

This Walnut-Cinnamon-Mocha Coffee Shake is frosty bliss in a glass. Creamy cool almond milk and rich coffee bean ice cubes blend with swirls of cinnamon, nutty rich walnuts and cacao. This vegan shake tastes like a rich, creamy “milk”shake, but this spoonable smoothie is quite healthy!

Raw walnuts add fiber and healthy omega-3 fatty acids, cinnamon warms, cacao powder adds antioxidants and a frozen banana adds potassium, fiber and natural sweetness. Coffee-lovers, (or coffee ice cream lovers!) try this chilled out version of your beloved beverage. Recipe + coffee machine giveaway!..

Custom cubes. Vanilla almond milk and sweetened espresso..



My Brew Station: Nespresso Pixie.



Nespresso and an occasional French press, those are the two ways I make coffee at home. I stick to my lemon water tea as my morning beverage of choice and add in espresso beverages once in a while. For me, coffee tastes so much better when it is an occasional treat rather than an everyday, must-have habit. It took me a long time to kick my two lattes a day habit at Starbucks, so I am pretty happy with my less dependent relationship with caffeine. (Enter my Nespresso machine giveaway below!)



Party host: Tim Gunn! Love him.

I was so happy to attend the Beverly Hills Nespresso store opening.Party host: Tim Gunn! Love him.

Coffee Shake: Walnut Cinnamon Mocha

vegan, serves 1-2

5 “coffee” ice cubes, sweetened (about 1 cup loose cubes)

5 non-dairy milk cubes (almond milk used) (about 1 cup loose cubes)

2 water ice cubes (or for stronger coffee flavor, 3 more coffee cubes)

1 large frozen banana

1/2 cup non dairy milk (add more as needed to blend)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp raw walnuts, chopped (about 1 small handful)

1 tsp cacao powder

Options:

* Add any “coffee syrup” flavor can be added (hazelnut, vanilla, pumpkin spice)

* vanilla bean instead of cacao

* For a richer “milkshake” substitute coconut milk in place of the added non-dairy milk for ice cubes

* Add 1 Tbsp pumpkin and 1/8 tsp pumpkin pie spice for a pumpkin spice latte shake

Directions:

1. To make your coffee cubes, you can either freeze strongly brewed coffee that has been sweetened to your preference in ice cube trays. Or use espresso. If using espresso, I would water down each shot of espresso with one shot of water, then add sweetener to taste. These will be your coffee cubes in your shake.

2. Blend the ice cubes and all other ingredients in a blender until thick, creamy and frosty. Serve right away.

Nutritional info per recipe:

GIVEAWAY: Win a Nespresso Essenza.

Nespresso. I love my Nespresso! I keep hoping that they will take a leap in the “tea” direction and make fine tea pods and maybe even a matcha tea pod. Their espresso pods are fantastic. Smooth, rich flavor, never bitter.

Paris. I will never forget the first time I stumbled into a Nespresso shop. My (future) husband and I were on our first duo trip together in Paris. We were laughing and wandering around the dark silver-colored cobblestone streets, into random stores, among a wide throng of other pre-New year’s Eve shoppers. We found this tiny shop with hoards of customers. We wandered in and saw these futuristic-looking coffee machines everywhere, shiny silver and matte black in color, and these strange rainbow-colored shimmering pods all around us. Coffee! We were always looking for more coffee in Paris. But after scoping out the store we noticed that this was not a typical coffee shop and everyone, we thought, was a member of some fancy coffee club. Oops, had we wandered into a members-only club? I was tempted to taste test one of the pods as I saw one lady doing, but my nervous companion rushed us out. I snagged a brochure and later looked up what exactly this “Nespresso” company was.

Cut to a year later .. Our first big purchase as a married couple was a Romeo Nespresso machine. Paris at home as we finally joined that super “secret” club. Enter below and you might get a taste of Paris too!..

Love giveaways? Enter my Finding Vegan “50” Giveaway too!