Irish cream is the perfect treat. With its creamy texture, sweetness, comforting notes of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla, and soul-soothing warmth of Irish whiskey,  it’s a true grown-up indulgence.

Today I’m sharing a veganized recipe for Irish cream. This cream liqueur traditionally contains Irish whiskey, dairy cream, a sweetener, and flavouring ingredients like coffee, cocoa, and vanilla. A lot of homemade recipes use sweetened condensed milk and skip any added sugar.

To make vegan Irish cream, you’ll need homemade cashew milk (recipe below), canned coconut milk, Irish whiskey, sweetener (I used granulated sugar), a touch of cocoa, instant coffee, and pure vanilla. A blend of homemade cashew milk and coconut milk makes for a creamy, neutral base that won’t immediately announce itself as either COCONUT or CASHEW - just dairy-free creamy goodness.

Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.  After blending, allow the flavours to mix for at least a few hours before serving (overnight is best!)

This Irish cream isn’t SUPER sweet. If you want to use it as a boozy compliment to coffee, you might prefer it a little sweeter. For more of a coffee liqueur, double the amount of instant coffee in the recipe. For something more chocolatey, add a touch more cocoa. If you prefer something lighter, sub the canned coconut milk for almond milk or coconut milk from a carton. This recipe is about 12% alcohol, add more whiskey if you prefer something stronger.

This dairy-free liqueur is perfect for sipping this St. Patrick's Day (but really, any holiday is a great time to drink Irish cream!) Serve it on the rocks, add it to coffee or hot chocolate, or use it in homemade frosting.

It hasn’t been long enough for me to have any definite suggestions for shelf life, but the alcohol and sugar in this recipe should give it a lengthy expiration date. From experience I know it’s perfectly fine at room temperature for at least 3+ days. In the fridge it will last for 2 weeks or longer. Many recipes made with real cream claim to be good for up to 2 months when refrigerated!

When chilled, the coconut fat forms a layer on top of the liqueur. Give the bottle a good shake before serving or spoon the layer from the liqueur and discard it. Either way, be sure to shake before serving! Enjoy!

PS: I used Barnivore to make sure my whiskey of choice was vegan. They've also got a phone app you can use when you hit the liquor store!

Vegan Irish Cream Liqueur (Homemade Baileys)

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Yield: 3 cups
• Category: Drinks, Alcohol
• Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Making your own Homemade VEGAN Baileys is super easy! All you need is 7 ingredients, 15 minutes, and a blender. This sweet Irish cream is perfect for sipping this St. Patrick’s Day. Makes 3 ⅓ cups of 12% alcohol liqueur.

---

Ingredients

• 1 ⅓ cups homemade cashew milk
• 1 cup Jameson Whiskey (or your favourite Irish whiskey)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup canned coconut milk
• 1 ½ tsp cocoa
• ¾ tsp pure vanilla
• ¼ tsp instant coffee

 

Homemade Cashew Milk

• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 4+ hours or simmered for 3 minutes)
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Pinch sea salt

---

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour into sterilized bottles and seal. Allow the flavours time to marry for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) to enjoy it's fullest taste.
3. Shake before serving.

Homemade Cashew Milk

1. Combine all ingredients in a blander and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

---

Notes

Shake before serving.

Storage: It hasn’t been long enough for me to have any definite suggestions for shelf life but the alcohol and sugar in this recipe should give it a lengthy expiration date. From experience I know it’s perfectly fine at room temperature for at least 3+ days. In the fridge it will last for a good 2 weeks or longer. Many recipes made with real cream claim to be good for up to 2 months when refrigerated!

When chilled the coconut cream fat forms a layer on top of the liqueur. Give the bottle a good shake before serving or spoon the layer from the liqueur and discard it.

The post Vegan Irish Cream Liqueur (Homemade Baileys) appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Every day is a good day for coffee, but weekends are an opportunity to take your morning cup a step further. Instead of stumbling to your coffee pot set to "auto brew" in a sleepy stupor, prepare yourself something decadent and relish the morning ahead.

Since picking up a Bialetti Moka Express for the sweet price of $14, I've been hitting up the "espresso" drinks for an enhanced caffeine kick. The Moka pot doesn't technically make espresso, but as far as my unrefined coffee palate goes, it does. 

It started with the Oatmeal Latté I developed for Nature's Path. Then I moved to regular lattés (my current obsession), and then over to the Caffé Mocha. Decadent, velvety hot chocolate + a hefty jolt of caffeine? Sign me up!

If you're not a coffee fan, just exclude the espresso for a BOMB hot chocolate. A combo of unsweetened soy milk, plenty of dark chocolate, a Medjool date, a touch of pure vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt, all whirled together in a blender, make for a ridiculously creamy beverage. Stir in the espresso and you're on your way to having a damn good morning.

Whether you go with the full mocha or just hot chocolate, this hot beverage is totally coffee shop worthy, but you don't need to pay extra for soy milk. Happy Sunday!

Vegan Mofo 2016 Update:

It's day 6 of VeganMofo! The challenge is to talk about vegan food, as much as possible, for the entire month of November. I'm shooting for 5 days a week. For the rest of the month, the posting schedule will (hopefully!) be Sunday-Thursday. JSYK: I'm not really following the 2016 Vegan Mofo Themes and Prompts, but I am using them as inspiration when needed!

Here are the posts so far:

Day 1: Easy Vegan Tofu & Black Bean Enchiladas
Day 2: How to Make the Best Vegan Grilled Cheese
Day 3: Review: Vegan Pantry Haul from iHerb
Day 4: Vegetable Pot Pie with Vegan Biscuits
Day 6: Vegan Caffé Mocha

Vegan Caffé Mocha

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 7 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup
• Category: Hot drink, Coffee
• Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

A decadently creamy, extra-chocolatey caffé mocha made with soymilk.

---

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened soymilk, hot
• 35g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 Medjool date, pitted
• ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 shot espresso

---

Instructions

1. In a blender, combine hot soy milk, dark chocolate, Medjool date, pure vanilla, and salt. Blend on high until chocolate is melted and hot chocolate is creamy. Pour hot chocolate into a warm mug and gently stir in 1 shot of espresso. Top with shaved chocolate.

---

The post Vegan Caffé Mocha appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

One routine that does change in the summer? I make the switch from hot coffee to iced coffee. Even with the A/C blasting, iced coffee sipped through a straw just feels right in the summertime.

So let's talk about iced coffee. There are like a million ways to get your iced coffee fix in the summer. You can pick it up from any coffee shop, grab a huge variety of brands pre-bottled, make it at home via cold brewing or chilling brewed coffee, the options are endless. Right now I want to talk about a few simple tips and fun ways to do things a little differently. Let's get started!

PS: Black coffee drinkers and coffee connoisseurs beware, this post could make you cry. You've been warned!

1. Find Your Perfect Non-Dairy Milk

First things first, you need to find your favourite non-dairy milk. It took me a long time to find my perfect coffee milk. I prefer something that's creamy, milk-y, and doesn't separate in hot coffee. For me, that's Silk Vanilla Soymilk. I love it because it's nice and creamy, it lightly sweetens coffee, and it can stand up to the acidity of hot or cold coffee with separating.

Still looking for your favourite non-dairy coffee milk? Don't be afraid to try lots of different varieties, brands, and flavours. I tried plenty of non-dairy milks (even plenty of vanilla soy milks!) before settling on Silk Vanilla Soymilk. You may also find you prefer non-dairy creamers in coffee. I really like Vanilla Silk Almond Creamer for super decadent, sweeter iced coffee drinks.

2. Use Coffee Ice Cubes

Coffee ice cubes are my favourite trick for easy iced coffee. Sometimes I make an extra strong pot of coffee and make 3-4 ice cube trays at once or I'll just freeze leftover brewed coffee to help prevent waste. Coffee ice cubes are great for chilling hot coffee without watering it down, or for making super quick creamy iced coffee (shown above) by shaking a glassful of cubes with non-dairy milk. You can play around with the strength by adjusting the brew strength of the cubes and the melt time before drinking.

3. Add a Spoonful of Coconut Oil

Adding a little bit of coconut oil to coffee is a great trick for hot or cold coffee. Blending a spoonful of coconut oil into hot coffee results in the creamiest, dreamiest, and most insanely luxurious tasting cup of coffee I have EVER had. Blending coconut oil with coffee ice cubes and your favourite chilled non-dairy milk is essentially a homemade Ice Capp (à la Tim Hortons.) I suppose it's similar to a Frappucino too, but the mouthfeel is very much like an Ice Capp. (But let's be real, you're gonna want to add some sweetener for that true "Ice Capp" taste.) The coconut oil in coffee "trick" is great for breakfast skippers who still drink coffee in the morning. It helps add some calories, balances out the coffee acidity (which can be a little much on an empty stomach) and helps to stave off your morning hunger for a little longer.

4. Discover Coffee Smoothies

Smoothies are already pretty energizing all by themselves but you can take them to the next level by adding chilled coffee or coffee ice cubes. My personal favourite is this PB & Banana Iced Mocha Smoothie: soymilk, frozen bananas, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and dates make for a satisfying treat that kinda doubles as a meal (if needed.) I'm a big fan of coffee smoothies when I don't have a big appetite early in the morning. If I have to get up earlier than I prefer, then I have a heck of a time trying to choke down coffee + breakfast so I find this is a nice way to kind of combine the two and I don't end up starving an hour later. You can add some extra heft and staying power by adding a scoop of hemp hearts or your favourite protein powder.

5. Pour Coffee Over Ice Cream

Iced coffee might say"summer" all by itself but ice cream screams summer. So strong brewed coffee (hot or cold!) poured over ice cream is  essentially sweet caffeinated summer in a glass. Use your favourite non-dairy ice cream (I'm a big fan of cashew-based ice cream) for the velvetiest iced coffee you've ever had! For this picture I used some homemade vanilla cashew/soy ice cream I've been recipe testing.

And just cause I can't stop there, 2 bonus tips:

6. Use Natural Liquid Sweeteners

If you prefer sweet iced coffee, use a liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave because they're so much easier to dissolve into cold summer drinks.

7. No-Equipment-Necessary Cold Brew

A french press or a large mason jar + a strainer is all you need for cold brewed coffee at home. Just combine 1 cup grounds and 4 cups of water in a french press or mason jar and brew/chill in the fridge for 12-18 hours before straining (or pressing if using a french press.) That's it! To be honest, I am rarely organized enough to cold brew coffee 12-18 hours in advance so that's why I like to have coffee ice cubes on hand.

Well there you have it, my favourite ways to cool down with iced coffee in the summer! Do you have your own iced coffee tips? I'd love to hear about them!

This post is sponsored by Silk. We love Silk for providing a delicious variety of non-dairy plant milks, from your typical soy and almond milks to cashew, coconut, and non-dairy milk blends! All opinions and text are my own.
Sign up for Silk's Newsletter. Looking for Silk in your area? Use this store locator!

The post 5 Dairy-Free Iced Coffee Upgrades for Summer appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Only 9 days till Christmas!!!

If you're not already in the swing of things and soaking up all the holiday cheer you possibly can, I've got some tips for you! Since I've got a backlog of recipes I need to share with you over the next week, I'll share 1 tip per blog post.

Over here at I Love Vegan HQ, we like to keep things simple. Since it's just our pup Lacey, William and I, we've gotta work a little to make things feel like a proper Christmas, ya know? And it's not like the current lack of snow adds to the Christmas ambiance. I mean, we basically live AT THE NORTH POLE, so what the heck, where's the snow Canada????

Whether you're a wee little family of three (including the pup), or facing the holidays as a lone wolf, or maybe you've got a big ol' family to celebrate with, you can and should dive right in and enjoy the holidays!

Holiday Tip #1: Make your favourite holiday drink ASAP, sip away, and get your taste buds into the holiday spirit. Perhaps this Gingerbread Tea Latté will do? It's spicy, luscious, 100% Christmas approved, and features PURE Infused's Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Cloves. Remember PURE? They're a really neat-o Canadian brand that makes the most amazing infused maple syrups. Check 'em out:

1) Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Cloves, 2) Chipotle & Lemongrass , 3) Maple Gastrique: Ginger & Apple Cider Vinegar, 4) Lavender & Chai, and 5) Vanilla, Cinnamon & Star Anise,

PURE Infused’s syrups make everyday foods taste sophisticated, expensive, and just straight up fancy. French pressed coffee tastes like you paid 6$ for it, oatmeal tastes like dessert rather than breakfast, and other everyday recipes are taken to new heights with a little drizzle of Pure. My holiday favourites: The Vanilla, Cinnamon & Star Anise and the Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Cloves.

Now I'm gonna send you on over to PURE's website to snag the recipe for this
Gingerbread Tea Latté  → Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Pure Infused Maple Syrup. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or learn more about this awesome Canadian company on their website: pureinfusedmaple.ca

The post Vegan Gingerbread Tea Latté appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Summer is finally here and wow, does it ever feel good! I'm taking food photos well after 3pm and there's daylight until almost 10pm. Summer is Southern Alberta is such a treat. It's easy to miss my home province of British Columbia and all the wonderful outdoor activities that come with living in the Kootenays, but right now I'm thankful to be in the prairies. While I love the mountains, I don't love the early evening shadows they bring. It feels nice to be content right where I am for once.

It's early in the summer season so right now I'm focused on everything there is to love about June. But summer sometimes feels too hot, too dry (air conditioning, I'm looking at you!), and too sweaty. Summer can wreak havoc on your skin if you're not careful so be sure to stay hydrated and to keep your skin protected from UV rays!

Today I want to share some of my favourite summer products from Ayushi, and because lemonade is the quintessential summer drink, a recipe for perfect summertime lemonade. Let's get to it!

I've done plenty of gushing about how much I love Ayushi. I've been using their products exclusively for my skin for over 6 months now so I feel confident recommending them. I've had a number of readers let me know that they tried some of their products and loved them too! I'm so happy to be able to promote such an awesome company.

Here's a list of Ayushi products I've tried and loved so far:

• Organic Facial Glow Lotion (my favourite light moisturizer of ALL TIME)
• Organic Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Lotion
• Rose Garden Organic Face Wash
• Lemon Blossom Organic Face Wash
• Country Rose Organic Body Wash
• Organic Aloe Vera Gel
• Harmony Shampoo for Chemically Colored Hair
• Summer Herbal Shampoo

For summer I picked out 3 new-to-me products to try: Organic Intense Anti-Wrinkle Lotion, Lemon Blossom Organic Face Wash, and Summer Herbal Shampoo. I was impressed with every single one! I usually prefer lighter scents in the summer and heavier scents in the winter so I really wanted to sample some lighter products and Prasad friom Ayushi recommended the Summer Herbal Shampoo.

The Summer Herbal Shampoo contains coconut, Bermuda grass, and wheat protein. The scent is lovely and light and it leaves my hair so soft!

The Lemon Blossom Organic Face Wash is my new favourite face wash. It's a lighter, milder scent than the Rose Garden Face Wash (which is what I used throughout the end of winter and through Spring) The scent is clean and fresh. It does a great job of removing makeup, dirt and oil without stripping my skin.

Lastly, the Organic Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Lotion. I had high hopes for this one because of how much I love Ayushi's Organic Facial Glow Lotion and I was not let down! It's so moisturizing, nice and light, and has a subtler scent than the more powdery Facial Glow Lotion. It's full of hydrating ingredients like apricot oil, hazelnut oil, avocado oil, aloe vera, sesame wax and geranium oil. My skin feels supple and looks nice and glowy!

Every single one of Ayushi's products is 100% cruelty-free and vegan, organic, non-GMO, and free of parabens and phthalates.

I hope you're enjoying your summer so far! Make sure to keep hydrated and protect your skin! And of course, make sure to enjoy some perfect summertime lemonade too!

Perfect Summertime Lemonade

• Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Drinks
• Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Cool down and get hydrated with the perfect glass of lemonade!

---

Ingredients

• ½ cup lemon juice
• ⅓-½ cup cane sugar (or your favourite sweetener: agave, maple syrup and coconut sugar are good options)
• 4 cups water
• Optional: washed citrus fruit slices (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit)

---

Instructions

1. Combine the lemon juice, sugar, and water. Shake or stir vigorously and serve!

---

This post is sponsored by Ayushi. We love this company for its lovely cruelty-free vegan body care products made with high quality organic ingredients and no GMO’s, artificial dyes or fragrances. Use code veganlove2015 to receive 20% off of your 1st order. Thank you for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan!

Follow Ayushi on Facebook » Twitter » Pinterest » Instagram

The post Perfect Summertime Lemonade appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.

Last week I decided to make homemade almond milk for the first time. Have you ever done it before?

The process seemed simple enough: 1.) Soak almonds overnight. 2.) Blend soaked almonds with water. 3.) Strain. 4.) Sweeten and flavour as desired. Straightforward, right? So I jumped right in!

Next thing you know I'm fumbling with thousands of layers of cheese cloth and a litre of unstrained almond milk, suddenly having 2 hands just IS NOT ENOUGH, there’s varying degrees of strained almond pulp covering every surface, strainer, and bowl I own, and there are soggy balls of almond-caked cheese cloth littering the counters.

It’s all worth it though, because at least after all that work, and all those almonds, and all the cleaning up I’ve still got left to do, atleast I have 1 delicious cup of fresh, creamy, homemade almond milk.

WAIT. ONE cup!? From a recipe that was supposed to make 1 litre??

Oh right! The other 3 cups have been evenly distributed throughout my entire kitchen.

I learned 2 valuable lessons during my first battle trying to make almond milk. Cheesecloth is the WORST and you should definitely invest in a nut milk bag.

After a recipe disaster like this, I'm usually too put off to make the recipe for a very long time. But, sometimes you find inspiration in unexpected places and THAT is how I ended up making this recipe! This idea was inspired by my favourite moisturiser, Ayushi’s Facial Glow Lotion, which relies on potent natural ingredients like almond and raspberry oil.

I've had my share of skin issues over the years and I have tried A LOT of products in an effort to correct them. Tons of heavy creams, light moisturizers, oils (coconut, jojoba, olive, almond), organic and natural creams and lotions, and heavily processed lotions with dozens of ingredients I know nothing about.

I have tried them all, and this organic vegan lotion, made with real, simple ingredients (like sweet almond oil, lavender oil, cocoa butter, geranium oil, rose water, raspberry oil, and aloe vera gel) is the best one I've ever tried.

It’s light and quick to absorb but intensely hydrating. It feels great on your skin because it’s moisturizing but not at all greasy. It’s all organic, completely vegan and cruelty-free. Yay!

Every one of Ayushi’s lovely products is completely free of:

• GMO’s
• parabens, petroleum, and formaldehyde
• artificial dyes and synthetic fragrances

After falling in love with the new texture and tone of my skin after using Ayushi’s raspberry almond lotion for 6+ weeks, I wanted to find out more about how these two ingredients can affect our skin:

• Raspberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamins A, C, and E, which slow aging and cell damage. The seeds are high in Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids that help to soothe dry skin.
• Almonds are also rich in antioxidants like vitamin E which will protect your skin from cell damage, like exposure to harmful UV rays. Almonds contain hefty doses of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids.

With such great results applying these ingredients topically, I figured, why not turn them into something delicious and drinkable?

I really wanted to create a sweet, creamy and slightly tart raspberry almond milk to enjoy in smoothies, or along with granola or oatmeal. The bright flavour and pretty pink hue ought to brighten any grey winter morning!

This homemade raspberry almond milk is sweet, a teensy bit tart, and deliciously creamy. You can choose any natural sweetener you like, I chose coconut palm sugar (which was lovely!) but maple syrup, agave, or even dates would all be nice choices too!

This post is sponsored by Ayushi. We love this company for it’s lovely cruelty-free vegan body care products made with high quality organic ingredients and no GMO’s, artificial dyes or fragrances. Use code veganlove2015 to receive 20% off of your 1st order. Thank you for supporting the brands that support I Love Vegan!

Follow Ayushi on Facebook » Twitter » Pinterest » Instagram

Raspberry Almond Milk

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Brittany at ilovevegan.com
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 1 litre
• Category: Drinks
• Cuisine: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

This homemade raspberry almond milk is sweet, a teensy bit tart, and deliciously creamy. Enjoy in smoothies, or along with granola or oatmeal -the bright flavour and pretty pink hue ought to brighten any grey winter morning!

---

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• ⅓ cup frozen strawberries (optional)
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar (or preferred sweetener: maple, agave, dates, etc.)

---

Instructions

1. Soak almonds overnight
2. Combine almonds and water in your high-speed blender (vitamix, blend-tec, etc.) and blend on high for 3-5 minutes.
3. Strain using a nut milk bag.
4. Blend strained almond milk with frozen berries and sweetener of choice.
5. Strain though a MESH strainer and refrigerate.

---

The post Raspberry Almond Milk appeared first on I LOVE VEGAN.