Paleo pumpkin spice latte

If I ever manage to take a decent photo of a coffee drink, I fear the surprise might kill me.

By now you've all read this, which is horrifying and by all accounts absolutely true. Since then, all sorts of recipes for homemade pumpkin spice lattes have popped up on the interwebs. Does the world really need another one? Of course it does, silly.

I've been making my own damn pumpkin spice lattes for about a year now, and this is how I do it. My version is paleo, but I offer some additions/substitutions at the end that might not be. You do what you like, man. It's YOUR freaking latte!

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte

(Makes one 12-oz. drink, more or less.)

1-2 Tbs. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 oz. brewed espresso
2 oz. canned full-fat coconut milk
6 oz. almond milk

Dump everything into a blender, blend, heat, enjoy!

Notes:

• For the pumpkin puree, you can use homemade or canned pumpkin. I use the organic canned stuff from Costco.
• Adjust the sweetener to your taste. I'm not a big fan of sweet. You can substitute one large pitted, chopped date for the maple syrup. Or try honey or liquid stevia. To me, maple + pumpkin is a no-brainer, but my husband is allergic to pure maple syrup, go figure.
• In lieu of espresso, just use strong brewed coffee or -- and this is a fantastic variation that I guarantee is delicious because I make mine this way about half the time -- strong brewed chai tea. I use rooibos for its naturally caffeine-free properties but you could use whatever.
• I hope it goes without saying that you can use whatever milk you like in this thing. I use homemade almond milk, which is my go-to milk substitute since I can't tolerate dairy, and add the canned coconut milk for extra body and creaminess.
• Possible additions: grass-fed gelatin or collagen hydrolysate (I always put about a tablespoon of this in mine), whey/protein powder, a tablespoon of grass-fed butter or coconut/MCT oil, a tablespoon of nut butter (pecan would be fantastic), a dollop of dulce de leche or cajeta (adjust/eliminate the sweetener accordingly), whipped dairy or coconut cream to float on top.
• If you're too busy to mess with all this in the morning, and who isn't, it'll keep for a day or two in the fridge. So you can make up a double batch when you have the time, then just heat and go in the morning!

Winter mint mocha

It's been cold, cold, cold here in central Texas, you guys. Legitimately cold! Not just Southerner-Who-Doesn't-Know-What-Winter-Is-Like cold! Below freezing = legitimately cold, yes? Yeah. I'm originally from the midwest. Lake-effect snow, y'all. I know what winter is like.

And it's cold. Just so you know.

I've been starting pretty much every morning with a creamy, delicious mint mocha full of lots of healthy, warming fats to get me through the cold and dark. I am so in love with this drink that I'm inspired to share the recipe. Because originally this was supposed to be a recipe blog, haha. Whoops.

First you have to make the mocha-mint concentrate. Relax, it's super easy and it'll keep in your fridge for a couple of weeks, probably. Mine never lasts that long. I should look into doubling the recipe, maybe.

This recipe is loosely based on Danielle Walker's recipe for French Vanilla Coffee Creamer in her FABULOUS Against All Grain cookbook. Which you should buy immediately if you haven't already. This has become the cookbook for which I reach most often when I'm looking not only for dinner inspiration but for paleo basics like almond milk and mayonnaise. Every single thing I've made from her cookbook has been fantastic and easy and even my non-paleo family has loved it. So yeah. Buy that! You will not regret it.

Mocha-Mint Concentrate

3/4 cup almond milk
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 Tbs. raw, local honey
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 tsp. organic peppermint flavoring

Combine all ingredients except mint flavoring in a saucepan and whisk over low heat just until honey has melted and cacao powder is incorporated. Remove from heat and whisk in mint flavoring. Let cool, then decant into a bottle or jar and store in the refrigerator. It will tend to separate so shake well before each use.

* A note about ingredients -- this is how I make mine. If your honey isn't raw/local or you'd rather use maple syrup, no problem. Likewise if you just have plain old cocoa powder instead of raw cacao, that's totally cool. You don't have to keep the heat quite so low while whisking if you're not using raw ingredients so feel free to bump it up to medium to speed things along.

Winter Mint Mocha

12 oz. brewed coffee
1 Tbs. mocha-mint concentrate
1 Tbs. coconut oil or MCT oil
1 Tbs. grassfed butter or ghee

Combine all ingredients in a blender and whiz until combined (cover the blender lid with a cloth if the coffee is very hot, to avoid burns), then pour into a large mug and enjoy! This will be super creamy and it makes its own foam. And not for nothing but one big mug of this keeps me full until lunchtime, plus it really does help me deal with the cold. Must be all that yummy fat!

* A note about ingredients -- this is a loose variation on Dave Asprey's legendary Bulletproof Coffee. Like Dave says, if you're not already getting a lot of healthy fat in your diet, you will want to start with smaller amounts -- say 1 tsp. each of butter and coconut oil per cup -- and work your way up, otherwise it can cause stomach upset.