kerravonsen | Entries tagged with food:drink

I've been faffing around for a long time trying to make the "perfect" (to my taste) mocha (whether iced or otherwise). But not actually being scientific about it, like, not measuring anything, not recording any results. That ends today!

What am I aiming for? I want to see if I can come close to the taste of Dare Iced Coffee Mocha, which has been my favourite reliable iced mocha for quite a while. (That isn't to say it's the only taste I like. There's really not much that can beat pouring fresh pourover-filter coffee over a glass full of chocolate ice cream.)

And it so happens I have half a bottle of Dare available for taste-comparison. I predict that today's effort will not come anywhere near it. However, actually having some Dare to compare it with will at least give me a direction to go in.

( Read more... )

Crossposts: https://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1200003.html

I came back from the doctor's appointment after eleven, turned on the heater, and the temperature inside according to its thermostat, was 10C. Which is COLD for an Aussie. And though I pottered around and had lunch after that, I was still hankering for a warm and filling drink, something which wasn't cocoa or tea or soup or coffee. So I made a warmshake (which is a hot/warm milkshake).

Bananaloaf Warmshake

(no actual banana-loaves were harmed in this experiment)

Ingredients:

100ml quick-oats
300ml milk
1-2 bananas (depending on size of bananas - I used 2 small ones)
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 whole cloves (because I didn't have any ground cloves; if you have ground cloves, add a pinch)
sweetener to taste (optional -- depends on how ripe your bananas are)

Instructions:

Put the oats and the milk in a microwave-safe container and cook in microwave for 3-4 minutes, or until it just starts to boil over (that is, it hasn't boiled over yet, but it is nearly there). This isn't my carelessness, this is the test I use for cooking porridge, and since this is a super-milky porridge, I figured that would do.
Put the banana and the milk mixture and the spices into a tall milkshake-sized container and puree with a stick blender (or put into a conventional blender and puree with that)
Taste-test, and add sweetener if desired.
Drink and enjoy!

I call it a "bananaloaf" warmshake because the oats make it loaf-like, more filling, and probably better for you.

Current Mood: cold
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1091948.html

Ingredients:

a punnet of fresh strawberries
1 tsp sweetener
handful of frozen strawberries
vanilla yoghurt
milk

Instructions:

Take one punnet of strawberries and chop them up.
Put one half into a milkshake-suitable container (e.g. a beer stein)
Put the second half in a microwave-safe jug (e.g. Pyrex) with 1 tsp of your favourite sweetener (e.g. Natvia) and microwave on high for 60 - 90 seconds, until the strawberries are reduced to a heaving, bubbling mass. This intensifies the flavour.
Put the cooked strawberries on top of the raw strawberries.
Add a handful of frozen strawberries.
Add three tablespoonfulls of your favourite vanilla yoghurt (e.g. Jalna Creamy Vanilla)
Top up with milk.
Take your stick-blender (Bamix) and pulverize the mixture.

Drink and enjoy.

Current Mood: pleased
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1078188.html

Didn't have time to puree my smoothie this morning, so I had it for dinner.

* quick oats
* 1 leaf of kale
* fresh mint leaves
* boiling water
* honey
* Greek yoghurt
* low-fat milk
* Splenda

The kale was a mistake. It didn't really blend. Unlike cucumber. And of course I couldn't tell which of the green flecks were mint and which were kale. Still, it was sweet and frothy, not horrible.

Current Mood: okay
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1062896.html

Chocolate + Molasses + Banana is good.

Current Mood: pleased
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1062000.html

* quick oats
* Greek Yoghurt
* 1 Lebanese cucumber, chopped into chunks
* fresh basil leaves
* fresh mint leaves
* honey
* low-fat milk

Prompted by me getting mint & basil leaves to attempt the elusive Mint + Basil Frozen Yoghurt. This smoothie was a bit oaty at first taste, so I added some Splenda to sweeten it a bit more. This was not bad, but I think next time, if there is a next time, I will add more yoghurt and less milk. I say "more yoghurt" because the taste of the frozen yoghurt mix (it is churning away right now) was more yohurty (no milk in it at all) and that is what makes it taste so fab. Whereas my breakfast smoothie was very milky and didn't have that sharpness. Nice, but not fabulous.

I think one of the tricks with these breakfast smoothies is to pick flavours that will go with or even be enhanced by the oatiness, flavours that are used in cakes and biscuits: Christmas spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves), chocolate, banana, date, apple, berries.... what else? Any ideas, people?

Current Mood: groggy
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1061289.html

* quick oats
* one chopped-up apple (Red Delicious)
* Greek Yoghurt
* 1 raw egg
* molasses
* cinnamon

The most notable thing about today's smoothie is the texture. I'm not sure how to describe it, "fluffy" is the first word that springs to mind. And I let it stand too long after I'd pureed it, because all the cinnamon decided to sink to the bottom.

Current Mood: okay
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1060993.html

Ingredients:
* quick-oats (just poured out from my new container of quick-oats... which ended up being more than what would be in a sachet)
* dried apricots
* apricot jam
* 1 raw egg
* Greek Yoghurt
* maple syrup
* low-fat milk

I'll class this one as a fail. It wasn't inedible, it just wasn't good. A combination of too many oats and the dried apricots meant that the drink... needed to be chewed. It wasn't smooth at all. Oh well.

Current Mood: disappointed
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1060782.html

* 1 banana
* 4 dates
* Greek Yoghurt
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp nutmeg
* low fat milk

Very nutmeggy.

Current Mood: okay
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1060518.html

Attempting to get a "gingerbread" flavoured smoothie this time, inspired by one of the recipes I came across.

* 1 sachet Apple-Honey quick oats
* 1 banana
* 4 fresh dates (carefully de-pitted by hand)
* Greek Yoghurt
* 1 raw egg
* 1 tsp ginger
* 1 tsp nutmeg
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp cloves
* low-fat milk

Well, the ginger drowned out all the other flavours! Still nice though.

Current Mood: cheerful
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1060284.html

* 1 sachet Apple-and-Honey quick-oats
* 1 banana
* Greek Yoghurt
* 1 raw egg (Aussie hens are apparently free of the strain of Salmonella which can infect eggs before they're laid, so the eggs are okay to eat raw as long as they aren't damaged)
* Peach Jam
* low-fat milk

The flavour was mainly banana, with an undertone of peach.

Current Mood: calm
Crossposts: http://kerravonsen.livejournal.com/1059692.html

Top of 17C today, thought I'd make a nice warm drink.

Take one beer stein, fill 3/4 up with milk.
Heat up in microwave until the milk is pleasantly warm.
Add one banana and one sachet of instant chai powder.
Puree with a stick blender.
Add a pinch of freeze-dried vanilla bean powder and two teaspoons of sweetener.
Puree some more.

Drink.

Mmmm, warm milky goodness.