Celebrating an all-natural lifestyle

Hemp Bliss

No, that title is not in any way meant to suggest the elevated aftermath of certain smokeable substances. Wrest your minds from the gutter! It is a reference to one of the most popular brands of hemp milk. And this weekend, I concluded that homemade hemp milk — though I honestly don’t have a basis for comparison — must surely rival, if not surpass the delights of other hemp derivatives.

It’s funny I should be making this bold claim, because I’ve always disliked hemp milk. Really: I’ve wanted to like it, but I simply couldn’t get over the hemp-y taste. Which is silly, because I love hemp seeds, hemp butter, and  hemp oil, and none of those things could rightfully be called subtle-tasting, either. They’re hemp foods, and they taste like it. Still, something got in the way of my enjoying hemp milk. Until this weekend, when I attempted to make my own, and a new love affair was born.

As the great heat wave of 2010 rages in NYC, I’ve been enjoying plenty of smoothies. Smoothies (often) mean having lots of fresh nut milks on hand, which is part of why I’ve been giving them some blog focus lately (see my post on nut milk troubleshooting if you’re running into trouble making your own nut milks). The hemp milk I’m about to share is my latest creation, and it may henceforth be my most beloved. It’s creamy, rich, high in nutrition, and somehow the hemp taste bothers me far less than it does when I drink the store-bought brands. The recipe is pretty standard:

Hemp Milk (yields about 4 cups)

1 cup shelled hemp seeds
3 cups filtered water
3-4 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp soy/sunflower lecithin (optional, but it will help keep the texture smooth, which is important since you’re not straining this one)

Blend all ingredients on high till they are very, very smooth. Enjoy!

You certainly could strain this nut milk if you’d like to, but I don’t recommend it. The texture is particularly nice when it’s left unstrained, and moreover, hemp seeds are so rich in nutrients that it seems a shame to divest the nut milk of some of its nutrient power by straining. In fact, I’m such a fan of hemp foods as nutritional powerhouses that I even calculated the nutrition facts for the milk. This is something I’ve been asked to do for my almond milk, too, which I can’t because I’ve no idea how straining effects the nutrition. And no, I don’t intend to make a habit of posting nutrition information for all of my recipes. But I can make exceptions once in a while. The stats:

For 1/2 cup serving (a little goes a long way!):

Kcal = 128
Fat = 7.8
Sugars = 4.8
Protein = 8.8 g
Fiber = 1.2 g

As you can see, hemp milk is a more protein rich alternative to standard almond milk, which is great for those of you who are working to incorporate more protein nito your diets. Keep in mind, too, that the fats in this hemp milk comprise both Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, which our bodies need for brain function, growth, and development.

The bottom line is that this hemp milk is a slightly more nutrient dense alternative to my basic almond recipe. But increased nutrition does not come with decreased taste; you may need to adjust to the strong flavor of hemp, but as soon as you do, you’ll want to enrich every smoothie and overnight oat bowl with this stuff!

Speaking of healthy fats, I’ve written yet another blog post on why we shouldn’t be afraid of them–this time, it’s up at Whole Living Daily. I encourage all of my readers who are scared of eating more fat to check it out, and to embrace the healthy properties of lipids!

xo

Raw Rehab: Nut Milk Troubleshooting

Yesterday, when I posted my monkey smoothie, I mentioned that it’s always best to use your own homemade nut milk. This isn’t because store bought nut milk is terrible for you, but rather because the homemade stuff is even healthier, and it’s tastier, too!

But not everyone agrees with me on that last bit. Amy wrote:

I’ve had commercial almond milk and made my own on several occasions, and they taste nothing alike. Commercial milks are thick and sweet and appealing while the milk I make is thin and well, tastes like almonds. I’ve tried blending the nuts with dates and also with vanilla and agave. It also separates. I’ve tried almonds with skin and without, balancing, soaking in the fridge, on the counter, and no soak. It ends up tasting slightly…off: a little bitter, a little almond-like, but not very good overall. Please, please help if you can!

No problem, Amy. The problem might be two things: (1) the equipment you’re using, or (2) the procedure you’re using.

Let’s rule out (1) first. Are you using a good quality blender? As you know, I like to insist that eating a plant based and high raw diet need not mean investing in too many appliances. But the recipe for nut milk is one that benefits immeasurably from a high-speed blender. That said, I made nut milk for two years in my regular old Black and Decker blender — what made it work was the fact that that machine, though a far cry from Vita-Mix horsepower, was relatively high-quality (I think it cost me about $60.00). If you’re using a really cheap blender, you may find that the nutmilk ends up “grainy” no matter what you do, which means it will be pretty thin after straining.

Now, for problem (2). Let me ask you a few questions:

• Are you soaking your almonds for 8-12 hours before blending? This isn’t totally necessary if you have a Vita-Mix, but it becomes crucial if you’re using a regular blender
• Are you letting the mix blend for a good long time? Be patient — don’t stop blending till the mixture looks homogeneous.

If the answer to either question above was “no,” then see if those tips don’t make s difference. And if neither do, then you can try adding a tablespoon of soy or sunflower lecithin or coconut oil to the mix. Both act as emulsifiers, which means that they help keep the nut milk well dispersed. I’m guessing that xantham gum might also work — perhaps a 1/4 teaspoon?

And don’t forget that, if you like a sweet nut milk, dates, agave, or stevia are crucial add-ins! Use them to taste.

Hope this helps, Amy! Fear not: you’ll be on your way to perfect homemade nut milk soon.

And for those of you who face major time constraints, remember that organic, store-bought nut milks–like the Pacific brand, for example–are fine to use in a pinch. It’s just always nice when we can prepare our own food from raw materials.

Before I go, I want to point out that Ani Phyo’s ginger almond pate is stellar in a collard wrap:

And even better when served with a zucchini hummus dipping plate.

All hail simple summer suppers. (And alliteration.)

Happy Friday!!!!

xo

Pumpkin Seed Mylk, and Chewing Gum

Wondering if I’ve gone from editor to illiterate? No, I promise I haven’t (though I hope my blog has by now served as excellent proof that book editors are not immune to typos). That “mylk” spelling is how many raw foodists like to refer to nut and seed milks. While I see how this spelling is a little comical, I also see the appeal. If you’re like me, and memories of drinking regular milk (or even the sight of milk in a cereal bowl) send you into paroxysms, spelling alternatives are sort of a relief.

Thanks to a giant sale on raw sunflower seeds at my local health food store, this will be a month full of sunflower recipes (starting with my homemade sunshine burgers — if you haven’t gotten the recipe yet, catch up!). But it’s already a month full of pumpkin seeds, too, as evidenced by the wonderful pumpkin seed mylk I made this past weekend. Part of my weekly planning procedures when I’m especially pressed for time include whipping up at least one nut milk (or mylk) each weekend to use in smoothies, oats or oat bran, raw cereal or granola combos, or chia puddings throughout the week. Usually, it’s hazelnut mylk, almond mylk, or sesame seed mylk. This weekend, thanks to some beautiful Austrian pumpkin seeds that were also on sale, it was pumpkin seed mylk. Simple recipe:

Pumpkin Seed Mylk (yields 5 1/2 cups, or so)

1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked 1+ hours
4 cups filtered water
4 dates (or stevia to taste)
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract or some whole vanilla bean (optional)

Blend all ingredients on high in a blender till very thick and smooth.

When making nut mylks, you can always strain them through cheesecloth, nut milk bags, or (as a reader recently pointed out to me) paint bags from a local hardware store. I enjoy the smooth texture and versatility of strained nut mylks, so I almost always strain mine, but I also like to leave them as they are sometimes — unstrained mylks are thick, rich, and far more decadent! When I tasted this pumpkin seed creation, I knew it was perfect just as it was, and didn’t want to ruin it.

This mylk will keep for 3-5 days in a fridge (I find that seed mylks get sour before nut mylks do, so taste it to be sure before you use it), and is absolutely divine in hot cereal, in smoothies, or in chia pudding.

Before I go, I wanted to share a recent reader question that cannot possibly be unique. Brittany wrote,

Hi Gena!

I was wondering what your opinion is on chewing gum. Is it a really bad habit because of the artificial sweeteners found in it, or is it the sort of thing where a couple of pieces of chewing gum every day are no big deal? Thank you!

Brittany

Good question, Brittany. Back in the days when I struggled horribly with IBS, I saw quite a few GI doctors before I finally found one who was compassionate, knowledgeable, and insightful. One of the first questions he asked me during our consultation was whether or not I chewed sugar free gum. I didn’t chew it very often, but I was curious as to why it was so bad: he quickly explained that the artificial sweeteners (namely sorbitol and xylitol) are very often culprits behind gas and bloating. This is something every person who’s prone to bloating, but who munches on gum like there’s no tomorrow, should know!

Beyond that, chewing gum can force us to swallow a lot of air, which in turn makes bloating worse. So, Brittany, it’s primarily the artificial sweeteners that make it a lousy habit (for certain people), but the chewing can be problematic, too. I’d take this a step further and say that I think there’s something psychologically suspect about constant chewing — it always seems to me as though lots of gum chewing suggests that there’s a hunger for real food that’s not being met — but as someone with an oral fixation, I’m not going to pass any judgment!

If you do want to chew gum, I’d say that xylichew, though imperfect, is probably better than a sorbitol based gum. And Glee, though it contains some sugar, is also a good alternative.

What are your thoughts? Any gum fanatics in the audience, and if so, do you guys have natural brands you like?

Back to work I go!

xo

Snowy Sesame Seed Milk

Hey guys!

Here it is: the first snowy night of the winter season. Well, sort of: it’s first snowy/rainy/sleety/slushy night of the season–that lovely set of circumstances that weathermen like to call a “wintery mix.” As if by design, this has been a heavy working Saturday for me (three clients, two manuscripts, and a partridge in a pear tree), so I’ve been able to spend most of the day inside with a fleece blanket. And tonight, I’ll be cozying up with my favorite new winter beverage: sesame seed milk.

This post is dedicated to a dear friend–he knows who he is–who chuckles each time he hears me say “nut milk.” Well, Beavis, I’m afraid that this post falls short of naughty hilarity, since it’s technically a seed milk I’m talking about, but even so, this one’s for you!

So, remember when I made almond milk? I mentioned then that nut milks (he he) and seed milks lend themselves to endless variety. Cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and pecans all lend themselves to delicious variations on the basic nut milk formula (1 cup nuts, 4 cups water, sweetener if desired, pinch of salt). One of the best nut milks I’ve tried was the sesame seed milk at SproutCraft here in New York. And since today’s weather called for a comforting seasonal beverage to go with my reading (and the chances of me drinking eggnog are about as high as the chances that I’ll be curling up with Julie Powell’s new book), and I happened to have some sesame seeds handy, my own snowy sesame milk was born.

The recipe? Practically a no brainer: blend 1 heaping cup of raw sesame seeds, 4 cups water, 6 pitted dates, and a pinch of salt in a blender for a good long time (maybe 2 whole minutes, or until the mixture is really creamy).

Sometimes I strain nut milk, sometimes I don’t. I actually liked the richness of this blend as it was without straining, so I left it, but if you’re fasting, or you want the mix to be smoother, go ahead and strain through a cheesecloth or a nut milk bag (he he). If you want to warm the milk up a little, go ahead and warm it very gently in a pot, or let it blend in the VitaMix or BlendTec for a minute or two (this is a good trick for raw soups, too)–just don’t let it get scalding hot.

This milk is creamy, flavorful, and delicious. Imagine the taste of tahini, but sweet. Or imagine liquid halvah.

OK, maybe that was a bad example: lots of people don’t like halvah. Just imagine a really creamy, slightly nutty, slightly sweet beverage that’s a perfect pick me up on a cold day, is 100% dairy and cruelty free, and also rich in calcium (yes, friends, sesame seeds are a terrific vegan calcium source!). What could be better?

Wait, I know: this amazing t-shirt line that Melissa sent me. I’m totally getting the “stalker” tee!!!

OK friends. Hope you get to try this treat soon. In the meantime, stay warm and stay dry.

xo

P.S. Who’s already listening to holiday tunes? Tell me I’m not the only one who’s rocking out to Pandora holiday music (thanks, Nel).

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