Place the blanched almonds, fresh lime zest and cinnamon stick in a bowl.
Cover with 2 cups of warm water.
Let stand for at least eight hours or even better overnight.
Note: If you only have unblanched almonds, you will have to peel them after they get soft and before blending.
After the nuts have soaked and softened, remove the cinnamon stick and lime zest.
Place the rest (almonds and water) into a small sauce pan.
Add the almond milk and puree with a hand blender until very smooth.
Note: You can get unsweetened almond milk in most supermarkets or on-line.
However, if you can, make your own almond milk to avoid any unnecessary additives.
Here is a simple recipe for almond milk (I would skip the dates).
Almond Breeze, which is probably the most commonly used one, has a long list of ingredients.
Some of them are harmless vitamins but it also contains "carrageenan".
The health effects of this additive are not clear and may cause inflammation which could lead to more serious problems.
Heat the mixture up until it starts sizzling and add cinnamon and the sweeteners.
Whisk the egg and pour it slowly into the mixture while stirring constantly to avoid clumping.
Keep stirring and cook for a minute or two.
Take off the heat and mix in the chia seeds.
Allow to thicken, pour in a glass and serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled.
If you don't like the grainy texture of chia seeds, simply place in a blender and pulse until smooth.
Note: For smooth texture, use ground chia seeds.
Enjoy! :-)