Recipe - Nut milk yogurt

I am so proud of the results of this recipe, because everywhere I look for nut milk yogurt says it can't be done, that it is watery, it separates, and shares no common traits with yogurt. Well my dear readers, it CAN be done. There are two tricks to it: don't use commercial nut milk and don't heat it prior to incubation. I used to make cow's milk yogurt regularly, that is, until we could no longer tolerate cow's milk. Grayson also gave up on liking yogurt about a year ago, so it wasn't really a big deal. I like yogurt as a snack, it reminds me of our honeymoon....eating Greek yogurt under canopied patios by the sea with honey and fruit on top. That was the best yogurt I have EVER tasted. Well anyway, back to reality....nut yogurt. It's not Greek yogurt, but it sure is tasty. It even looks and smells like yogurt! It IS watery and separated when it's done incubating, but the additional step to drip it through a cheesecloth makes it the perfect consistency. So try it, you'll like it!! Even Grayson did. We added some honey and strawberries, what a tasty treat. Oh and be warned, it is slightly labor intensive with the blending, straining then straining again, and it won't be ready for a day, so don't plan to make it and eat it right away. Anywhoooo, here is the recipe, thanks to "Marjan", the only author of a successful nut-based yogurt I could find!

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup whole, RAW blanched almonds or RAW blanched hazelnuts (filberts) or RAW macadamias (we used cashews which have a very mild flavor)
2 TBL clear honey
Water
Yogurt starter (ProGurt by GI ProHealth) We got this same starter online, highly recommended for dairy free yogurts

Step-by-step instructions for making nut yogurt:

1. Put all things you need on a tea towel on the kitchen table:
blender, a fine sieve/mesh strainer, some tea towels, the nuts, honey, two tablespoons, whisk, water, yogurt maker + yogurt container. Get the probiotics out of the freezer only when you need them.
2. Put nuts into blender
3. Add enough cold water to get a total of 4 to 5 cups / =1 litre
4. Add 2 tablespoons of honey (the bacteria need the sweets to feed off of, cow's milk is naturally sweet)
5. Blend for 10 minutes (use a stopwatch)
6. Pour about 1 cup of the nut milk through the fine sieve (I saved the "solids" from this process and made a mock cream cheese with a little added vanilla)
(You can squeeze out more liquid if you use a teacloth/cheesecloth and twist it firmly.)

NOW take your probiotics out of the freezer

7. Add 1/8 tsp of ProGurt yogurt starter to the milk, per 1 quart of yogurt.
8. Stir well with whisk, add the rest of the milk, with back of spoon press out all liquids
9. Stir well and place container in yogurt maker
10. Ferment for 8 hours.
11. Place in the fridge overnight or at least for 5 hours (overnight is better)
12. Get a bowl, put the sieve on the bowl, put a cheesecloth in the sieve
13. Pour the yogurt in the cheesecloth so that it can drip
14. Drip for about an hour, or longer if you'd like the yoghurt thicker
15. By pressing the dripped yoghurt further, you can make something that resembles cheese

The fermentation process takes place at about 105 Fahrenheit.

As you see, I do NOT cook or heat the milk. After blending, the milk should be lukewarm, not warmer than 105F. If you heat more, the milk will separate and the fermentation will not take place.

Try to find RAW nuts that have been through minimal processing. Deep frying them may be very tasty, but it will negatively affect the outcome and it is also a bit unhealthy.

The sieve is such, that if you pour orange juice through it, there's no pulp in your glass.