I am so excited because Hood Strawberries are starting to appear in the local Farmer’s Markets. These are tiny bombs of sweet, tasty goodness that only last for a short time each year here in the Northwest. When they hit, I feel I have to squeeze them into my diet anyway I can. Strawberries are an excellent source of anti-oxidants and regular consumption of strawberries has been shown to decrease chronic inflammation in the body and help with blood sugar balance. Strawberries are a low GI food loaded with Vitamin C, manganese and fiber. Their high Vitamin C content is thought to be helpful in boosting immunity and fighting cancer. Their high fiber and water content is excellent for fighting constipation. With all these incredible health benefits, it seems important to sneak as many of these health boosters into your diet as possible.
One way to take advantage of all of the amazing health benefits is through making a Strawberry Nut Milk. I have seen recipes for all sorts of different nut milks but started tinkering in my kitchen until I arrived at this particular combination to sneak in more strawberries. Making nut milks is easy but takes a little planning because you have to soak the nuts over night before you can start. As long as you remember that step, your milk should come together pretty easily!
This recipe made an incredibly rich, creamy nut milk. You can manipulate how strong you want the strawberry flavor or how sweet you want the milk by adjusting the number of strawberries or dates you use. This is an amazing after workout treat because it is packed with protein from the cashews and anti-oxidants from the strawberries. The dates also offer some carbs to replace all the glucose you burned in your workout.
- 1 cup of cashews
- 4 cups of filtered water
- 10-12 stem removed strawberries
- 7-10 dates
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Put cashews and dates in 3 cups of water to soak overnight.
- Pour cashews, dates, salt and water in high speed blender and pulse until uniform consistency.
- Place nut milk bag over a bowl and then pour liquid into the bowl.
- Knead bag until all liquid is squeezed out of the bag.
- Set aside bowl.
- Put 1 cup of water and strawberries in high speed blender and pulse to uniform consistency.
- Now put nut milk bag back over the bowl and pour strawberry liquid into bag.
- Knead bag again to extract all the liquid.
- Stir strawberry liquid into cashew liquid until uniform in color.
- Refrigerate and enjoy.
Photo by Tatayana on flickr
