[Sometimes, you just want a dish that’s quick and easy–no fuss. I’ve decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so simple to make that no recipe is required. Here’s today’s “Flash in the Pan.” (For other FitP recipes, see “Categories” at right).]
[Hemp Milk, au naturel. . . can’t help myself when it comes to this beverage!]
Okay, everyone. . . .it’s time to channel your Inner Hippie!
What? No inner hippie? No worries! Just imagine me and you as hippies instead. Imagine the afros, imagine the bell-bottoms, imagine all the psychedelic purple haze (and other colors) and–most importantly–imagine all the music!
You see, while I wasn’t exactly one of the cool kids who wore flowers in my hair back then (I was still a preteen when Joplin OD’d), The Nurse, four years my senior, was a quintessential daydream believer– which meant my concept of “flower child” was based entirely on her and her friends. The Nurse was perennially wearing Lee overalls, loose-flowing (naturally) blonde locks falling to her waist, eyelids dusted with baby blue, lips glossed with shimmery pale pink. During the last summer in the city after high school, she hung out incessantly with one particular chum, a hippie-dippy guy who was born to be wild and who, when I think about it now, eerily resembled Howard Stern. “Howard” was lanky, with a deep guttural laugh, a cigarette forever clasped between thumb and index finger, all of it topped with a mop of curly raven hair. He and The Nurse would zip through the neighborhood on his motorcycle (long hair blowin’ in the wind), return to our house and plunk themselves down in front of the TV, munch on corn chips or popcorn, then fall into wild paroxysms of laughter (I never did understand how the news could be that funny).
I had occasion to recall those long-ago good vibrations the other day, courtesy of Facebook. (It’s amazing where Facebook conversations take us, isn’t it?) It started innocently enough, after I’d whipped up some hemp milk for the first time.
Since hemp seeds are my favorite seed, I could never figure out why I hated the product of hemp seeds–i.e., packaged hemp milks. It was sort of like, hey, if Martin Sheen is my favorite actor, then why don’t I like Charlie Sheen? I kept thinking that if I’d just try a little bit harder, I’d learn to appreciate it; but no matter which brand I tasted, my reaction was, “Bleh! I can’t get no satisfaction when it comes to hemp milk.” So, I decided to make my own. I casually mentioned that I’d (finally) tried some of the homemade stuff:
Before I knew it, the conversation gained momentum like a rolling stone and my hemp milk had morphed into “hippie” milk, thanks to Shirley, Liz, Melissa, Alexa, Maggie, Deanna and Ellen:
Well, how could I resist? Of course, all associations with Woodly Harrelson aside, y’all know that hemp milk is incredibly healthful and good for you, right?
[Mexican Chocolate Hemp Frostie]
And it’s ridiculously easy to make. Unlike alternative milks from other nuts or seeds, there’s no pre-soaking; you just blend, strain (not necessary, but I prefer a smoother milk) and sip. If you want a sweeter milk, add some (unrefined) sugar, sugar, or other sweetener of choice. I may have been skeptical before I tried the homemade kind, but now I’m a believer.
Gorgeous, isn’t it? So creamy white (an even whiter shade of pale) and with such tiny bubbles (and note that far-out new tea towel sitting under it, sent to me by the far too sweet and generous Hannah!) I do hope you’ll try it. It’s rich, it’s creamy, it’s full of healthy Omega 3s, 6s and 9s, and it will no doubt leave you feeling groovy.
Peace, love, and hemp hearts, all! 😉
“Mum, we must be hippies at heart, too, ’cause we just think this grass is great, man!”
I’m sharing this recipe at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Healthy Vegan Fridays (man).
Homemade Hemp Milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) raw shelled hemp seeds (hemp hearts)
3 cups (720 ml) filtered water
pinch fine sea salt
5-15 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid, if desired
Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until the liquid becomes white and creamy, and hemp seeds are completely blended in. Strain through a fine sieve, if desired. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Shake before using. Makes 3 cups (720 ml).
For the Mexican Chocolate Hemp Frostie above, blend 2 cups (480 ml) hemp milk with 1 Tbsp (15 ml) raw cacao powder, 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) cinnamon, 1 tsp (5 ml) coconut sugar, 10-20 drops stevia (to taste) and a cup of ice until frothy. Serve immediately.
Suitable for: ACD All Stages, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut free, vegan, low glycemic.
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Last Year at this Time: Coconut Brittle (gluten free; ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
Two Years Ago: Mint Chip Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Required!) (gluten free; ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
Three Years Ago: “Ground” Tempeh in a Creamy Curry Sauce (gluten free; ACD all stages)
Other recipes with hemp seeds you might like:
- Kale Salad, Fully Loaded
- Raw Cream of Zucchini Soup
- Pink Breakfast Bowl
- Happy Hemp Two-Bite Brownies
© Ricki Heller
[Disclaimer: this post may contain affiliate links. If you buy using these links, at no cost to you, I will earn a small commission from the sale.]
Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
Impeccable timing! I somehow ended up with no less than three bags of hemp hearts in my freezer, and I’ve been at a loss for how to use them, other than sprinkling them over salads. That will ensure that I never finish that stash, though. I’ll have to try your hemp milk, especially so I can enjoy a chocolate frostie!
Glad to be of service, Hannah! 🙂 This is a great way to use them (in fact, you may just find that you us UP those hemp hearts far too quickly now!)
Now, this is something I definitely have to try. I’d never even *thought* of hemp milk before – but what a wonderful idea.
It might just be my new favorite nondairy milk! 🙂
Hemp milk is kind of my favorite, and on top of that, it’s the only store bought non-dairy milk that I like to put in coffee!
The homemade stuff is grand, too, and this is a great, quick recipe!
Funny, I really didn’t care for the store-bought ones, but I LOVE this one. And so quick, yes!
Well I am not a milk kind of girl but we have taken to using soy milk in our house and I keep thinking it would be fun to use other milks and I should try making them some day – I love the sound of milk you don’t have to soak – in fact it sounds opposite to hippy in some ways because hippies seem to have all the time in the world and this seems to suit busier types! Though I am sure this milk is full of peace love and hemp!
And I love your new judy horacek tea towel. And I wish my older sister had had interesting boyfriends like that.
It’s really easy, Johanna, and so creamy-rich! And thanks re: the tea towel–I love it as much as the one you sent to me! I am getting quite the collection now. 🙂 (And The Nurse would kill me if she thought I was suggesting that Howard was her boyfriend–just friends!!–you know how teenagers are about that stuff!) 😉
Ah Ricki I adore you! I want to see a pic of your sis and her blue eyeshadow! We are away from home right now visiting family. I am about to run out of the homemade almond milk I brought. So I’m off to the store to buy some hemp seeds so I can test this recipe in a magic bullet! I have been adding 1/4 c of hemp seeds to my almond and cashew milks since I saw your fb thread. Delish! Peace baby.
Well, you already *know* I adore you, right? 😀 I probably have a few old pics around, but The Nurse is very shy (doesn’t want to appear on the blog). Glad you’re adding the seeds to your milks–do you love the flavor? (I also love the creaminess!).
You have such a fun way with words.
I adore hemp milk’s creaminess and total easiness. I’m far to lazy to make my own nut milks on a regular basis (and I hate either throwing away or dehydrating the leftover pulp for later use). So, hemp is my go-to home made milk these days.
Madison is such a hippy dippy town, though, that drinking hemp milk hardly qualifies me as hippy dippy. Nay – I’d very much need to be wearing hemp (if not smoking it) in order to qualify. 🙂
Thanks, Deanna! Must be all that hemp. 😉 I have to say, Toronto (in general) isn’t what I’d call “hippie dippy,” although there are certainly pockets (Queen West? Roncesvailles? Dundas West? Readers, what say you?). But The Girls, well, that’s another story! 😀
Inner Hippie! Sign me up! 🙂 sounds like a delish libation! 🙂
It is, Caralyn! And I bet it’s BED-approved! Groovy! 😀
Hi Ricki,
Love homemade hemp milk! And I fully embrace my inner hippy. 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Peace and love 😉
So glad to hear that! Peace out! 🙂
Hemp milk is my all-time favorite! Anytime I’m in a crunch and have run out it takes seconds to whip up more… plus it’s the least messiest! Double score 😉
Even though I do have a high-powered blender, I’m pretty sure this can be done in any blender and end up just as delicious! Of course, it’s the absolute tastiest when made with the smooth and creamy Delores hemp 🙂
I agree, Christa, no nut-bag mess to clean up! I did strain mine, but there was hardly anything in the strainer, anyway. And yes, I’d bet a regular blender would be just fine (I adore the Delores hemp, but of course any hemp will do!) 😀
I’ve got hemp hearts in hand and will be making hemp milk shortly actually. Funny coincidence. Well, I guess not that funny since we both make dairy-free stuff 🙂 Love the idea of stevia to sweeten! I actually hadn’t used stevia yet in making milk alternative.
Hemp milk seems a natural dairy-free alternative, but somehow I’d just never thought to make it before! The stevia is perfect–just a few drops and it’s not at all overpowering. 🙂
Hi Ricki! This is my first time commenting on your blog, and I just had to tell you how delicious the Mexican hemp milk frostie looks. I’ve been watching your Wellness Weekends for a while, and I’m looking forward to linking up a recipe this time! What a great way to compile a lot of healthy recipes! I look forward to reading what others post, as well as making some new blog friends. Thanks for hosting such a positive food soiree! 🙂
Thanks so much, Lauren, and so glad you commented! 🙂 I do hope you get a post up next time. Every week, I find more and more amazing recipes that I want to try! I bet it would be fun to hold an event where people blog about each other’s WW recipes! Hmmmm. .. . . (wheels turning. . . )! 😀
Whoa, man, it’s like you totally, like, read my mind. Trippy! Just teasing. Seriously, though, I am with you on the packaged hemp milks versus homemade. I tend to be moody about my love/hate of flax and hemp, especially when they’re ground or really concentrated. I love hemp seeds but sometimes need to scale it back if I grind them or blend them. Flax I can do in small doses, but sometimes all I taste is fishy. Blech! I’m going to make this hemp milk soon–should I paint my face and break out some incense while I do it? 🙂
Oh, yes, little flowers painted on your cheek just under your eye–just what The Nurse used to do! 😀 I’ve never tried homemade flax milk, but can see how it might turn out that way. For now, guess I’ll stick with the hemp. 😉
I’ve never had flax milk, homemade or otherwise–have you? I’ve heard that it’s tasty, but I admit I’m quite scared of the idea. Hmmm. I thought just now about cracking jokes about the tiny udders on flax seeds, but I should probably just stick with the hippie imagery this morning, eh? 🙂
I think hippie generates more appealing images, anyway 😉 . I have bought flax milk in a carton, but it looks like it’s made with the oils primarily and not the seeds. . . going to see if I can find a recipe now! 🙂
Hilarious pictures of your two hippy-dippy dogs – they are having so much fun. I tried commercial hemp milk once and threw it out. Maybe I will be brave and try homemade – maybe 😉
I felt that way about the commercial stuff, too, Gretchen. I hope you try the homemade! (You can always bake with it if not. . . ). 😉 And I think The Girls are on a natural high in that photo–they just love being outside! 🙂
Gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing this at Healthy Vegan Friday!
My pleasure! Thanks, Gabby. 🙂
SO YOU DID OH MY GOSH!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank goodness for you and your recipes! I’m in love with this hemp milk…words I never thought I’d type much less utter out loud. 🙂 Having tried store bought and hating it, I figured I could cross that one off my list for good. No so after finding your recipe for homemade! I’m enjoying this without sweetener of any kind, just the pinch of salt and some cinnamon. Yum!
I made hemp milk for the first time today, but found during straining it, that there was nothing to strain out of it. Lol, seems weird you’d have to strain since I didn’t have a need to.
I did have a wee bit of residual thickness at the bottom, Kassie. But I think most people don’t bother to strain it! 🙂
I love this post with all the references to hipping days! I still haven’t learned to love hemp milk but I do make it occasionally as one of the alternate milks in my rortation.. I just don’t enjoy it in my black tea. I’m looking forward to trying the Hemp Milk Frosty.
Hope you enjoy it, Sharon! It was fun to write it, too. 🙂