Dairy! And how to milk a cashew

One of the easiest things we can do as far as making our own milk at home – nut milk that is – is using cashews. We don’t need a nut bag (like we do when milking almonds) because cashews completely dissolve. Hemp milk is also easy to make and does not require a nut bag.

One of the biggest concerns with conventional milk is the toxins the cows are exposed to. Corn, soy, and other grain feed are not what cows were designed to eat. Even worse, much of this feed that is laden with pesticides such as glyphosate – a toxic chemical that can disrupt the cow’s (and our) microbiome, and interfere our ability to synthesize vitamin D, among other unwanted consequences. Many of us have also become lactose intolerant, meaning that we lack the enzymes to digest it, causing gas and bloating, and sometimes either constipation or diarrhea. Some people can be sensitive to the protein in the milk, casein, and have similar symptoms, as well as conditions like asthma, eczema, skin rashes, and skin breakouts. With all of these issues, it is best to use moderation when it comes to dairy, especially milk, and opt for organic and grass-fed as much as possible.

If you are unsure about how dairy affects you, try eliminating it from your diet for 3 weeks, and then re-introducing after that, and notice if you have any symptoms.  And during that time, if you want to have a little homemade granola or anything else that might require some milk, what do you do? Make some nut milk at home 🙂

Then we want to look into the nuts and seeds, and even grains like oats. You can make rice milk or oat milk. Oat milk being a little bit better than rice milk. The trick with oat milk though is that it can get a little slimy if you blend it too long.

Cashew is one of my favorites. You can add a little sea salt and a couple of dates to make it taste richer, and as I mentioned before, just blend long enough so that everything dissolves.

All you need is a blender, one cup cashew to four cups of water, and if you like your milk a little bit creamier you can certainly reduce that water. If you like it more watery just increase the water. A pinch of salt is very necessary, it brings out the flavor of the cashews. You could even just add cinnamon for example, if you don’t need that extra sweetness. Here at home we use 1/4 cup dates, but you could use raisins or maple syrup.

I’m using sprouted cashews from Thrive market but it could be even just the raw cashews you would get at the bulk bins in your store, or any store even if they’re bagged that’s fine too. I don’t usually use roasted cashews – for making milk, raw is best. We do want to talk about soaking nuts and seeds and also legumes and grains, this will be another conversation, but just so you know that cashews, they actually get pre-soaked. Cashews are the little top of the cashew fruit, and the way that they get processed to go out to the market to become the cashews we eat is that they do get soaked and then dehydrated so they’re sort of pre-sprouted in a way.

You could add vanilla. If I want more plain cashew milk that I can also use in recipes like a curry , I will skip vanilla… If I am making milk to have with granola and in smoothies, then vanilla is a go.

I like blending cashew milk a lot so that it gets very milky and very incorporated.

You can make ice cream with cashew milk, and cashew butter. Of course, you can make your own nut butter too by putting at least 2 cups of cashews into a food processor. All you need in that case is cashews and sea salt. I like adding coconut too, but you don’t have to. The trick is to step away from the food processor and let it do its thing. It takes about 8 minutes to get a really creamy cashew butter.

Let’s just recap very briefly, if you really pay attention to the signs that your body gives you when you’re drinking cow’s milk and also eating cheese, notice and see if any gas bloating, constipation, and or diarrhea occur after consumption, as well as symptoms like asthma symptoms, skin rashes, and eczema. If those things are occurring with some frequency in your life then see if you can take a little break from dairy altogether. And you can continue to enjoy a milky texture by making your own nut milk at home.

Want to watch me milk a cashew? Click here to visit my Youtube channel.