u/Wonderful_Stable_770

Golden milk has become one of those things that's always in my rotation. I mostly started making it because it's packed with ingredients that are commonly included in gut-friendly recipes, but i actually really like the flavor. I usually make a big batch at the beginning of the week and pour about 8–10 oz into a mason jar to take with me whenever I'm heading out.

My recipe is super simple:

• 1–2 cups non-dairy milk ( I prefer oat milk)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 fresh ginger knob (I tend to use frozen ginger if i can find it)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• A pinch of black pepper
• Optional: vanilla or cloves

I just warm everything over low to medium heat (don't let it boil), blend if needed, strain, and it's ready to go.

Lately I've also been trying to get more fiber in throughout the day. I almost always throw chia seeds into my oatmeal and flaxseed into my pancakes. They're easy additions that don't really change the flavor but help me hit my fiber goals.

I'm always looking for new ideas though. What are your go-to foods, drinks, or little habits for supporting your gut or digestive health?

I've been baking a lot more now that school's over, and I decided to try making lemon bars for a friend's Juneteenth BBQ. I'd never made lemon bars before, so this was a first for me.

I used Nora Cooks' vegan lemon bar recipe and I ended up making three batches because I was a little nervous about how they'd turn out. One batch became the test run and I brought it to work, where my coworkers absolutely demolished them. A few people couldn't believe they were vegan, which always feels like a win.

The recipe was surprisingly straightforward:

• Shortbread crust: ½ cup melted vegan butter, ¼ cup sugar, 1 cup flour, and ¼ tsp salt.
• Filling: ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons), optional lemon zest, 1½ cups sugar, 1¼ cups full-fat coconut milk, 6 tbsp cornstarch, and a tiny pinch of turmeric for color.
• Bake the crust (15-18 minutes), cook the filling on the stovetop until thick, spread it over the crust, bake again (15-18 minutes), then chill (2 hours or overnight) before cutting and dusting with powdered sugar.

The filling came out super smooth with a nice balance of sweet and tart, and the shortbread crust held together really well. I think next time I'd add a little extra zest because I'm a sucker for citrus desserts, but honestly I wouldn't change much else.

I'm pretty proud of these for a first attempt, and I can definitely see them becoming a regular summer dessert.

Has anyone else made vegan lemon bars? Any favorite tweaks or other vegan lemon desserts I should try next? My boyfriend suggested doing a blueberry or raspberry version.

I went to Next Level Veggie Grill recently because I was randomly craving one of their milkshakes, and when I got there the menu was completely different than what I remembered. Apparently Next Level and Veggie Grill merged a while back, which explains why there were so many new items I hadn’t seen before.

I’d never tried the Beyond Steak before, so I decided to order a steak taco along with my shake. The taco honestly wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t really into it either. The texture was interesting and definitely very chewy, I haven't had steak in years but something about it just didn’t fully click for me.

The shake absolutely carried the meal though 😂

Has anyone else tried the Beyond Steak? Maybe in tacos, bowls, or one of the steak plates? I’m curious if it’s one of those things that’s way better prepared a different way, because I feel pretty neutral after my first experience.

I feel like I wanted to love it more than I actually did. 🤷🏽‍♂️

I’ve been using the plant-based Sunwarrior protein for a while now, but I saw this Orgain Organic Protein powder at Costco and I’m kinda tempted to switch because it’s a bit cheaper and more convenient for me to grab 😭

The macros honestly seem pretty decent, but I’ve never tried it before and I’m curious how it actually tastes + digests compared to Sunwarrior.

For anyone who’s tried it:

• Did you like it?
• Does it mix well or get chalky?
• Any stomach issues/bloating?
• How’s the flavor compared to other vegan proteins?
• Did you notice a difference in quality at all?
• Any other recommendations?

I mostly use protein powder in my coffee after the gym and even on days I don't go because I usually don’t get enough protein in my day to day diet without it.

Would love honest opinions before I commit to a Costco tub lol

Horchata has been in my rotation for a minute now… and I'm addicted.

I make this pretty regularly at this point — for myself, for coffee creamer, cereal, a good rumchata, but this time I made a big batch (like 4x) because my friend is hosting a potluck/game night and it really reminded me how worth it it is to just make it from scratch.

I still do it the same way every time: soak, blend, strain, sweeten.
The only real switch I’ve made is using oat milk instead of condensed milk, and honestly I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.

It still has that creamy, cinnamon-heavy flavor, just a little lighter which I don't necessarily like. But I can control everything going into it.

Kitchen definitely looked crazy for a bit, pots, cinnamon sticks everywhere, straining for what felt like forever 😭 especially cause this time i made over a gallon but anyway it came together.

How I make my horchata:

Ingredients:

• 1–1½ cups white rice
• 2–3 cinnamon sticks
• 4–6 cups water (for soaking/blending)
• 1–2 cups oat milk (depending how creamy you want it)
• ½–1 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Soak Rinse rice, then soak it with the cinnamon sticks in water for at least 4 hours (overnight is better).
2. Blend Blend the rice, cinnamon, and soaking water until smooth.
3. Strain Strain it through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer — this part takes a minute but it’s key.
4. Finish it Add oat milk, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well, chill, and you’re good.

The batch in the pictures specifically are for the game night and I scaled everything up like crazy.

I’ll probably keep tweaking the sweetness and creaminess because I like my horchata on the thicker side, maybe even experiment with different plant milks, but oat milk has been my go-to fs.

I never hear anyone talking about rice milk when taking about possible milk substitutes, what do you guys think?