Archive for the ‘Beverages’ Category

Coconut Milk Mocha

Posted 12 Aug, 2010 in Beverages [ 9 Comments ]

I’ve resisted drinking coffee for the longest time because it’s expensive to buy coffee daily and because I didn’t want to be addicted to caffeine.

Somehow over the last few months, I’ve become a coffee lover. So much so that I have essentially replaced breakfast with a flat white from a local cafe. The main reason for this being time. I like grabbing a coffee on my way to work rather than stopping for breakfast at home. This means I get to work earlier which means more time to get myself organised for the day.

The major drawback to this is of course the amount of dairy I’m consuming with the flat whites and also the cost of $4.00 per day. It doesn’t seem like much but it adds up. So I found a way to enjoy coffee at work without breaking the bank or overdoing it on the dairy.

The idea of having coconut milk in coffee sounded a bit gross to start with but with a bit of  good quality cocoa, it’s a nice hot drink to have in the mornings and surprisingly filling. The more coconut milk you add, the thicker and creamier the mocha. I like to take mine in a thermos so I can have it hot when I get to work.

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Coconut Milk Mocha

2 heaping tbs of good quality dutch cocoa
1 heaping tbs or more of plunger coffee (aka. French press)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup hot water
sweetener of your choice (I use stevia)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

  1. Pour in the coconut milk into the plunger.
  2. Add in the dutch cocoa, coffee, and vanilla.
  3. Add in the hot water and stir all ingredients.
  4. Let it steep for 5 minutes and then plunge.
  5. Pour into a thermos or a mug.
  6. Sweeten with stevia or honey before drinking.

Makes 2 small cups.

Mulled Red Wine

Posted 20 Jun, 2010 in Beverages [ 1 Comment ]

In going with the Winter theme here in the Souther Hemisphere, I thought I would try out a recipe for Mulled Red Wine to sip in the cold. My friend’s mom gave me the recipe which I have been told is from her local liquor store.

It’s definitely different from drinking a normal glass of red wine. I don’t know too much about mulled wine as this is the only one that I have ever tried. My first thoughts are that it’s so much more intense than just your normal red wine. This is strange to me as you add water to the wine so I would have thought that it would be less strong.

The smell of the spices are wonderful, but the wine was so intense that you can only take small sips at a time. Maybe that’s the point. Sip it slowly and enjoy the intense flavors rather than drinking it too fast.

It did start to grow on me half way through the mug but I think it could be better. This is the only mulled wine that I have ever tried so if anyone else has a better recipe for mulled wine, please let me know. I did look at other recipes on-line but I really wanted to keep the sugar content relatively low.

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Mulled Red Wine

2 bottles or 1.5 liters of red wine (I used merlot)
1 cup of hot water
½ a tsp of grated nutmeg
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 to 4 tbs of raw honey
juice and rind of one lemon

  1. Place all ingredients except for the wine into the saucepan and simmer for fifteen minutes.
  2. Strain.
  3. Place the wine into the saucepabn, add the flavoured water and heat thoroughly, but do not allow to boil.
  4. The important thing to  remember is NEVER allow the wine to boil, as this evaporates the alcohol present.
  5. Use chin a mugs or goblets, as fine glasses may crack under the heat.
  6. You can add few drops of stevia for extra sweetness.

Makes approximately 2 liters.

Sweet Yogurt Lassi

Posted 29 Mar, 2010 in Beverages, Uncategorized [ 2 Comments ]

Sweet Yogurt Lassi is my new favorite drink. It is another Ayurvedic recipe that I found in Heaven’s Banquet. It reminds me of Yakult, a drink that I used to get as a treat when I was growing up.

For those of you who don’t know, Yakult is a Japanese drinking yogurt. It comes in tiny little bottles and they are generally found in Asian grocery stores. Sweet Yogurt Lassi is refreshing, slightly tart and can be as sweet as you want it to be.

On another note, here are some observations of my first day on my prescribed Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle plan.

  • I love the ritual of waking up, brushing my teeth and cleaning my tongue. The tongue cleaner is amazing and I can’t believe how clean my mouth feels. This is a link to an article that explains the idea behind cleaning your tongue in more detail.
  • I love the fresh ginger and lemon tea with just a hint of raw honey. I think I prefer this to my morning cup of green tea.
  • Oatmeal with non-homogenized organic milk for breakfast. This was surprisingly filling and didn’t upset my stomach. I always thought I was lactose intolerant but maybe it is just poor combinations of food?
  • Taking conscious deep breaths calms me down at work.
  • I could’t limit my water intake to 1.5 liters. I went to BODYPUMP this morning and must have drunk a liter of water just during the workout.
  • I moved the daily self-massage to the evening and took a warm shower just before bed.  I found this to be quite calming and for the first time in weeks, I actually slept through the whole night.

The majority of the above observations are positive and I can see myself incorporating them into my life on a regular basis. The restrictions on food are a different story and I think I need to give it a bit more time before I can give a proper assessment. More on that to come later.

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Sweet Yogurt Lassi

1 part whole milk yogurt
2 parts water
1 tsp sweetener of your choice per cup.
A pinch of cardamom powder.

  1. Blend yogurt and water in a blender.
  2. Add just enough sweetener to suit your taste.
  3. Sprinkle a pinch of cardamom before drinking.
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