Almond milk....improved!

Not sure if I mentioned that we went back on GAPS.  Being that we are still in the beginning stages my brain is a bit foggy. 

The kids were put on full GAPS from the beginning (except Moira who joined us for intro, and Isabella who is a vegetarian).  Since I just received my kefir grains last week they are not big enough to culture more than just 1/2 to 1 cup of milk at a time. This means that I needed to find another ingredient to make their smoothies with.  I've used homemade almond milk in the past many, many times, but it does not get rave reviews here at home :-)  Too watery.  I can't bring myself to use any more nuts to make it thicker, because that adds up to some serious money.  Then I had an ah-ha moment.

I suppose the moment was brought on by a conversation I recently had with Flannery.  We were not sure if we had enough eggs for a recipe.  I told her that we could always use some flax seeds in water to substitute.  Flax seeds become gelatinous after a short soak in water.  Here I was pouring in the almonds to make my regular almond milk, all the while knowing it was going to be met with grumblings.  Well, if flax seeds can thicken, maybe I could throw some in there and see what happens.  I don't have exact measurements because I just don't measure this kind of recipe.  But here is what I did:

I poured into my blender enough almonds to cover the blade.
I added a small handful of flax seeds.
I poured about 4 cups of water in the blender (I wanted to add ice cubes afterwards to cool it quickly)
I processed for about 2 or 3 minutes.
Strained the milk in a bowl.
Added a bit of vanilla and honey to taste.

For the first time ever NO ONE complained!  They all went back for more.  We were using the milk on gaps legal granola, and in the past they would either forgo the granola or eat it plain, without milk.  I would say that going back for seconds, for the granola and milk, is a success.

This milk has a very nice consistency, definitely thicker than water.  I suppose you can control the thickness depending on how much flax you add.  So play around with it until you get it right for your family.