Every once in awhile I go to my pantry to retrieve something and I see my lonely little nut bag begging to be used. Last night I felt the guilt and immediately started looking for some almonds. Sadly I was out but in all dire circumstances a new path is just waiting to be found. Hence, my foray into making some Sunflower Seed Milk. It just may surpass the tastiness of the usual almond milk by the way.
Sunflower seeds are really powerhouses of nutrition. First of all, they are low on the Glycemic Index scale so they won’t raise your blood sugar which is important to help control cravings and keep anxiety in check. Another reason these seeds are helpful in managing anxiety is because they contain a significant amount of tryptophan.(1) Sunflower seeds also have an abundant amount of Vitamin E which is so important for keeping your heart healthy.
Do one better with these awesome little nutrition packages by soaking them overnight. That’s what I did with this recipe and your tummy will thank you for it. By soaking seeds (or nuts) you are essentially telling it to start growing and in that process the precious nutrients can come out of hiding and get ready to release their magic. Amazing what a little water will do–it just makes them so much more bio-available.
After you’ve soaked your seeds and rinsed them all you need to do is decide how creamy you want the milk. You want super creamy? Use a one to one ratio of seeds to water. If you want a 2% milky style then use 3 cups water to 1 cup seeds. After you’ve blended the seeds on high for a minute grab your nut bag and start “milking the seeds”. So fun and so rustic–just imagine you’re out milking Bessy the cow on a farm about 100 years ago.
Now you have two options: one, keep it plain old vanilla or two, jazz it up. My daughter always ask for chocolate milk at the grocery store and I hate letting her down so today I’ll be greeting her with the dairy-free chocolate version when she gets home from school.
Although I haven’t included the exciting third option in the recipe, you can also go all out adult-style crazy and make it a Cinco de Mayo blend by adding chili powder and spices like clove and nutmeg. You can have your own little dairy-free fiesta right in your kitchen and you need not wait until next May 5th.
Sunflower Seed Milk (vanilla and chocolate)
The usual way to make nut milk is with almonds but when none are in your cupboard you resort to what is. Sunflower seeds were a most happy surprise for me. The taste is ultra smooth and one my daughter will be thrilled to start her day with.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1 T or more coconut syrup
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 T cacao powder
Directions
- Step 1 Soak sunflower seeds overnight in filtered water
- Step 2 Rinse sunflower seeds in the morning and add to a blender
- Step 3 Add 3 cups filtered water and blend for at least 1 minute
- Step 4 With a large bowl underneath, pour the blend into a nut bag and squeeze until all the milk is in the bowl
- Step 5 Pour the filtered milk back into the blender and add the sea salt, vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon
- Step 6 If you are making chocolate milk, then add cacao and more coconut syrup to your liking
- Step 7 Serve with love and enjoy!
- http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3077/2