Terrific Turmeric Latte

Nutritious and Delicious

My cousin Elizabeth visited me here in Palm Springs for the first time and made the most delicious turmeric lattes with a twist.  Her secret?  Adding medjool dates.  We had them every day.

Here’s the recipe which you can tweak to your liking.

Measure out your coconut milk in cup you’re using  (for two people use two cups – duh)

Sweeten to taste with medjool dates (pitted – two per person which you can add or subtract)

Blend until the dates are well blended

After it’s blended pour it into a pot on stove.  Heat gently.

Add spices to taste: turmeric, powdered ginger, cinnamon, bit of black pepper (which helps to  absorb turmeric into your system).  Mix it all together and heat until desired warmth.  Sip away & enjoy.

DATES are an excellent Natural Sweetener.  

They are high in several nutrients, fiber and antioxidants, all of which may provide health benefits ranging from improved digestion to a reduced risk of disease.

In addition, they contain several vitamins and minerals however, they are high in calories since they are a dried fruit.

Getting enough fiber is important for your overall health.  With almost 7 grams of fiber in a 3.5-ounce serving, including dates in your diet is a great way to increase your fiber intake.

Furthermore, the fiber in dates may be beneficial for blood sugar control.

Fiber slows digestion and may help prevent blood sugar levels from spiking too high after eating.

For this reason, dates have a low glycemic index (GI), which measures how quickly your blood sugar rises after eating a certain food.

Compared to similar types of fruit, such as figs and dried plums, dates appear to have the highest antioxidant content.

We were lucky to get the freshest California medjool dates at the market which made them  very easy to pit and blend.

TURMERIC and especially its most active compound curcumin have many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.

Helpful note: we are now sipping them through copper straws to avoid yellowing our teeth.

Dried or Fresh?

The general rule of thumb for converting dried herbs or spices to fresh in a recipe is 1-to-3, so 1 teaspoon of dried spice is equal to 3 teaspoons — 1 tablespoon — of fresh. Roughly 2 inches of fresh turmeric root will yield 1 tablespoon of the freshly grated spice.

You’re welcome!