Living Vibrantly!

I have commented before that I have adjusted my diet to work for me and my particular needs.  However, one thing I refuse to give up is my coffee. A girl has got to have something special in her food life.

I love coffee.

It’s my one indulgence and there are health benefits, so I feel justified. 

This time of year, I enjoy iced coffee.  But at over $4 at the specialty coffee places – well, it really got a bit difficult to feel good about spending that kind of money for a refreshment.

Last year, on one of my many trips to the bookstore I happened upon a Toddy Maker.  It’s a convenient way to cold-brew coffee.  It’s a rather messy job without this item, and I don’t like messy, so this fit the bill.

How do you use it?

You fresh grind a pound of coffee – coarsely ground.  Your choice as to what kind – experiment and find your favorite.  Wet the filter and place it in the slot in the bottom of the large white brewer and put the stopper or plug-in the hole underneath.  Then, pour 1 cup filtered water into the brewer and half of your ground coffee.  Slowly add 3 more cups of filtered water.  Then, I let it set about 5 minutes to give the grinds time to get wet – then I add 5 more cups of water for a total of 9 cups, gently tap the top to be sure all the grinds are wet.  Let this set on your counter  for 12 hours (I put a plate on top to keep dust, etc…out of the brew).  I recommend starting your brew in the evening so it’s ready by morning.  Then, get the glass decanter ready, pull the plug from the bottom of the bucket and place it on top of the decanter.  I let this drain for 30 minutes to an hour – when I come back I have a full decanter of coffee concentrate.  Finally, I take a spoon to the top of the grinds and press just to be sure I have all the brew out of the grinds. Put the lid on this coffee concentrate and it will keep up to 14 days in the refrigerator.

The wonderful thing about this is you have less waste because you only make what you will use.  You can also make your drinks at the strength you prefer.  I personally use 1:2 ratio – 1 portion coffee to 2 portions water a splash of cream and 4 drops of stevia – YUM!  Simply adjust to your tasting preferences.  You can heat it up in the microwave, use it for iced coffee, make desserts with it – any number of things.

What is the benefit?

Less acidic – this concentrate is perfect for those that have stomach issues or heartburn – you may be able to tolerate this coffee – your body digests it more easily.

Less caffeine – The taste is smooth and quite sweet – to me it tastes more like the wonderful scent created when you are brewing hot coffee.

Recipes – There are many great recipes that call for instant coffee – you can use your coffee concentrate and get a wonderfully smooth, sweet coffee flavor.

Do you prefer tea?

You can also use this to make concentrated cold brewed tea – using loose leaf tea – use a half pound of tea leaves and 9 cups filtered water – and do the same process as stated above.

To make a hot tea – 1 part tea to 7 parts water.

For iced - simply add ice.

RECIPE:

Low-Carb Iced Chocolate Coffee

1 part cold brewed coffee concentrate

1 part water

2 part cream or half n’ half

Wonderslim Pure Fat-Free Cocoa Powder to taste

Liquid Vanilla Creme Stevia to taste

I blend this together for about 20 seconds – add ice cubes and whipped cream on top if you like -  just delicious.

(To explain “part” in the recipes – if you are making a regular sized drink 1 part would be 1/4 cup – if you want a large drink – it may be 1/2 cup per part – it’s up to you!)

Low-Carb Hot Coffee

1 part coffee concentrate

2 parts boiling hot water

Cream and stevia to your liking.

Some prefer to heat the concentrate too – it’s up to you.

ENJOY!

~Kiki Vogel