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Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat Recipe) – {options for keto, paleo, dairy-free, vegan}
The Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is made with their signature cold brew coffee, vanilla syrup, a sweetened pumpkin cream cold foam on top that actually contains real pumpkin and it is finished with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice topping but it also has a lot of sugar, some not so great ingredients and of course, dairy. This copycat recipe was recreated at home to ditch all the refined sweeteners and sugar and to use the quality ingredients I personally prefer. I am sharing options for dairy and non-dairy and lots of opportunity for you to customize to your preference, follow the instructions for paleo, keto, etc.
I am married to a Starbucks addict. Mark likes Starbucks. A lot. Me, not so much. Mark loves their straight up cold brew, extra ice, splash of whole milk. He’s simple but he knows what he likes. He also like knowing what he will get, Starbucks are everywhere and he knows what to expect. He will occasionally venture out and try something seasonal that isn’t too obscene and he hasn’t stopped raving about the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. Recently he basically FORCED me to try the Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, a persistent little dude – because I think deep down he knew that my fall-obsessed, pumpkin spice lovin’, recipe recreating soul would fall in love and recreate it at home – which he really benefits from!!
And I loved it and I couldn’t do much more than take a sip because it was grossly over-sweetened, even with me asking for only one pump of vanilla syrup in the coffee. But, I considered it market research and off I went trying to figure out how I could recreate it at home.
How to Make a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Coffee:
1) Make Your Own Cold Brew or Buy Your Favorite Cold Brew:
Making your own cold brew at home is surprisingly simple and very cost effective. We do this often and the best part is being able to control the strength of my cold brew, the quality of the beans (I always go for organic as coffee beans are one of the most highly pesticide-sprayed foods) and often if I am avoiding or limiting caffeine I will make my own decaf or half caff cold brew, something you can’t find anywhere else.
2) Milk Options for the Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam:
Closest to the Starbucks Original Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew – only if you tolerate dairy:
After some investigating and lots of testing, I learned that Starbucks uses skim milk to get their light frothy cream. In the pumpkin cream cold froth it actually contains a condensed skim milk. I wasn’t going there since those are always high in sugar. But I also read in the ingredients on their website it also contains cream and milk. Just for the heck of it, I also tried frothing half and half and it definitely didn’t foam up and get nearly as frothy. From what I understand the protein without the fat content found in skim or low fat milks creates large air bubbles which allows it stay light and foamy. Now in most other scenarios I would say GO WITH FAT, skim milk is kinda blech yucky face, in my opinion, the fat is where the goodness and taste is and skim milk is generally so crazy stripped of any potential nutrients, but look, if you are looking for a really close replica at home and you tolerate dairy, skim milk is the answer. Again this homemade version of the cold cream foam made without the carageeenan (a stabilizer) and all the sugar that you will find in the Starbucks version, means this DIY rendition is a bit lighter – but it’s really quite nice. If you want a thicker, richer cream try half and half or heavy cream, but just know that it definitely doesn’t get as frothy.
For Dairy-free/Paleo Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew – a very close second
The best results that I found, to recreate the frothy cream, without dairy, is to FIRST select your favorite non-dairy milk. I have tried store-bought macadamia, almond, cashew and coconut milk. They all frothed up a little bit on their own, but not nearly like the skim milk did. Homemade unstrained cashew milk froths up quite wonderfully. The store-bought barista blends that usually have gums and many have sugar these frothed better than the non-barista blends. Coconut milk was least frothy, I think it’s a bit too heavy.
SECOND, ok so here is what I did next my secret for the ultimate frothy, non-dairy milk: stay with me on this one, ADD EGG WHITE!! Hear me out, think of those old school frothy cocktails, a whiskey sour, gin fizz or a pisco sour, they are light, frothy and have that distinct mouth feel that I realized is kinda close-ish to the Starbucks Cold Cream Foams, this is the best way I have found to create a non-dairy copycat. I use approximately 1/2 of 1 egg white and add it to the 1/4 cup on non-dairy milk and VOILA – frothy, non-dairy cold cream foam. I recommend going with less pumpkin on the non-dairy versions, 1/2 teaspoon.
For Vegan Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew:
If you can’t do dairy and you can’t consume egg whites or you prefer not to, you can certainly froth up your favorite non-dairy milk, but as I said, it isn’t quite the same, you definitely don’t get those exact foam vibes but it’s still VERY delicious. Try homemade unstrained cashew milk to get the creaminess or for a richer version coconut milk is nice for taste and thickness, but again it’s not as frothy. I recommend going with less pumpkin on the non-dairy versions, 1/2 teaspoon.
3) Options for Sweeteners:
In the Starbucks Original Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew the Grande size has 2 pumps of vanilla syrup in the coffee alone (which you can easily ask for them to leave out), but there is also a fair amount of additional sugar in the vanilla syrup found in the flavoring that gives the pumpkin cream foam topping all of it’s taste, which as far as I understand is mixed in with the pumpkin flavor already, so you can’t leave it out. In a Grande, which is 16 oz the drink as it comes contains 32 grams of sugar.
For me, I really love the way just a little smidge of maple syrup tastes in the homemade pumpkin cream cold foam. 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon is honestly more than enough for my low-key sweet taste buds. At just over 1 gram of sugar for 1/4 teaspoon of maple syrup or 2.5 grams of sugar for 1/2 teaspoon, this keeps this drink low carb and keto-friendly, easily. You can certainly add more to your liking, maybe upwards or a teaspoon or two, but be aware as you start to add more maple syrup, it may affect the frothiness and it will obviously increase the amount of sugar.
If you are more a straight-up sugar kinda guy/gal than I would recommend making a simple syrup (I would recommend doing so with unrefined sugar or even coconut sugar) vs. adding granulated sugar as that too would affect the cold cream. You can also opt for a few drops of stevia or another non-caloric sweetener, if that’s your scene. I did make one version with this pumpkin spice sugar-free stevia syrup that I happened to have here since it was sent to me as a sample. It was delicious, though I generally do not recommend these type of highly refined products. I would personally rather opt for real food.
I personally prefer to leave the sweetener out of the coffee itself, but if you wanted it sweet, again a little maple syrup would be a nice option.
4) Additional Ingredients:
Pumpkin Puree – yes we add REAL pumpkin to this tasty pumpkin cream foam. It’s not a lot, but it brings just a lil pumpkin flavor. Just an FYI if your foam isn’t frothing to your liking, you may want to take your pumpkin puree down to 1/2 or 3/4 teaspoon
Pumpkin Pie Spice – this is where the real flavor comes from, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves – so much fall flavor.
Vanilla Extract – the original contains vanilla syrup both in the coffee and the foam. Rather than a syrup, I like to add straight up real vanilla extract to the foam. You can also add to the coffee, as well. Vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans are also really nice.
Maple Syrup or other sweetener (see above) – this is often my go-to sweetener, a little goes a long way, it’s a whole food that hasn’t been refined and stripped of it’s nutrients, it blends nicely into the pumpkin cream cold foam.
Real Salt – just a pinch is all you need, quality unrefined salt always makes sweet flavors pop. I like using Redmond’s Real Salt to get in some extra trace minerals.
5) What You Need to Make Your Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Foam (any of these will work):
Milk Frother: You can buy a stand alone milk frother, like the Aeroccino and most offer the option for heat froth or cold. I use this one from Nespresso and I love it, you can make cold or hot foam and also just heat milk without frothing (though it seems this model has been discontinued so this is WAYYY expensive.)
Handheld Milk Frother Wand: I see these everywhere now, they are affordable and surprisingly very, very effective. Do a quick search on Amazon, there are loads of options. I tested this recipe with a high quality Nespresso milk frother and a FREE handheld wand I was sent as a promo and the results with both were about the same!
Steam Wand on an Espresso Machine: this would work but would heat the cream.
High Speed Blender: To froth milk in a blender, pour in the ingredients then let the machine rip for 15-30 seconds, or until the milk is foamy.
Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture: add to a jar and shake, shake, shake. Won’t be the same, but hey, it’s something.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (Starbucks Copycat Recipe) - {options for keto, paleo, dairy-free, vegan}
gluten-free, grain-free, keto/low carb, options for: paleo, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-freePrint Pin RateServings: 1 servingIngredients
- Cold Brew Coffee
- 12 ounces cold brew coffee
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- maple syrup or other sweetener, to taste (optional)
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam, see options below
- Pumpkin pie spice blend for topping
Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam (dairy version)
- ¼ cup cold organic grass-fed skim milk
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste (or other sweetener)
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch real salt or sea salt
Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam (non-dairy version)
- ¼ cup cold non-dairy milk, of your choice (homemade cashew milk is great, store bought barista blends froth up nicely)
- ½ egg white from pasture-raised or free-range egg, just an approximation
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste (or other sweetener)
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch real salt or sea salt
Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam (vegan version)
- ¼ cup cold non-dairy milk
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin puree
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste (or other sweetener)
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch real salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Make your cold brew ahead of time if you are making yourself. Strain and chill.
- Add all of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam ingredients to a jar or measuring cup if using a hand held brother or the pitcher of a milk frother (if mixing by hand add to a jar with a tightly fitting lid).
- Froth until it is fluffy, light and foamy.
- Add ice to a large glass, add the cold brew coffee (if adding vanilla or sweetener, mix well to combine). Pour or spoon the Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam over top. Sprinkle a little pumpkin spice blend on top.
- Enjoy.
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Tahini Chocolate Keto Mug Cake w/ Oven Option {Paleo, Gluten-free}
This delicious Tahini Chocolate Keto Mug Cake is not only low carb, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and low FODMAP, but it’s legit ready and in your face in under 5 minutes. Delicious, keto-friendly cake that’s ready in 5 minutes? Let’s do this. PS, I have had readers adapt to be nut-free, along with egg-free, scroll down for options.
Let me start by being very clear, this Tahini Chocolate Keto Mug Cake is dangerous. No, it’s not that it’s “bad” for you, on the contrary, but what is dangerous is just how simple it is to make this keto mug cake. Cake in about 5 minutes? Yeh, that’s information I am not sure I am ready to have.
Seriously though, this simple keto mug cake is quick to toss together and into the microwave. YES, you heard me right, the microwave! The 1990s hottest kitchen gadget. No, I generally don’t cook with my microwave. No, I don’t think it’s the best option. Yes, I have heard about the potential dangers for exposure to microwaves, but ya’ll relax, we aren’t having mug cakes daily, in fact I am not even implying you should have them weekly. It’s a treat. It’s special and the once or twice a month you use your microwave, it’ll be fine. Promise. UPDATE: I have now included oven options for those of you that don’t have a microwave, don’t want to use one or don’t mind waiting more like 20 minutes for cake.
Sweeteners:
I would like to be clear, I really don’t love all the non-caloric sweeteners prevalent in most keto recipes. Keto or not, I don’t really feel that non-nutritive sweeteners have a place in a real food diet, especially in abundance. They are highly processed, many can still impact on insulin and wreak havoc on the gut microbiome. Once in a while, a little bit of stevia in a coffee instead of sugar, a little monkfruit in a treat, probably OK, sure. But cups and cups of this stuff, day in and day out, I just don’t think this is a good idea.
For me, sugar alcohols (polyols) like Xylitol and Erythritol, along inulin-based sweeteners are absolute murder on my gut (I am working on a post as we speak about the potential harms of non-caloric sweeteners to explain why this is). I will use a little stevia now and again, a little monkfruit here and there. But, considering I am not consuming sweet stuff on the daily, when I have a sweet, it’s an occasional treat, so I generally opt for a small amount of real food sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, dates, coconut sugar, in amounts that I know will work for me, that won’t spike my blood sugar or cause cravings.
I would suggest if you are very new to keto or transitioning to a low carb or fat fueled lifestyle, especially if you are coming from a more standard American diet, eating lots of sugar and carbs, or possibly being diagnosed with a metabolic condition such as diabetes – some, natural non-caloric sweeteners may be a good option during the transitioning stages. If it’s a tool to reset your palate and taper you down and work to fight an addiction or strong cravings, then I think it can work for a temporary option or for use in small amounts. But even better yet, would be to avoid the sugar alternatives altogether and give your palate the opportunity to reset entirely and find a new way. But no one really wants to hear that kind of crazy talk on a post about cake that you can make in about 5 minutes.
If you are deeper into keto or living that fat-fueled life for sometime now, I will share that little maple syrup or coconut sugar will for the most part, not make or break you, it won’t cause sugar cravings or a blood sugar explosion and it will likely not kick your body out of a fat burning or ketogenic state. These are the benefits of metabolic flexibility. More on that below.
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Matcha White Hot Chocolate with Matcha Marshmallows {Paleo w/ Keto Options}
This Paleo Matcha White Hot Chocolate is a cozy, winter dream come true. Frothy, luscious white hot chocolate meets a classic rejuvenating matcha latte, with all kinds of nutritious, superfood goodness you can feel good about – from antioxidants to healthy fats plus healing, immune-boosting, gut-healing collagen, if you wanna include it. It’s paleo and dairy-free, with options for keto and vegan! The maple-sweetened paleo matcha marshmallows on top, those are totally optional, but listen – don’t be stupid!
This Matcha White Hot Chocolate is practically a superfood tonic disguised as a treat! First and most importantly, this delightful, healthful treat features Vital Proteins brand new Matcha Collagen. Antioxidant rich matcha tea, can help fight free radicals in the body and promote long-term health. Matcha being the whole leaf, ground, also contains 137 times the amount of free radical-fighting antioxidants as any other green teas. The matcha is combined with high-quality grass-fed collagen which promotes bone, joint, and skin and digestive health. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and is responsible for supporting, healing and sealing the gut plus maintenance of healthy connective tissues, such as bones, joints, skin, hair, and nails. Read more about the benefits of collagen here.
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Billionaire’s Bacon – Thick Cut Paleo Candied Bacon
I am super excited to share this recipe with you for Billionaire’s Bacon – Thick Cut Paleo Candied Bacon. This was recreated and inspired by Villard restaurant at Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City, after a recent trip to the city, along with the Hamptons for an amazing Blogger Retreat I attended. Read on for this amazing candied bacon situation, that features a little sugar and a little spice recreated to be paleo-friendly, along with scenes and highlights from our amazing East Coast trip.
This bacon will 100% make you feel like you’ve struck riches, you’ll totally feel big time. Aptly named this Billionaire’s Bacon tastes as if it were fit for royalty. It’s sinful really. With the original recipe calling for a full cup of light brown sugar, and having tasted it and devoured it, it’s super tasty, decadent and sweet, but maybe too much so for this low sugar gal. So, I recreated this paleo-friendly version, adapted from the original, to lower the sugar but still offer that sweet stickiness, with the multi-layered spices.
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Red Velvet Pudding Pops with White Chocolate Drizzle {Dairy-free, Paleo, Vegan}
In honor of #popsicleweek, I am bringing a traditional cake recipe new life with these tasty Red Velvet Pudding Pops. Of course, there’s a twist. I boosted this sweet treat with nutrient-dense whole foods, so you can have your cake and nutrients and eat it, too!
It wasn’t too long ago that I snuck a little cauliflower into some popsicles here on Tasty Yummies. I’m hoping if you tried that recipe, you still trust me and know that despite these strange ingredient combos, I will never lead you astray. It was a fun surprise to find that the cauliflower brought another level to the treat, with creaminess and also of course, nutrients. While I don’t feel that every dessert should have a veggie snuck into it, I do love the unexpected nutritional boost that this provides. And why not?
So, I am back at it again today with these Red Velvet Pudding Pops. As traditional Red Velvet Cake is simply a subtle amount of cocoa with red food coloring, it’s actually a cake flavor that has forever eluded me. I never really understood it. It’s not chocolate and the red color has nothing to do with flavor. But not too long ago I tried a gluten-free Red Velvet cupcake and I am not gonna lie. I was into it. But, ya know, it was loaded with sugar and grains. Additionally, red food dye used in baking is almost always derived from Red #40 (Allura Red) an artificial food dye. According to a CSPI report, some of the most commonly used food dyes may be linked to numerous forms of cancer, along with hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in children.1http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/24/are-you-or-your-family-eating-toxic-food-dyes.aspx The European Union has recently placed regulations on labeling food dyes to inform consumers of the health risks, but the United States has no such requirement.
References
1. ↑ http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/02/24/are-you-or-your-family-eating-toxic-food-dyes.aspx -
Boosted Chocolate Tahini Fudge {Gluten-free, Paleo}
Well, I might just have to quit after this. This Boosted Chocolate Tahini Fudge features two of my favorite things together in a marriage so perfect I am not sure any treat can ever compare. At least for this girl. As if it couldn’t get better, this treat features the bonus healing powers of one of my favorite daily supplements.
This fudge is dreamy. It’s rich and decadent, it’s unique and “mmmmm”-inducing. Here’s the thing though, if you don’t like tahini, it may not be for you (though you could likely swap in some almond butter or sunflower seed butter). But if you are a lover of all things tahini, you’re in luck. MAJOR luck. The tahini flavor shines bright and in it’s prominence it’s complimented so perfectly by the decadent, rich super dark chocolate. Don’t skimp here, quality is of key. Better yet, use homemade dark chocolate if you’ve got some. You guys already know how I feel about dark chocolate, a square or two a day of this magical superfood and that’s about all this lady needs to be satisfied. It doesn’t take much. Curious on why dark chocolate is a great option for a daily treat? Read more about the many benefits of dark chocolate.
But here’s the best part, this is so much more than your usual treat, in true Tasty Yummies style, I boosted this fudge to bring an added layer of healing benefits. Vital Proteins’ Vanilla and Coconut Water Collagen Peptides is one of the latest and greatest from my pals over at Vital Proteins. You guys have already heard me sing the praises of collagen peptides as part of a healing diet and lifestyle. But since I have started incorporating Vital Proteins in my life, daily, they have continued to expand their product and introduce more and more incredible collagen based products. The new Vanilla and Coconut Water Collagen Peptides is no exception, this has been a wonderful addition to smoothies, as well as baked goods and now this amazing boosted fudge.
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Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings
As I sit down to write this recipe I am having the realization that these Maple Bourbon Glazed Chicken Wings in a nutshell are basically a food representation of my marriage and just 9 days before our 10 year wedding anniversary, at that. I would love to act as if this was 100% purposeful in it’s intent, but nope, kinda just a happy accident. But you guys, chicken wings inspired by the Kentucky Derby – it’s like Buffalo meets Louisville. I a Buffalo girl, my husband Mark from Louisville. Nifty. Totally planned (not really).
Tomorrow is the Kentucky Derby and while I could care less about horse racing, in fact I actually have some inherent issues with it from a moral and ethical standpoint, I do have a husband that grew up in Louisville, surrounded by the culture of this 2-minute long historic sport. They party for 2 weeks prior to the Derby in Louisville, there are boat races, fireworks, fancy hats and a plethora of foods and cocktails exclusively served for the Derby. They don’t mess around.
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How-To Make Grain-free Granola {Paleo-friendly}
For my granola loving friends, I am super excited about this how-to and recipe. Most commercial granolas, even when gluten-free, are loaded with gut-upsetting grains, and worse yet – vegetable oils and loads of sugar. After lots of experimenting and playing around, I created the perfect base recipe for this paleo grain-free granola, with two variations. Sweet and Savory.
Using the formula for the base on this paleo recipe, you can get creative there with your favorite nuts and seeds and then when it comes to flavor combinations, the sky is the limit – so get creative and make it your own.
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How-to Make Homemade Dark Chocolate and the Many Benefits of Dark Chocolate
This homemade dark chocolate is simple to make and very easy to customize and make it exactly the way you want it, from sweeteners to flavorful add-ins. With constant research showing the many health benefits of dark chocolate, this is one indulgence I plan to never give up. A food that is not only good for your soul, but your mind and body as well?! Yes please. In fact new research has even reported that certain bacteria in the stomach gobble the chocolate and ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart 1https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318154725.htm.
Sadly, not all dark chocolate is created equally. So many of the bars at the store contain soy lecithin, a ridiculous amount of refined sugar, vegetable oils, “natural flavors”, corn syrup and other unnecessary ingredients. Conventional chocolate bars filled with lots of additives will not have the same benefits as clean dark chocolate and are likely to do more harm than good! The closer your cocoa is to its natural raw unrefined state, the higher its nutritional value.
References
1. ↑ https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318154725.htm -
How-to Make Chia Seed Pudding {Paleo, Keto, Vegan}
I have been a long time fan of chia seed pudding and it’s become a simple dish that I recommend often as an egg-free, dairy-free snack, breakfast or dessert option to my nutritional clients, especially those I recommend blood sugar control diets or sugar detoxes to. Without sweetener (or sweetened very lightly) chia pudding can be a great, nutrient-dense alternative to the more standard grain and carb-forward breakfasts. It’s loaded with omega-3 essential fatty acids, fiber, protein, and various micronutrients and chia seeds are also high in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
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Miso Roasted Brussels Sprouts
As we head into the holidays, the focus obviously shifts to any and all dishes for entertaining. Side dishes and treats, mains and snacks. ‘Tis the season of all the eating! The Miso Roasted Brussels Sprouts are begging to be the star at your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal! Trust me, this is a veggie that can steal the show!
I enjoy creating the sweets and treats recipes, because let’s be real, the joy that healthy treats can bring is palpable. I’d like to wrap that feeling up with a pretty bow and give it as a gift. That said, when it comes to the holidays, my heart will forever remain with sides and veggies. I love a good, plant-based side dish. So much room for creativity in the vegetables. The mains are usually pretty traditional, those are generally on lock down. I just truly enjoy the challenge of creating exciting enough veggie dishes that will please the masses and especially those that won’t be the forgotten soldier at a table full of meaty mains and their carb-loaded friends. I literally have made it my mission when I feed people to make the vegetable(s) the first thing to disappear from the plate, rather than the last. This dish 100% is successful at doing exactly that.
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Maple Bourbon Sour
If you follow me on social media at all, you may know that I am currently in London. We have 10 days of travel between London, Paris, Leeds and back to London before we head back to LA. A for-real vacation, just the hubby and I.
So far, it’s been an adventurous trip. Unfortunately the adventures started off on a truly sad note for us. Here’s a strange and very somber story for you, it’s affected me greatly and it’s been weighing so heavy on my mind, even amidst this exciting time of international travel with my guy.
We had a direct flight from Los Angeles to London, on Thursday evening. It was meant to be approximately an 11 hour flight. A few hours in, somewhere over the middle of the country I drifted off to that strange, blurry-headed, plane-induced half-sleep, when there was a call over the loud speaker for any doctors or nurses. A short time later, another call.
Suddenly several hours later, with about 3.5 hours left of our 11 hour flight, the bright lights turned on, a jarring way to wake. We received the pre-recorded notice that we were close to our arrival and that we should prepare for landing. ‘Trays and seat backs to the upright positions.’ ‘Bags stowed.’ It didn’t make sense. The map showed we were in the middle of the Atlantic, somewhere near Greenland. In the fog of sleep and slight confusion and with the pull of an extremely abrupt direction change, I opened up the digital map on the glowing screen in front of me. The flight path showed a very abrupt u-turn in the middle of the blue sea. Mark said “we’re turning back around, we’re going back.” Our plane was headed back in the very direction we had just come from and the arrival time now showed as just over an hour.
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Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Almonds
With the start of fall and now as we enter October, I say this means it’s officially, official that we can go all-in on the pumpkin spice everything. Sure it’s considered Basic B*tch to some, but I don’t care, call me “Basic Beth” if you wish – I want to pumpkin spice ALL the things, like these Maple Glazed Pumpkin Spice Almonds.
These lightly sweetened with just a hint of salt, crunchy, crispy, coated almonds are flavored with my homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend (but of course any store bought pumpkin spice blend will work) – they get coated with maple syrup and then if you allow them time to dry slowly, they harden, up, get crispy and will wow you! Otherwise you end up with sticky, stuck together, not-so-crispy nuts.
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How-to Make Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Yesterday’s summer solstice marked the official start of summer, which means we also kicked off the season of grilling and barbecue. A good traditional barbecue sauce is key to a season of delicious backyard feasts. However, if you are like me, when you turn over most jars and bottles from the store, to investigate the ingredients, you are sorely disappointed. Most contain loads of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, various preservatives, thickeners, artificial flavors, colors and who know’s what else. Let’s be honest, they are also not all that good. We can do better!
Making your own sauce is incredible simple, you don’t need any special ingredients and with this simple tutorial and formula, I also give you the options to customize your sauce and make it just how you like it.
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Strawberry Lime Sorbet
It’s been a while since we’ve had a Foodie Friend Friday post, I can tell you this lapse in sharing definitely isn’t for lack of having incredibly talented friends put out incredibly talented books.
We are back at it today with this gem of a book, Everyday Detox, from Megan Gilmore, AKA The Detoxinista. I absolutely love Megan, her website and recipes and now this incredible book. She just “gets it”. Rather than the all-or-nothing approach of extreme short term detoxes, fasts and cleanses, diets that can set us up for failure, Megan is all about making healthy choices everyday, living life in a mindful way that we can maintain without intense deprivation followed by the post-diet binging.
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Roasted Blueberry and Lemony Yogurt Popsicles
In my opinion, it isn’t summer until you make the first frozen treat of the season! I’d love to say I have the energy and time to bust out the ice cream maker every week throughout the summer. I don’t. Homemade ice cream is good, but just so much work and there are so many steps. Honestly, popsicles are my favorite! Always an easy way to celebrate the season and all of it’s beautiful, fresh offerings. I also love that if you are smart with your ingredients you can make popsicles that will work for just about everyone at your party, no matter their eating style or preferences. No need for an ice cream maker or anything besides popsicle molds and you can even skip on those, just pour these into paper cups, add a popsicle stick and call it a day. Easy!
If you haven’t been able to tell by the 5 years of posts up until now, I am slightly obsessed with roasting. OK a lot obsessed. It’s my easy answer to bringing out the best in foods. Fruit or veggies, there is just something about roasting, even in the dead of summer, I refuse to deny myself. Especially when it concerns fruit, roasting brings out the inherent sweetness, it provides pretty bursts of color and flavor and it’s a simple way to maximize all that juicy, saucy, sweet goodness. So yes, I am complicating something meant to be simple, by adding the extra step with the oven here, but you have to just trust me on this one.
These popsicles have the perfect mix of sweet and tart, one of my favorite combos. I tend to go light on the sweetness myself, so if you want them more sweet than tart, you may want to add a bit more coconut sugar when roasting and/or more maple or honey. I like to barely fold in the roasted berries, to keep the gorgeous swirls of purple, violety blue.
I opt for my homemade coconut yogurt to keep these popsicles dairy-free/vegan, but you can also go with Greek yogurt, regular yogurt or goat’s milk yogurt. I just suggest whatever you choose, to go with full fat if you can, this give you the rich creaminess and the extra fat which cuts down on the icy factor.
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Blood Orange Bourbon Sparkler
With winter upon us, one of my favorites of the citrus season are blood oranges. They are slightly sweeter, a little tart and have the most beautiful color to them. They are absolutely my favorite of all citrus and I truly didn’t know this love, until I moved to Southern California.
For my money, I find that out of all citrus fruits a blood orange lends itself the best to juices, cocktails and other drinks. And the beautiful vibrant hue present in any cocktail crafted with it, makes it that much more appealing and special.
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Spiced Orange Chocolate Chip Waffles {Gluten-free + Dairy-free} with Orange Spice Maple Syrup
It’s rare that I have a morning with enough time to make a big breakfast. Most days I start with my warm lemon water, a home yoga practice, then I make a quick smoothie and get right into my work for the day.
On the rare occasion where I don’t have to rush to my desk or to some sort of commitment, I love making a scramble or frittata of some sort, or on the extra special days, a delicious and comforting waffle.
I have been playing around with a different waffle recipe from the ones I have used in the past. I was looking for a lighter waffle, that wasn’t dense and heavy in the center, but would also get a nice crispy outside to it, which is my favorite part. I have made several variations to this waffle recipe and they always come out amazing.
I happened on this recipe from Aretha Frankenstein a while back and I adapted it to make it gluten-free. Since I had picked the last of the beautiful oranges from our tree, I also updated the recipe with a fun new flavor combination. The orange spice flavor is subtle in the actual waffles, but it is brought out and complimented nicely by the little bits of dark chocolate chips. Two things that go so perfectly together, if you ask me.
The specially made Orange Spice Maple Syrup I created to compliment these waffles is a very simple-to-make addition, that shouldn’t be overlooked if you have an extra few minutes to spare. To me, that delicious unique maple syrup really sets this recipe over the top!
My waffle iron makes two massive waffles with this recipe and usually hubby and I share one and save the other for the next day.
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Grain-free Tiramisu Double Chocolate Brownies – Gluten-free + Refined Sugar-free
Today’s guest post comes from the super lovely Rose of The Clean Dish and she is sharing this sweet but healthy valentines-day worthy recipe. I just adore this recipe and I cannot wait to make this myself.
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Hey there! My name is Rose; I am the author of The Clean Dish – a real food blog where you find grain free, gluten free and processed sugar free recipes! I am super excited to be guest posting for Beth today here at Tasty Yummies! I am a military wife and German national (I feel obliged to mention this so hopefully, you will forgive me any linguistic inaccuracies 🙂 ). I love fresh, locally sourced food and making things from scratch; nothing gives me more pleasure than to enjoy a home cooked meal with family and friends. Come visit me at the Clean Dish and see what I’ve been up to in my kitchen lately – I would love to have you 🙂
I had a hard time deciding whether I should bring you something sweet or savory! Right after Christmas, I didn’t even want to look at sweet stuff, not to mention make anything sweet but January has been a healthy month for me so far; I have recovered from my sugar overdose and this recipe I have for you is one I have been working on for a while so it’s time to get it out there!
These Tiramisu Double Chocolate Brownies Grain-free Tiramisu Double Chocolate BrowniesSpeaking of mascarpone; since I am a part time vegan (you know, I enjoy organic grade meat on occasions and would *never* give up cheese!!) I haven’t really made anything containing mascarpone in over 3 years – since I came to the US. And boy, was I shocked to find that 8oz of mascarpone cost $7 in this country!! That’s way too much, if I may say so. So I decided to compromise: I used equal parts mascarpone and cream cheese (instead of mascarpone only) with an amazing outcome: It tastes almost exactly like tiramisu cream except it’s a little firmer so it’s perfect for brownie frosting!
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Spiced Maple Roasted Baby Carrots with Toasted Coconut – Gluten-free + Vegan
*The following post is sponsored by Grimmway Farms. All content and opinions are my own.*
It is a rare thing that I serve carrots as a side dish with meals around here. My hubby Mark tends to be quite vocal about his disdain for carrots, if they are served any other way than raw. However, I have been on a mission to get him to enjoy carrots other than just being dipped in ranch, blue cheese or hummus. So, when Grimmway Farms contacted me to create a simple holiday side dish with their amazing baby carrots, I was very excited for another opportunity to win my hubby over with this nutrition-packed veggie!
Carrots are a nutrition powerhouse and they are just so darn good for you, which is why I am always trying to get Mark to eat them. Carrots provide over 15 essential vitamins and minerals along with phytonutrients and fiber that are important for good health. One serving of baby carrots (85 grams; about 9 medium baby carrots) provides just 35 calories and is a source of over 15 vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, including vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and niacin. Read the rest of this entry »
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Lavender Berry Parfaits with Whipped Coconut Cream {Gluten-free + Vegan}
I have been obsessed with berries lately. They are in season here in Southern California so much earlier than I was used to on the East Coast, so I feel like I have been given this extra special gift this year. The berries out here are seriously better than I have ever tasted before. The pint of strawberries I picked up a from my favorite organic farmer this week, are seriously THE best I have ever had. I can’t get over it.
When Sherrie from With Food + Love invited me to share a seasonally inspired dish for The Spring Dish {PLANT POWER}Blog Series, I knew instantly I wanted to share a sweet berry recipe. I wanted simple and light, but with a little something special to make it unique. A fragrant lavender simple syrup compliments the berries with all that lovely soft aroma and flavor and the coconut sugar gives it a nice robust almost rustic finish. And of course, the whipped coconut cream is the best way to finish these parfaits off. Read the rest of this entry »
