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Seeing as it's wonderfully warm and sunny outside, this seemed like the perfect weekend post! :)
Lately I've been experimenting with making our own blender "mochas", in an effort to have something really yummy to drink, that isn't particularly unhealthy and that doesn't break the bank every time we stop in at Starbucks. It has actually become my ritual afternoon "my-kids-are-napping-and-I'm-going-to-enjoy-myself-while-I'm-blogging" treat!
The recipe started out as simply some raw milk, a bit of cocoa, some honey or raw sugar, and a bit of vanilla, whizzed up for a few seconds in the blender. Though this simple "chocolate milk" was wonderful, I wanted to make it even more fun. I began adding a bit of ice to it, as well as some Inka, which is an herbal instant coffee powder, available from most health food stores.
I finally tweaked the recipe to perfection after my friend posted her own blender coffee drink, and I used a few of her measurements. Now, it's just oh-so-good and my hubby said I needed to post it!
1 to 1 1/2 cups raw milk (you can susbtitute regular milk, but it helps to add at least a bit of cream)
1 heaping Tbsp raw cacao powder (again, substitute carob powder or cocoa powder)
1 tsp or more Inka powder (optional, but yummy- use 1 1/2 cups milk with this option) or 1/2 cup cold brewed Teeccino (if I do this option, I use only 1 cup of milk/cream)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp raw sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura), or 1 heaping tsp raw honey, or 1 Tbsp equivalent of Stevia (with Sweet Leaf liquid stevia I would use about 8 drops)
5-6 ice cubes
Blend and serve. Lovely, cold, frothy... mmmmm!
Does anyone else make their own iced blender coffees or special drinks? What's your favorite drink to indulge in when it's hot outside?
More from Keeper of the Home
- The Backyard Homestead
- Two hearty whole grain bread recipes
- Making good use of my dehydrator
- Is raw milk really safe?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks DELICIOUS! I'm definitely going to have to try this.
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I drink coffee on a regular basis, so when I have some coffee left in the pot, I put it in ice cube trays in the freezer. In a recipe like this, you'd use it in place of the ice cubes and instant coffee. I figure I pay good money for good coffee and this is a good way to not let any go to waste besides having a yummy cool drink in the summer. I make mine about the same way, but I've never tried vanilla in it. Sometimes I'll throw in chocolate chips for an extra special treat.
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I definitely have to try this. I have a similar (albeit; not as fancy) recipe similar to this on my blog at http://blender-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/06/mocha-cream-shake.html
It calls for chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup instead of cocoa. That and plain old instant coffee with milk. But it still tastes good :-)
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I have also tried to make my own iced coffee drinks. One trick I found was to make a simple vanilla syrup to use. I think it gives a stronger vanilla flavor and the sugar is already dissolved. I don't have a recipe but I just heat a good amount of sugar a few teaspoons of vanilla extract and some water on the stove until all the sugar is dissolved. You can make a large batch of this and keep it in the fridge for about a week. So yummy!
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I like to add an actual peppermint pattie to make it a minty treat!!
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date almond smoothies -- almond butter, soymilk, frozen banana, cinnamon, soaked dates.
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That sounds neat although I don't like coffee tastes and am not really into chocolate/carob tastes either much. We eat a lot of smoothies (done with berries) and homemade popsicles (done either with yogurt or a 100% juice/juice blend) in the summer. I made some popsicles recently out of yogurt, some frozen juice concentrate (pineapple or orange is good) and some vanilla extract and then froze it. The recipe was from the more-with-less cookbook.
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you're on the raw cacao powder, i see! maybe a little bit of the thrive diet rubbed off on you after all! lol
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Sarah, I had already fallen in love with raw cacao powder long before the Thrive Diet! :) It's soooo good! But I'm always glad to read more positive things about a food I already think is great!
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there is a book about raw cacao called "naked chocolate" by david wolfe and shazzie. it's very in depth. i haven't read it yet, but i really, really want to!
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As soon as I can decipher all of the weird ingredients, I may give it a try. I guess I'm still a junkie for real coffee. LOL. One indulgence I started after I knew the quiver was full. Looks yummy though
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