LOVELY WARM HAZELNUT MILK W/ VANILLA BEAN AND HONEY

The weather has been a bit windy here in the western part of Canada. What better to warm us up, non other then some sweet hazelnut milk with a savory vanilla bean. I've been so very fortunate to be able to sit here while my husband is hard at work in the kitchen making pizza for dinner (using my recipe of course). He thought he would give me the night off cooking. And since this weekend was Easter, we ate out both Saturday and Sunday at the relatives houses. So I'm being pretty darn spoilt right now. I'm so happy.

I watched Seth and our nightbor girl ride their bikes from the window while sipping on my sweet hazelnut milk. Then after I made cookies with the left over pulp. I honestly never measure. I just throw in oats, the left over pulp, pour in honey, sprinkle in cinnamon and dump in chocolate chips. My Zumba instructor said she makes "5 cup dump cookies". haha it sounds a bit... turdy! She takes 5 cups of whatever she has in the kitchen, like oats, chocolate chips, raisins, seeds and nuts and throws it all together, adds sweetener and eggs and away she goes. Mine would be called the 6 cup dump. I have a lot of fun ingredients. I have been loving our dehydrated sprouted buckwheat lately. It's crunchy like a chocolate bar, like inside a Mr. Big, so it's perfect for granola bars and cookies! Here is a great cookie recipe!

Hope you enjoy this!

Lovely Warm Hazelnut Milk with Vanilla Bean & Honey

Need a pick me up on a cold day, drink this! Or if you are craving something cold and creamy on a hot sunny day drink this blended with crushed ice. Whatever the weather may be, this will always satisfy your sweet tooth.

Makes 3 1/2 cups

Prepare ahead – Soak hazelnuts, covered in filtered water, for 4 hours

- Remove pits and soak dates, covered in filtered water, for 20 minutes

·         1 cup raw hazelnuts, soaked

·         3 ½ cups filtered water

·         3 dates, pits removed and soaked

·         1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

·         1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

·         1 tsp. unpasteurized honey

·         1/2 vanilla bean, cut down the middle and seeds scraped out

1. Soak hazelnuts for 4 hours. Rinse. Soak dates for 20 minutes. Drain

2. Pinch hazelnut skins off and discard.

3. Cut the vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Blend soaked hazelnuts, water, dates, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla seeds in a high speed blender on high until smooth.

4. Strain with a tea strainer or cheese cloth. If using a tea strainer stir inside the strainer to help strain the milk. Save the pulp for cookies. 

5. Warm hazelnut milk and vanilla pod in a pot on the stove on medium/low heat until it starts to steam. Pour into glasses and add 1 tsp. honey. Stir.

6. Garnish with fresh nutmeg or cinnamon. Serve hot.

7. Discard vanilla pod before storing. Keep in a sealed jar or container and store milk in the fridge. Will keep up to 2 weeks. Shake before using.

8. If you want this drink with ice, do step 1 through 3. Add honey and 4 ice cubes to high speed blender. Blend until desired consistency. Serve immediately.

Please feel free to drink this cold with a dash of cinnamon. It is perfect for a hot sunny day!