten, added sugar

Yesterday our friends Judy, Nick and Viki came for lunch, along with their 1 year old West Highland Terrier, Poppy.

Poppy

For dessert, I made this Pecan Pie, which is free from wheat, dairy and added sugar. The sweetness comes from the natural whole ingredients - carrots, dates, pecan nuts, coconut and cinnamon.

It went down so well that Nick asked me for the recipe.

I must stress that this dish is sweet and is thus best served as a treat for special occasions rather than consumed on a regular basis. Although it contains a relatively high level of natural sugars, it also contains many other beneficial nutrients, so is much better for you than, say, cheesecake.

Carrots provide the highest source of provitamin A carotenes of the commonly consumed vegetables. Two carrots provide roughly 4050 retinol equivalents, or four times the recommended daily intake of vitamin A.

Vitamin A is required for:

• Antioxidant protection from damaging effects of oxidation/free radicals, pollutants 
• Eye health and vision
• Strengthening the immune system
• Growth, repair and formation of body tissues
• Bone, nerve, teeth formation
• Fertility, pregnancy and lactation
• The lining of the digestive tract

Carrots also provide excellent levels of vitamin K, biotin and dietary fibre; and very good levels of vitamins C and B6, potassium and vitamin B1.

Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds that help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Carrots also promote good vision, especially night vision. Beta-carotene, which is present in high levels in carrots, provides protection against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts.

Dates are among the most alkaline of foods and contain a special type of soluble fibre called beta-D-glucan. Beta-D-glucan fibre has been shown to decrease the body's absorption of cholesterol and to slow or delay absorption of glucose in the small intestine, thus helping to keep blood sugar levels even.

Laboratory studies have shown that dates are also surprisingly rich in antioxidant and anticancer compounds.

Pecan nuts owe much of their flavour to their high fat content, most of which is in the form of heart-healthy mono-unsaturated oleic acid.

Pecans also contain significant amounts of plant sterols, which are known to lower cholesterol levels.

Pecans are an excellent source of vitamin B1; and a good source of vitamins B3, B5, B6 and vitamin E. They are also rich in minerals, particularly manganese, molybdenum, zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium, selenium and calcium.

Coconut contains saturated fat and is an excellent source of manganese, molybdenum and copper.

Proving that delicious can also be healthy, here we go...

Ingredients

Ingredients for Pecan Pie

For the base

• 1 cup (85g/3oz) desiccated coconut
• 1 cup (100g/3.5oz) pecan nuts (chopped)
• 70g/2.5oz dried dates (chopped)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tbsp water

For the topping

• 4 carrots(240g/8.5oz) (peeled and grated)
• 140g (5oz) dried dates (chopped)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (170g/6oz) ground almonds
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup (150ml/5 fl oz) hot water
• 20-25 pecan nuts for decoration

Method

1) Put dried ingredients for base in a food processor and blend until they form into a dough-like ball. Add 1-2 tbsp water if necessary to make the mixture stick together.

2) Press base mixture into a pie dish and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees C (gas mark 3/325 degrees Fahrenheit) for 5 to 10 minutes until just turning golden brown at the edges. Take care not to overcook - pecan nuts can burn easily.

3) Add the grated carrots, dried dates and cinnamon to a small pan, add 1/2 cup of hot water and simmer until the carrots and dates are soft. Add a little more water if necessary. Blend together with ground almonds until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If you find the mixture is a bit soft, just add some more ground almonds; if it's too dry, add a little more water.

4) Spread mixture on top of base using a spatula or a spoon and knife and decorate with pecan nuts. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 degrees C (gas mark 3/325 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes until lightly brown. Serve warm or cold.

Nutritional information

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