Easy Homemade Apple Cider!

     
This is my simple recipe for homemade Apple Cider.  It's so easy, you make it in a crock pot! For this batch I used 6 apples of the same variety, but feel free to use a couple different types of apples if you want.  You can also mix together sweeter and tart varieties for a great flavor. You can also add a slice of orange for an unique citrus burst.   Besides being left with wonderfully delicious clean apple cider, making this will leave your home smelling amazing!

What you need: 
6 Apples
3 Cinnamon sticks or 2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1 clove
1 tsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp Raw Honey








Quarter your apples and place all of your ingredients in your crock pot.  Then cover with filtered water.  Place the lid on top and set the crock pot to high.

After a three hours your apples will be soft, using a wooden spoon you can stir the apples to help them break down.  Mashing up the soft apples will help their flavor absorb into the cider.  Now let the mash simmer on high for another three hours.

Once your apples have fully broken down it's time to strain your cider.  I used my NUT BAG to strain my cider but you can use a fine mesh sieve or cheese cloth.  I first transferred my cider to a large measuring cup so it would be easier to strain.  You may also want to allow the cider to cool for about 20 minutes or pop it in the fridge for a few minutes since you will need to squeeze the mash and you don't want to burn your hands.

After removing the cinnamon sticks slowly pour your cider through your strainer over a large bowl, then begin to squeeze the liquid out of the mash. Continue to squeeze until all the liquid has been removed, you will be left with very little mash.

Now you have fresh homemade Apple Cider!

Since I use no processed sugars in my kitchen, this recipe only contains a small amount of raw honey. If you want want a completely sugar free cider you can omit the honey.  Apples are sweet on their own so your cider will still taste wonderfully. 

Now you can serve your apple cider! I prefer it warm but this cider taste great served warm or cold! You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week. I also add the cinnimon sticks back to the cider after I strain it.

ENJOY!

How To Make Almond Milk!

Many people seem to be switching over to nut milks lately. One of my favorites is Almond Milk! It is a great substitute for dairy milk but is also great all on its own.  I very rarely drink dairy milk these days and always seem to have Almond milk in my refrigerator.  I tend to use almond milk most often for protein shakes and smoothies.  It has a wonderful flavor and a creamy consistency with less fat and calories than dairy milk.

Bonus: Almond milk contains a wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals!

 I have been drinking nut milks for some time now and I find myself less and less likely to buy them from a store.  The basic ingredients consist of the chosen nut, water and sweetener, yet its hard to find a brand with that few ingredients.  Obviously they would need to include a preservative to help keep them shelf stable but I don't like buying things, even "healthy alternatives" riddled with chemicals and ingredients I can not pronounce. You may think it would be a hard and time consuming ordeal to make your own fresh almond milk, however it is not. How do you make almond milk? Here is my quick and easy guide to making fresh homemade, creamy, delicious almond Milk! 

Bonus: Aside from avoiding unwanted chemicals you will save money too!

 

What do you need to make almond milk?

You can make as much or as little as you want.  When making almond milk you can choose to use blanched almonds (skins removed) or regular almonds (skin still on). The only difference between using almonds with or without skins when making almond milk is that you may need to strain your milk a bit more if you use regular almonds.  I don't find that it changes much.  For this post I made a small batch. I used one small bag of regular Almonds (about 1 cup)

 

Ingredients
Raw Almonds (uncooked & unsalted)
Filtered Water
Vanilla
 *Sweeteners if desired (dates, honey, agave, maple syrup or cinnamon) 1tsp or to taste

Equipment
Bowls
Mesh Strainer
Blender or food processor
Cheese cloth or Nut bag

To make almond milk there are only a few easy steps.

Soak the almonds.  You want to soak your almonds overnight for at least 8 hours. To do this place your almonds in a container or bowl, then fill with filtered water.  You will want to add about an inch or two of water above the almonds since they will absorb the water and grow in size.

Drain the almonds. After the almonds have soaked you want to drain and rinse them under cool water. 

Blend the almonds. Pour your almonds in a blender and cover with water. I like to use about a 3-1 ratio during this step.  If I started with 1 cup of dry Almonds I would add about 3 cups of filtered water to the blender.  For 2 cups of dry almonds I would use close to 6 cups of water.

Blend the almonds and water on the highest speed for at least 2 minutes. Your almonds should completely break down and the liquid should be white and opaque.  

Strain the almonds. Place a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth over a bowl and pour the almond/water mixture through it.  Once all the liquid has drained through, gather the excess cheese cloth and twist the remaining almond meal into a ball to remove more liquid.  You can continue to twist and squeeze more liquid from the pulp with your hands.

Sweeten the milk. Once you have finished straining all the liquid you will want to taste it.  If you prefer a sweeter flavor you can add a flavoring and or sweetener.  Pour the liquid back into your blender, add the flavoring or sweetener and blend for about 15 seconds.  For this post I added a tsp of vanilla to my milk.  If you like you can quickly strain the milk again to achieve an even cleaner finished product.

Store your almond milk. You want to store your almond milk in sealed container in the refrigerator.  Your almond milk should last for about 3-5 days since there are no chemicals or preservatives.  This also means that your milk will settle.  You will want to shake the milk up before each use.  If you notice it tastes at all sour you will want to discard it and make a fresh batch. 

TIP: Don't just throw away the remaining almond meal that is left behind.  It can be added to a multitude of things such as cookies, muffins, oatmeal, pancakes and smoothies. You can dry it as well in the oven then freeze for future baking needs.  Stay tuned for posts about ways to use left over almond meal.

Do you drink nut milks? Would you consider making your own?

Homemade Citrus Soda!

Tired of drinking glass after glass of bland water? Since I don't drink soft drinks or fruit juices filled with tons of sugar and calories I am always coming up with new ways to enjoy water!  Don't get me wrong, I love water! Drinking water comes with so many benefits, I think the only disadvantage would be like anything else too much could kill you..lol.. seriously don't worry, that would be hard to do. Anyways.. sometimes you want something different maybe with carbonation or a little flavor! Like with my Apple Cinnamon Water here is another fun way to spruce up your everyday water, this time with carbonated water. Citrus Soda!

All You Need:

• Bottle of carbonated water
• Pitcher
• Sliced citrus fruit (I like to use Oranges, Lemons & Limes)

To Make:

•  Slice fruit and place in bottom of pitcher
• Fill with carbonated water
• Cover with ice

*You can drink it right away but the longer it sits the more citrus flavor it will have

* I actually make this beverage two different ways, you can also just add the fruit to your bottle of water (after removing some of the water of course) which makes it portable.

Tip- If you leave the fruit in your water too long it will take on a unpleasant rind taste.  If you don't finish your soda within 24 hours remove the fruit to keep the flavor from turning.