Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

makes about 3 1/2 cups

• 1 cup almonds, soaked in water overnight
• 2-3 pitted dates
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 liter filtered water

Place almonds in a large jar or bowl and cover with enough water to cover them. Soak them overnight (8-12 hours).

When ready to make milk, put pitted dates into a small bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 5 minutes and discard water. Rinse and drain almonds and place into the blender along with the dates, vanilla and filtered water. Blend until well combined, about 1 minute.

Place nut milk bag over a large bowl. Slowly pour the blended milk into the bag and tie the top. Lift bag over the bowl and lightly squeeze the bottom of the bag to express the milk. Transfer filtered vanilla almond milk to a jar/pitcher and refrigerate.  Milk keeps up to one week if stored properly.