Almonds and other nuts, seeds, legumes, and even grains contain phytic acid that our body's have difficulty digesting, though they are very necessary for the seed's development. There are a few ways to rid the food of this acid, and I will show you the soaking method.
In the photo above you will see a bag full of organic, raw, unsalted almonds and a bowl of almonds that have soaked overnight in a sea-salt and distilled water solution. The water is murky after soaking, and the almonds need to be rinsed well. Here is a better photo of the yucky bits.
Now the almonds need to dry so they don't grow mold. An oven set to the lowest temperature works well if you don't have a dehydrator. I plan to make almond milk so this step really isn't necessary. Instead, they go directly into a blender with about 4 cups of water (I used 1 cup of almonds). Now is when to add any sweeteners like vanilla extract and maple syrup. Blend until the mixture is creamy, and then drain the liquid into a container. It should be consumed within 4 days. The next part is my favorite - nothing gets wasted!
The almond bits that have just been drained can be dried in the oven (or dehydrator) just like we did before with the whole nut and ground into almond flour! How cool is that?! It smells so good I think it would make a great pie crust. The almond milk is tasty on its own, but goes great in a creamy pasta sauce.
And just for color comparison: on the left is almond milk, and on the right is cow milk.
Thanks for reading, and let me know if you will be soaking your seeds from now on. I know I will!