Homemade Hemp Milk

This takes 5 minutes :)

Hemp milk is super nutritious and surprisingly easy to make at home.  Who knew that I would be whipping up coconut milk and hemp milk several times a week!  It's amazing the changes we have gone through with our diet because of food allergies. 

Back in Toronto, when Big Brother was two-years-old we would bundle up to go take a mile-long walk to Kensington Market in freezing-cold weather. That's where we would pick up local goat milk and cow milk in glass bottles along with delicious cheeses.  A favorite activity when we got home to our warm apartment was turning the milk into butter and the butter into a treat.  We still keep dairy in the house in the form of Mill King milk and cheese for school lunch sandwiches, but we no longer cook with dairy.  Too much risk of cross-contamination.  Still, even just to eat a piece of cheese or take a sip of milk, there are a lot of safety rules in place in order for it to be allowed in the house. 

Baby Brother simply cannot be in direct contact with dairy.

 He turns two this month and he still prefers to be nursed (which also means that I continue 100% to avoid dairy in my diet); it's quite a difficult task to get him to drink milk from a cup.  So far we have been trying non-dairy non-soy and non-nut: coconut, hemp and brown rice.  I like hemp milk the most for him, as it is packed with vitamins and minerals.  I have not been thrilled about his disinterest in drinking any of these homemade milks in cute sippy cups or his favorite stainless steel mugs. There is no quitting or giving up, but I can't drive myself crazy either.   This week I've been mixing into the hemp milk some blackstrap molasses.  This boy will down a tablespoon of pure blackstrap molasses, but isn't so excited about drinking molasses flavored milk?.  Hmmmmmm, any suggestions?  Toddlers keeping their parents on their toes!

Have you ever tried hemp milk or seeds?  I enjoy hemp seeds, but the first few times I ate them I wasn't so sure.  I found them to taste a bit grassy for my liking.  With a limited diet, I find myself giving new foods a big chance.  My favorite way to eat them is in pumpkin, date and cacao smoothies, our family-favorite date and hemp bliss balls and sprinkled on top of baked carrot oatmeal.  I'll be posting these recipes soon.  

with a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses mixed in
Go ahead now, drink!

What you need:
one cup of hemp seeds
one cup of pure water
one generous tablespoon maple syrup (hemp and maple make it extra Canadian)
one generous tablespoon of coconut oil
pinch of real salt

What to do:
Combine hemp seeds and pure water in TM Bowl
Blend 2 minutes, speed 9
Strain with nut bag, but it's not really necessary since there isn't really any pulp
Add in coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. Add vanilla and other flavorings as preferred.

For more ideas, click here 

Trail Mix

Baby Brother likes to be outside in the backyard mid-morning digging in the dirt. He often asks to sit and have a snack at the picnic table, and I then bring him a mug of this trail mix. Lately, it's a mixture of coconut flakes, dried mulberries, raisins and hemp seeds. Sometimes we toss in some roasted, salted chickpeas too.  

Homemade Crunch Bars

3 ingredients and very little mess with my Thermomix

Do you go out trick-or-treating for Halloween? We did again this year.  Do you eat any of the candy?  We don't due to food allergies and gross ingredients. Big Brother doesn't even ask to eat any of it because he prefers what we make at home, he just wanted the pack of bat-shaped pretzels.  I could handle that request; I just had to vacuum up the crumbs and wash hands/face immediately since Baby Brother is allergic to wheat.  Would I have felt differently if he had wanted a peanut butter cup?

Will Big Brother always have the same palate and preferences? This little guy loves 88% dark chocolate! I hope he continues to prefer quality ingredients and want keep his little brother safe at the same time. He said such endearing things as he put his Halloween candy in his pumpkin: " My Baby Brother is allergic to this so we don't actually eat it."

What should we do with all that candy? Would you consider giving out allergy friendly or ingredient friendly treats?  Or maybe even non-food treats?  Here is something to read. 

These homemade crunch bars totally hit the spot last night. Thank you, my special recipe sharing friend,  for sharing this simple and awesome recipe with us.  

Perhaps we will make into popsicle ghosts next year, using coconut butter as the white frosting and 2 chips for eyes.

What you need:

2 bags of Enjoylife chocolate chips.  I used one bag of the mini chips and one back of the dark chips
2 cups of Rice Crispies.  I used the Whole Foods 365 brand Brown Rice Crisps.  The allergen information states: 'may contain wheat and soy.  Produced in a facility that processes peanuts and tree nuts." So this cereal is not safe for Baby Brother. Baby Brother hasn't had chocolate yet, and this treat was just for Big Brother.
Flaky salt or fleur de sal for sprinkling on top


What to do: 

Add one bag of chocolate chips to TM bowl.  Heat for 4 min, 50 degrees, speed 2. Add in second bag of chocolate chips and heat accordingly.  I did for another few minutes at 50 degrees, speed 2. Click here for instructions on Tempering Chocolate in Thermomix.

Add in 2 cups of rice crispies and mix speed 1, reverse spoon.

Pour into baking pan, I used a brownie pan lined with parchment paper.  

Sprinkle salt on top.  Maybe I'll add some cacao nibs next time

Place in freezer to set

Eat when you come in from Trick-or-Treating, but first remember to move from freezer to fridge so that they are not rock hard and you have to wait.  

Waiting for us for when we come home from trick-or-treating

Big Brother loves scooting around neighborhood
all month to see decorations
This is a favorite

What sweets do you want to make this time of year?
Here is our list:
Double Dark Chocolate Macaroon tart, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free
Gooey Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolate Pudding Cake
Pumpkin Fudge Balls
Blender Pumpkin Coconut Oatmeal Cups
Halloween Sweet Potato Fries
Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins
Pumpkin Coconut Fudge
Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal
Pumpkin Donuts
Pumpkin Granola Bars
Pumpkin Coconut Mousse
Glowing Ghost Gummies
pumpkin pudding