Winter Spice Golden Milk
Golden milk is a lovely warming latte made with turmeric, black pepper, and a few other spices like cinnamon and ginger. It's soothing, warming, comforting, delicious, and it has interesting healing properties too.
Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is the superstar spice that lends this golden liquid its gorgeous bright yellow hue and impressive healing benefits. Turmeric root is still quite hard to find - it looks like ginger root but it has a deep orange/yellow flesh. The powder version is very easy to get though (you'll find it in the spice sections of most grocery stores) and is what I use the most in my daily cooking - I like to add a teaspoon to my smoothies, soups, or curries.
Turmeric has been used for thousands of years and is one of the most widely studied plants. It's called the "Queen of Spices" because it has so many health-boosting properties. It's an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, antiseptic and antioxidant. It's said to be helpful for preventing and treating many conditions and diseases including join and muscle pain, arthritis, wounds, skin conditions, depression, and even Alzheimer's and cancer. It helps boost the immune system, maintain a healthy heart, improve digestion, and stabilise blood sugar levels. We can thank curcumin, turmeric's primary component, for these numerous benefits. While this all sounds wonderful, it's important to know that turmeric is not easily absorbed by the body (most of it gets metabolized before it's actually absorbed and used), which means we need to help it a little.
The key to making sure you get a maximum benefits from consuming turmeric is to add black pepper and a source of healthy fat (coconut oil is my go-to). Piperine, the active ingredient in pepper has been shown to increase curcumin's bioavailability by 2000% (!), while the fat will make it more easily absorbed through the bloodstream. If you have a serious health condition, you might want to consider getting turmeric in therapeutic doses, as drinking one cup of this a day probably won't be enough. I'd invite you to see a health professional.
Traditional golden milk recipes are made by first making a turmeric paste, and then combining it with milk in a saucepan. I've always preferred making mine in my Vitamix blender for convenience. Once blended with the hot water and coconut oil, the golden liquid becomes frothy and creamy. It's like drinking a big cup of cozy deliciousness.
This recipe was originally created in partnership with Vitamix. The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered, and congrats to our winner, Adele from Toronto who won the Ascent 3500 blender you can see in the video below!
Notes: This Winter Spice Seasoning makes the golden milk next-level delicious. I recommend making it if you can (I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar). However, for a simpler alternative, I've provided my usual go-to spices when making golden milk in the notes below.
Winter Spice Golden Milk
For 2 portions
1 cup plant-based milk of your choice (almond, cashew or coconut are all great options)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp Winter Spice Seasoning (*or see notes below)
1/8 tsp vanilla powder (or use vanilla extract)
1 tsp coconut oil
1-2 soft dates, pitted (or to taste)
1 cup boiling water
instructions
Blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed. Pour into two cups and enjoy right away.
*Notes: For a simpler alternative, you can substitute the Winter Spice Seasoning for the following spices: 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger powder, a pinch of each of the following: black pepper, ground cardamom, ground cloves and ground nutmeg.
