Homemade Almond Milk

Alright. This is the easiest thing to make. SO please make it when ever almond milk is called for and never buy the pre-made gross stuff you get at the market. Trust me. When you taste this you will never buy that crap again. I told you I aptly called this blog organic snob ;)

All you need to do is invest in a nut milk bag - www.oneluckyduck.com/product-details.php?id=124&cat=26 - one of the best things you will buy and it's only $7.95. You can substitute your favorite nuts of the almonds; hazelnuts, pecans, cashew, walnut...create away my friends...

Milk

1 cup blanched almonds (to blanch: boil water, add almonds for about 15 seconds, drain and the skins will easily pop off with the help of your fingers. Discard skins and use your beautiful white almonds)

pinch of sea salt

4 cups filtered water

add a about 4 TB of agave if you want to sweeten

1 vanilla pod, seeds only (optional)

Blend almonds and water in blender for about 2 minute. Strain the milk through a nut milk bag or multiple layers of cheesecloth to make sure no almond pulp will go into your milk. Discard pulp or use it in the shower for a wonderful exfoliant! Then rinse the blender and add remaining ingredients. Blend to combined. Pour into pitcher and refrigerate if not using right away. Lasts about 3 days in fridge. 

Blackberry Crumble

Any seasonal fruit works wonderfully in this basic gluten free crumble. You can make this with or without nuts. Experiment with your favorite fruits. This is also a perfect way to use your organic frozen berries if fresh ones are no longer in season. Either way YUM! 

Berries

2 cartons fresh blackberries, picked over and rinsed

2 cartons fresh blueberries, picked over and rinsed

1 TB vanilla extract

2 TB fresh lemon juice

4 TB agave

2 TB tapioca starch

Crumble

1 cup quinoa flour

1 cup quinoa flakes

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp sea salt

¾ cups walnuts or pecans (optional)

6 TB agave

2 TB melted coconut butter or 2 TB walnut oil

2 Tb filtered water (a little more if needed)

Preheat oven 350.

In a 9 x 13 (3 quart) pan gently toss first 5 ingredients. Then add in the tapioca flour. Mix well to combine. Taste. If berries are not sweet enough add a few more tablespoons of agave.

In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Slowly add 1 TB of agave at a time. Crumble with fingertips and add in the coconut butter/walnut 1 TB at a time. Should look like wet sand and large balls.  Add a few TB of water. Stir in nuts if using. Spread flour mixture evenly over the berries. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm and top with ice cream or a dollop of my cream!

 

Apple and dried Apricot Crisp

This is one of my favorite classic fall desserts. Your house will smell divinely festive. Any firm apple works well with this dessert: Gala, Fuji, Jonagold, Rome, Winesap, Mutsu, Honeycrisp. Remember if you use soft apple such as Macintosh and Red delicious you will get more of an apple sauce texture. Hey, could be good too! Try it all I say!! I also am one to leave the apple skins on, being that much of the nutrients are in the skin. But if you prefer without the skins by all means peel away.

Apples

6 medium apples, halved, cored and cut into ½ inch cubes

½ cup dried apricots, sliced (next time substitute dried cherries for the apricots!)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

2 TB maple syrup

2 TB dark honey

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

Pinch o f sea salt

Crisp

1 cup walnut halves, lightly toasted

¾ cup quinoa flakes

½ cup quinoa flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

¼ tsp sea salt

½ cup maple sugar

4 TB walnut oil, sunflower oil or coconut butter (melted)

2 TB filtered water

Preheat oven 400.

To make topping: in a medium bowl mix together quinoa flakes, quinoa and tapicoa flour, sugar, walnuts and salt. Drizzle in oil one TB at a time, mix with wooden spoon. Then add water and toss. It should look crumbly, like wet sand. Set aside. (could be made one day in advance. Just refrigerate until use)

To make filling: Toss everything into an 8x8 inch glass baking dish. Mix everything to combine. Sprinkle reserved topping evenly over apples. Bake in the middle rack of oven for 15 minutes at 400. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are soft.

Remove from oven and let cool. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Aria's Amazing Cream

Cream

½ cup homemade almond milk or unsweetened eden soy milk 

1 ½ TB agar flakes

1 cup homemade almond milk or soy

3 TB maple syrup

3 TB agave syrup

¼ tsp sea salt

1 ½ TB kuzu, dissolved in 2 ½ TB water

1 TB vanilla

1 TB almond extract (only use if you want an extra almond flavor)

Pour ½ cup milk in medium pot with 1 ½ Tb agar flakes. Allow to soften for 10 minutes. Then turn on stove to medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to stir until flakes are dissolved. About 10 minutes. Add the rest of the milk, maple, agave and salt. Stir and simmer about 2 minutes. Dissolved kuzu in a small bowl and add to pot. Stirring constantly until a light boil. Reduce heat and cook for a minute longer. Turn off heat and add vanilla and almond (if using) extracts. Stir to combined. Allow to cool then pour into shallow baking dish to completely cool. Refrigerate to set.

When completely cool blend in food processor or blender. You may need to add a little more agave if not sweet enough. The cream is delicious as is but if you wanna add a little something extra make GINGER!

Ginger Cream

¼ cup filtered water

3 TB ginger, peeled and finely minced

2 TB agave

1 cup cream

Combine water, ginger and agave in a small pot over medium heat about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. In a separate bowl add cream and slowly mix in ginger syrup. 

** Note: Below is a little description on what the heck Agar-Agar, Arrowroot and Kudzu are...

Agar-Agar: Vegetarian form of gelatin, made from red seaweed that is processed into flakes, bars and powder. The flakes are easily available at the natural food store in the seaweed/macrobiotic section. Use in place of gelatin.

Arrowroot: Root starch used as thickener. Use in place of cornstarch. It also is used as a flour in baked goods.

Kudzu: Interchangeable with Arrowroot though much more expensive. It also has medicinal properties. Especially used to alkalize acidic conditions such as nausea and indigestion. Wonderful tummy soother.

Pumpkin Pudding with maple pecans

A variety of Squash are abundant in the fall. Butternut, buttercup, blue hubbard, red kuri, kabocha, sugar, cheese, sweet dumpling, the list goes on. One of my favorite things to do on a chilly autumn day is bake a squash in my oven. I turn my oven onto 350, wash my squash of choice, put it on a large baking/roasting pan and pop it into the oven – whole. Check it after about an hour or until the squash is soft.  Then I take it out wait for it to cool and I easily peel the skin away, scoop out the delicious flesh, discarding the seeds (some folks save the seeds, wash then, dry them and toast them, by all means go for it if you got the patience) and now, with all this yummy fresh baked squash you are ready to make some fall goodness. If you want to make this recipe into a pie, by all means do. Just pour the pudding into a unbaked pie crust and follow the same baking instructions below. Also if you have some baked squash left over you can make a soup or add it to a stew…

Pudding

3 cups cooked squash

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup agave

½ cup unsweetened soy milk, coconut, cow or homemade almond milk

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (i never use the pre-ground nutmeg. buy the whole nutmeg and a nice little grater and you just made your dish taste that much better!!)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp sea salt

2 TB arrowroot powder

1 tsp agar powder (if you can only find agar flakes you have to dissolve 4 1/2 tsp agar flakes in a pot over medium heat with the milk of your choice, stirring until dissolved, about 10 minutes. You will know they are dissolved when you don't see any flakes on the back of your stirring spoon.)

* use can omit the arrowroot and agar altogether and add 1 egg and 1 egg yoke instead.

Pecans

1 ½ cup pecan halves, coarsely chopped

1 Tb molasses

¼ cup dark maple syrup

1 tsp arrowroot powder

Toss everything in bowl. Mix and set aside.

Preheat oven 350.

Add everything except arrowroot and agar to food processor. Process until smooth. Taste. Add more agave if necessary. Then add arrowroot and agar. Mix until combine. Pour into, lightly buttered or coconut buttered, 9 inch pie dish (or pie crust if using). Make sure you put the pie dish on baking sheet so nothing drips in the oven. Cover with parchment paper then foil. Bake for about 50 minutes. Be-careful when taking off the parchment paper, it the pudding may stick too it and be a little gooey. 

Remove from oven and remove parchment paper. Evenly distribute pecan mixture over the top. Put bake into oven and bake, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool a couple of hours before serving.