Make your own delicious and nutritious nut mylk that is free of additives, wasteful packaging and a hefty price tag. Add to your smoothies, porridge and hot drinks or use it as a base for sauces in savoury recipes. The best part: it’s as easy as soaking the nuts overnight, then blending them into a mylk in the morning.
The name ABC mylk comes from a combination of nuts that together offer a varied nutrient profile. A is for almonds: a nut particularly high in calcium for bone health and vitamin E for healthy skin and nails. B is for brazil nuts: which are well-known for their selenium, allowing you to meet your daily intake requirement when you consume just one or two of these nuts. C is for cashews: a nut that provides a good source of magnesium, manganese, zinc and iron. Together, they make a creamy nut mylk that is rich in fibre, heart healthy fats and protein.
Soaking the nuts overnight activates them by stimulating early germination and the sprouting process. This can help to break down the enzyme inhibitors they naturally contain to make it easier on your digestive system. It also breaks down the phytates in the nuts (a natural compound found in plant seeds that binds to and therefore limits the absorption of minerals such as iron, calcium and zinc). Activating nuts therefore allows you to better break down and absorb the minerals they contain.
All this talk about activating nuts might seem complicated, but all you need to do is soak the nuts in water before you go to bed. Then you just have to strain the water the next morning and blend them with some fresh filtered water, a pinch of sea salt and whatever optional add-ins you like. Store it in a glass bottle in the fridge and you have fresh nut mylk on hand for days. Easy as pie!
Activated ABC Mylk
Ingredients:
- 1 cup mixed nuts (almond, brazil and cashew nuts)
- 4 cups filtered water
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 Medjool date (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Method:
- Soak nuts overnight in filtered water with a pinch of sea salt.
- Strain and rinse well the next day.
- Transfer to blender with 4 cups of filtered water. Add sea salt and optional extras (Medjool date, vanilla bean powder or cinnamon). Blend until smooth.
- Cover a large bowl with a nut mylk bag. Pour mylk into the bowl through the nut mylk bag to strain the pulp. Gather the edges of the nut mylk bag together and squeeze out all of the liquid from the pulp. You can reserve the pulp or “meal” to add to smoothies or baking.
- Pour nut mylk into a glass bottle and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.