Recipe: Super-easy Vanilla Quinoa Milk

If you haven’t started to see cartons of quinoa milk in your natural foods store next to the almond, coconut, and soy, it’s only a matter of minutes.

But this protein-rich beverage that you can pour into smoothies, over granola, and much, much more, is also incredibly easy to make yourself, says Jocelyn Weiss, PhD, MPH, and author of smart-and-pretty healthy recipe blog, An Unprocessed Life.

Weiss shared her recipe with us, complete with step-by-step photos, as proof. Trickiest thing you’ll need is a re-usable nut-milk bag or a big piece of cheesecloth, which is sold in pretty much every large grocery store—you just have to look for it.

This recipe makes enough quinoa milk for two days, if two people are drinking it (and allows for half the portion of cooked quinoa to be used toward other recipes).

And should you want to put your quinoa milk to more decadent uses, you can add natural sweeteners, spices, and cacao nibs. —Melisse Gelula

INGREDIENTS1 cup uncooked quinoa1 tsp vanilla extractPinch of salt

VariationsSweetened: Add 2-3 dates or 1 Tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrupCinnamon: Add 1 tsp ground cinnamonChocolate: Add 1/4 cup cacao nibs or 4 tablespoons raw cacao powder

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Soak quinoa overnight in 2 cups of water. Before cooking, drain through a sieve and rinse until water runs clear.

2.    To cook, bring another 2 cups of water to a boil. Add quinoa and bring to a second boil, then cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes. When done, fluff quinoa with a fork.

3.    Place 1/2 of the cooked quinoa into a blender with 2 cups of filtered/purified water. Blend on high for 1-3 minutes until smooth. (Use the other half toward other meals over the week.)

4.    Pour milk into nut milk bag or through cheesecloth while holding over a bowl or large jug. The milk will strain through slowly on its own, but you can gently squeeze and massage the bottom of the bag to speed up the process.

5.    Put strained milk back into the blender and add water (about 1 cup at a time) to your desired consistency, blending the mixture after each addition. I like mine a medium consistency so it has body but isn’t too thick with about 2 more cups of added water. Add vanilla extract, salt and any other flavorings, if using. Note: You shouldn’t plan to keep it longer than 3-5 days, so drink up!

For more information and recipes, visit www.anunprocessedlife.com