Kabocha Squash Latte
It's that time of year again. Pumpkin Spice season!
But move over PSL, because there's a new latte in town!
Enter, Kabocha squash. Kabocha squash is a staple of Japanese cuisine. It's a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato, leaning more towards sweet potato, and bursting with nutrition! It’s full of beta carotene, iron, vitamins A, C, fiber and some B vitamins. It has 40 calories per cup and less than half the carbs of most other squash (about 7 grams per cup). This tasty squash is so versatile AND you can eat the skin. Less prep work? I'm IN! I've had it in breads, ramen, drinks, and made delicious chocolate chip cookies with it - I should probably post that recipe sometime, huh? And if buying an entire squash seems daunting, don't worry, you can buy frozen kabocha at Trader Joe's!
Anyways, I love fall. Being from the Midwest, fall was always my favorite season. And warm drinks were a welcomed treat as the air turned crisp. It's a different story here in California, but I'm still trying to live my best fall life, which is why I wanted to create this spin on the ever so popular Pumpkin Spice Latte!
I don't drink coffee that often, so in this recipe I use Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee because it's less acidic and has mushrooms/herbs that help balance the negative effects of caffeine. This means you don't get jitters and the caffeine crash you typically see with coffee.
I also use ashwagandha because it's my favorite adaptogen and something I always pair with coffee! It helps the body adapt to stress and decrease anxiety, which are things I typically feel after regular coffee.
Cinnamon and nutmeg add a nice earthy spice that you typically see in PSL's!
Coconut butter is going to give this a nice, sweet creaminess. I add it to most of my daily tonics because it's just so dang good. Feel free to swap it out with cashew or pecan butter which will give you a creamy, nutty flavor.
And yes, there's salt, but don't be afraid! It doesn't make it salty, it just helps bring out all of the other flavors in the latte, so don't skip it!
Also, how cute is this Slug Ceramics mug I got at a flea market (I randomly stumbled upon) in LA?!
Alright, let's get to this delicious recipe already!
Pretty much all you need to do is prepare the squash, warm up some milk & coffee, and add them to a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Vitamix is my blender of choice!
Kabocha Squash Latte
Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free
Ingredients:
3 tbsp kabocha squash puree, cooked*
3/4 c hot coffee (I used 1 packet four sigmatic mushroom coffee dissolved in 3/4 c hot water)
1/2 c non-dairy milk, warmed up
2 tsp coconut butter (or try cashew butter or pecan butter!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ashwagandha
Pinch or two of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Maple syrup or monk fruit to sweeten
Directions:
Toss it all in a blender and blend on high for about 30-60 seconds until nice and frothy.
Pour in your favorite mug and enjoy!
*Notes:
Kabocha squash can be purchased at most stores in late summer/early fall, I got mine from Milk & Eggs.
You can roast or steam the squash in advance, and then re-steam it to warm it up for the latte.
I roasted the squash with the skin, and then scraped the squash from the skin as needed before adding to the blender.
Trader Joe's sells frozen kabocha that you can steam and use in this recipe.
*Use code 'FORKINPLANTS' on Four Sigmatic to get 10% off of your order!*
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