Recipe: Hemp Milk, Hemp Cream and Hemp Hot Chocolate

We've been cutting back - saving money, cutting processed foods out, and trying to stop throwing as much away. We use a TON of non-dairy milk. I have 20 soymilk boxes in my recycling to prove it. I'm over the waste and the cost. Even though hemp seeds aren't CHEAP this ends up being more cost effective than buying soy milk or other substitutes. Plus, less waste (just that bag of seeds which is going to last me a while!) and I get to control what goes into it. I can make it light or thick like cream. I can add sweetener or not. I love choosing what goes into us, and into my kid. Who by the way, needs more calorie dense foods than I do so this is mainly for her. (*Bonus! I'm going to post some lighter non dairy milks soon.) 

So what's it taste like? Nutty, thick and creamy. My daughter LOVES it! Especially when I make it into "chocolate tea" as she calls it. 

A regular blender should work here just fine but I used my immersion blender and it worked AWESOMELY!  This is one of my most used appliances - I DARE you to buy one!

I found hemp at Costco but you can also find it at many health food stores, natural stores or online.

Hemp Milk

5 cups water

1/2 cups hemp seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

2 Tablespoons sweetener of your choice (Optional. If you use stevia use the equivalent of 2 T - its super sweet so you use less.) 

• Get a large bowl and line it with a tea towel (a non lint kitchen towel that liquid can easily pass through) or several layers of cheese cloth. 
• Combine the water and hemp in a blender and blend for a couple of minutes. You can also use an immersion blender for this. I would NOT recommend a food processor because of the high liquid content (they can leak.) 
• Pour the liquid through the cloth. Squeeze any excess liquid out being careful to not let the hemp chunks through. 
• You can now add salt and sweetener to taste. 
• Hey and you've got that extra hemp stuff in the towel, right? Don't throw that out! It can go into baked goods, cereal, oatmeal, smoothies, etc. 
• The milk will separate so make sure that you shake the container before serving. Use within 5-7 days.

Hemp Cream

Follow the steps above but instead use: 

2.5 cups of water

1/2 cup hemp seeds

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sweetener

Hemp Hot Chocolate

(serves 1) 

Take 1.5 cups of hemp milk and add 4 teaspoons of dutch process cocoa powder. Add in sweetener to taste. Now heat up the milk in the microwave for 45 seconds - 1 minute.