Almond Milk & Wheatgrass...just not together...

I bought a tray of wheatgrass at one of the health food stores yesterday.  $12.99 plus a $3 deposit for the tray.  I brought it home and put it in the little green house outside my door.  This belongs to my friend, and I've been keeping it and his plants for him while he's in transition mode, so I didn't even think of using it because it's not "mine"...but I just moved things around and the wheatgrass has a home.  I hear it likes it kinda cold (but not frosty) which it certainly isn't.  We've had the usual West Coast winter...rain instead of snow.

Anyway, went out there and clipped a handful and found that it didn't make much, and it took a couple more good chunks to get a 2 oz shot of wheatgrass, and then I did it again for my boyfriend. 

We've heard that it tastes terrible, but that just wasn't our experience.  We loved its lawn-y sweetness.  And guess who kept following me around when I had handfuls... my dog Gracie.  I gave her a blade or two and she loved it, so I poured out the couple drops left over and she licked that.

We sure loved it.  To both of us, it felt like from our chins to our chests, that something good was going on...it felt clean and green in there.

I thought I'd waited long enough, about 30 minutes, before trying other food after my shot, but I got that wave of nausea about ten minutes after having a bit of almond milk.  So don't do dat!

In any case, we're sold!  Gonna buy another few trays of it, then rotate the 'crops' until they are no more...then gonna plant seeds and do it all again.

So back to the almond milk...yep, it's been a week of 'firsts'... I made almond milk.  I've never done that before, but needed the resulting pulp for a recipe.  I don't have a 'nut milk bag' so I bought some cheesecloth, and that worked, but was messy.  Coulda been my amateur technique.  I ran it though the strainer twice because upon my first sip, discovered it was still grainy.  With a Vitamix and a strainer, there's no need for that, right?  Anyway, a bloody mess, really!  Look at that photo!

While I was at the health food store for the wheatgrass, I asked about nut milk bags, and they didn't have any, but recommended a little mesh produce bag, and it's virtually the same dang thing.  Here is what nut milk bags look like on the excalibur website... and here is what I bought, meant to store produce and keep it fresher, longer.

I'll use the two for produce and the one laying flat for making almond milk...yay.  Steve loves it in his tea.  All three of those mesh bags fit in that little red pouch, which fits into the palm of my hand, and the whole business cost $8.99.


So here is the Brigitte Mars recipe I used to make Almond Milk:  (These directions can be followed to make cashew, hazelnut/filbert, sesame seed, sunflower seed, walnut, or pecan milk.)

Yield: 1 quart

1 cup almonds, soaked overnight then rinsed
1 quart water
1 tbs honey or 2 dates, soaked 20 minutes (I chose dates)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and liquify.  Strain the liquid through a nut milk bag into another container.  (Save pulp for other recipes.)  Store the unused milk in the refrigerator, where it will keep for four to five days.

*****

In other news, lesseeeeeeee.... made a failed batch of kale chips...don't know what the devil happened, but they were not good at all.  Steve liked them, and has finished the whole jar of them, which makes me do two things:  roll my eyes, and wonder if I've lost my taste for them, since they only seemed ruined to my palate. Nah... I musta screwed up.

Tonight we enjoyed collard rolls and kale salad, and then I made us some 'Immunity Tea' (Kimberly Snyder.)
This tea is to be enjoyed all winter, to fend off colds, whether you are just getting one, in the middle of one, or living with someone who has one...this will help boost your immunity.  This tea's got your back!

Instructions for a small teapot:
Turn the kettle off just before it starts to boil
Pour the water onto about 2 Tbs of grated ginger
Let sit for a couple minutes
Squeeze 1/2 lemon into the teapot
Give a small shake (one!) of cayenne into the teapot
Add a packet of Stevia or squirt in a bit of agave, to taste.
Let sit for a couple minutes, and then enjoy.

We found it super-comforting and can see how it would ease what ails ya!

****

So onto things that make me happy...thrill me, even...

The other day, I noticed there were no pens around anymore, and said to Steve, "We should go get another package of those pens."  He agreed, and we moved on with our day, forgetting all about going.  From later in that day up until 10 minutes ago, we started finding pens all over our apartment, pens we hadn't seen before.  Pens from other people, out of the blue...the insurance guy... now I know they're kinda known for their pens, but it's hit and miss with our guy, could go a year without a pen, but last night, he gave us two! We just looked at each other and laughed!  It's raining pens!  Hallelujah! It's raining pens! Hey hey!  Well having a pen handy is a civilized and simple pleasure, but the thrill is that this felt like a direct manifestation.  We've been playing with abundance and law of attraction, and this was a small but potent sign that all is well!

The other thing that makes me happy, is seeing my little dollar store beaded change purse.  It's just so...ME. :)

Have a healthy & beautiful weekend, Rawkers!

xo

Rawkin'