Family update and four dairy-free milks to make...

 

I was asked recently to share how I make our dairy-free milks, so today I have a print out to download for those who are interested in making almond, cashew, oat or coconut milk. They are all very easy to do, way cheaper than buying from the shops, and natural with no fillers or additives. 

Use the link below to download the PDF recipe sheet.

DOWNLOAD Four Dairy-Free Milks

I'll share the recipes and steps here with photos as well, for I find pictures help a lot for those of us who are visual learners. 

Some of the milks need to be squeezed through a nut bag, some do not. I have had this nut bag for over ten years...

...so the time to replace it was drawing near. I found a good inexpensive set of three on Amazon as the cost of one bag from the health food store was ridiculously overpriced.

The trick with nut bags is to use them inside-out as it makes cleaning easier, with the nut/oat/coconut residue not gathering in the corner seams. 

I've been using the same high speed blender for over five years and it has a nut milk setting, but you can use any blender as long as it's on the highest speed setting. I make four cups (1 litre) of milk at a time, and my blender is large enough to do that. 

So let's begin with the cashew milk, which is my favourite and what we mostly use on our cereal or porridge. It's also the one I add to hot cocoa or a turmeric latte. Simply soak two-thirds of a cup of raw cashews in water for at least four hours, then drain and rinse under running water. Place in a high-speed blender with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Blend on high speed for 90-120 seconds. NO need to use the nut bag for cashew milk, just pour into a glass bottle and refrigerate and use within 5 days. 

Next up, almond milk, my husband's favourite. Almond milk has the highest protein content and is great for smoothies, in coffee, baking etc. 

Soak two-thirds of a cup of raw almonds in water overnight. Drain and rinse under running water. Return the almonds to the bowl and cover again with water. Using your fingers, slide the skins off the almonds - they will come off very easily. (discard the skins in your compost or garden)

Place the skinned almonds in a blender with four cups of water and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Blend on the highest speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Place a nut bag inside a large bowl and pour the almond milk into the bag. Squeeze as much milk as you can from the blended mixture.

Pour into a glass bottle and refrigerate. Use within 5 days. 

This tends to make a bit more than a litre, so I always end up with a small jug extra which I cover and use later that day. I have a whole set of these covers in different sizes and find them invaluable in the kitchen as a replacement for cling wrap. The covers have a very thin plastic lining under the floral fabric, are machine washable and dry beautifully on the clothesline or hung inside. 

I am NOT an Amazon affiliate but am happy to share links to things I have bought for the kitchen that are worth the few dollars they cost me. The set of covers I bought are here. 

Moving on, let's look at making coconut milk. In Australia we use desiccated coconut, which is more finely grated than shredded coconut, but you could use either. If using shredded be sure to pack down the coconut in your cup measure.

What I love about making my own coconut milk is the added bonus of automatically getting coconut cream in the process! And it's important to know that because you can't pour the coconut milk into a bottle - you'll need to pour it in to a wide mouth jar instead.

Add 1 cup of desiccated coconut to a blender with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend for 2 minutes on the highest speed. Place a nut bag inside a large bowl and pour the coconut mixture into the bag. Squeeze as much milk as you can from the bag. (discard the remaining pulp in your garden or compost) Pour the milk into a large mouth jar and refrigerate. Now here's the bonus. Coconut cream will rise to the surface overnight and solidify. I need a knife to cut through it and access the milk below - however, you can whip that coconut cream into a 'normal' cream consistency for serving with desserts etc, or use in curries, laksa or creamy soups. The milk below is lovely to bake with in place of dairy milk or in smoothies, milkshakes, or anywhere a recipe calls for coconut milk. 

Last milk to make is oat milk which is the cheapest of all but requires some extra care to avoid being slimy. You will need to have ready 3 cups of very cold water from the fridge, and 1 cup of ice cubes.

Rinse 1 cup of rolled oats under running water for 15 seconds. Place the oats in your blender with the very cold water, the ice cubes, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend on the highest setting for no more than 30 seconds - this is very important. Keeping the mixture very cold prevents the sliminess of 'cooked' or warm oats. 

Strain the oat mixture through a nut bag and into a large bowl. Do NOT squeeze the bag too much, just a little to release milk, or alternatively allow it drain naturally for 5-10 minutes. Pour the oat milk into a bottle and refrigerate. Use within 5 days. This is a great dairy substitute in baking, hot drinks, cereal and cold drinks.  My favourite way to enjoy oat milk is as an Iced Chai Latte on warm afternoons sitting outside under the giant poinciana tree. 

If you have any questions about the milks just ask in the comments. I'm no expert, and there are loads of recipes on the internet for making these milks, but I have found these ones the simplest and best for us. 

FAMILY UPDATE:

That nasty vomiting bug is still running rampant through our family. Blossom, Charlie and my husband are the worst right now, and as Blossom's family is moving house in just five days time this has added more strain than they were already facing. God provided a miracle with a last minute rental made available to them, and we give all glory to Him! It's a smaller home with higher rent, but it's a good home in a nice area with parks and young families close by...very much a family neighbourhood. 

Ross is waiting to find out if he's being made redundant from the job he's had for fifteen years...another strain for the family. Please pray God's will be done above all. And please pray this virus dies out and our family members can recover. With everything that's happened over the past six weeks it does feel like a spiritual battle, and we're praying accordingly, but it only draws us closer to Jesus and strengthens our faith in Him, for in the world we will have trouble, but we take heart for He has overcome the world! (John 16:33)

GARDEN:

Last weekend I dug up a heap of sweet potatoes from one of the raised beds where they are abundant. Some were gifted to a neighbour, some we ate roasted with coleslaw (before hubby got sick)...

...and some were roasted for freezing. Apparently the best way to freeze sweet potato is to cook them first, and as the only way hubby will eat them is roasted, that's what I chose to do. 

The weather is lovely and very spring-like as we head back towards the hotter months of tropical North Queensland, so my roses are blooming with gusto once more!

My first year growing asters and I love them, so they'll become a regular bloom to plant here and there.

The new large raised bed which hubby built a few months back houses a subpod for composting and worms in the centre. The soil had sunk quite low after the unusual early winter rain, so I moved everything in this bed to another newer bed two weeks ago. Once a trailer load of good vegetable soil was added here, I started replanting the bed with a new rotation of vegetables and flowers to see us through spring.  

Thyme now grows in front of the subpod, with angelonia, zinnia, salvia and marigold seedlings around it.  The perennial basil at the back is flourishing like crazy after hubby pruned it back before adding the new soil. 

On one side of this bed cucumber and bean seeds have sprouted, and the lettuce seedlings between them have taken well. There's also sage planted here and there in the garden bed.

On the opposite end of the raised bed I've planted winged peas and radishes. The winged pea seeds have just pushed through the soil, but as I only planted the radish seeds yesterday they will take a few more days to sprout. 

I may add some spring onions here as well (green onions), although I already have plenty of them elsewhere in the gardens around the house...still, we use them every day so maybe more would be wise. The key thing is plant only those vegetables and herbs which can cope with our very long hot and humid months from mid-spring to mid-autumn. 

PRODUCE BAG Tutorial

If you'd like to revisit one of my old tutorials, and have a hankering to dress up your kitchen produce displays, pop over HERE and follow along to make some potato and onion bags. I have been using these for three years now, washed frequently, so it's time for me to make more - perhaps you too?

Answering a QUESTION from Maureen "Mo" in the comments last week... Does gluten free flour work in my recipes?

Mo, it all depends on the recipe. I have shared loads of gluten free recipes here on the blog over the years because we often take a break from gluten, or cater to family members who cannot tolerate it. Perhaps add 'gluten free' to the search bar on the top left of my blog? Some of them are sure to come up...but I also used to have a food blog and some of the recipes are there - you will can find it HERE

God bless you dear friends, and I am truly praying that you grow closer and closer to Jesus, that your heart rests in the peace He alone offers, and that each day in the week ahead arrives with pockets of unexpected joys to brighten even the darkest of hours. 

Hugs

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August arrives, Cully May turns 7, and a memory...

 Yesterday was Cully May's 7th birthday. Can you believe it? Many of you have followed along here since Blossom was 14 (she'll be 30 next birthday) watching her grow into the beautiful woman, daughter, wife and mama that she is now. Along the way there was so much excitement when her long-held dream of becoming a mummy became reality with the birth of precious Cully May in 2016...and now that ever-smiling cherub is seven. 

The most often expressed comment on the blog when I share photos of Cully May is her smile...and to be honest, it has brought me to tears at times when I read how her God-gifted smile made someone's day, or lifted them out of a dark place. What you see in this young lass is exactly who she is...a positive ray of sunshine, happiness and fierce loyalty, and a girl who loves Jesus. We are so blessed that she was born into our family, and I give thanks also for the times she has brought joy to some of your own hearts. If you're a believer, would you join us in praying that the Light of Christ will shine brighter and brighter through her life with each passing year? ((thank you))

AUGUST GARDEN...

The final month of our Australian winter, a month here in the northern tropics where I live when we begin to prepare for the end of beautiful warm days and slightly cooler nights, and plan how to care for the gardens when the intense heat of mid-spring arrives. 

Hubby built a new raised bed near the citrus trees last weekend, so I took the rocket, flowers, herbs and beetroot seedlings out of the very large bed behind the laundry and re-planted them in it. 

Then hubby turned the soil in the original large raised bed and added a lot more fertile soil to it in preparation for late winter planting that will see us into the end of spring. Yesterday I planted out mignonette lettuce and cucumber seedlings in that bed, dwarf beans seeds and winged pea seeds. Today I'll visit Bunnings for flower seedlings and plant them in it as well (no time to wait for flower seeds to sprout as I need good bug attracting flowers before the cucumbers and beans produce fruit). 

I pruned the roses right back in autumn and now they are healthier and producing some gorgeous blooms! One of the ways I give myself a blessing is to fill vases of home-grown roses and display them around the house where they delight my senses with their beauty and fragrance. Do you have a special blessing you gift yourself?

(These roses in the vase are Blue Moon on the left and Perfumed Passion on the right - Perfumed Passion is my favourite rose because it has such a strong and heady fragrance and blooms abundantly most of the year. I bought a second one of these roses last month, a bareroot one, and it's just beginning to burst forth with lots of green leaves and new stems.)

(This red rose is called Black Madonna, and is a long stemmed rose for cutting, As the flower opens wider it gets darker and darker. So lovely!)

(This rose is a Blue Moon and was the first rose I grew about four years ago. It starts off a vibrant pink, then as it opens wider a blue tinge comes into the pink. You notice more if you hold it next to a true pink rose.)

I always know when spring is around the corner because that's when the chives begin to blossom. Last year I made chive blossom vinegar and it is so good...I will make more this year. 

EARLY AUGUST STITCHING

Well, it's been a few years since I had my original online Stitchery Club, which ran successfully for almost five years. The decision to close the Club was difficult, but we'd just bought this house and had a complete blank slate when it came to building gardens because there was none here...so I knew my time would be needed elsewhere for a while.

But, after much prayer, and more than a few in-depth conversations with my dear husband, I have decided to open a brand new online Stitchery Club. It won't start until October, so there are no sign-ups open yet, but I am busy each day working on some lovely projects for the Club which I hope you'll love. But I shan't say anymore about that until September. 

Sneak peek...

EARLY AUGUST KITCHEN (and READING)

Earlier in the week I roasted a whole chicken with lots of veggies for a yummy dinner, then the next day I made a large pot of the most delicious herby chicken noodle soup from some of the leftover chicken meat.

I've never added so many herbs to a chicken soup before, but wow, this was incredible! Into the broth I put generous amounts of fresh rosemary, parsley, bay, sage and native thyme...plus three times more garlic than usual. To serve I scattered more parsley and native thyme across the top. Hubby loved it, and the next day I had another bowl for lunch with some of that delicious grape focaccia bread I'd baked last Sunday. (I cut the focaccia into generous pieces and freeze it the day it's baked and then take out pieces during the week for times such as this.)

One of the books I bought for a couple of dollars at the op-shop recently has become my lunchtime reading. The stories inside have caused me to shed a few tears sometimes, but they are so inspiring, these strong Jewish women who survived Auschwitz and immigrated to Australia to begin a new life, a life which helped them rebuild their Jewish customs and faith through traditional Jewish food. They share their stories and their recipes throughout the book...

The remainder of the roast chicken is in the freezer to be used in a cous cous salad later this month, and the bones are simmering to make bone broth.

We've already eaten some of our own home-grown beetroot, and the next crop is not ready so I had to buy a bunch of good beetroot from the store this week as my husband simply loves the stuff when it's roasted or pickled. What I love most about beetroot are the leaves because I use them to make pesto. 

Upon cleaning out the fridges I was able to use up the last of the parmesan cheese, pine nuts and a handful of macadamia nuts, along with fresh garlic and plenty of perennial basil from the garden. A good lug of olive oil, salt and pepper, a lemon from our tree, and now I have a large jar of pesto which will last all month. I also added a 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast at the end for some extra cheesiness due to not having enough parmesan. 

Years ago I always made protein balls for my husband, but since moving here in late 2018 I'd succumbed to the store bought versions. Really not as nice, but quite convenient because over time I didn't even think of making my own again. Until now, when I assessed all the 'regular' items on my shopping list and made decisions about what not to buy anymore. 

These are so easy to make, and my husband is a very happy man! In a food processor I blend up natural almonds, fresh medjool dates, cacao, coconut, hemp seeds, vanilla essence and dried cranberries - all ingredients which are permanently found in my fridge or pantry. I can make forty large protein balls for the same price as buying twelve tiny ones from the supermarket. Double bonus - healthier and cheaper. 

I'm a cake kind of gal. Love a good cake. My man is a biscuit fellow (cookie). I do make them for him every so often, though I'm more inclined to bake a slice (traybake/bar) because that's a middle ground we both enjoy...but after considering 'why' I don't enjoy baking bikkies very often, it became clear that I don't want to spend too much of my precious kitchen hours mixing and baking fancy ones. Well, that was eye opening!

So a couple of weeks ago I baked a batch of "plain" gingernuts and hubby loved them. They are simple, plain, and stay crips for about ten days. This week I baked "plain" malt biscuits (cookies) because we've long enjoyed a store bought pack with a cup of tea (and they dunk well, a must for plain biscuits in our house)...

Not surprisingly these were delicious, and so now I'm on a roll of baking bikkies every 9-10 days and no longer buying any. 

I save bananas that are over-ripe in a bag in the fridge, and when I cleaned out that fridge yesterday I counted nine bananas. Oh. Wanting to bless Blossom, I chose to bake two of Donna Hay's banana breads, which quite truly is the best banana bread you could ever eat. 

The banana skins go into a very large sealed jug of water for about five days, then I use in as fertiliser in the garden, especially with my roses...they love banana water.

I also baked more of the Cypriot Pitta bread...

...and made another batch of mayonnaise

We're getting plenty of purple and white sweet potatoes from the garden so I baked what was left of the most recent harvest with some beetroot and carrots, plus leftover baby zucchini and very ripe cherry tomatoes. All of these became dinner last night (with the fresh mayo on the side)...

Lovely Queensland winter strawberries completed the meal! In my state we grow strawberries in winter because it's a lot like spring, and in August especially they are abundant and cheap. In another couple of weeks I'll buy loads and make jars of jam to last the next year.

For those who asked, Charlie was much improved until Cully May's birthday yesterday when he spent much of the day vomiting. His immune system took a beating last week and so he caught a tummy bug rather easily after Cully May had it the other night. She wasn't very sick, and bounced back quickly, but it knocked little Charlie around yesterday so we had to cancel the family birthday dinner for a few days. He's a lot chipper this morning Blossom tells me, but for the time being she's going to focus on quiet activities. Thank you so much for praying. xxxxx

I don't know why, but the past few days I've been remembering my Pop a lot. I have talked and shared a lot about Nana here on the blog, and a little about my dear Pop, but maybe not enough. I was reading from 1 Timothy this morning and in chapter 3:3 this just captured my heart because it perfectly described my grandfather..."not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy."

I started to weep and a concerned look came over my husband as he asked what was wrong. I read this to him and shared a bit about Pop, about how I never once heard him raise his voice, how he was the gentlest man I have ever known, how he adored Nana and I, how he worked a very hard low-paid job to support us and not once did he complain but saw it as a privilege, how his greatest joy was to sit at the table with us every morning and evening and share an unhurried simple meal with a big pot of tea and slices of buttered bread being the ever present side-dish. He was a small wiry man, a man nobody would notice. But I did. And I am so grateful that God chose him to play such a pivotal role in my childhood. I very truly have not one bad word to say about Pop...only praise, through these escaping tears which mirror a heart that still misses him so much. 

Dear ones, tell those who are special in your life just how much they mean to you, and tell them why. 

(Nana and Pop just before I came into their life)

God bless and may your weekend overflow with the goodness and grace of the Lord!

hugs

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