latte

TOASTED ALMOND-CASHEW DATE MILK & AN ICED TURMERIC LATTE / May 2, 2019 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

it’s taken me a while to welcome turmeric into my day-to-day. and it seems that each time i’m pregnant, it’s something that i tend to reach for. this is all to say, if you’re not pregnant, don’t worry, you will enjoy this latte thoroughly, i promise ;) this little beverage/pick-me-up is something i prepare in the afternoon (although it would be just as good in the morning, or even at night), usually around 3 pm, just before i pick amesy up from preschool, and right at the point when i’m heading towards that afternoon slump. while this drink doesn’t have caffeine in it, it does pack a hearty punch.

the turmeric is mixed with a few other cozy spices that typically make you think of the colder months. but i find them super refreshing when prepared iced. it’s the perfect mix of cold and warm/cozy to enliven your senses without the giving you any jitters late in the afternoon (i don’t know about you, but i have to stop drinking caffeine around 2:30pm or else i’m jitter city). but the best compliment to the turmeric spice blend is the milk i’ve paired it with. it’s a toasted nut milk made with almonds and cashews, and a few dates. the toasted notes in the milk is just another cozy element that’s rich and punctuated with flavor. mix the milk together with the plush flavor of the spices and you have yourself the perfect little tonic to get you through the rest of your day.

happy may everyone! xo

toasted almond-cashew date milk & an iced turmeric latte | v

print the recipe

the recipe for both the milk and latte are super versatile. for the milk, try a blend of nuts or seeds that you like, and go from there. i had initially tried just toasted cashews, but found that the flavor was too overpowering. the almonds dull the overwhelming cashew flavor, while still letting it do its thing and shine. also, i’m not one for sweet milk, and the addition of 3 dates is sweet enough for me. you could of course add more for more sweetness, or none at all - completely your preference.
for the latte, yo could go straight turmeric and not add any other spices - totally optional. but i do love how warming the spices are here in an iced beverage, kind of like the best of both worlds. the pepper is added for maximum curcumin absorption (that’s what provides you all those lovely anti-inflammatory properties).

iced turmeric latte

| serves 1 |

1/2 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
a few cracks fresh ground pepper
1/2-1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 cup toasted almond-cashew date milk (recipe below)

toasted almond-cashew date milk

| makes scant 4 cups milk |

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 pitted dates
3 1/2 cups filtered water
pinch of salt

method

fill a large glass halfway with one large ice cube, or a few small ice cubes. add the toasted almond-cashew milk, and set aside.
in a high-speed blender (or with a handheld milk frother), combine the water, turmeric, ginger (if using), cinnamon (if using), pepper, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup. blitz everything together for about 30 seconds-1 minute, until everything is sufficiently combined. pour the turmeric mix over the milk and ice. stir to mix, and enjoy.
toasted almond-cashew milk. preheat the oven to 350°F. on a baking sheet, spread the almonds and cashews out in an even layer. place in the oven and toast for about 6-8 minutes, shaking the nuts halfway through, until toasted and fragrant. let the nuts cool completely.
place cooled nuts, and dates in a large bowl and cover with 3 1/2 cups filtered water. let everything soak for 30 minutes. then blend the mixture in a high-speed blender for about 1 1/2 minutes, until everything is broken down, and the milk is frothy.
pour through a nut milk bag, squeezing it gently until only solids remain (discard, or save for another use). pour the milk into a large bottle and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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VANILLA PUMPKIN SEED MILK LATTE / November 1, 2018 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

VANILLA PUMPKIN SEED MILK LATTE | Dolly and Oatmeal

happy november! what?! where did october go? anywho, let’s talk milk!

i’m not going to lie. i don’t make nut milk as often as i should. and i only say that because it’s quite possibly one of the easiest things to do, and one of the most satisfying (at least to me). i use nut milk twice a day, sometimes more. i was dismayed by the amount of plastic bottles i saw piling up every week in our recycle bin, so i got on a pretty steady homemade nut milk kick over the summer. then amesy started preschool twice a week, and as the summer ended my work schedule picked up, and everything kinda got thrown out the window.

fast forward almost 2 months later, and we’ve got a bit more of a fluid routine down. and not that i have the time (or any extra energy) every few days to make my own nut milk, but i try to add it to the (very) mild food prep i sometimes get around to on the weekend. truth be told, i think the difficulty for me lies with the soaking of the nuts. i rarely remember to. but i also feel like soaking nuts and seeds comes with its pros and cons. follow along with me on this journey:

pros:

soaking activates enzymes in nuts and seeds, making nutrients more readily available
soaking softens nuts and seeds, giving you a smoother milk (this is especially handy if you don’t have a high speed blender)
flavor! i personally prefer the flavor of soaked vs. non-soaked nuts and seeds, as the non-soaked have a very distinct, bitter taste to me.

cons:

soaked nut/seed milks have a shorter shelf life. soaked nut/seed milks last up to 2 days in the fridge. non-soaked nut-seed milks can last up to twice as long
REMEMBERING TO SOAK AHEAD OF TIME - i kid. kind of. but in all seriousness, soaking requires some sort of plan of action. i personally set an alert on my phone to soak before i go to bed, reminding me to do so.

shortcuts:

if you’re not concerned about activating enzymes, soak your nuts/seeds in boiling water for 30 minutes prior to blending. this makes them softer, giving you more milk and less pulp
additionally (and i only advise this for those of you who have a high speed blender like a vitamix), blend the nuts/seeds without any soaking if you’re in a pinch.
lastly, i always keep hemp seeds on hand for a rainy day when i look in the fridge and don’t have enough milk. they require zero soaking - ever.

a little bit about pumpkin seed milk. it’s surprisingly creamy, has a great flavor,

and has the most subtle pistachio color to it. i added vanilla bean because i love unsweetened vanilla almond milk and i honestly just wanted to try out a version at home with pumpkin seeds. you can add sweetener to your liking, but i nudge you to try it with just the vanilla bean first :) . pumpkin seed milk can really go in whatever hot beverage you prefer - coffee, matcha, rooibos, early grey, herbal coffee, etc.!

xo’s!!

vanilla pumpkin seed milk latte | v

PRINT THE RECIPE!

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked for at least 3 hours or overnight
3 cups filtered water
1-2 vanilla beans, scraped
maple syrup, to taste (optional)

latte

1 teaspoon ceremonial grade matcha powder
1 cup boiling filtered water
1/2 cup pumpkin seed milk, warmed

method

rinse and drain the seeds. then add them to a high speed blender with the water, and vanilla bean (add the sweetener if using). blend on high for 1 minute, until very frothy and smooth.
strain the milk through a nut milk bag over a large bowl, squeeze until there is no more liquid. discard the nut pulp, or dry it out and use it as flour. pour the milk into lidded milk containers or jars and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
for the latte. carefully blend the matcha powder with the boiling water for 30-40 seconds, until completely combined. pour into a mug. rinse out your blender container or use a milk frother to froth the warm pumpkin seed milk. pour over top of your latte.

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Iced Matcha Latte, Two Ways / July 6, 2017 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

Iced Matcha Latte, Two Ways | dolly and oatmeal

hey, everyone! i hope you all had a good holiday weekend :) we pretty much stayed put. aside from a morning outing to beach that went way wrong (bummer!), we had a super fun day hanging with my brother, sister-in-law, and their little one, nico. amesy and his cousin had some pool time, and in between diaper changes, multiple sun block applications, playing/smashing toys, crawling, and naps, we adults had a few minutes to catch up as well ;)

life at home with amesy is hectic too. often, the days go by so quickly, and between both of our schedules i don't have much time to make intricate recipes. so in lieu of anything too exciting, i'm sharing my go-to, afternoon pick-me-up. i gave up coffee when i was pregnant with amesy, and after having him i gave it up completely due to adrenal fatigue. so matcha has been my sidekick for a while now. i've grown to love it's flavor and its ability to leave me feeling energized without the crash and burn i so often felt with coffee. among many of its benefits (boosting brain powder, being rich in antioxidants, etc.) it's a fun thing to sip. you can adapt a matcha latte in so many different ways, whether you make a bulletproof matcha, add any variety of nut milk or nut butter; some people sift and whisk, others blend, there's oodles of ways to prepare one.

i personally love the taste of matcha. and whenever i add milk that flavor is a bit more undetectable. i started adding tocos (tocotrienols a bio-available source of vitamin E) to a lot of my beverages a few months ago when i began experiencing a postpartum hormone imbalance. i love its creamy quality, which is perfect for a milk-less matcha. it gives a latte the perfect creamy/frothy consistency without diluting the matcha taste. but, i know a lot of people don't have access to tocos (nor do some of you have the desire to buy them), so i added a second iced matcha latte recipe, a version with milk, that is super creamy, a bit frothy, and just generally a good time :)

happy july! big summer hugs <3

all ceramics provided by wolf ceramics

iced matcha latte, two ways | v

if you're interested in buying tocos, you can find them here and here. i call for coconut butter but you can use a nut butter or coconut oil (it will have more of a coconut flavor though). similarly, you can use any sweetener of choice. i generally use a 1:1 ratio of matcha powder (in teaspoons) to water (in cups). but if you are sensitive to caffeine you can always reduce the amount of matcha powder.

| serves 1 |

no-milk creamy matcha latte

1 1/2 teaspoons matcha powder
1 teaspoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon coconut nectar
1 tablespoon tocos
1 cup hot filtered water
1/2 cup ice, plus more ice for serving

creamy matcha latte (w/ milk)

1 1/2 teaspoons matcha powder
1 teaspoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon coconut nectar
1 cup steamed unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup ice

method 1

to a high-speed blender, add the matcha, coconut butter, coconut nectar, and tocos. add the hot water and ice. blend on high for 45 seconds - 1 minute, until everything is combined and frothy.
fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the matcha blend over top. enjoy immediately.

method 2

to a high-speed blender, add the matcha, coconut butter, and coconut nectar. add the steamed milk and ice. blend on high for 45 seconds - 1 minute, until everything is combined and frothy.
fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the matcha blend over top. enjoy immediately.