Cleansing and Healthy Herbal Coffee

Name: Cleansing and Healthy Herbal Coffee
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 cup chicory root; 1/2 cup roasted dandelion root; 1/2 cup dandelion leaves; 1/2 cup Yerba Mate ((optional)); 1 tablespoon of Herbal Coffee Mix; 1 1/2 cup boiling water; 2 teaspoons coconut oil, pastured butter, MCT oil; 1/4 cup milk of choice; 2 tablespoons grass-fed collagen; 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice ((optional)); Other flavorings like cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

01/13/2016 22 Comments

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Tagged With: GAPS, healthy, nourishing foods, paleo, real food, whole30

This Cleansing and Healthy Herbal Coffee is gut healing and full of nutrients and healthy fats.

If there was one thing I learned over the last half a decade or so – it’s that I needed to listen to my body.

It craves salt when I’m deficient in sodium.
I naturally tend to turn towards iodine-rich foods when I’m feeling stressed as stress depletes iodine.
I learned that I mostly craved a warm, creamy beverage in the mornings. It wasn’t so much the caffeine that I needed. It was the warm drink that I was reaching towards. It only took me a few years to figure that one out!

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I’ve been making this herbal coffee concoction for years and I just love that I can drink this at all hours of the day and it won’t give me a jolt nor a crash afterwards. It doesn’t deplete me of nutrients like coffee does and it doesn’t leave me dehydrated after just one cup. Because, let’s face it – who can have just one cup?

I usually double this herbal coffee and keep it in a glass container and use my French press to brew a single cup, or two.

The Herbal Coffee Mix itself contains only four ingredients. For your drink, you would fix your coffee whichever way suits your fancy. I enjoy my “coffee” with a teaspoon of pastured butter and a splash of raw cream. I go back and forth between dairy cream and coconut cream – both are divine in their own way. I skip the sugar – but I have added coconut sugar to my cup in the past.

Chicory Root

Chicory is a relative of the dandelion plant. It’s leaves are popular in salads and the roots are great in coffee substitutions. Besides being a great source of vitamins and minerals including zinc, magnesium, and potassium, chicory also contains inulin, a soluble fiber that feeds digestive flora to the intestines. In other words, chicory root is a powerful probiotic. (source)

Dandelion Root & Leaves

You may have considered dandelion to be a weed, but it actually has a long history of therapeutic use in countries including Korea and Mexico. Dandelion roots contains chemicals whose biological properties are being studied for their roles in human health. Specifically, evidence suggests that dandelion contains antioxidants and compounds that may support body’s natural immune response. (source)

It’s also an excellent food and herbal medicine and a very rich source of beta-carotene which we then convert into vitamin A. The flowering plant and leaves are rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus.

Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate are the leaves and twigs of the mate plant and like most teas, are chock full of vitamins and minerals. It has an herbal, grassy taste that resembles a bit like certain types of green tea. There is anecdotal evidence suggesting yerba mate may contain caffeine – though I am convinced it is in much smaller quantities than the regular coffee. (source) You may choose to omit this if the sneaky caffeine content bothers you.

I use a handheld frother similar to this one to create that buttery, creamy foam on the surface. Enjoy a cup yourself – you won’t miss the caffeine.

Cleansing and Healthy Herbal Coffee

Cleansing and Healthy Herbal Coffee

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

Author: Anya @ Prepare & Nourish

Nourishing warm drink without the jolt!

Ingredients

Herbal Coffee Mix

1 cup chicory root
1/2 cup roasted dandelion root
1/2 cup dandelion leaves
1/2 cup Yerba Mate (optional)

"Coffee" Latte

1 tablespoon of Herbal Coffee Mix
1 1/2 cup boiling water
2 teaspoons coconut oil, pastured butter, MCT oil
1/4 cup milk of choice
2 tablespoons grass-fed collagen
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (optional)
Other flavorings like cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for the Coffee Mix. Store in a glass jar in a dark place.
In a French coffee press, scoop 1/2 - one tablespoon of the mix and pour boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes. Pour into cup, add your favorite fixings and enjoy!
Alternatively, if you don't have french press, you may use a mason jar to steep and a strainer to strain the herbs.

Recipe Notes

You may want to start with 2 teaspoons of herbal coffee to see it that is strong for you. I like it bold and rich so I go for the full tablespoon.

About Anya

Anya is the founder and author behind Prepare & Nourish, a place where she shares her passion for traditional, healthy and delicious foods. She enjoys re-creating her deeply rooted Slavic recipes with nourishing ingredients all the while keeping her home and homeschooling their children. She and her husband love to share good food with good friends around their hand-crafted farmhouse table in Northern California. You can connect with Anya on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

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Comments

Bethany @ Athletic Avocado
01/15/2016 at

I love herbal coffee! I need to try this recipe next time I make it!

Reply
- Anya
  01/15/2016 at
  
  Thanks Bethany. Hope you enjoy it!
  
  Reply
Marla
01/16/2016 at

Hi Anya,
This sounds like such a tasty way to do a good cleanse which we all should be doing regularly living in this toxic world. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Tweeted & pinned.

Reply
- Anya
  01/16/2016 at
  
  Thanks Marla – anything we can do to help heal and nourish is always helpful.
  
  Reply
Miz Helen
01/18/2016 at

This would be a great coffee for cleansing. Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen

Reply
Jennifer
01/18/2016 at

I’ve tried dandelion root tea and really like it. Thanks for sharing the other ideas. Thanks for sharing at My Flagstaff Home!

Jennifer

Reply
Lori @ TheHealthMinded.com
01/19/2016 at

Really interesting! This is a new one for me! I drink roasted dandelion root tea quite a bit but the combo here is intriguing. I plan to share.

Reply
- Anya
  01/19/2016 at
  
  Thank you Lori. 🙂
  
  Reply
Tamara from Unhurried Home
01/19/2016 at

That actually looks palatable LOL! I think that I will give it a try. So many herbal drinks are terrible with milk – I love that this one can actually handle cream and sugar. 😀 Is it just as tasty without the yerba mate?

Reply
- Anya
  01/19/2016 at
  
  Yes – it is just as tasty without it. In fact, I started off without it and then much later learned about Yerba Mate and started including it. But for years, I made herbal coffee without it and it was just as delicious.
  
  Reply
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner
01/19/2016 at

I’ve never seen anything like this! How interesting. I do love coffee and maybe I would give this a try. Thanks for linking up with us for Meatless Monday

Reply
- Anya
  01/19/2016 at
  
  It’s a good alternative to coffee. Thanks Deborah.
  
  Reply
Chris
01/20/2016 at

Such a different hot drink. Thanks for sharing at Funtastic Friday!

Reply
Bonnie V
01/21/2016 at

Interesting. I currently drink two cups of coffee a day because I really do feel like I need the caffeine, but I hate how they leave me dehydrated. I’m curious to give this a try just to see if I could go without the caffeine. Pinning!

Thanks for sharing on the Homestead Blog Hop.

Reply
- Anya
  01/21/2016 at
  
  Yes – give this a try. I would wean from 2 cups slowly though. It’s hard without coffee. Sigh.
  
  Reply
Deborah Davis
01/25/2016 at

Such a yummy beverage! I love the idea of a healthier coffee! This is one of my favorites! I am so delighted that you shared your cleansing herbal coffee with us at the Healthy Happy Green and Natural Party!.Thank you so much for sharing your gems and for your support! All the best, Deborah

Reply
- Anya
  01/25/2016 at
  
  Thanks so much Deborah. Always a pleasure.
  
  Reply
Organic Health Advantages
08/01/2017 at

Hi,
Thanks for sharing this amazingly delicious and healthy recipe, it has been a great help. Keep sharing and caring.

Reply
Carol L
09/04/2018 at

Just FYI: Yerba Mate DOES contain caffeine. That is why so many use it as a coffee substitute (not the flavor, but the caffeine). I actually don’t know how much caffeine it has or how it compares to the amount of caffeine in coffee, but it is there.
This is a good replacement for coffee, though, with or without the Yerba Mate. I would make sure that both the chicory and dandelion root are roasted, and leave out the dandelion leaves, as they are bitter. (Even for a coffee substitute). I also love the addition of the “bulletproof” ingredients, making it even healthier for you: (butter, collagen, cinnamon as long as it is sweet cinnamon also called Ceylon and NOT CASSIA, which is bad for you). I would use cream; either coconut or if you are lucky enough to get it, RAW cream, but not milk. Fat is GOOD for you and does NOT make you fat. It is SUGAR which makes you fat. I like to also add a pinch of Himalayan salt and a drop of vanilla….YUMM!!!
Thanks for sharing!

Reply
- Anya
  09/04/2018 at
  
  Oh that all sounds so yummy! Perfect drink to start the sweater weather! 😉
  
  Reply
Carol L
09/04/2018 at

OOPS! Sorry, I didn’t notice in the recipe portion you DID list ROASTED chicory and dandelion as ingredients!

Reply