Brazil Nut Cantaloupe Milk

Wow.  This has been a fabulous year for buying fresh, local produce, and the season isn’t even over yet!  This past week I got my hot little hands on a beautiful locally-grown organic cantaloupe, and I was psyched…  A couple years ago I found a recipe to make a version of a cantaloupe nut milk, which was totally delicious.  I looked for the recipe online and have not been able to find it, so I have invented one of my own.  I believe when I made it before the recipe called for raw almonds.  This one is obviously (as you can tell from the name of the recipe) using raw Brazil nuts, which are wonderful, too.

Raw Brazil nuts are loaded with selenium (2550 mcg, to be exact), which is an essential trace mineral that acts as an antioxidant in our bodies.  It works with vitamin E in our bodies to protect cell membranes from damage caused by free radicals.  It also helps assist with normal fetal development during pregnancy, aids in cell growth, helps ensure proper thyroid function, and if that isn’t enough, it helps bind heavy metals and may reduce toxicity from mercury contamination.  Brazil nuts also contain protein (19.0 g), calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese, to name a few.  Basically, they are amazing nutritionally for your body and are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.  My honey and I enjoy a couple of raw Brazil nuts in our lunches every day, and even my dogs love them as a snack. 

(After I originally posted this article/recipe, my wonderful friend and veterinarian, Dr. Kyla Dillard, sent me an email on Facebook.  She let me know that feeding my dogs Brazil nuts occasionally is absolutely fine.  As an aside with regard to nuts and dogs, she informed me that Macadamia nuts can actually kill dogs, and not a lot of people or veterinarians actually know this.  As a HUGE dog and animal lover, I wanted to pass this on, just in case you are not aware of this tidbit of information that could save a dog’s life.)  :0) 

Besides being a delicious melon, cantaloupes contain dietary fiber, niacin, Vitamin B6, folate and are a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and potassium.  In addition, cantaloupes are mildly anti-inflammatory, which is fantastic news for anyone that has inflammation in their body.  That’s all good stuff right there, and all the more reason to run out and buy a cantaloupe right now!  Plus, you’ll need one to make this amazing and simple recipe.

This easy Brazil Nut Cantaloupe Milk is very filling and delicious.  A full glass of this milk actually fills me up for a couple of hours, which is awesome.  It always amazes me how much nourishing food that feeds your body fills you up, and this is no exception to that rule.  You can enjoy this milk by the glass, use it as a base for a smoothie or even freeze the Brazil Nut Cantaloupe Milk in popsicle molds and enjoy some delicious and sweet popsicles.  However you choose to consume this delicious treat, I truly hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

One side note… When I am making any kind of nut milk, I tend to make a lot at one time.  I do my best to make enough so that it will last myself and my honey for a couple days.  If this recipe is too much for you, you can cut it in half and make half the recipe.  As you will notice in the pictures, I store my nut milk in the refrigerator in large glass containers that I bought years ago online by Googling “large glass containers.”   If you do not have a juicer just yet, try bidding on one on eBay — one of my best friends just bought an only-used-once essentially brand new juicer from a seller on eBay for $35, and she absolutely loves it.  You can purchase a nut milk bag online or at your local health food store.  I have had mine since 2001, and it is still going strong. 

What You Will Need To Make The Milk

Blender, Juicer, Large Bowl, Nut milk bag, Large Glass Container (for storage)

Ingredients:

1 large cantaloupe

14 cups of filtered or spring water

2 cups raw Brazil nuts

2 Tbs vanilla extract

Raw organic agave nectar (to taste) or stevia (to taste)

2 pinches of Celtic sea salt

***USE ORGANIC OR WILDCRAFTED INGREDIENTS, WHEN AVAILABLE***

How To Make the Brazil Nut Cantaloupe Milk:

**You will make the Brazil nut milk in two batches, then add in the fresh juiced cantaloupe.**

1.  Juice the cantaloupe using a juicer and set aside;

2.  Add 7 cups of water and 1 cup of raw Brazil nuts to your blender and blend thoroughly;

3.  Strain the blended nuts and water through your nut milk bag into a large bowl, then pour the strained liquid back into the blender.  Set aside the pulp of the Brazil nuts that is remaining in the nut milk bag (you can use the pulp to make raw cookies and/or the pulp makes a great addition to morning smoothies);

4.  In the blender, add to the strained liquid 1 Tbs of vanilla extract, a pinch of Celtic sea salt and agave/stevia to taste.  Blend thoroughly;

5. Repeat to make another batch of Brazil nut milk;

6.  Now to put it all together:  Add the fresh cantaloupe juice to the two batches of  Brazil nut milk, mix thoroughly and enjoy!

To Your Health & Happiness!