Today I used up the last of my creamer for coffee, so I decided to get creative with what I had on hand. I am by no means skilled in the kitchen–I’m rather horrible actually. I’m neglectful in following recipes and usually just go off instinct.
This sometimes results in a accidentally nice-tasting result, but, more often, the results are pretty bleak.
I’d recently used my food processor to make homemade cashew butter sweetened with dates, and that somehow turned out really good. A day or so later, I wanted to find a savory use for my raw pumpkin seeds. I’d already tried a *sweet* attempt with Pepitas, Brazil Nuts and Raw Honey a while ago, with fairly decent results (below).
It turns out, pumpkin seeds, coarsely blended with salt and garlic, taste amazing mixed with pasta. I realized that I’d stumbled upon my own homemade vegan “Parmesan cheese” without actively looking for it. Whaaat? It was so good with plain pasta and a little pepper added. When tossed with the warm pasta, the pulverized pepitas became creamy. It tasted like Fettuccine Alfredo, but vegan! So, so surprisingly good.
Because of my success with the two nut recipe attempts, I was thinking nut milk would be the way to go. I only had raw, shelled walnut pieces on hand, so I looked up this recipe from walnuts.org:
INGREDIENTS
1 cup California walnut halves, rinsed (about 4 ounces)
3 cups water, plus more for soaking the walnuts
1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
Place walnuts in a bowl and fill with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and set aside at room temperature to soak at least 1 hour to 12 hours (this helps remove some of the tannins and makes them blend smoother).
Drain walnuts and rinse thoroughly. Combine walnuts, 3 cups water, honey, vanilla, and salt in the carafe of a blender then blend on low until very smooth, at least 2 minutes.
Serve as is, or if you desire a smoother milk, pour through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to strain. (Will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.)
TOTAL TIME
3 HRS, 10 MINS
COOK TIME
3 HRS
ACTIVE TIME
10 MINS
Naturally, I deviated from the recipe. I had the vanilla extract, salt and water, but I didn’t have honey or agave to sweeten the milk. I did have a little bit of white sugar, so I subbed that. Using white sugar probably cancels out the benefits of raw, vegan nut milk, but oh well. My goal was just to have decent tasting coffee that wouldn’t burn a hole in my stomach.
The nutrition information is straight from their website as well. The recipe makes 4 cups and they are assuming you will consume a 1 cup serving. Because I am using it as a coffee creamer substitute and not as a standalone beverage, my serving sizes are smaller, but I’ll be able to stretch out the use of it for many cups of coffee.
For the next batch, I will probably divide half of the milk while it is still a bit pulpy and before sweetening, to use as a savory condiment.
Oh THANK YOU KRISTEN for this recipe for a substitute coffee creamer!! Not only does it sound super yummy but I also have trouble with coffee acidity and reflux issues so I am excited to try it! What proportion of nut milk to coffee do you find works best for your tummy? (The raw pumpkin seeds blended with salt & garlic sounds amazing over pasta as well!) 😍
I’m putting in about 1/4th cup of milk per 10-12 0z. coffee, so probably a larger ratio of creamer than you are used to because it’s a thinner consistency, similar to soy or almond milk.
If you warm it, it doesn’t curdle like soy has the nasty tendency to do, so that’s a bonus. You can sweeten it as much or as little as you like. I didn’t have a strainer, so I manually scooped out the walnut pulp and cooked it in some oatmeal.
And yes, the pumpkin seeds=better than cheese on pasta. Totally decadent.
Hope you are doing well–your trip is coming up, isn’t it? Have fun!
I’m not by any means vegan but I love the idea of using the pumpkin seeds as a pasta topping because I love their flavor. I usually just put them on top of salads which isn’t terribly creative or exciting. 🙂
Haha, me either, actually, but the nutty? smoky? flavor is kick-a**. Having them coarsely chopped releases their oil, and the heat from the (cooked, not raw!) pasta makes it really good. I really like nuts on top of salads, too. Do you remember Almond Accents? Do they still make those? So high in sodium and all kinds of bad stuff, but yummy!
I have made all kinds of nut butters. Almonds are so expensive, it’s cheaper to buy premade almond butter. I love pepitas. So delicious. A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with IBS and apparently nuts are very bad for people with that. How sad! Nuts and seeds make up a large part of my diet. A big spoonful of peanut butter is a sweet treat. If I don’t watch how much nuts, seeds, and nut butters I eat, I will not fit into my clothes anymore. As a matter of fact, right now my fingertips are tender from shelling and eating pistachios.
Pistachios!
I forgot how much I like them! I haven’t had them in forever, but when I do eat them, I always eat too many.
I feel so sad for your friend! That would be a sad day to be diagnosed with IBS, indeed. Can he/she eat soynuts? Am I making those up?
Conventional peanut butter with honey is my favorite sweet treat which is not really healthy, but it is so delicious and I can eat like a whole jar in one sitting. And yes, why oh why are nuts and nut butters so delicious when they are so detrimental to the waistline? So unfair! Cashews are probably my favorite nuts and they are the fattiest of all, hahaha! 🙂
I’ll have to ask her about soy nuts, but yes. IBS is a curse for many reasons, not the least of which is having to give up nuts.
I nkow you were being rhetorical, but nuts and seeds are fantastic for human survival. Portable, storeable, and LOADED with calories, protein, fat… God made them so human beings could survive when nothing is growing and we can’t catch any critters to gnaw on.
Oh THANK YOU KRISTEN for this recipe for a substitute coffee creamer!! Not only does it sound super yummy but I also have trouble with coffee acidity and reflux issues so I am excited to try it! What proportion of nut milk to coffee do you find works best for your tummy? (The raw pumpkin seeds blended with salt & garlic sounds amazing over pasta as well!) 😍
Hey Sherrie!
I’m putting in about 1/4th cup of milk per 10-12 0z. coffee, so probably a larger ratio of creamer than you are used to because it’s a thinner consistency, similar to soy or almond milk.
If you warm it, it doesn’t curdle like soy has the nasty tendency to do, so that’s a bonus. You can sweeten it as much or as little as you like. I didn’t have a strainer, so I manually scooped out the walnut pulp and cooked it in some oatmeal.
And yes, the pumpkin seeds=better than cheese on pasta. Totally decadent.
Hope you are doing well–your trip is coming up, isn’t it? Have fun!
I’m not by any means vegan but I love the idea of using the pumpkin seeds as a pasta topping because I love their flavor. I usually just put them on top of salads which isn’t terribly creative or exciting. 🙂
Haha, me either, actually, but the nutty? smoky? flavor is kick-a**. Having them coarsely chopped releases their oil, and the heat from the (cooked, not raw!) pasta makes it really good. I really like nuts on top of salads, too. Do you remember Almond Accents? Do they still make those? So high in sodium and all kinds of bad stuff, but yummy!
I totally remember those! My mom used to put them on salads when I was in high school. No idea if they’re still around.
I have made all kinds of nut butters. Almonds are so expensive, it’s cheaper to buy premade almond butter. I love pepitas. So delicious. A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with IBS and apparently nuts are very bad for people with that. How sad! Nuts and seeds make up a large part of my diet. A big spoonful of peanut butter is a sweet treat. If I don’t watch how much nuts, seeds, and nut butters I eat, I will not fit into my clothes anymore. As a matter of fact, right now my fingertips are tender from shelling and eating pistachios.
OMG, Ima!
Pistachios!
I forgot how much I like them! I haven’t had them in forever, but when I do eat them, I always eat too many.
I feel so sad for your friend! That would be a sad day to be diagnosed with IBS, indeed. Can he/she eat soynuts? Am I making those up?
Conventional peanut butter with honey is my favorite sweet treat which is not really healthy, but it is so delicious and I can eat like a whole jar in one sitting. And yes, why oh why are nuts and nut butters so delicious when they are so detrimental to the waistline? So unfair! Cashews are probably my favorite nuts and they are the fattiest of all, hahaha! 🙂
I’ll have to ask her about soy nuts, but yes. IBS is a curse for many reasons, not the least of which is having to give up nuts.
I nkow you were being rhetorical, but nuts and seeds are fantastic for human survival. Portable, storeable, and LOADED with calories, protein, fat… God made them so human beings could survive when nothing is growing and we can’t catch any critters to gnaw on.
When you put it like that, it makes complete sense from a hunter/gatherer standpoint!