Make your own Almond Milk

It is super easy to make your own almond milk with a little forward planning.  Loaded with minerals, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium - this dairy free milk also tastes delicious.

To make you will need 1.5 cups of raw almonds and a straining bag. (Most people used blanched almonds but I don't worry as you strain it all at the end anyway).

Soak the almonds in water to soften - overnight is best but at least 4 hours.

Strain the water from the almonds and place in blender with 1 cup of water. 

Blend until they become a smooth paste (this doesn't take long at all). Don't worry too much about the appearance at this stage. This is particularly unattractive as the almonds weren't blanched.

Add another 3 cups of water and blend again until smooth and frothy.

Now you can, if you wish, add something to sweeten the milk and give another blitz (i.e a couple of dates, cinnamon, honey, syrup or vanilla). I personally sweeten mine when I wish to drink but leave unsweetened in the fridge so I can cook savoury sauces with it. 

Strain (I use a jam straining bag).  You can (just) see the skins are retained in the bag.

Bottle and enjoy. 

Store the milk in the fridge until you want to use. I freeze some too (remember not to overfill containers as will explained a little when frozen).

Cashew nut cheese with fresh salsa

My husband and I love to sit down with a snack once the kids are in bed and this is one of our favourites. Packed full of vitamins, minerals and protein, the tangy salsa accompanies the creamy cheese perfectly. 

For the cashew cheese blend the ingredients for about 5 minutes until smooth and creamy (yes it's that simple). (Store any leftovers in the fridge).

                                                  6 oz cashew nuts

                                                   75 ml olive oil

75 ml water

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Juice of 1 lime

For the salsa place one, deseeded red pepper in blender and lightly pulse (or finely chop). Pour into a bowl. Lightly blend a handful of cherry tomatoes. Add to peppers and add 2 tablespoons of corn, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Season to taste and give a good mix.

Brussels sprouts chips

Granted, brussel sprout chips may be a tad more fiddly to make than kale chips but I much prefer the taste so to me these are worth the extra effort. My children love them too.

To prepare chop the bottom of the sprout and gently peel off the leaves (chopping more off the bottom when you need to). I always save the centres for my next meal.

Wash the leaves well and place in a bowl and add your preferred choice of topping. Traditionally most people use olive oil and sea salt which is delicious, but I don't like to overheat olive oil so I use coconut oil and cumin. Give the leaves a good mix with your hands making sure they all are well coated and place in a thin layer on a tray.

Bake in a moderate oven for 7-10 minutes until they start to go brown (don't worry if some leave go brown, they won't have the bitterness of overcooked kale). Remove from heat and in a few minutes they turn crispy. Best eaten straight away.

Play around with different flavours and let me know what works for you.