Everything Chai-nges
Even though I was only out of town for a few days, there were some major changes while I was gone.
Lulu grew a foot, I swear. She also skinned both her knees at the park, resulting in a severe Band-Aid shortage in the state of Oregon, regardless of the fact that no actual blood was shed.
Pea Daddy somehow worked his way through all eleven bottles of root beer that were leftover from Gigi’s birthday party. How is that even possible? He was drowning his loneliness, no doubt.
Pea Kitty unapologetically took over my side of the bed. I think she combed her fur into an angled bob, worked her way into some washed out yoga pants and slid in there when Pea Daddy had had one too many. Bad kitty.
And Gigi? Well, Gigi learned how to jump rope.
Like actually jump over the rope.
With both feet.
At once.
I didn’t have that kind of coordination until I was…well, ever.
And while I was gone, I went through some changes of my own.
As in, I completely forgot how to pour and shoot at the same time.
It was a true shame too, not just because I dropped the iron on my big toe trying to press that placemat before promptly ruining it, but because I didn’t want to waste a single drop of that liquid deliciousness.
When I was in New York, I met my friend Diana for a spectacular lunch at Bonobos. I completely ordered way more food than I needed and not nearly enough of the Coconut Chai.
Had I known how much I would crave a second, third and twenty-fourth bottle of this sweet nectar, I would have packed my suitcase full of it.
But instead, I did the next best thing.
I made my own.
And this time I didn’t waste a single drop.
Coconut Chai
Makes 2-4 servings
- One 11 oz. container of coconut water
- One 14 oz. can of coconut milk (reduced fat or full fat)
- 1 t. ginger
- 1/2 t. cinnamon (and more for garnish)
- 1/2 t. nutmeg
- 1/2 t. allspice
- 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- dash of black or white pepper
- stevia or agave to taste
Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender.
Blend.
Adjust the sweetness to your liking. The original version is very sweet and so is mine.
Chill. The colder the better.
Pour carefully.
Garnish with a dash of cinnamon.
Serve.
Delicious.
Pea Daddy even bypassed his nightly ritual, sacrificing a chilled root beer mug for a second serving of the coconut chai.
I don’t even know how to handle such a dramatic departure from the norm.
And then, there was a familiar scene.
At least some things never change.
Your children are beyond adorable.
Mmm…! I’ve made chai before with almond milk, and had thought about using coconut milk, but never with the addition of coconut water (or such classy presentation — cinnamon swirls, whoa). Genius. Glad to see from those last two pictures that things are back to normal
Random intrusive question of the week: what brand of pickles do you buy?
These are Vlasic. We tried Bubbies last week, but they were a little spicy for Lu.
My school is so close to that restaurant.
I must check it out now
Thanks!
Oh yes! It’s really fabulous!
Your garnish looks professional! Sheesh.
Question (and it’s a life-or-death type one): what sort of pickles (brand, type) does Lulu like?
I think Vlasic Baby Kosher Dills are her favorite.
Wow that Chai milk sounds amazing! It’d be amazing after a sweaty run
Yup! I’m storing the leftovers in a jar in my fridge and a post workout swig is heaven!
Oh my gosssssssh. I have made chai before with vanilla almond milk and THAT was outrageous but I never ever thought of using COCONUT milk — that has got to be incredible!! Grocery store, here I come!
Hope you love it!
That looks so so good – I love coconut and chai – you’re a genius.
Um, am I allowed to replace all of my previous beverages (even water) with this YUMMY looking concoction? Because I fear that if I taste it, I may never want to drink anything ever again!
Seriously swooning over here.
You have my permission. Hope you are having a nice weekend!
Oh, and the picture of the Vita in motion…so cool!
Thanks! I was proud of it myself
that looks insanely good. I love anything with coconut. And Lulu cracks me up with the pickles!
This looks so delicious! I love coconut and chai (which is tea in Hindi). I have a Pumpkin spiced chai recipe on my blog that I’ve recreated to mimic Starbucks! Haha! The things we foodie do to satisfy our cravings
During my years in nyc I heard about the famed coconut chai many times but never tried it. Now I can! Yay!
Yum! So pretty and I bet it’s very refreshing.
I can’t jump rope (I lack that something called coordination), so I envy Gigi’s mean skillz.
You and me both!
I love chai — and the swirls of cinnamon are so beautiful.
Of course, the key to coordinated jump-roping is wearing a ballerina outfit. There’s something about tutus and slippers that bring out the grace in all of us.
I love coconut chai tea, so I really want to try this recipe!
Of course. Because ballet and jump roping go hand-in-hand.
I am always impressed that you grate your own nutmeg! This sounds delicious, also.
I LOVE nutmeg. If it isn’t freshly ground, you are missing out.
Isn’t it amazing how much kids can grow and learn overnight!? When I packed clothes for Skylar for this trip, there were some shorts that were a little borderline/too small but I packed them anyway. 3 weeks later there is NO WAY she’s fitting into them. They do grow so fast…and overnight sometimes!
Congrats on the jumping rope skills. Milestone!
The chai coconut drink looks delish!! I love the freshly grated nutmeg shot.
And pouring shots…unless one has a tripod, a self timer, made skillz to pour and somehow keep your arm out of the frame… or is really good with LRoom or PShoot in post-editing, I think pouring shots are some of the HARDEST to master. Clearly I over think it, but really…they ARE hard!
OMG I need to make this asap- it looks amazing!!!!
I LOVE chai & I loveLOVE coconut water, so this looks like my perfect summer drink. Thanks for the recipe! Definitely making this ASAP.
Looks delicious! I love the beautiful photo of the spilled milk. It nearly brought tears to my eyes!
You should have seen me!
i loooove coconut milk!! I use the So Delicious one in the carton and even Silk makes one now:):) Yay for more vegan options! SInce i love coconut milk and i love chai tea im pretty sure i will love this!
I’m pretty sure too!
I love that you posted the “oops” shot!
I had to make it worth my anguish
That sure looks delicious, too bad I dislike coconut so much :/
And love your humor!
It’s really honest from you that you also post your failures
Thanks, Sara…stay tuned, I make a lot of mistakes.
I absolutely LOVEEEEE that stuff. Saving this recipe!!
It’s pretty close if you aren’t going to the lengths of using fresh coconut.
Gigi has got some ups! That is talent. You are the master at making me take a 2nd trip to the grocery store!
I do what I can…
Oh I bet your family missed you so much!
I know for sure that the drink they use is from thai coconuts but–oh the horrors–they were out of coconuts completely when I was at Bonobo’s so I had to do without this lovely drink. Glad you made a version that requires a can opener instead of a cleaver (to hack open the baby coconut–scary). and is probably just as delicious!
I’m so sad you missed it! You would have absolutely loved it. I too am scared to lose a finger with those coconuts. It’s a lot of work and money for not a whole lot of payoff.
I was getting some good deals at an Asian market. I have to respectfully disagree that the payoff is great!
this looks amazing!! So creamy. I’ll be trying it!
Im new to your blog and so glad I found it!!
I just want to say that LOVE coconut milk but what is up with coconut water??! It tatse like dirty water 
I want to like it because I am currently doing Bikram Yoga and staying hydrated is important and I heard drinking coconut water is great because of the electrolytes, how do you drink coconut water? do you prefer it blended with other stuff, I just cant get to seem to like it but I really want to enjoy it for its benefits….
I actually like it straight up. You could try it like this though.
Wow, this looks delicious Mama Pea! I will try that soon!
Ana
Good call! Butchering coconuts isn’t the most fun (or cost effective) way to make a beverage, so I’ll have to try this at-home version, stat.
The coconut chai is life-changing, isn’t it?
I may come back to NYC just to drink more. That’s economical isn’t it?
I love the idea of using coconut water and coconut milk together… sounds refreshing and incredibly decadent all at the same time!
I don’t think I could drink the milk straight up, but I didn’t want to lose that coconut flavor. I thought this was a good solution.
This recipe looks right up my alley: yum! I feel a little like a food stalker these days. Just this weekend alone, I’ve made your anytime cookies (which everyone at my church loved!) and your tamale pie recipe, not to mention the ingredients I just purchased for more of your recipes. I think I might need to get your book.
I think you might
The Anytime Cookies are a constant make in this house…I throw them together in a sec and they make a great snack or breakfast in a pinch! Glad you liked ‘em!
bah bah pickle pickle!!!
haha…i absolutely love chai! i’ve always been scared to make my own, but since your recipes never let me down i’m going to go for it now!
Doooooo it.
I love when you re-create things! I have never tried that before but it looks good!
Love the actin jump rope shot! I need to have Gigi teach me how to jump rope, my jump rope skills are not so good!
Happy Sunday to you and the family!!
xoxo <3
Happy Sunday, Katie!
The coconut chai looks delicious! I’m definitely going to have to try that! And I appreciate the fact that you spilled while photographing. Makes me feel better about myself.
~Michelle
Yum! This looks so tasty! Love the wine glass usage!
Wow I gotta say I love the color of Lulu’s eyes. I have brown eyes and my hubby has blue eyes so I was super excited when our daughter got blue eyes
But I will totally find some way to try this because it looks so tasty and I love chai anything!
The coconut chai looks amazing! I’ve honestly never seen coconut water at the store here
Wow, I’m seriously impressed that you had the ability to pour and shoot to begin with!
I always have my Chai with soy milk but am now determined to try to find coconut water somewhere so that I can give this a try – it sounds delicious.
conrats on the jump roping that is awesome
sorry about the cat it always looks like I’m part cat when I wear my fleece or yoga pants too
wow that is a lot of root bear my tummy would hurt so much I think I have 1 soda a year.
I featured your green bean fries on my kids cook monday post I know it’s not a book feature (still want to and plan to do that) but we love green bean fries and your blog
so we featured it hope that is ok? http://lettersnumbersandbooksohmy.blogspot.com/2011/05/kids-cook-monday-green-bean-fries-from.html
The jumping rope photos are completely adorable.
The chai sounds great! Hey Lulu – pass the pickles!!
I’m wondering why you didn’t use the water and meat of an actual young coconut? They are AMAZING . . . if you do a search on youtube for “how to open a young cocomut” you can easily learn how to do it!
Oh, I know. I just was jet lagged and unmotivated, and in my po-dunk town we don’t have things like young coconuts. Trying to reach the masses…and the lazy here.
I love the extra funny posts
Go Gigi!! I was never great at jump roping either. Or jumping jacks. Hmm.
I love the extra funny posts too. Too bad this isn’t one.
It is! Cute kid pics, your inability to pour – good stuff
Oh my gosh I love Bonobos Coconut Chai… I try and limit myself to one a week (maybe two).
If I lived closer, that would be a difficult limit to keep!
I do something similar/severely inferior but with soy milk and I heat it up in the microwave. This sounds about a million times better, though, because it involves coconut milk AND coconut water, and the pepper thing is kind of (totally) brilliant.
I’m going to need to try this ASAP!
Your photos are beautiful. I can barely pour and not spill without taking a picture. So in my books, you are pretty much the most coordinated person ever!
LOL! Thanks, Carly!
Lulu is just adorable. And that liquid deliciousness looks…well….DELICIOUS! SO creamy and silky!
Your girls are adorable! I can barely pour and snap too, hubby nervously watches me just waiting for me to drop the camera. Gorgeous photos, the cinnamon swirl is just perfect!
I haven’t dropped the camera. Yet. I think my husband values the food more.
Mama Pea. Wow. This is SO good!!! I ran a 10K this morning and I’ve been eyeing the coconut water in my fridge and I decided to make this. It is insanely refreshing, creamy and delicious. I will definitely make this again and again!!!
You made it? Hooray! I’m so glad you like it!
First a review on protein powders now a coconut chai recipe…
Mama Pea, you are really out doing yourself!
I try. Thanks, Melissa!
The coconut chai sounds amazing. I need to get my hands on some coconut water RIGHT NOW, so I can make this!!
Looks awesome! I have a hard time imagining the chai without the thickness of the meat, so I might add some flesh to this drink. But my, what a recipe!
You crack open a coconut and do that, lady
This is a coconut lover’s DREAM beverage. And I’m a chai fain as well, so this is perfect for me. I like how you use coconut water AND coconut milk! They both have such great health benefits, and with this recipe you can reap them all in one drink!
I discovered this deliciousness yesterday and made it immediately. The only coconut water I had was lime flavored, but it didn’t matter at all!
Fantastic!
TWO things. That jumproping sequence made my day. I am so glad I am not the only one who spills everywhere when trying to shoot and pour.
LOVE YOU!
We just made this and LOVED it, but I spent forever trying to figure out what it reminded me of. Anyone else find this reminiscent of eggnog???
Mmm…I love eggnog! We should add rum next time
I just made this! I happened to have all the ingredients and I am so glad I did. It is crazy good and so refreshing! I’m hoping to save some for James to try when he gets home but that’s like in a couple hours so it’s not looking good.
Isn’t it great? So glad you like it!