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If you’ve been skeptical to try green juice, this green milk is for you. Even though it looks green, it tastes like vanilla almond milk!
Green milk is simply a combination of green juice and almond milk. The almond milk adds protein and healthy fats to the mix, making the fat-soluble vitamins in the vegetables more easily absorbed by the body, and it also makes this drink more satiating than a regular green juice. Green milk is typically more palatable for those who don’t care for straight vegetable juice, particularly this recipe which is naturally sweetened with dates and a splash of vanilla.
I believe it was Dr. Robert Young, author of The pH Miracle, who was the first to develop the concept of green milk, but the idea has taken off and is now widely available at many juice bars across the nation. I only recently tried my first sip of green milk at a local juice bar, and now I’m hooked! Of course, green milk at a juice bar can run $10-12 a bottle, so making it at home is far more economical. Plus, you can customize the flavor however you like!
Rather than using a juicer AND a blender to make it at home, I’ve streamlined the process– using only a blender to pulverize the almonds, vegetables, and water all at once. Cleaning one machine is way better than cleaning two, don’t you think? You could drink the mixture as a smoothie if you like, but straining it through a nut milk bag creates a super-smooth and creamy green milk that is hard to resist. Even your picky family members will love it!
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Easy Green Milk (Vegan & Paleo)
Serves 2
Inspired by Juice Served Here
Ingredients
3 cups water
1/3 cup raw almonds*
1 romaine heart, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 kale leaves, stems removed
4 Medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol-free, if desired)
3-4 ice cubes
*For best digestion, soak raw almonds for 8-12 hours in the fridge, then drain and rinse well. I don’t always do this myself, if I’m in a hurry, but they do taste better this way and blend easier, too.
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender, and blend until completely smooth. (The ice helps keep the ingredients cold.)
Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag (I use this one) and strain into a large bowl, gently squeezing all of the liquid out of the bag. Discard the pulp or save for another use. (Perhaps it could be used for a grain-free cracker?)
Pour into two glasses and serve immediately.
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1/3 cup raw almonds*
- 1 romaine heart , roughly chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 2 kale leaves , stems removed
- 4 Medjool dates , pitted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol-free, if desired)
- 3-4 ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender, and blend until completely smooth. (The ice helps keep the ingredients cold.) Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag and strain into a large bowl, gently squeezing all of the liquid out of the bag. Discard the pulp or save for another use. (Perhaps it could be used for a grain-free cracker?)
- Pour into two glasses and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
- These vegetables make for a delicious combination, but feel free to use any other veggies you have on hand.
- Same goes for the nuts– any type will work, or try seeds (like sunflower or hemp) for those with nut allergies.
- For a sugar-free drink, you can always omit the dates and use a few drops of liquid stevia to taste.
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever tried Green Milk?
Hi Megan,
I was wondering what kind of blender you are using and would recommend!!
Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful recipes. For the first time ever I’m actually enjoying the whole cooking process and trying out new foods. I just made your grain free pancakes today with the almond butter and applesauce and baked them in the oven then drizzled them with some raw honey. Loved it!!!!
I love, love, love my Vitamix! I have an older 2-speed version, but if I were to buy one now, I’d buy the reconditioned 10-speed model (it still comes with a 5 year warranty, and their customer service is great!) http://amzn.to/15hG8zB
I love this recipe! I am 15 weeks pregnant and am finding it so hard to eat my veggies. I’ve been looking for different smoothie/juice recipes but HATE using my juicer. This recipe is genius. I love using the cloth to strain the bits, and the raw almonds give it a great taste. I did add 1 cup rice milk instead of some of the water for a bit of extra creaminess. (I’m lactose intolerant but have been craving milk like no tomorrow – I just found how tasty rice milk is and am happy I can go nuts with it and not feel so sick)
I know drinking veggie juice right away is best, but I usually do my blending the night before so I don’t wake my son in the morning – Is this ok to keep in the fridge over night, and what about freezing and thawing?
Thank you!
For those looking for the milk bottles, just go to Amazon:
http://amzn.to/1o5J6eJ
Some bottles even come with paper straws 🙂
Our local dairy farm sells milk in those bottles, check yours.
This is great! I am not a big fan of straight green juice, preferring green smoothies instead – for both the texture and feeling more satiated. I usually make my green juice (in the juicer), then pour it into the blender with half an avocado, a frozen banana and a handful of ice cubes – thickening it to a “shake” consistency, and sweetening it as well! 🙂
I’ve been under the impression that enzyme inhibitors will only be destroyed if there’s an acid in the water…but you are saying this isn’t so?
I can’t find much peer-reviewed research on the subject, so I can only speak from my own experience and other expert opinions, like those of Sally Fallon. She recommends using acid when soaking grains, to remove their phytic acid, but since nuts have less of that, she recommends using salt to help remove their enzyme inhibitors, instead. Other raw food experts only use water, saying that the moisture is enough to mimic the germination process in nature– which would naturally reduce the enzyme inhibitors, as well. From personal experience, I was able to sprout nuts and seeds when I was in college (about 10 years ago!) using only pure water, so the sprouting should be a sign that the enzyme inhibitors have been reduced or eliminated. Of course, now with irradiation and pasteurization being common practice in store-bought nuts and seeds, it’s harder to tell, since many nuts and seeds won’t sprout anymore, regardless!
More on the nut pulp cracker please!!!
I tried it yesterday night, it was amazing! Even my husband liked it! I’ll be sipping on what’s left this morning 🙂