5 Minute Chocolate Hemp Milk

We hear a lot these days about lowering the amount of dairy we consume, but why does this seem to be the trend? Recently, I read that the countries with the lowest amount of dairy consumption have the lowest rate of osteoporosis. But how can this be? We grew up hearing that milk does a body good! First and foremost, our milk and dairy products today are nothing like our grandparents' dairy. So much of our dairy now comes laced with hormones and antibiotics, genetic modifications allow cows to produce 12 times the amount it would take to feed a calf, and so much more. I am certainly no expert, but I do try to educate myself on things like this and it seems the facts can tend to be a bit scary. 

I certainly don't avoid all dairy, but we have definitely cut back on it quite a bit in our house and have noticed an impact. When I do eat dairy, I know it afterwards, let's just keep it at that! Avoiding dairy these days though is actually quite simple. There are so many options for plant milks, cashew cheeses and more. Twenty to thirty years ago, it would have been a bit more of a nuisance. 

A lot of plant and nut milks you find at the grocery still have a lot of additives, thickeners and some junk that is best avoided. Convenience is still a thing so I still house store bought almond milk and such in my fridge. As I have said again and again, moderation is still key and I like to keep it that way.

Have you ever made homemade almond milk? It's pretty amazing. It's really nothing like what you get at the store for sure. The biggest problem I find with making it is all the excess almond pulp. While there are things I know you can use it for, I just never seem to get around to it and then I feel wasteful. Recently I discovered the beauty of hemp seed milk. 

Hemp seeds are considered to be one of the most nutritious seeds in the world. They are high in protein, essential fatty acids, anti-inflammatory, vitamin and mineral dense, good for hormone balance, cancer fighting and so much more. While hemp is in the cannabis family, it does not contain tetrahydrocannabinoids (THC) which is what you would find in marijuana. There is a bit of confusion around this so just wanted to clear things up!

Okay, back to the hemp milk. The beauty of hemp milk is that it is a milk in which you simply blend and serve. It is rich and creamy without any extra work such as straining or using cheese cloth to separate. Who can argue with that?

Remember the good old days as a kid when you sipped on a big glass of rich chocolate milk? Those days do not have to be gone. The first of my new favorite hemp milk recipes is this 5 Minute Chocolate Hemp Milk and once you taste it I promise you won't miss the dairy. It would be great in coffee, smoothies or just straight up. If you want to drink it right away, make sure to use chilled water. Waiting for this is definitely not so fun as it is so creamy and delicious! Milk can still do a body good, and maybe you try to branch out into other realms of the term "milk" starting with this! Enjoy!

5 Minute Chocolate Hemp Milk

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

• ▢ 2- 2 1/2 cups filtered water ice cold if you are serving immediately
• ▢ 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
• ▢ 2 T cacao powder
• ▢ 2-3 medjool dates pitted
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ Dash of sea salt

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients into a high powered blender.
• Blend on high for approximately 1 minute.
• Serve immediately or chill.
• Shake well before serving after removing from the fridge.

Notes

Adjust the amount of water to the thickness desired. It thickens up a bit after being chilled for a while.

Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!