Tag: Coffee

Try This---Banana Milk Coffee

Try This—Banana Milk Coffee (Clean Eating Vegan Treat)

Thursday morning, you’re gonna wake up to a deliciously creamy, banana milk coffee. I’m saying Thursday for two reasons. Number one, I need to give you a little time to get over the initial shock of how incredible banana coffee sounds. Number two, you’re gonna need some time to cold brew your coffee to make your banana coffee dreams a reality.

In the spirit of staying motivated for a healthy new year, I’ve been cutting sugar out of my diet. I have a total sweet tooth, but I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount of unnecessary sugar I consume. I’ve traded in my bad-for-you pancake syrup for the very good-for-you maple syrup used in master cleanses. I’ve been sweetening baked goods with applesauce instead of the cups of sugar I usually use. The last sugar front that I’m up against is the megaton of sugar I put in my coffee. I’ve tried to sweeten coffee with everything from stevia to agave syrup…horrible. So when I heard about banana milk, I just had to give it a try.

The thing about this banana milk coffee is that, surprisingly, it doesn’t really taste too much like bananas. I know, I know. How is that possible? Truth is, I have no idea. What I do know is that this is one of the creamiest ‘lattes’ I’ve ever had. Best part is that it’s totally a clean eating, naturally sweet, potassium punch of a complete breakfast (seriously just as filling as a smoothie). It’s the perfect alternative to those expensive sugar cube lattes that you get at the local coffee shop. You guys!!! You must try this!

Try This---Banana Milk Coffee

Banana Milk Coffee

Ingredients

  • 1-2 tbsp ground coffee
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup milk

Directions

  • In a mason jar, combine 1 tbsp of ground coffee with 6 oz of water (if you like your coffee strong like I do, you can add more coffee per cup of water)
  • place the mason jar in the fridge and allow it to brew for a day (about 18 hours)
  • line a colander or strainer with a paper coffee filter
  • pour the mixture through the filter to remove coffee grounds
  • in a blender, combine the banana and milk
  • blend until creamy
  • pour enough banana milk over the cold brew to suit your taste

For a vegan alternative, you can use almond milk, rice milk, or coconut milk. Unsweetened milk works just fine, but if you like your coffee on the sweeter side you can use regular almond, rice, or coconut milk.

The brewing instructions are just an approximation. It’s pretty difficult to screw up cold brew, just use the same ratio of coffee grounds to water that you use regularly and it’ll turn out the same way as your regular coffee pot coffee. Also, feel free to add a dash of cinnamon to the grounds before you cold brew. Yum.

This Couple Really Got the DIY Home Coffee Station Right—Fixer Upper Friday

All of us serious coffee drinkers have our own special coffee prep rituals. On auto pilot, we can crawl and grope our way to the kitchen and make our morning cup without even being truly awake. Recently, I’ve tried to streamline this process a little bit. I wanted all of my coffee paraphernalia in one place without clutter and without fuss. Most of all I wanted it to be pretty, because of course I did. This couple really hit the mark on what a fully functional, beautiful coffee station should look like. Check these pics out!

 

Creating a coffee station like this one isn’t as difficult as it might look. It’s all in the details. You can use a simple baker’s cart or a chunky piece of furniture like a buffet table or an armoire. Here’s a list of things you might consider including in your own home coffee station:

  • Glass or ceramic containers for storing everything from coffee and tea to flavored syrups and sweeteners
  • A pretty carrying tray or low top basket to organize paper cups, lids, and napkins
  • unique artwork (try chalkboard signs like the Gray House above or something like this)
  • any kind of houseplant or flower vase to add a little nature

Source: StudioGrayHouse

Try This---Gingerbread Coffee

Try This—Gingerbread Coffee

From time to time, I sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on top of my freshly ground coffee beans before I brew a pot. The result is a totally flavorful cup of coffee that really smells divine. Saturday morning, I was on pre-coffee auto pilot, dragging myself around the kitchen like a zombie. I reached for the cinnamon (so I thought) and added a dash to the coffee grounds. When I finally started sipping on my coffee, it had this spicy warm kick to it that I couldn’t quite figure out, but absolutely adored. You get where I’m going here? I accidentally added a dash of ground ginger instead of cinnamon and rather than totally destroying my hopes for a good day, it was actually the best mistake I could’ve made. I started thinking of the possibilities…

coffee-spices
Image: abeautifulmess

Sunday morning, it finally started sinking in that Christmas is only a few weeks away. I decided to take my accidental ginger coffee to the next level… Gingerbread Coffee! I just added a dash of ginger, a dash a cinnamon, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg to my coffee grounds and oh man! You may have to play around with the proportions a bit to suit your taste, but any way you do it, you must try this!!!

Gingerbread Coffee

Ingredients

  • ground coffee
  • 1 dash ginger
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg

Directions

  • mix ground coffee with the other ingredients
  • brew as you regularly would

 

 

 

 

 

Try This---Honey Lavender Latte

Try This—Honey Lavender Latte

This is the perfect recipe for all of us coffee snobs out there that pair coffee with foods like it’s a fine wine. I made this honey lavender syrup that I was using for tea, and it’s super delicious, but being more of a coffee gal, I decided to whip up a latte and test this honey lavender syrup out. Holy moly! For some reason, the combination of milk, honey, and lavender really bring out the natural flavors of a strong cup of coffee. I, legit, felt like I was at a wine—I mean—coffee tasting! I was blown away when I tried this recipe. I really was skeptical about using honey as a sweetener for a latte, but this has totally changed my mind. Who knew that honey, lavender, and coffee could just scream fall and winter comfort. You must try this!

Try This---Honey Lavender Latte

Honey Lavender Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1c water
  • 1c honey
  • 2tbsp lavender buds

Directions

  • combine ingredients in a saucepan
  • bring to a boil
  • reduce heat and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes
  • put the liquid through a strainer to remove the lavender buds
  • store in a glass jar

Try This---Honey Lavender Latte

Honey Lavender Latte

Ingredients

  • 1c really strong coffee (espresso, if you’re gangsta)
  • 1/4c milk of your choice
  • 2tbsp honey lavender syrup

Directions

  • In a saucepan, froth your milk of choice with a whisk over medium heat (if you’re short on time, you can heat your milk in the microwave)
  • add about 2 tbsp of honey lavender syrup to the bottom of your coffee mug
  • pour in your coffee
  • top with frothed milk

The possibilities are endless with this honey lavender syrup. Don’t just stop at tea and lattes! You can add it to seltzer water for a refreshingly sweet drink that’s not loaded with sugar. Also, (and you can thank me later for this) you can use it to sweeten up your favorite homemade lemonade recipe. I might even try adding this to rice or some other savory dish like stir fry  in the near future! Oh man! I just thought of that last one!

Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Try This— Condensed Milk Iced Coffee (w/ vegan option)

My sister-in-law was from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a small island country in the Caribbean just west of Barbados. She was  an amazing woman with impeccable style, grace, and class. She was also one heck of a cook. I was always fascinated watching her move in the kitchen. I never knew whether or not her choices as a cook were cultural or if she was, in fact, a West Indian Wolfgang Puck. Either way, she came up with some interesting meals and drinks that were as delicious as they were unusual.

Saint Vincent

I remember, from time to time, she would relax with a glass of Guinness. I personally think Guinness is gross, but she used to mix it with condensed milk. It was kind of a weird version of a White Russian. Admittedly, I’m not much of a drinker, but I really did like the sweetness of that drink! If dry stout is your thing I would totally give it a try. If I liked it, you’ll love it.

Even though Guinness isn’t really my thing, it was a beautiful looking drink and I got to thinking about how I could recreate it with some other tasty beverage. There was just something about the way the condensed milk swirled around that glass of Guinness that was so divine! I truly am a big fan of condensed milk. It’s creamy. It’s sweet. What’s not to love? Anyway, i decided to take the look of that drink and make an iced coffee to die for. Apparently, the Vietnamese have been making this condensed milk iced coffee for some time, so I tried my hand at the recipe, and whoa nellie, is it good!

Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Ingredients

  • 6 cups of strongly brewed coffee
  • 14oz can of condensed milk (if you need a vegan option, you can find it here)
  • whole milk
  • ice

Directions

  • In a heat safe glass pitcher, slowly combine your freshly brewed HOT coffee with the condensed milk
  • Place the pitcher in the refrigerator and allow it to cool
  • To serve, pour your creamy coffee over ice and add some whole milk to taste.
  • Enjoy!

***the proportions of this recipe are just a suggestion. I find coffee making to be a very personal ritual. Try it a couple of times to find the right balance for you. You won’t regret this!

***this post is in loving memory of my sister-in-law, Daphne. I miss you.