Almond butter can be a delicious addition to your cooking repertoire – luscious, healthy, creamy, all-natural and extremely easy to make! Try it – you’ll never buy the store-bought version ever again.
Ingredients:
- Raw, organic almonds (1 cup)
- Sea salt (a pinch) (optional)
- Ghee (2 tsp) (optional)
- Olive oil (1 tsp) (optional)
Method:
- Soak the almonds in hot water for 10 minutes or so.
- Peel the almonds.
- Toast the almonds in a pan on medium to low heat for a few minutes, until all the water evaporates, and the nuts are golden brown in color.
- Grind the almonds. I used the Vitamix. Optionally, you may add salt, ghee (clarified butter) and olive oil for a slightly creamier texture.
- Store in an airtight glass or stainless steel container and refrigerate.
Tastes (Rasa):
Sweet (almonds, ghee, oil), sour (none), salty (sea salt), bitter (none), pungent (none), astringent (none).
Doshic Influence:
Almonds are heavy, sweet, nourishing and kapha aggravating, in excess, like most nuts. Almonds with peel, are considered pitta aggravating, because of tannic acid content in the peels. Also, soaking,roasting and grinding the almonds enhances their digestibility.
Effects on the Mind (Gunas):
Fresh, organic, unprocessed nuts are sattvic, when consumed in moderation.