Almond milk

Milk is a major component of the Western diet and it's hard to manage without it. Fortunately there are a number of alternatives out on the market including soya, rice and oat milk. I noticed recently one supermarket has started making it's own brand almond and hazelnut milk too.
But what if you find yourself somewhere that these alternatives are not so easy to find and you just don't like the soya milk available? Homemade soya milk takes some work and so far I've not managed to make it quite as tasty as shop bought - bit too earthy! But almond milk is incredibly easy to make. As well as being delightfully fresh and tasty it's packed with vitamin E for lovely healthy looking skin.
Here's what to do:
Soak 1 cup of almonds in water for 6 hours or overnight.
Drain then place the nuts in a blender with 3 cups of water (or less if you want a thicker milk/cream).
Blend until the almonds are well ground.
The mixture now needs passing through a fine mesh sieve or muslin cloth (I use a tea towel) to take out the almond pulp. A cloth in a sieve over a bowl seems to work the best as once the bulk of the fluid has drained through you can squeeze the cloth hard to eek out the last drops.
The milk will be light and frothy and keeps in the fridge for a few days (if it lasts that long!). I've tried to find ways to use up the almond fibre as it seems a waste - it works well as a facial scrub or in healthy flapjacks, but I'm sure there's more.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog. Eating with food sensitivities or allergies can be rather challenging when you just love food, especially when you find out the things you really love are the ones that are making you ill - it's just not fair!
Three years ago I finally discovered the cause of my migraines and general fatigue - a sensitivity to dairy and yeast. Going on holiday to France would never be the same again - those long lazy lunches filled with fresh baguette, ripe cheese and washed down with a glass or two of the local wine were suddenly just a distant memory. And as for the desert list at any restaurant - they're just a right off; even if there is a fruit salad, it's nothing compare to a deliciously delectable chocolate fudge cake or wonderful sweet and creamy banoffee pie.
Of course I could just carry on eating as normal, but suddenly they lost their appeal as the knowledge that I would suffer for it the next day or maybe two or three just didn't seem worth it. So started my search for a 'cure' as well as decent, tasty alternatives. Not being a big meat eater has added to the challenge, especially as many vegetarian alternatives contain yeast in varying forms. Then moving from the UK and it's marvellous array of convenience foods and 'free from' products to India just increased the food experimentation project, as I've had to learn how to make many products from scratch. And it's actually much easier than I thought.