If you're a breastfeeding mama who has just been told they can't eat dairy, you may have gone through the 5 stages of grief: denial (not my baby!), anger (wtf!!!), bargaining (what if I just eat dairy on the weekends, doc?), depression (Ice cream, good bye my looooove!, sniffle, sniffle), and acceptance (my baby is happier? coconut milk ice cream, here I come!). Since an estimated 2-8% of babies are just not down with the cow's milk, you're not alone mamas.
I love almond milk, especially the fresh, homemade kind. But sometimes I miss the creaminess of cow's milk. The trick? Add a bit of chocolate! Boom. And since we are all about boosting milk supply around here, we didn't skimp on the galactagogues. We went ahead and added black sesame seeds to lend a sweet nuttiness to this almond milk and give it an extra lactation kick.
Pair this Iced Chocolate Sesame Almond milk with a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Mama bar, and breastfeeding mamas, you've got yourself a dairy-free snack time dreams are made of.
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds
21/2 cups filtered water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*
1/3 cup toasted black sesame seeds
1 whole vanilla bean, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract**
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Large pinch fine sea salt
Directions:
1. Soak the almonds in water overnight (about 8 to 10 hours). You can also soak the almonds in boiled water for 1 hour. Rinse and drain well.
21/2 cups filtered water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*
1/3 cup toasted black sesame seeds
1 whole vanilla bean, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract**
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Large pinch fine sea salt
Directions:
1. Soak the almonds in water overnight (about 8 to 10 hours). You can also soak the almonds in boiled water for 1 hour. Rinse and drain well.
2. Place drained almonds, filtered water, chocolate chips, sesame seeds, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean into blender and blend on the highest speed for 1 minute.
3. Pour the contents in a nut milk bag, or alternatively, a clean pantyhose works wonders here! Carefully strain all of the liquid almond milk out into a bowl, leaving behind the almond meal.
4. After you're done straining, you can throw out the leftover almond meal, or use it for other stuff like oatmeal topping or smoothie thickener.
5. Pour over ice and sip away! Store remaining almond milk in a container with a tight lid. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge. Be sure to shake before enjoying because it's normal for the contents to separate.