This delicious nut milk is worth every moment of prep time. You can double the recipe and freeze whatever is not required in the next few days in glass jars (be careful not to overfill - remember freezer expansion!) It's sweet but not overly, the dates making a lovely and elegantly simple addition.

I have used beautifully fresh nuts and dates from Plastic Free Pantry here on Waiheke Island. Always try to use fresh nuts. (Nuts, being full of unstable oils, easily go rancid.) Buy fresh from a great supplier, ensure you store away from heat & light in airtight containers and use within a few months if possible. 

This recipe is part 1 of a 2 part creation towards a recipe I was asked to adapt to make it plastic packaging free: Feijoa & Chocolate Truffles. So be on the lookout for that one which will utilise the grounds!

Soak the nuts overnight and make the milk the next day.

Equipment Required:

A blender with a good strong motor

Nut milk bag such as a Goodie bag (to filter and squeeze the liquid out of the nut pulp) or a sieve.

2 medium-large bowls and a wide rimmed pouring jug. Clean storage bottles/ jars (enough for 6-8 cups or 1..5- 2 litres).

Ingredients:

• 100g raw cashews (broken ones are fine!)
• 150g raw almonds
• 100g dates
• 8 cups filtered water

Method:

1. Soak the nuts together with the dates in 6 cups of the water overnight.

2. The next day, blend the nuts together with the soaking water. If you only have a small smoothie blender, do a little at a time.

3. Place your goodie bag or sieve over a medium to large bowl and pour the blended nuts into it, so the bowl underneath catches the liquid. if you're using a goodie bag, squeeze the liquid out and place the pulp into a separate bowl. If you're using a sieve, use a spoon to push the pulp around the sieve till the liquid is pushed through.

4. If your grounds are still quite course, you can blend them again with some of the additional water. Otherwise simply pour the 2 cups of water not used for soaking through the grounds and mix with the denser liquid.

5. As your bowl gets full of liquid, pour into your wide-lipped pouring jug and then pour it into your glass storage bottle or jars.

6. Save the grounds for baking or raw treats - I will be blogging a lot more on how to use them. You can happily freeze them.

7. Use your liquid mylk within 4-5 days or freeze it until it's needed.