Vessy's day » Drinks

Almond banana smoothie

Vessy — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 07:26:15 +0000

All you need in a rush morning is a smoothie. It is quick to prepare and gives you energy to start the day with a smile and even keep you full till lunch time.
There are endless combinations of flavors and ingredients when it comes to smoothies, but this is classic – bananas with almond milk – Oh, Boy, drooling here!
Feel free to add a tea spoon of chia or flax seeds for extra power and vitamins.

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
400 ml. (14 fl. oz) almond milk (or other milk of your choice)
1/2 tea spoon cinnamon
1/3 tea spoon almond extract
1/3 tea spoon vanilla extract
1 table spoon honey (or agave for vegan)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

**Prepare your own homemade cashew milk, just follow this super easy and quick recipe.

How to make homemade cashew milk

Vessy — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:11:20 +0000

Making homemade cashew milk is super easy and quick, budget friendly and healthy.
With only 120 grams of nuts you can make a liter of milk to enjoy throughout the week.
The best thing about cashews is that they are soft and could be processed in a standard blender finely, without leaving a lot of waste, in other words, you will not be throwing most of the nuts away when you strain them, just the opposite, there will be no waste but a table spoon at most.
Cashew milk could be used instead of regular milk for your coffee and in many recipes.

Ingredients:
120 grams raw cashews
700 ml. water
1 table spoon Honey/Agave (optional)
A drop of vanilla extract (optional)
A pinch of salt

Soak cashew nuts in water overnight.
On the next day, drain the cashews and rinse until the water runs clear.
Add to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Strain through a fine sieve and pour in a jar.

NOTE: Add more or less water, depending on your taste and how creamier you want your milk to be. With the proportions above you will get pretty creamy milk, which is great, but I think that it could take on additional 200 ml. and still be super tasty.
Store in the fridge and use within 5 days.

Sangria

Vessy — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 11:26:29 +0000

This year, we will be welcoming the holidays with a pitcher of sangria – it is quick, easy, delicious and super flavorful. Oh boy, when I think of all these Christmas flavors gathered in one big pitcher, topped with a few ice cubes and a couple of mint leaves, I wish Christmas lasts for at least a month, so I can make this recipe with different fruits and wine every day. Well, I don’t intend to sound like a drunk, I am just saying that this is probably one of the greatest girly drinks ever. Think about it – there is like 300 ml. of white wine in one whole big pitcher, you can’t ever have too much of it, cause it’s light, light, light, just for girls.

Cheers!

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients for 4 people:

1/2 bottle dry white wine (350 ml.)

250 ml. iced tea peach

Juice from 1 orange, strained though a fine mesh

1 table spoon honey (in case you like it extra sweet)

1 orange, sliced

1 lemon, sliced

1 lime, sliced

1 tangerine, sliced

1 small piece of ginger, cut into small pieces

1 cinnamon stick

Ice

Fresh mint leaves for decoration

Add all ingredients (except the ice and mint) in a large pitcher. Stir and put in the fridge for an hour.

Before serving add ice and arrange a few mint leaves in each glass.

Adjust the taste according to your preferences – add more or less honey, wine and iced tea.

Notes:
1) use red wine instead of white wine if you like.

2) add extra fruits – apples, pineapple, berries and etc., whatever you like and have on hand.

Spiced hot chocolate

Vessy — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 15:25:46 +0000

This is one of the most flavorful hot chocolates I’ve prepared and tasted so far. This chocolate is spiced up with some winter flavors, which go perfectly with the cold weather and holiday spirit that December holds.
Enjoy a batch of this hot amazing drink in the pleasant company of friends and family, even outdoors. It will keep you warm.

Ingredients:
300 ml. (10,5 fl. oz) milk
50 grams (1,8 oz) muscovado sugar
50 grams (1,8 oz) milk eating chocolate (or dark if you would prefer)
1/3 tea spoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tea spoon cinnamon
1/3 tea spoon nutmeg
100 ml. (3,5 fl. oz) sweetened heavy whipping cream
1/3 tea spoon cinnamon

In a small saucepan heat milk and sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate, pepper and cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally until chocolate melts. Cook on medium high heat until the mixture starts boiling, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour mixture into 2 glasses and set aside.
Whip the cream and cinnamon in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
Gently add a table spoon of cream to every glass of chocolate and serve immediately.
Note: you could serve this chocolate cold on ice, if you prefer.

Strawberry syrup

Vessy — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 09:11:08 +0000

Personally, I am not the biggest fan of store bought juices and sodas, they are full of unhealthy ingredients, plus there is always too much sugar. I would prefer to eat a piece of cake instead of a glass of soda (but that’s me). Sometimes I prepare homemade syrups, usually during the summer, when I am always thirsty and outside is a hundred degrees. Having a homemade syrup in the fridge is just perfect for me, cause I can make all kinds of cocktails (non-alcoholic or alcoholic) without feeling guilty or scared for my health. This one is made from fresh wild strawberries, they are so flavorful, but if you can’t find the wild berries, just use regular strawberries or cranberries for this.

Ingredients:
400 grams (14 oz) fresh strawberries
300 grams (11 oz) white granulated sugar
150 ml. water
1/3 tea spoon citric acid

Put strawberries in a large bowl. Cover with the sugar, then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. This will help strawberries to let their juices but preserve their color.
On the next day, remove strawberries from the fridge, put in a medium saucepan and add the water. Cook on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. At this point the syrup will not be too thick, but if you continue to cook the strawberries with the syrup you risk to completely mash the strawberries. That is way it is best to remove the mixture from stove and strain. Pour the strawberry syrup back on the stove and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the water completely evaporates and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat, add citric acid and let it cool for a couple of minutes. While stil hot, strain again and then leave to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 10 days.
There are many ways to serve the syrup – with water, soda water or sparkling wine, ice and fresh mint.
***If you don’t have the time to wait for the strawberries overnight, you can cook them without the marination, but you will have to cook them a bit longer in order to let their juices.

The leftover strawberries are perfect for this strawberry tiramisu or use them instead of strawberry jam for a pancake breakfast.

Hot chocolate – thick and delicious

Vessy — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 17:54:16 +0000

If you are looking for a good, thick and delicious hot chocolate recipe – this is the one!
I have tried several recipes until I found the perfect one and I am sticking with it.
This hot chocolate recipe is not one of those “ready in 5 minutes” using a macrowave recipes, but it is totaly worth the 15 minutes it takes to prepare.
As this hot chocolate is sweet, thick and rich, I believe that it could be easily served instead of dessert.
Try it out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

20 grams (1 table spoon) butter
4 tea spoons (7 grams) corn starch
1 table spoon cocoa powder
130 grams chocolate (milk or dark – whichever you prefer)

250 ml. milk

*Add any kind of your favorite flavor – cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla, mint to the milk and have this hot choolate exactly as you prefer it.

In a small saucepan heat the butter, until it melts. Add the corn starch and cocoa powder. Stir until they dissolve in the butter. Add the milk and let it heat up. Just before it begins to boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and add the chocolate. Stir frequently for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.

The hot chocolate will become thicker as it cools off.

Serve hot or cold on ice.

Orange flavored hot chocolate

Vessy — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 17:35:27 +0000

One of my favorite hot drinks for winter time!

This hot chocolate could easily replace a dessert on your menu, as it is rich and made with real chocolate! The orange flavor really gives this holiday, warm feeling, I just love it!

Ingredients:
2 cups of full fat milk
90 grams of chocolate (chopped)
1/3 tea spoon orange extract or orange zest
Whipped cream

Heat the milk in a small saucepan.

If you are using orange zest, add it to the milk and simmer for a few minutes. Then, strain the milk and pour back into the pan. Add the chocolate and stir well, until it melts. Pour into 2 mugs, top with whipped cream and serve hot.

If you using orange extract, add it to the milk while it is heating.

Add the chopped chocolate and stir until it melts.Pour into 2 mugs, top with whipped cream and serve hot.

On top of the whipped cream you may add crushed biscuits (like these amazing chcocolate cookies) , shredded chocolate or mini chocolate chips.

Eggnog

Vessy — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 10:41:04 +0000

I have wanted to cook eggnog for a long time and I finally managed to prepare it for Christmas.
This is an amazing drink – sweet, creamy, light and delicious!
I used bourbon, but you may use rum or other alcohol of your choice, or skip it if you want a virgin drink. I drank one glass of non-alcoholic eggnog and I have to tell you, it is super delicious just like that, too!
My recipe makes 4 medium glasses of eggnog, so if you have more people over, simple double the ingredients! Make sure to let your folks know that this eggnog is prepared with cooked egg yolks, so they can relax and enjoy it instead of worrying about the eggs.
You may adjust the sweetness of the drink, too! Mine became sweet, as I like it, but if you are not a sweet tooth, just skip half of the sugar!

Ingredients:
300 ml. milk
1 tea spoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks
50 grams sugar
1 table spoon honey
200 ml. whipping cream
100 ml. bourbon
1 tea spoon cinnamon
1 tea spoon nutmeg

Heat up the milk with the cinnamon and honey.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a small sauce pan, until pale.
Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture in order to temper the eggs.
Cook the egg yolk and milk mixture over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Whisk constantly in order to avoid curdling the eggs.
Let the mixture cool completely, then add the bourbon and cream.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Serve cold with a pinch of nutmeg (and whipped cream – optional).

Pineapple coconut smoothie

Vessy — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 11:34:30 +0000

Pineapple coconut smoothie with a splash of rum

1 pineapple cut into small pieces (+1, 2 pieces for garnish)

100 ml. coconut milk

100 ml. water (depends on the consistency you prefer)

A couple of ice cubes

½ tea spoon vanilla extract

Coconut flakes for garnish

1 scoop of vanilla icecream (Optional)

A splash of white rum or vodka

Add all of the ingredients, except the rum and the coconut flakes to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Serve in a tall cocktail glass with the rum and the coconut flakes for nice finish.

This recipe makes at least 2-3 cocktails, so you could refrigerate it until you drink it for up to a day

Make sure you serve it cold!

Mojito time

Vessy — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:24:58 +0000

Last four amazing days I spent at the beach reminded me how much I love the sea, hot sand, the water, the warm summer rain, hot sun and last but not least, how much I love my man. But I am not going to talk about him today.

I am back in the office, trying to focus on my job, although it’s almost impossible. All I think of is the warm water, light breeze and HUGE cocktails!!!

I can’t wait till the next beach time! We are going to Greece for a couple of days, in two weeks. The plan is to go camping, snorkeling and drink lots of beer. This will be my first time snorkeling, but all of my friends, who have been snorkeling in Greece, say it’s awesome. The water is crystal clear, very warm and there is a great variety of fish and sea-plants. I will share more about Greece after I come back.

Today I will focus more on the cocktail part of the traveling and show a classic recipe for Mojito cocktail. You may be busy at work all day, but at night you can easily spoil yourself with a nice mojito cocktail!

Make yourself a mojito and remember your best summer time!

All you need is:

Juice from 1 lime+ additional lime wedges to garnish

6-7 fresh mint leaves+ additional to garnish

1 tea spoon brown sugar depending on how sweet you like your drink

100 ml. club soda

50 ml. white rum

A couple of ice cubes

Add the lime juice, sugar, alcohol and mint leaves in a shaker. Shake until the sugar dissolves.

Add the mix into a tall serving glass; add the ice and club soda.

Garnish with slices of lime and mint leaves.

Tip: You could always make the mojito virgin: just substitute the club soda for sprite and skip the alcohol. It’s just the perfect drink for hot summer days