RED VELVET BEETROOT LATTE
You’ve met the yellow one (yes I’m referring to Golden Milk), now say hello to the pink one! Hot, sweet, spiced milk is grounding, soothing, nutritious and belly-warming — a nice way to slowly let the day fade out and get set for a good night’s sleep, or a yummy start to slowly waken the body or a delicious pick me up at 4 p.m. Golden Milk, the English name for Haldi Doodh (literally: turmeric milk) as it’s known in Hindi, is an age-old remedy from the Ayurvedic principle of using Sattvic foods (harmonious foods) and the magical properties of spices to bring balance to the body.
You can use dairy milk or plant milk to make your hot milks, along with a variety of spices. Here I’ve created a cashew milk drink blended with freshly pressed beetroot juice and seasoned with cinnamon, vanilla, jaggery and a touch of salt. It’s earthy, sweet and comforting, and just as colourful as its golden cousin. Using my new find, a Bluicer (yes that's a juicer and blender in one — you heard it here first!), I’ve managed to juice a beetroot and blend my cashews with the one machine. If you don’t have a Bluicer, you could blend with some cooked beetroot or beetroot powder or use a separate juicer to make your beetroot juice. Add your favourite Golden Milk spice combo if you fancy making it more fancy.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup cashews, approx 70g (soaked for 1-3 hours to soften)
2 cups water (500ml)
1 small beetroot (55g)
1½ tbsp jaggery/maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Optional: 1 tbsp carob or cacao powder
METHOD
Drain the cashews and add to the blender jug with 2 cups of water, the jaggery/maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
Attach the blender jug to the juicer spout.
Turn the variable speed dial to speed 10 and juice the beetroot.
Remove the juicer attachment and place the blender jug onto the motor base. Close lid securely.
Select Green Smoothie Programme and blend everything until smooth and creamy.
Pour into a saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer over a medium heat until hot to your liking. Pour out into 2 jugs and enjoy your red velvet beetroot latte!
East by West tips:
This ratio of beetroot to cashew and sweetener is perfect for me — if you’re introducing this to those a little more “sensitive” to veggies, start by juicing half the amount of beetroot for a more café-ish beetroot latte.
If you don’t have a juicer, substitute cooked beetroot, beetroot powder or beetroot juice straight into the blender with the cashews and the rest of the ingredients.
For something even more decadent, add a tablespoon of raw cacao powder to the blender — you might need to add a touch more sweetener. Otherwise my favourite (and much more suitable for bedtime) is a tablespoon of carob powder — I find that no other sweetener is needed.