inspired my neighbor and good friend, den and i embarked on our first detox this morning. the first week calls for eliminating caffeine, alcohol, peanuts, dairy, soy, wheat, eggs, all processed foods and beverages and no sugar additives. what the hell is left to eat? so was my first reaction. but i was up for the challenge - after den and i truly od'ed on all of the above during the holidays we've been eating much better since coming home early this month. but i was ready to take the next step... i don't think my refrigerator has ever seen so many vegetables at once. we've stocked up on fruits for snacking and smoothies, veggies for lunch and dinner, quinoa, chickpeas and lentils... and almonds.
i am in the jif camp. meaning, that i can pass a blind taste test when it comes to peanut butter - it is a major comfort food for me - when i say i love it - it really does not begin to describe how i feel. so i have never even considered venturing into the natural peanut butter realm. but when i found that we could eat almonds this week - and den was unable to find almond butter at our nearest little grocer - i thought i would try making almond butter myself. at worst we would be able to use it in soup.
but it's heaven - heaven!! this being my first time making it, i of course did not measure anything - but this is more about consistency than anything else... and you can eliminate the salt if you would like.
~ 2 c. all natural slivered almonds
~ 1 T + 1 t. canola oil
~ 2 T honey
~ salt
preheat the oven to 350. layout the almonds on a large baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt. roast for about 10- 15 minutes - you will know they are ready when they turn golden. let them cool for just a few minutes but not too long - you want them warm as this helps release the oils when they are processed. pour them into a heavy-duty food processor and begin to process. stop and open the lid a few times to scrape down the sides - you will know when you are close when they start releasing their oil.
now you could be done at this point - you will have a thick butter. if you want something a bit smoother you can add any vegetable based oil to the butter - i added canola until i achieved the consistency i was looking for.
and again - you could be done at this point as well; but i was looking for a touch of sweetness so i added a little honey {we are allowed to have a little bit of natural sugars this week} and processed again until smooth.
you can store the almond butter at room temperature up to 30 days - mine won't last until the end of the week - it's SO good! i have plans to use it with bananas in a smoothie, a dip for apples and possibly in that aforementioned soup.
that sounds absolutely delicious. now that you put it that way, detox doesn't sound so bad.
Posted by: anna kim | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 12:23 PM
I am totally going to pick up some more almonds next time I head to the store!
Posted by: rachel | buttons magee | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 12:24 PM
how have i never done this before? brilliant.
Posted by: emily | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 12:27 PM
Best of luck during your detox, Jen. Maybe if you revel in your newfound food creations, it won't be so bad...? Twas the lack of caffeine that always killed it for me. Be strong. :)
Posted by: Elisabeth | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 01:19 PM
i love natural almond butter! once you go with natural nut butters, it's hard to go back to the skippies and jifs.
Posted by: jillian m. {coffee, light and sweet} | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 01:33 PM
ohhh, sounds delicious!! will definitely try it!
best of luck with the detox, dear jen!
Posted by: Fernanda | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 02:28 PM
Almond butter is really good in berry smoothies too...it helps thicken it. I add it to mine every morning. :-) Maybe one of these days I'll have to try making my own...yours sounds delish!
Posted by: Bria | Monday, 31 January 2011 at 04:34 PM
my husband and I were all for trying a detox just like this at the beginning of the year...but we haven't quite made it yet. ha, maybe the Chinese New Year will be our starting line :) Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Laura | Tuesday, 01 February 2011 at 12:02 PM
yum! raw almond butter from trader joes is also amazing + addictive. so proud of you. i know i could not cut out caffeine, so i'm not even gonna try.
Posted by: jen | Tuesday, 01 February 2011 at 01:52 PM
YUM! i lurv almond butter. but have you tried hazelnut butter?! you'll thank me for this one: http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2009/03/nut-butter-me-up.html
all the best during your cleanse!
LOVE your blog.
xo, Sarah B
Posted by: Sarah B. | Wednesday, 02 February 2011 at 01:48 PM
You're a brave soul for doing a detox like that! Good luck! Also, your almond butter sounds delicious...have you ever tried cashew butter? It's my favorite. Really good stirred into oatmeal along with some raspberry jam.
Posted by: Cameron | Friday, 04 February 2011 at 04:05 PM
cameron - too funny! we JUST picked up cashews for that very purpose last night ;)
Posted by: jla | Friday, 04 February 2011 at 04:49 PM
Thanks for the recipe!
Posted by: brooke | Saturday, 05 February 2011 at 06:39 PM
I'm doing something similar just now, and dang it's hard. I haven't yet made almond butter, but I love using the grinding machine at whole foods, watching the butter squeeze out and swirl into the container. You know, almond milk is actually surprisingly easy to make, as well... +Chelsea
Posted by: Chelsea | Sunday, 06 February 2011 at 01:14 PM
yum! can't believe we've never tried making our own before - sounds delicious.
Posted by: the purcells | Tuesday, 15 February 2011 at 09:12 PM