Friday Faves - Almond Breeze

The other day I set out to bake cupcakes for the mascot's 12th birthday. I was convinced that I had all of the ingredients on hand; flour - check, eggs - check, cocoa powder - check. But, as is usually the case, there was one thing missing. That something turned out to be the milk. We are not milk-drinkers, so unless we need to make something specific (like cupcakes) it never occurs to me to buy the stuff. With everything that I had going on that week, I simply forgot to pick it up. As it was already 8pm and I was in no mood to venture out to the store, I opened up the pantry to see if there was anything in there that I could substitute. I found a carton of unsweetened vanilla almond milk that I had bought on a whim a couple months ago and figured that I would give it a try. We gave it a taste first to see if it was "weird", but it turned out to be pretty yummy. Into the batter it went and the resulting cupcakes were even better than our usual. Talk about a happy accident!

From the website: Almond Breeze® is a non-dairy beverage made from real almonds, all natural, smooth and creamy with a hint of almonds. Almond Breeze® is a great tasting non-dairy beverage without the thin, chalky after taste of rice and soy beverages.

- Almond Breeze® won the 2004 Best Taste Award from the prestigious American Culinary Institute (ACI). ACI is an independent, chef based judging organization.

Enjoy Almond Breeze® chilled by the glass and on your cereal. You will love how it froths in coffee drinks, enhances fruit smoothies, and blends cup for cup in your favorite recipes.

A great alternative to dairy and soy milks, Almond Breeze almond milk is gluten, cholesterol and lactose free, an excellent source of calcium, vitamins D & E and a good source of vitamin A. Plus, the unsweetened varieties are only 40 calories a cup!