Hazelnut Milk
Hazelnut or Filbert is rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, calcium, phytosterols, and vitamin E. They are packed with many important B-complex groups of vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic
acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), and folates. Hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, and almonds have the highest reported flavonoid content. It is also rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which our body converts to EPA and DHA (Omega-3). Over 80% of the total fat is mono-unsaturated, which has been shown to improve blood cholesterol, reduce heart diseases and help regulate blood sugar.
It is also naturally low in sodium and sugar; like all tree nuts, it is gluten-free. So if you’re looking for a change from the everyday soy and almond milk, here is a great recipe to try. Hazelnut milk goes especially great with coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, and cereal.
Ingredients
2 cups of hazelnut
6 cups of water
3 or 4 dates (soaked for a few minutes to soften)
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean
a pinch of himalayan sea salt
Directions
Soak nuts overnight or for about 8 hrs to plump up and soften. When you are ready to make the milk, drain them and, if possible, reserve the water for your vegetable garden. Rinse the nuts well and blend with 2 cups of water, dates, vanilla, and salt in a blender until smooth.
Don’t be alarmed if it looks really thick; just pour it into a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and squeeze. I use a nylon nut milk bag because it’s easier to clean and a lot more durable. You can find them on amazon and other retail stores. After you’ve strained most of the nut milk out, return the nut meal back to the blender with 2 cups of water and blend again until smooth, then strain and repeat this step one more time. Feel free to add more or less water depending on how thick and creamy you like your milk.
Pour into a convenient jar and refrigerate. It should keep in the refrigerator for about five days. After which, you can pour them into ice cube trays, freeze them, and use them in smoothies instead of ice cubes! Two cups of hazelnuts should yield about half a gallon of milk. You can use this delicious milk to make chocolate milk, ice cream, or cheese, or you might want to try this extremely simple and incredibly nutritious chia seed chocolate pudding recipe. Also, please don’t throw away the nut meal or pulp; you can use it to make cookies, cakes, breads, smoothies, hummus and so much more. I’ll post a few recipes for those soon.