Delicious Date Shake
Prep Time 10 Minutes
Serves 2
The Inspiration
“MY DATE-SHAKE BRINGS ALL THE BOYS TO THE YARD”
Everytime I blend up a date shake I hear this song in my head. The general response from people that I’ve seen after drinking this shake is pure bliss. Cold dairy is deemed one of the worst food items you could consume, because the dairy is already heavy for your digestion, so having it cold is never recommended, as cold foods greatly challenge your agni (your digestive fire). This shake is served warm and melts my heart every time.
This is an Ayurvedic staple for many practitioners because of how wondrous almonds and dates are for our ojas. Ojas is a subtle essence connected to sweetness, our vitality and our immunity. My teacher said you can also think of ojas like a savings account. You can withdraw from it, and you can add to it. So this is a wonderful way to add to your body’s ability to ward off disease.
Once you see how easy it is to make your own almond milk, I promise you this shake will most likely come into your weekly kitchen recipes regime. Although you can enjoy it year round, it is definitely more suited for when the weather is cooler temps.
Ingredients
2 cup fresh almond milk
4 dates (or 8 smaller dates like barhis)
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp Sunthi ginger powder (this ginger is less drying/vata provoking)
⅕ of a fresh vanilla bean (my favorite ingredient)
Steps
To make the almond milk, simply soak a cup of almonds overnight, or for 8 hours.
Then put them in a small saucepan with the water and bring them to a simmer. Next remove the hot water, and slip the almond skins off. Almond skins are difficult to digest and I find it worth the time to remove them, although you can skip this step if you choose.
Then take the de-skinned almonds into a vita mix or high speed blender and add three cups of water. Blend on high speed for nearly over a minute.
Then strain the nut milk with a cheesecloth or nut milk bag over a large bowl. Now you have fresh almond milk, and slightly more than the recipe requires.
Next heat two cups of almond milk on medium low until the milk is around 150 degrees.
Put all of the spices, dates, and milk into your vita-mix and blend on high again for another minute. This will get it nice and frothy.
Top with a little cinnamon and receive it as potent medicine for your mind, body and spirit!
