Spiced Brazil Nut Milk

Dear Cashew Milk,

There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll have to just come right out – we need a break. We need a chance to breathe, away from each other, a chance to see other people.

I know what we had was special – until I had met you, I’d never tasted a nut milk so sweet and smooth, creamy, thick and nutty. It was love at first taste. We had many wonderful times together this summer. In smoothies, in lattes, or, my favorite, straight up in a chilled glass. How I adored your complex simplicity!

But perhaps the summer is all we’ll have. Perhaps we’re meant to fly, just not together.

Truth be told, I love you cashew milk, but there’s someone else. It’s your cousin, brazil nut milk. It’s sordid, but it’s real. And he’s a lot like you – he’s thick and creamy, smooth and nutty. It’s just different with him, though. It’s just a touch more velvet, a little more refined.

Perhaps it’s the newness, the change, the breath of fresh air anticipated with the coming of a new season. I’m sorry, cashew milk. I’ll always have fond memories of you. Maybe I’ll come back to you one day. If you’ll have me. But for now, I must go where my passion lies, with Brazil nut milk.

I hope this won’t make family gatherings awkward.

xoxo,
Sally

Spiced Brazil Nut Milk

1 cup brazil nuts, soaked 4-6 hours, drained
3 cups water
2 dates, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend 2-3 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy. Strain through a nut milk bag or a double layer of cheese cloth, squeezing the pulp until no further liquid remains. Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, up to 3 days.

Yields approximately 3 cups of milk