If you haven’t noticed, sweet potatoes and yams are now all the rage. From sweet potato toast, to sweet potato or yam noodles, cooked sweet potato frozen and blended into smoothies for an extremely creamy, perfectly velvety thick smoothie, and even… well, a latte. Stay with me you might just love this.

I have only recently stumbled across this delicacy and am sure glad I did! This drink features antioxidant rich, purple Ube in addition warming  and delightful spices, and is perfect right before bed for a stellar sleep.

Sweet potatoes and yams are easily confused, and while the Ube latte uses a purple yam specifically, they both share the warming quality that can be especially nourishing in the season that we’re in– it’s getting to be quite cold and frosty. As a result of the colder, shorter days with less light, some start to tend more toward anxiety, depression. As many know, it is common, especially here in the Northwest for Seasonal Effective Disorder to be more of an issue. It seems many remedy this in their own ways, be them healthy or unhealthy, usually based on their knowledge or lack of knowledge of the reason why. The truth is it actually makes sense energetically for people to be less happy and centered in the Winter if we are off balance or un-grounded already, which can be common in this world that is already over-excitatory to the nervous system.

There are different body or “energetic” types, these are referred to as doshas in Ayurveda. Most people, about 60% of the population, are known as having a “Vata” Dosha. This is associated with wind, or flightiness. When these types get unbalanced, especially in the Fall/ winter (which is a Vata-dominant season), symptoms like anxiety, nervousness, and a sense of un-groundedness can ensue. This is where an Ube Latte comes in handy. This is because the sweet potato, or yam (while they are different I will use them interchangeably here due to the properties of which I’m speaking), can be incredibly warming and nourishing to this “Vata” type of dosha. While many of us have been taught to avoid carbs and starches at all costs, especially for this body type, they can be extremely beneficial and nourishing. Other very nourishing foods for the Vata Dosha include “grounding” root vegetables like cooked beets, carrots, and turnips as well as butternut, acorn and delicata squash. It is best to have foods hot especially during this season to help the nervous and the digestive systems out and optimize your health. Nuts can be very nourishing for this body type and during this season too, as they are richer and more grounding. They give us more sustenance as do dairy products and darker meats for those that consume them.  Oils, too are very grounding and important in this season and they will help keep your skin nice and moist even in the driest, coldest days– provided that your gallbladder is working properly to digest these fats. But anyway, now that you know why all of the ingredients in this latte are so important and restorative especially during this time of year! Here it is:

Ube Latte Ingredients:

1/4-1/3 cooked ube. (I like mine boiled or steemed. If you have one left over just throw it in a pot and heat it up in some water)

1 cup water, heated on stove (if reheating ube, put it in here and bring to a boil.)

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and/or clove

Few drops Vanilla if you like, preferably organic

1 tsp- 1 tbsp Lucuma, Stevia, or other alternative sweetener such as maple syrup or raw local or manuka honey. Rapudura also works (organic, unrefined, real sugar)

1/2 cup milk of your choice. I recommend organic, raw and grass fed if you are going for cow’s milk or you can make your own nut milk.

1 tsp- 1 tbs each of coconut oil and/ or butter. If you’re a vegan you can use coconut butter instead of butter. If you’re not a vegan, be sure to use grass-fed butter  like kerrigold, but optimally, buy it raw from a farm. This way you get the max amount of nutrients like activator X or Vitamin K which protects your arteries as well as your joints from improper calcification.

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a blender for about 30-40 seconds. It should be all foamy and frothy and velvety and delicious and you should take a sip and smile and enjoy your life and a great night’s sleep.