soymilk

At Home Barista: Pumpkin Latte

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Since it’s Pumpkin Month it’s about time we get some pumpkin goods up in here, am I right?  As soon as the end of August starts getting near and the thought of September hits our consciousness, what does everyone start thinking about?

Pumpkin Lattes!

Don’t play, you know it’s true.

The concept I’m about to discuss is not one that I came up with, I have to acknowledge Mama Pea for this inspiration.  Last fall she discovered that a pumpkin latte from Starbucks made with soymilk and no whip is in fact not vegan.

Apparently there is some dry milk or something similar in the pumpkin spice syrup used to flavor the coffee.  I’m not really down with that.  I’m not vegan by any stretch but my preference for dairy comes in the form of cheese.  If I don’t want dairy and I’m actively trying to avoid it in food products, I really don’t appreciate having it snuck in behind my back.

A pumpkin spice syrup really doesn’t scream out that it requires milk, right?  So why have it in there?

Mama Pea came up with her own pumpkin spice latte and I turned around and made my own version as well.  It produces a rich creamy drink that is actually very filling!  We have been enjoying pumpkin lattes ever since!

We typically have a pumpkin latte on the weekends when we have a bit more time to relax and enjoy morning coffee.

Andrea’s Pumpkin Spice Latte

  • 1 1/4C Vanilla Soymilk (or vanilla nondairy milk of your choice)
  • 1 1/2TBSP Pumpkin Puree
  • 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4tsp Ground Allspice
  • 1/4tsp Ground Clove
  • 1tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1/4tsp Molasses

Toss all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  Makes enough for two mugs of pumpkin latte.  Fill mug close to half way with pumpkin mixture, then add in your freshly brewed coffee.  Stir and enjoy!

Frothy, delicious, and totally makes you think of fall weather.  It also smells mighty fine!  Now the next time you’ve got a hankering for some pumpkin spice lattes, you can make them at home!

Want a pumpkin spice latte using a homemade syrup?  Brandi just made some and she shares her technique!  Check it out!

Happy Pumpkin Month! :pumpkin:

Andrea’s Favorite Smoothie

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I make smoothies everyday for Scott and I to have with our lunch.  We’ve been doing this for almost a year now and love it! Back when I was doing the oh so boring Food-Log style entries, you could see my smoothies everyday.  Now they only get busted out for special occasions. ;)

This particular smoothie combo is my very favorite. It’s clean tasting and very filling.  I don’t have it too often because I want to keep it special and I also save it for the times when I feel like my bod could use some very straight up clean eats.

You know those times when you’re feeling just a bit rundown.  Or maybe you had too much wine/beer/Boones the night before because it was Aunt Sally’s 80th birthday and how can you turn down an 80 year old on their birthday? Even if that would put the tally up to your 6th glass of Wild Island.

Maybe you just had a really bad dining experience the night before where the salmon was farm raised, the asparagus just showed up from Mexico covered in Shed Spread, and what should have been Himalayan rice was actually Uncle Ben’s quick fix.

Basically you just feel like you need to work some stuff outta your system and replace it with some clean stuff.  You dig? This smoothie is the ticket.  At least for this bod.

Andrea’s Favorite Smoothie

  • 1C Carrot Juice
  • 1C Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
  • 1C Soymilk
  • 2 handfuls of spinach
  • 1-1.5 Frozen bananas
  • Frozen Blueberries (about1/2C)
  • Frozen Pineapple (literally like 5-6 pieces)

Blend in a blender until smoothie and creamy.

The liquid measurements are exact but the others are not.  Don’t overload too much on the spinach or you run the risk of the smoothie being gritty.  Kale works here as well.  The pineapple I keep to a minimum because I just want it to brighten the flavor a bit, I don’t want to feel like I’m in the tropics.  The soymilk along with the frozen fruit make this a very thick smoothie, like a shake.

This makes a lot of smoothie!  It’s enough for Scott and I each to have a big glass plus extra for Scott to have some more.  Both of us love it!

Everyday smoothies start off with the same liquid combos, just replace soymilk with water and change up the frozen fruit from time-to-time.  Smoothies never get old to us!

Enjoy guys!

P.S. Stop thinking about Wild Island!