The other day, I got an email from a lovely reader, suggesting that I needed to mix avocado with almond milk, because apparently it turns into pudding. And I don’t mean the British kind of pudding, which I learned means dessert in general, but I mean the gel-like dessert that comes with different flavors like chocolate or vanilla. So of course I was so touched that I now get recipe tips and suggestions from my readers, that I had to give it a try immediately. Simply mixing avocado and almond milk, however, didn’t taste that exciting, so I added some other ingredients to make it even more nutritious and delicious. 

So I added the insides of a fresh vanilla bean, one tablespoon of raw honey, chia seeds, and a superfood powder for an extra touch of healthiness. And oh my, was I amazed by this avocado vanilla pudding! This is the kind of thing that you never knew you needed in your life until you actually tried it. I have mixed avocado, banana and chocolate countless times, and the idea to give it a completely different taste, never occurred to me. I believe that if you love bananas, you can even add these instead of the honey, but since every plant based sweet recipe includes banana, I left it out in this recipe.

In terms of health, this recipe only includes ingredients that nourish and strengthen your body. Avocado is a great source of healthy fatty acids, almond milk is rich in vitamin E, which is great for our nails, skin and hair, raw honey comes with amazing anti-bacterial properties, chia seeds contain basically every vital mineral or vitamin, and vanilla adds the final touch of deliciousness. If you have some kind of green superfood in your kitchen like matcha, kale or other alkalizing powders, then be sure to add a teaspoon of these too, because you can never have enough nutrients in your pudding.

Enjoy!

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I’m sorry for this super short recipe description, but I just did not have time to write a whole lot this week. As some of you know, I’ve started my Masters a few weeks ago, and it has already kept me busy, especially since I am also trying to work full time for the family business. Anyway, no excuses, there is always time for food. Especially now, when days get darker and the temperatures get colder I need a proper breakfast in order to be productive throughout the entire day. Now that does not mean that I have a huge amount of time to prepare it in the morning. In fact, I am a strong believer that breakfast can be prepared quickly without having to sacrifice on nourishment or goodness. Porridge is a great way to make a highly nutritious breakfast in no time. This quick vanilla porridge literally takes 3 minutes to prepare. Everybody has 3 minutes in the morning, right? The porridge needs another 10 minutes to sit, during which you can get ready for the day, because you don’t even have to watch it. Those of you following me on Instagram have probably noticed my addiction to coconut porridge in the morning. Well, I still love coconut porridge, but oh man, this vanilla porridge has great potential to become my next big thing. Vanilla is just perfect for this time of the year, especially now that we are getting closer and closer to Christmas. It is so comforting and really warms you from the inside.

I buy my vanilla powder in a jar, but you can also use traditional vanilla pods if you like. I know that vanilla is not the cheapest, but a little jar of vanilla powder lasts me for many months, and the flavor is definitely worth it. If you love porridge and vanilla, then you are going to love this one. Trust me on this.

Enjoy with your favorite toppings.

Merken

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Ever since I had my first sip of almond milk I have been in love. I discovered nut milk during my time in Texas, when I still thought that I was lactose intolerant. A friendly person at Whole Foods recommended almond milk instead of the very sweet lactose free milk, and fortunately I gave it a try. I admit that switching completely from cows milk to almond milk took me some time. First, I mixed it with cows milk and then I gradually increased the amount of almond milk in my cereal bowl. It takes some time getting used to the taste, but once you learn about all the health benefits of almond milk, you will want to try it with everything. At least that’s how I feel about it.
Almond milk is full of healthy vitamins and minerals, and thus really deserves the title super-milk in my opinion. The amount of vitamin E in one cup of almond milk already covers 50% of the recommended daily intake of the beautity vitamin. It is a natural health booster, which makes your skin, nails and hair glow – at least that’s what I tell myself. Rumor has it though, that almond milk also has a higher calcium content than cows milk, but I have to tell you that this is unfortunately not true. If you are switching to almond milk, then you need to receive your daily dose of calcium from somewhere else such as from green vegetables like broccoli, rucola or algea (sushi!).
The Glycemic Index (the index which shows the effect of a certain food on our blood sugar levels) of unsweetened almond milk is also very low, which means that almond milk does not significantly raise our blood sugar levels, thus it does not increase our risk of getting diabetes type 2. It also means that the little amount of carbohydrates present in almond milk is turned into energy and not into fat. If you’re watching your weight, then almond milk is great for you because it contains almost three times less calories than cows or soy milk. The latter also often contains many nasty additives and preservatives, which is why almond milk is definitely a better milk substitute than soy milk.
Unfortunately almond milk can be quite expensive which is why homemade almond milk is not only a healthier but also a cheaper alternative to store-bought nut milk. With only one cup of almonds you can get almost a liter of almond milk, which is defintely cheaper than buying it from the store.

Health benefits in this homemade almond milk:
– biotin (important for blood sugar balance and skin health, necessary to build healthy fats that keep the skin moist and soft)
– magnesium (important for a healthy nerve system, muscle health, energy production)
– manganese (for nerve health)
– vitamin B (lowers blood pressure, important for healthy nerves, and energy production)
– vitamin E (antioxidant against free radicals, prevents skin ageing
  
  

Ingredients:
– 1 cup (150g) of blanched almonds
– 3 cups (750ml) of water
– 1 tsp agave (optional)
– ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
– a jelly bag or a thin towel like this one*

The day before you want to make your almond milk, you need to soak your almonds for at least 8 hours in order for this recipe to work. Be sure to cover every nut with water and let it soak preferably over night.
The next day, drain your almonds and put them into a blender. Add the 3 cups of water and blend everything for at least 1 minute until you have a nicely smooth milk.
Now place your jelly bag over a large bowl and pour the almond milk through the bag. Finally drain the rest of the water with your hands. Almond milk can taste a bit strange in the beginning, so you might want to add some sweetener such as agave and maybe even some cinnamon to make it more tasty.

Store the milk in an airtight bottle in the fridge and it should last for about a week or so.

If you do not know where to get a jelly bag from, this one* works perfectly.

Enjoy!

*Affiliate-Link – if you buy this product through this link I will get a little bonus which will help me cover the costs of keeping my blog alive.

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