Pumpkin Nog

Egg nog season has officially begun, and I fully intend on having my fair share of dairy-free nog this year. I glanced at the options today in Whole Foods, and I was so excited to find So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog & Pumpkin Spice (I thought the only non-dairy option was Silk Nog). I was seriously considering buying some, but of course, I looked at the ingredients, and predictably it was loaded with sugar. There are 14g of added sugar (dried cane syrup) per 1/2 cup. Is this really the best Whole Foods can offer me? A "healthier" option to cow's milk, that is filled with sugar? I took one more look at the ingredients and decided to make some myself.

So tonight I decided to make an almond version, using my aunt Juliette's Almond Milk recipe (that can be found on her blog 3 Fruity Chicks). It is so easy, but you do need a high powered blender such as a Vita Mix or Blendtec. (1/2 cup raw almonds gives you a little more than 5 cups of Almond milk! Way cheaper than store bought kind.)

Then to turn my basic Almond Milk into "Pumpkin Nog" I added:
1/2 cup pumpkin (I used Trader Joe's canned Organic Pumpkin)
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
a couple dashes of extra nutmeg & cinnamon
(and I used 1 tsp pure vanilla (alcohol free) instead of the vanilla bean)

I didn't bother to strain out the almond pulp since my Vita Mix did such a good job blending it up and I am all about taking the easiest & quickest way possible lately. :)

It was delicious! So creamy and good. I drank mine cold, then warmed up (both great), then put it in a bowl with some pumpkin granola, yum. :)

And this is almost totally raw, with NO added sugar (the dates are the only sweetener). I'm never buying another carton of liquid sugar nog again!

P.S. I can't wait to try my own regular nog version! Probably just adding nutmeg and a little cinnamon to the regular almond milk. I'll post about it soon!