There is something to be said for making your own milk. And, as a mother who breastfed her baby, I know a thing or two about producing my own milk. Well hell, let’s be honest, sometimes it was incredible and sometimes it was impossible. But in the end, whether it was 8 oz (never happened for me, not once) or one drop, that homemade milk was worth it’s weight in gold.

Now that little dove is bigger she doesn’t need mamma’s milk anymore. In fact, none of us grown folk ‘need’ milk past our infancy/toddler-hood. I’m sure y’all know by now that you can get your calcium from other sources like dark leafy greens and beans, amiright? And no, I’m not on a vegan rant here. I’m not even going to talk about the cows and how tired they must be, or the lactose intolerance that is rampant in our world. Because, let’s face it, I still drink cream in my coffee. Yes. I. Do. I just can’t fully let it go.

Truth be told, dairy is directly linked to eczema, asthma, acne, constipation, and all sorts of other illnesses. And when the little dove got a bit of eczema behind her knees, I made a choice to limit the dairy she gets. Since most of us gluten intolerant folk are also lactose intolerant, I thought I should hop off the dairy train too, sort of. A good friend and I have a saying: ‘everything in moderation, even moderation.’ So I cheat with my cream and some good cheese at times. I do however try my damnedest to lower my intake of milk products and have enjoyed a lot of different nut milks in everything from lattes (ok, not so much), to smoothies, to french toast and so on. I really don’t like soy, so it’s just not a contender here. The sad thing is all these store-bought nut milks usually have lots of added sugar or other yuckies to keep them on a shelf forever. And being the hipster granola mom that I am, I don’t want the little dove to have all that crap.

When I heard about how easy it is to make your own nut milks I was psyched. Really, it was a total ftw moment for me. All the blogs I read raved about how creamy and nutrient rich it is. They also all emphasized that you don’t have to strain cashew milk with a nut bag (yeah, that’s a thing) like you do with almond and other nut milks. Most recipes call for a high speed blender, but I opted for my cuisenart food processor. The first batch I made was really good. We had it in everything. But truth be told, it had nut residue for sure. So the second batch I made, I soaked the nuts overnight (first batch I only soaked them a few hours) and I actually did wind up straining it. The straining process does add a big, messy, step, but the result was smoother milk. I didn’t really mind the first batch with it’s bits, but I wanted to see what it was like strained. You can see in the photos that there is a lot that gets wasted when you strain it. I have seen recipes that give you ideas for using the leftover nut ‘paste’, but for now I’ll just leave you with the simple recipe to make your own milk. Satisfaction pretty much guaranteed. Enjoy!

Creamy cashew milk:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight in a bowl of water that just covers them
• 4 cups water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 Tbs maple syrup, honet, agave, or other preferred sweetener

Directions:

1. Drain the cashews and rinse them. Place them in the blender.

2. Add 2 of the 4 cups of water and blend on high.

3. Once the milk is getting smooth you can add the other 2 cups of water. If you want a thicker milk add less water.

4. Add in the vanilla and maple syrup.

5. Pour into airtight glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you prefer a smoother milk you can strain it with cheesecloth.