oat milk
I love oat milk.
I've always been a fan of cow's milk and loved the creamy richness of pure, whole milk. When I was pregnant, I noticed the regular stuff would make me congested, so I switched over to raw milk mostly. But when Spice was born, she was sensitive to cow milk for the first nine months, and I was desperate for an alternative.
I tried soy milk, but while the taste was alright, the texture was smooth, but had a odd, heavy mouth-feel. I've found that I can manage with the Asian-made ones with sugarcane juice as a sweetener to drink straight, but this wasn't a good coffee or cereal milk for me.
I liked the idea of rice milk, but could never get past the faint grittiness, no matter how many different brands I tried.
Almond milk was a staple for a while. I loved the slightly nutty taste, and the texture was rich and creamy without being overbearing. Of course, everything gets an almond tinge, so if you're trying to substitute milk in a recipe, you might be limited.
Oat milk has fit the remaining gap nicely. It's got the same mouth feel as real milk, but without the lactose and without any additional tastes that might limit the cooking uses. I usually buy the slightly sweetened vanilla ones for breakfast uses and keep a plain one on hand for cooking.
If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can try making your own. Just soak 5 parts warm water to 1 part oatmeal for 30 minutes. Blend until the mixture is white and strain into a pitcher. (For the sweetened version, add a tbsp or two of agave nectar when blending.) So simple, and so good.
