Jump to my Dirty Chai Martini Recipe

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What is a Dirty Chai Made of?

The traditional dirty chai does not have alcohol. It’s simply a chai latte (chai tea and milk) with a shot of espresso (and is delicious)! Rumor has it that it’s called dirty because the espresso dirties the color of the chai latte.

Chai Simple Syrup

Infusing a basic simple syrup with chai tea is the key to making this martini recipe easy. The recipe makes 8 oz of chai simple syrup and you’ll only use 1 oz for the cocktail which means you’ll have plenty left the next time you want to whip up a dirty chai martini (no boiling water to make tea again). Aside from using it in the martini, the syrup is great in a regular dirty chai latte, as an ice cream topping, to sweeten oatmeal, or anything else you’d like.

What Tools Do You Need to Make a Dirty Chai Martini?

• Glass Bottle | If you don’t use the full 8 oz of simple syrup you’ll want to store it in the fridge
• Coupe Glasses | These glasses are great for martinis and Champagne
• Cocktail Shaker | I have this one because it’s got a clean design, built-in strainer, and doesn’t leak
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.

Dirty Chai Martini Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

FOR THE CHAI SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 chai tea bags

FOR THE DIRTY CHAI MARTINI:

• 1 oz vodka (I prefer Grey Goose)
• 2 oz unsweetened extra bold cold brew
• 1 oz chai simple syrup
• 1 oz almond milk
• 2 tbls granulated sugar (for rim, optional)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (for rim, optional)

Directions

1. Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and chai tea bags to a saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Once boiling and the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and let the tea bags steep for 10 minutes
3. Remove tea bags and let the syrup cool to room temperature; this will take about 15 additional minutes
4. Fill a martini shaker halfway with ice
5. Add vodka, cold brew, simple syrup, and almond milk
6. Shake vigorously for about 12 seconds (you’ll know you shook it enough if there is a small layer of foam when pouring)
7. Strain ice, pour it into a glass, and enjoy!
8. Optional cinnamon sugar rim: dip a quarter of the rim in simple syrup to dampen and then roll in cinnamon sugar; I do this step while the simple syrup is cooling

More Fall Cocktail Recipes:

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Jump to my GF DF Lemon Loaf Recipe

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Ingredients Needed to Make Gluten Free Dairy Free Lemon Loaf

• Dairy-Free Milk – You can use any dairy-free milk (or cow’s milk if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy-free) but I like using oat milk since it has a mild, neutral flavor and keeps the recipe nut free. This oat milk doesn’t have any gums or preservatives so it’s the store bought version I prefer. If you love almond milk I recommend my easy vanilla homemade milk.
• Egg – This lemon laof isn’t vegan because of the eggs in the recipe. People often substitute eggs with flax eggs so that may work but I haven’t tested it. If you make this recipe with a flax egg let me know how it turns out in the comments.
• Gluten-Free Flour – I have tested a lot of gluten-free flours for baking and by far my favorite is the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. It already includes the perfect amount of Xanthan Gum so it’s one less ingredient you need to buy, and Xanthan Gum gives gluten-free baking elasticity and stickiness naturally found in gluten. I’m not celiac but if you are, you can rest assured knowing this flour is made in a separate dedicated facility to avoid cross-contamination. If you don’t need the bread to be gluten-free you can swap this out 1 for 1 with all-purpose flour.
• Lemons – The star of the show is lemons but they come in different sizes. I used large lemons so you may need to increase the amount if yours are on the smaller size. Lemon can get lost in baking, which is why some people use lemon extract in their recipes, but I like to keep fruit au natural. Err on the side of caution and add more if you are questioning the amount.
• Vegan Butter – I’ve tried quite a few vegan butters and I really like this one for baking. It has a great flavor, comes in sticks so measures easily, and melts well.

What Tools Do You Need to Make Lemon Loaf?

• Loaf Pan | A standard 9″x5″ non-stick loaf pan is what the recipe has been tested with.
• Zester | A lot of flavor comes from the zest of the lemon, so don’t skip this step. You can use a cheese grater in a pinch though.
• Measuring Cups | This metal set stacks and has a pouring spout.
• Measuring Spoons | You won’t necessarily need this feature for this recipe, but I love these spoons because they fit into spice jars.
• Cooling Rack | Place the bread on a rack so the entire loaf cools before glazing.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Lemon Loaf Recipe

Servings: 8

Ingredients

FOR THE BREAD:

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup dairy-free milk
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup melted vegan butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1¾ cups 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 9″x5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, df milk, olive oil, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
8. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted vegan butter, and lemon juice. Mix until it is smooth. Add a little water to thin if it’s necessary.
10. Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread.
11. Slice and serve.

More Very Obsessed Citrus Recipes:

• Spiked Strawberry Lemonade
• Orange Creamsicle Martini
• Strawberry Vodka Gimlet

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Lemon Loaf Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Orange Creamsicle Martini Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

Orange Vanilla Simple Syrup

The key to the warm comforting depth of the recipe that traditionally comes from cream is the homemade orange vanilla simple syrup. You’ll get about one cup of syrup from this recipe and it can be stored in a glass bottle in the fridge for about a month. Like my strawberry simple syrup, this can be used in a variety of ways, add it to sparkling water, tea, or oatmeal, honestly, the options are endless.

Ingredients Needed to Make a Creamsicle Martini

• Orange Juice – Whether you like pulp or pulp-free is up to you, but I recommend pulp-free if you don’t want to be chewing your cocktail. Make sure to get 100% juice with no additional sweeteners since the cocktail will be sweetened with the orange vanilla simple syrup.
• Non-Dairy Creamer – There are so many options when it comes to non-dairy creamer so use what works best for you. After sampling many, I found this to be the most neutral (meaning it didn’t add a nutty or oat flavor). I like it to be vanilla or “cream” flavored but unsweetened since we’ll get that from the simple syrup.

What Tools Do You Need to Make an Orange Creamsicle Martini?

• Fine Mesh Strainer | You’ll need a mesh strainer to make the orange simple syrup since part of the pith may detach. If you don’t already have one this long handle version is useful.
• Glass Bottle | This recipe makes a little over a cup of simple syrup so if you don’t use it all you’ll want to store it in the fridge
• Cocktail Shaker | I love this shaker for its simplistic design, built-in shaker, and that it doesn’t leak
• Coupe Glasses | Since I live in the city and don’t have a ton of storage space, these glasses are perfect for both martinis and champagne
• Jigger | Part of any well-equipped bar.

Orange Creamsicle Martini Recipe

Servings: 1

Ingredients

FOR THE ORANGE VANILLA SIMPLE SYRUP:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 navel oranges
• ½ tablespoon vanilla

FOR THE CREAMSICLE MARTINI:

• 4 oz orange juice (no sugar added)
• 2 oz vodka (I prefer Grey Goose)
• 2 oz non-dairy creamer
• ½ oz orange vanilla simple syrup
• orange slice (for garnish)

Directions

1. Add 8 oz of water, the orange peel from 2 oranges, and the granulated sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Once the sugar has dissolved add the vanilla and stir, turn off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature; this will take about 25 minutes
3. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl (I like to use this measuring cup since it has a spout) and pour the syrup through leaving any orange bits in the sieve
4. Fill martini shaker halfway with ice
5. Add orange juice, vodka, non-dairy creamer, and vanilla simple syrup
6. Shake vigorously for about 12 seconds or until you get a little foam and pour it into a glass
7. Garnish with an orange slice

Tips:

• You can easily make this a non-alcoholic Orange Creamsicle by omitting the vodka, you won’t be missing any flavor
• If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to sub the non-dairy creamer for half and half and the drink will be even more creamy

More Summer Cocktail Recipes:

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Orange Creamsicle Martini (Without Cream) Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my GF DF Strawberry Bread Recipe

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

What is Quick Bread?

According to Wikipedia, the 21st-century encyclopedia,

Quick bread is any bread leavened with a chemical leavening agent rather than a biological one like yeast or sourdough starter.

Wikipedia

Chemical leavening agents are things like baking powder and baking soda. The benefits of using these instead of yeast are that some people are sensitive to yeast (myself included) and they are quicker to make since you don’t need to wait for the yeast to rise.

Most banana bread is quick bread whereas your favorite baguette is made with yeast.

Ingredients Needed to Make DF GF Strawberry Bread

• Dairy-Free Milk – You can use any dairy-free milk (or cow’s milk if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free) but I like using almond milk to complement the almond extract. I recommend my easy vanilla homemade milk, but if you don’t have time for that then this is my favorite store-bought almond milk.
• Egg – This strawberry bread isn’t vegan because of the one egg in the recipe. People often substitute eggs with flax eggs so that may work but I haven’t tested it. If you make this recipe with a flax egg let me know how it turns out in the comments.
• Gluten-Free Flour – I have tested a lot of gluten-free flours for baking and by far my favorite is the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. It already includes the perfect amount of Xanthan Gum so it’s one less ingredient you need to buy, and Xanthan Gum gives gluten free baking elasticity and stickiness naturally found in gluten. I’m not celiac but if you are, you can rest assured knowing this flour is made in a separate dedicated facility to avoid cross-contamination. If you don’t need the bread to be gluten-free you can swap this out 1 for 1 with all-purpose flour.
• Strawberries – The star of the show is strawberries and you may be finding yourself making lots of strawberry recipes during strawberry season. If you make any of my strawberry cocktail recipes and have the remaining strawberries leftover from the strawberry simple syrup, you can use those instead of fresh diced strawberries in the glaze.
• Vegan Butter – I’ve tried quite a few vegan butters and I really like this one for baking. It has a great flavor, comes in sticks so measures easily, and melts well.

What Tools Do You Need to Make Strawberry Bread?

• Loaf Pan | A standard 9″x5″ non-stick loaf pan is what the recipe has been tested with.
• Resealable Bag | The easiest way to coat the strawberries in flour (to prevent dying the bread and having the strawberries sink to the bottom) is by tossing them in a reusable resealable bag.
• Measuring Cups | This metal set stacks and has a pouring spout.
• Measuring Spoons | You won’t necessarily need this feature for this recipe, but I love these spoons because they fit into spice jars.
• Cooling Rack | Place the bread on a rack so the entire loaf cools before glazing.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Strawberry Bread Recipe

Servings: 8

Ingredients

FOR THE BREAD:

• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup dairy-free milk
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups diced strawberries (about 1 lb.)
• 2 tablespoons 1 to 1 gluten-free baking flour

FOR THE GLAZE:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
• ⅓ cup finely diced strawberries
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line 9″x5″ loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, df milk, olive oil, egg, and almond extract.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. In a resealable bag, toss together the strawberries and 2 tablespoons of flour to coat the strawberries.
7. Fold the floured strawberries gently into the batter.
8. Pour the bread batter into the loaf pan.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
10. Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar, melted vegan butter, diced strawberries, and almond extract in a small bowl. Mix until it is smooth.
12. Once the bread is cool, spread the glaze on top of the bread.
13. Slice and serve.

Recipe adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T 

More Very Obsessed Strawberry Recipes:

• Spiked Strawberry Lemonade
• Strawberry Champagne
• Strawberry Vodka Gimlet

If you like this recipe, check out my GF DF Lemon Loaf too!

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. And because I am very obsessed with FTC compliance, check out my full disclaimer here.

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The post Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Strawberry Bread Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.

Jump to my Vanilla Almond Milk Recipe

I’ve been on a journey over the last several years to become more educated in what I put into my body. I’m not sure if it started with the random rash that decided to show up when I turned 30, the “last 5 lbs” that I’m always trying to lose, or just a sign of the times but what I eat today, often, is very different than what I ate in my 20’s.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love Oreos or the occasional McDonald’s Diet Coke, but now that is the exception instead of the rule. I also think there’s nothing worse than someone who thinks they are eating healthy but really aren’t doing themselves any favors. 

If you buy something through my links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support! See disclosure for details.

And that’s where almond milk comes in. A few years ago I went through a phase of eating oatmeal for breakfast every day and decided that the “vanilla coconut unsweetened almond milk” on the grocery store shelves just sounded like it would taste a little better than my regular skim milk.  And it did. And I used that for a long time.

Fast forward and I was watching one of KGMTL’s IG stories and she always made almond milk and it looked so much better than what I was used to buying. After realizing that store-bought milk has so many additional ingredients (it’s water and almonds people!) I decided that almond milk was not where I wanted to ingest my chemicals. 

And so it began that I made almond milk and I’ve never looked back. I’ve adapted the recipe a bit because I like it a little creamier and sweeter than KG, but her recipe was the base.

Vanilla Almond Milk Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup organic almonds
• ½ teaspoon organic vanilla
• 2 organic Medjool dates
• 1 ¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink sea salt, divided
• 7 cups water, divided

Directions

1. Place almonds in a bowl and cover with 3 cups of water
2. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt to the bowl, stir and cover; let soak for 8-24 hours
3. Drain and rinse almonds and place them into a blender
4. Add vanilla, dates (remember to remove pits) ¼ teaspoon salt, and 4 cups of water
5. Blend for 2 minutes on high
6. Drain entire contents from the blender into a nut milk bag

 Tips

• I hold the bag over a bowl and then the milk drains into the bowl
• Then I pour the bowl of milk back into a rinsed-out blender and from the blender pour the milk into bottles to store in the refrigerator
• Use within 4-5 days
• I like to write the use-by date on the glass bottles (I’m kind of weird with expiration dates)
• Cats DO NOT like this sound, beware

What is your favorite way to use almond milk?  We all know I love almond milk in oatmeal, but you really can use it in most places you use regular milk.  It has the perfect flavor for my Chia Seed Pudding and there’s nothing like a classic bowl of cereal and milk, I’m partial to cinnamon Chex at the moment. 

DISCLOSURE: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I only feature products I would use myself, and all opinions expressed here are my own. I am very obsessed with FTC compliance so check out my full disclosure for details.

The post Vanilla Almond Milk Recipe appeared first on Very Obsessed.