There are so many recipes for the nut milk preparation on the internet and reading them you’ve got the feeling that they are all quite similar, with just a little twist here and there, but those small variations in the recipes are all worth trying out until you find your own favorite non-diary milk recipe.
It is not known how it all began and who actually invented non-diary milk, but in a few past years it became favorite beverage to all of us through the raw food principles of life. Many people think that the nuts and seeds milk is some kind of a modern invention, but actually this kind of non-diary milk was used quite frequently since the medieval times. People in Islamic countries started first with its usage, and for very long period of time people in Europe used this type of milk for food preparation daily as well, but they called it the milk substitute. The recipes requesting milk substitute can still be found in numerous medieval cookbooks, and there is a logical explanation for its usage. Until 19th century diary milk was quite unsafe for consummation, simply because there were no refrigerators. So, people who did not own a cow, sheep or a goat, mostly city people, usually used a plant milk substitution made from nuts and seeds of various plants in their diets.
As an alternative to the diary milk today, people buy mainly the soy milk and the almond milk is the one that people are usually making at home. And I agree, that the almond milk is the smoothest and the richest nut milk, but I prefer walnut and hazelnut milk blend simply because I love the taste of these two nuts and well, I also have one large walnut tree in my garden and my sister has two smaller hazelnut shrubs in her backyard, so this was in a way an inevitable nut milk recipe for me :). Furthermore, I can purchase almond milk in many stores, but this combination of nuts I did not yet found on any store shelf. The taste is really delicious – combining sweet, smoky flavor of walnuts and rich, slightly bitter flavor of hazelnuts. And best of all, this is one super healthy milk, so when used regularly, it will benefit your health. Because the walnut hazelnut milk combo is rich in proteins, fiber, many vitamins and minerals. It also contains high percent of fat, but no worry, they are all unsaturated fats. The walnut contains the omega 3 fatty acid and the hazelnut the omega 9 fatty acid which, when combined, keep your heart healthy, improve mental health, lower cholesterol, and together with the vitamin E from the hazelnut (fat soluble antioxidant) protect your cells from free radicals. This nut milk has an enjoyable flavor, so it is just the perfect choice as a diary milk substitute for the lactose intolerant persons. It may also come handy for the people who practice Lent, vegan and raw food diet.
This recipe combination is also one of the basic and most frequent variations I am making. I sometimes add some vanilla paste, stevia or cacao powder. You can also try the basic walnut hazelnut recipe first, and then add some ingredients of your choice to enrich it, and make your own favorable nut milk combination to enjoy it daily.
Walnut Hazelnut Milk recipe:
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup hazelnuts
- 3 cups spring (or filtered) water
- 3 fresh dates
- pinch of kosher salt
- two pinches cinnamon
- two glass bowls
- fine sieve
- cheesecloth
- blender
- glass bottle
- Wash the nuts under running water, and soak them overnight in plenty of water – it is better to soak them separately.
- Drain the nuts, put them in a blender with all other ingredients and blend until you get smooth and creamy texture.
- Now, put the fine sieve on a bowl and place the cheesecloth over the sieve. Strain as much liquid as you can and pour it into a glass bottle.
- Store this healthy milk in the refrigerator up to five days.
- Of course, do not throw away the pulp. You can make from it some nice savory dip with fresh herbs of your choice, nut pesto, or some great spread for your morning pancakes.
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