Ayurvedic Cardamom Cashew Milk {with saffron}

Cardamom is a really fun spice that comes from the ginger plant is native to India. It's known as a cooking spice and is also used in medicine. It's has remedied many things ranging from gum infections to digestive tract problems. 

An old Ayurvedic drink calls for warm milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron and cashews or almonds. I don't drink milk so I chose to make milk from cashews. And since I don't use sugar at my house I used raw local honey instead. 

It turned out perfect; Just what I was wanting. I chose NOT to warm it on the stove, but if you're craving a warm drink, you can heat it. 

There are quite a few variations of this recipe, so feel free to experiment. I think letting a bag of chai tea sit in here for 5 minutes would be AMAZING. 

CARDAMOM SAFFRON MILK

makes 2 mason jars full

1c raw cashes, soaked for at least an hour {discard water}

3c purified water

¼-1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 pinch saffron {4 strands} OPTIONAL

2 Tbls honey 

I started with the cardamom pods and using a mortar/pestle I broke open the pods and used the seeds. Add saffron {optional if you don't have it} and grind away then place in Vitamix or blender. Add rest of the ingredients and blend REALLY well. If you don't have a Vitamix, I can't guarantee this will turn out perfect. 

It should be blended to the consistency of milk. 

You can add more honey or less depending on your tastebuds. I chose to make it not as sweet as I normally would. The cashews are sweet and the cardamom and saffron are so delicate in flavor. 

note, i fell in love with this indian bird pictured above came from this site.