almonds

Grain Free Tabouli

~ beckijuice ~ 3 Comments

IMG_5688 Parsley is abundant right now and to me that means only one thing–tabouli. Traditionally, tabouli is made with bulgar, yielding a distinctly nutty flavor while also lending some bulk.  Here, cauliflower and almonds replace the bulgar for a grain free alternative that is bright and crunchy and full of detoxifying sulphur compounds and antioxidants.  I like to mix in a dollop of greek yogurt and serve it alongside chicken or lamb.

¼ cup almonds
½ head cauliflower
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 cucumber, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
2 Tablespoons olive oil
juice of one lemon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Place the almond in the food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Set aside. Break the cauliflower into florets and place in the food processor. Pulse until it resembles small grains. Combine the cauliflower and almonds, then fold in the parsley, mint, garlic, tomato, cucumber, and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon juice, and sprinkle with allspice, salt and pepper. Mix until incorporated and season to taste.

Simple Almond Milk

~ beckijuice ~ Leave a comment

IMG_4927

This recipe works about the same for just about any nut milk you want to make, though soaking times and amounts may vary slightly.  Homemade almond milk is amazing and is super easy, and most importantly, you’ll know exactly what is in it. Nearly all store bought almond milks contain stabilizers, some of which can be potentially harmful like carrageenan.  I don’t know about you, but for something I consume just about every day, I’d rather know what I’m putting in my body!  I make a point to start some almonds soaking on Saturday night or Sunday morning so that we can have fresh almond milk for smoothies all week.  Use this stuff in smoothies, coffee, oatmeal, desserts and anywhere you’d normally use milk.

2 cups almonds or other nut, soaked 8 hours and up to overnight
5 cups filtered water
2 dates, pitted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch sea salt
1 whole vanilla bean

Drain soaking water and rinse almonds well.  Place in a blender with the filtered water, starting on low and working your way up to the high setting for 1-2 minutes until smooth and uniform.

Strain the milk using a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or just a super fine strainer.  After straining, return the almond milk to the blender and add dates, cinnamon, sea salt and vanilla.  Blend another 1-2 minutes until thoroughly combined.

Store in the fridge for 5-7 days.