Feedfeed Takeover: Homemade Almond Milk to Cauliflower Flatbread. Delicious way to reduce food waste

Hannah Sunderani
Mar 18, 2017
8 min read

Hi guys! I hope you were able to join me today on @thefeedfeed Snapchat to learn how to make Homemade Almond Milk, and then use the pulp for this Cauliflower Flatbread w/ Cashew Parsley Pesto. You can also find the recipes below! I love using the leftover almond pulp in recipes to limit food waste. And it's so versatile! Who knew you could have your milk, and pizza-it too! Almond pulp can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, and can also be used for many other dishes like these Chocolate Peanut Truffle Balls, Cashew Coconut Truffles, and Curried Cauliflower Pizza.

And in case you missed the step-by-step you can follow along here!

Enjoy lovelies!!

10-Minute Classic Almond Milk

From Feb. 22, 2017

I love love LOOOVE to make my own almond milk! It's sort of become a Sunday morning ritual. Nothing feels better than turning on some soft tunes (Afternoon Acoustics on Spotify to be exact), that bright natural sunlight shining into the kitchen, and the serenity of handcrafting some sweet white juice to last the week - okay let's be honest; to last you a few days. (No way this tasty almond milk will go unscathed for a whole week!) And although the process of making your own almond milk is more cumbersome than picking up a tetra pack from the g-store I PROMISE the juice is worth the squeeze. As I've mentioned before in my previous almond milk post once you go craft, you never go back! Homemade almond milk is so rich, thick and creamy. It's like a fine wine; you want to savour every swallow and let the flavours linger on your taste buds. I literally pour thimble sized amounts into a glass a sip it like an award winning whisky. And actually, it only takes 10 minutes to make; which is a small price to pay for this certified delicious drink. Heck - I spend more time scrolling through my Instagram feed! I've been making homemade almond milk for about a year now, and have the milking down to a science. Mastering the exact water to almond ratio, sweetness to salt, and the exact straining method to reap all the juice. The outcome is the perfect partner for coffees, lattes, and overnight oats. And although we need not expect anymore of this classic milk it's a drink that keeps on giving. That's because the almond pulp (i.e. the leftover almond meal in your nut milk bag after being squeezed), is a blessing in disguise; and can be used to create drool-worthy dishes I've come to adore. I've used the almond pulp to make flatbread, pizza, truffle wedges, truffle balls and more. From breakfast, to pizza and dessert this almond milk is a triple threat. A drink that deserves infamous recognition like that of Emma Stone. So think twice about tossing that pulp in the garbage, because this magic milk is just getting started. So pour yourself a glass, put your legs up, and tune into La La Land while you hum the glory of each smooth sip and that city of stars. It's the little things in life, am I right? I hope you enjoy this fine almond milk as much as I do. <3

RECIPE: 10-Minute Classic Almond Milk

Serves: 3-4 | Prep Time: 30 mins| Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup organic almonds, soaked overnight
3 cups filtered water
1 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medjool dates, pits removed
pinch cinnamon
pinch sea salt

Directions:

Strain your soaked almonds and add to your blender
Add filtered water, vanilla bean, dates, cinnamon and salt. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes.
Place your nut milk bag inside a big bowl, and pour half your milk blend into the bag. Squeeze the back to strain the nutmilk. Continue to squeeze the milk from the bag, moving your hands around the bag to allow new areas to be milked. Squeeze until you can no longer remove milk from the bag. (If you don't have a nut milk bag you can also use a pair of tights).
Remove almond pulp* from nut milk bag, then add the second half of your milk blend to the nut milk bag. Continue the process of straining the nut milk described in Step 3. Then, remove remaining almond pulp from nut milk bag.
Pour the freshly squeezed milk from your bowl back into your blender (this just allows for easy pouring into a bottle). Transfer the milk into an air tight bottle and store in the fridge.

*Save almond pulp to use in recipes like flatbreads (below), pizza and dessert.

Note: Almond milk will keep in fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy in coffee, lattes and overnight oats.

Approvals:

Allergies: VEGAN - VEGETARIAN - WHEAT-FREE - GLUTEN-FREE - DAIRY-FREE - SOY-FREE - RAW

Cauliflower Flatbread with Cashew Parsley Pesto

From Jan. 17, 2017

I'd like to begin by saying that YES; this flatbread is made with cauliflower! I really can't believe how this veg transformed into something so bread-like and tasty! And before you wonder what rock I was living under for the past 5-years, let me tell you that I TRIED! I gave this veg to bread conversion a try on many occasions, but with little success. The issue was that many of the recipes advised cooking the cauliflower ahead of time, and then straining it through a cheesecloth to remove the excess water, and then to bake it at low temperatures for 1-2 hours. Oh the things I would endure for a gluten-free crust! But after much effort and too many hungry friends I decided to switch flower for flour. No more finicky shenanigans. I was destined to stick to the good-old-fashioned wheat crust till the end of time!

The cauliflower flatbread however peaked my interest once again by the vegan expert, Edgarraw. Upon scrolling through Instagram I stubbled upon his beautiful vegan pizza with a dark and crunchy thin crust. A dark and thin crust pizza...that's the key to my heart. But in fact, it wasn't the cauliflower that had me falling for this recipe. It was the almond pulp, which was repurposed from making homemade almond milk. Another way to my heart? Repurposing foods that are typically left for compost. Take my Forgotten Fruit Crumble for example. I LOVE the feeling of saving food! Actually, it's one of my favourite things about having a dog....and a husband for that matter! An unfinished meal is never forgotten when you have two of these around. And that "thunk" sound, which was becoming all too common on my Sunday ritual of making homemade almond milk, as pulp hit the can, was really starting to bury its way into my guilty conscience. But now, I had a purpose for the scraps! Thank you Edgar! I love how he had introduced this creative way to turn the scraps into something so gourmet. I mean common - you're telling me that I can make the creamiest sommilkier almond milk, AND THEN turn around and make a pizza with the scraps? In what perfect world can you have your milk and pizza-it too?

And so I got to testing the recipe; adapting it and adding my own flare to suit my preferences. The outcome was an easy peasy cauliflower flatbread. There is no pre-cooking, straining, or extremely long baking for this recipe. It's SUPER simple and completely vegan. What's more is just how flavourful this flatbread is. It's made by infusing the base with ingredients like nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion power and salt and pepper. The taste is PREMIUM. So delicious that it can be enjoyed on its own with no toppings at all. And trust me - when the crust is this good it's easy to forgo the toppings all-together!

But, if you have more self-control than me then the pesto spread and toppings are worth the wait. This pesto combines parsley with cashew, instead of traditional basil and pine nut; and I LOVE this combination. Especially in winter as parsley is much easier to find and cheaper than basil. Spread this pesto over the flatbread and it's a meal fit for a king. Top it with roasted cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radish, kale and pomegranate seeds and it's one fit for an emperor. Perhaps if townsmen had courted their Emperor with this flatbread their wishes would have been granted. And Emperors would have been a lot more likeable! And maybe it would have avoided a lot of revolutionary uprisings. Just saying...

But honestly, this flatbread is a true crown, er- I mean, crowd-pleaser. And can be adored warm or cold. It surpasses the skeptic-stamp of approval having been tried by Mitch's work colleagues at his potluck lunch. And if the French can adore this vegan-dish, I like to think it's a cooking success!

Just one thing to note - You'll notice that when preparing the dough it looks and feels similar to traditional. Although it's a little more sticky, especially as it gets thinner it can get stuck to the weight of the rolling pin. So, I encourage you to layer parchment paper overtop of the dough as you roll it out. Here's how I do it:

First flatten the dough onto parchment paper with your hands to create a rectangular shape. Flatten it out to be about 2-3 inches thick.
Layer parchment paper over top of the dough and set your rolling pin on top. Roll overtop of the parchment paper until the dough is 1/4 inch thick. This way you can get it nice and thin crust without it sticking to the rolling pin.
Peel off the paper and you're left with a thin flatbread crust ready to bake!

Now go enjoy this crowd-pleasing flatbread ladies and gents. I'm sure it will be hot commodity in your home too; perhaps with a side of that creamy homemade almond milk. ;)

RECIPE: Cauliflower Flatbread with Cashew Parsley Pesto

Serves: 3-4 | Prep Time: 30 mins| Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust:

4 tbsp chia seeds
8 tbsp water
2 cups shredded cauliflower
1/2 cup almond pulp* (from leftover almond milk)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

For the Cashew Parsley Pesto:

2 cups parsley
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup oil
the juice of 1 lemon

Additional toppings:

12-15 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed
1/2 cup kale, chopped
1/4 cup radish, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

*Almond pulp is what's leftover in the bag after making homemade almond milk. Instead of tossing the pulp, use it in this recipe. It can be damp when using; there's no need to dry it out, or pre-bake it. Just try to get out as much of the milk as possible when making nut milk, as I'm sure you will because who wants to miss even an ounce!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Make chia egg by adding water to chia seeds, and let absorb for at least 10 minutes.
Roast cherry tomatoes by painting them with olive oil to cover. Place in a baking pan and cook in the oven for approx. 15-20 minutes, or until bursted.
In a food processor pulse cauliflower until it's shredded and flour-like. Then add to a large mixing bowl with almond pulp, buckwheat flour, chia egg, nutritional yeast, garlic cloves, onion powder, salt and pepper. Knead with your hands to create a large doughy ball.
Transfer dough to parchment paper and roll it out until it's 1/4 inch thick.** Transfer dough and lower parchment paper to a baking tray. Bake in the oven for approx. 20 minutes or until golden and crusty. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
While you're waiting for the dough to bake, make your cashew parsley pesto: In a food processor add parsley, cashews, oil and lemon. Process for approx. 1 minute, or until smooth.
Lather flatbread with pesto and top with roasted tomatoes, chopped kale, thinly sliced radish, and pomegranate.

**Tip for the dough: After transferring the dough to parchment paper begin flattening it with your hands. Flatten dough to be about 2-3 inches thick. Then layer a piece of parchment paper over top of the dough and set your rolling pin on top. Roll pin overtop of the parchment paper to flatten the dough until is 1/4 inch thick. (The top layer of parchment paper will stop the dough from sticking to the rolling pin). Peel off the paper and you're left with a thin flatbread crust ready to bake

Approvals: