Mylking It--Raw, Vegan Style

Full disclosure: my father and his family were raised on a dairy farm. They milked their cows daily (yep even on Christmas Day!) and sold most of it for profit, keeping a few gallons around for their own consumption. Milk, to my father, is as healthy as water. He loves it and drinks it with every meal.

His daughters, however, well, we're weirded out by milk. Please forgive us, Dad! Since I was young, dairy milk always left me feeling full of mucus (sorry, TMI, I know). I have never really liked the flavor, either (and I know so many people these days who are either lactose-intolerant or suffer from a full-on dairy allergy). So what's a girl to do when it comes to cereals and smoothies?

Make your own! No cow required.

The raw vegan lifestyle is all about getting the most possible nutrients out of your food. That's why we don't cook our food--heating food past 112 degrees destroys most of the natural enzymes that I believe God placed in food to help us not only absorb and digest nutrients, but also to assimilate them properly. There are a few exceptions: nutrients in cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower can actually be activated by steaming them just until their colors peak, i.e., they become bright white or green but are still aldente. But if you're looking for max nutrients and max enzymatic properties in your food, look no further than a raw apple or bunch of kale. In fact, I've heard people say before that they wish they could take a wire brush to their intestines, you know, to really clean out all the little nooks and crannies where food hides inside. Enter the green leafy vegetable! It's like a roto-rooter for your tummy.

Keeping this enzyme-rich goal in mind, it's important that I make the most of everything I eat. And when it comes to nuts and seeds, most of these are beneficial in the raw but still not enzyme-activated. Remember the raw buckwheat I sprouted? Sprouts are living and therefore chockfull of enzymes. By soaking things like nuts and seeds, you can activate them and then blend them into a milk, also called "mylk." Not only is it raw, living, enzyme-rich and much higher in protein than average milks or milk substitutes, but it's also super easy and pretty affordable. Plus, it's completely vegan and lactose-free.

Here's how we do it:

Nut Mylk
Yields 2 quarts

1 cup raw, organic nuts*, soaked in purified water for 2 hours or overnight
6 cups purified water

Blend until smooth and creamy, use it anywhere you use dairy milk or milk substitute. That's it! (I am telling you, raw foods are the easiest things to prepare!) Store in sealed jars in the fridge for about 2 or 3 days or until it smells funny. You can alter the amount of water to make it creamier or thinner according to your taste. The more water, the thinner the mylk and the less water, the thicker or creamier the mylk. I also sometimes add about a tablespoon or so of honey just because, again, honey is so nutritious that I try to squeeze it in everywhere I can. And lastly, this thick kind of mylk makes for the best hot chocolate or latte. It's so thick and creamy you might never want to go to back to dairy milk. (Don't tell my dad!)

*A few notes on nuts: most nuts contain something called an eznyme-inhibitor. These inhibitors make it very hard to digest the nuts. Soaking them removes this inhibitor by activating the enzymes. Also, with so many different nuts to choose from try a few different kinds to see which flavor and texture you like best. My favorite right now is cashew mylk--cashews are very rich and creamy but somewhat mild in flavor so the mylk adapts well to just about any use.

One of my favorite things about this mylk is not only that it's full of activated enzymes and highly nutritious fats and oils, but also that it's not full of all the preservatives found in most milk substitutes. Have you ever read the label on rice milk? It's not so pretty. With nut mylk, however, I know exactly what's in it and don't worry about preservatives, additives or anything else I can't pronounce (not to mention the chemicals used to line many of the cartons...yikes!).

And how does it hold up for us budget-conscious consumers? I'd say pretty well. One bag of 16 ounces of certified organic cashews typically comes to about $12--that's $6 a cup (buy in bulk, however, and that price drops to $5 a cup). One cup of nuts makes just over two quarts or one half-gallon of milk. At my local grocery store, one half gallon of organic milk comes to just about $5--that's the same price of nut mylk if you buy in bulk. Keep in mind, too, that you can always thin out the nut mylk by adding more water, easily putting you below the five dollar mark. You can also shop for various kinds of nuts and purchase what's on sale. If you're looking for an affordable way to get the most nutritious milk, look no further than nut mylk.

Happy Mylking!