Alternative Milk Guide: coconut, almond, and sunflower

As far as milk alternatives the very best thing is homemade. The rice, coconut, almond, and other milks have gut irritating ingredients in them like carrageenan, gaur gum, and other preservatives. Home made should really just be nuts and water (and a little sea salt or sweetener if desired).  Synthetic vitamins are often added to these drinks, which our bodies don't recognize or metabolize and can cause nutritional imbalances over time. Carrageenan has been found to be a carcinogen and it causes major inflammation in the digestive tract. I see it in almost all dairy alternatives.

Cheesecloth never worked well for me so I switched over to this nut milk bag. I've never been able to find one in any stores so I just ordered it from amazon. The nut milk will be good in your fridge for a week.

I always add a pinch of sea salt, 1/4 tsp of vanilla, and a little sweetener. Honey, real maple syrup, or a few drops of liquid stevia (I like the nunaturals brand). This is completely optional.

The other thing to remember is to give the milk a little shake before using it. It will separate when sitting in the fridge, this is normal. the pulp can be spread onto a baking sheet and dried in the oven at 170 degrees. Then stick it in your blender and you'll have almond flour. The coconut flour I get makes the best chicken nuggets I've ever had and it's a fast meal to make. Plus you can make extra to keep in the freezer and warm up when you're hungry.

Almond or Cashew Milk: 1 cup almonds, 4 cups filtered water, plus water to soak in.

• Soak the almonds in water overnight. In the morning drain the water and rinse the almonds. Blend the almonds with 4 cups of filtered water. Pour into nut milk bag and squeeze out the milk.
• Dry the pulp to use in waffles, muffins, or anything else. You could even add the moist pulp to a batter adn use less liquid.
• Almonds $6-$8/lb

Coconut milk: 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (I get mine out of the bulk/bins). 6 cups of filtered water.

• Add the coconut and water into the blender and let sit for an hour or two. Blend and pour into the nut milk bag and squeeze out the milk.
• coconut $4/lb

Sunflower Seed Milk: 1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds, 4 cups filtered water, plus water to soak in.

• place the sunflower seeds in a skillet and slightly toast on medium heat. Stir the seeds about every 30 seconds. This gives the milk a nice flavor.
• Place the seeds in a glass bowl or pitcher and soak for 7 hours.
• Drain the water, rinse the seeds, and place in blender with filtered water. Blend and pour into the nut milk bag and squeeze out the milk.
• Sunflower Seeds $3/lb