Drink: Sweet and Spicy novel-tea

Better start licking your lips. This sweet and spicy drink will get your temperature up and best yet-Its VEGAN Yay.


What you will need:

250ml/1 cup-Organic Creme Earl Grey Tea Brewed (or chia or black tea or choice)
250 ml/1 cup mil substitue of choice (I love original unsweetened Almond Breeze)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Agave syrop to taste
few drops organic vanilla extract (optional)
Tool: Milk frother (I just handheld about $15 to buy)
Clear glass (double-walled of with handles is recommended-thin glass gets HOT)
Garnish: Carob/raw sugar **Note** this will cause the fluffy steamed milk sub. to start sinking. So its helpful to put on just as you are about to enjoy.

This is what a hand frother looks like. 

Heat up your milk on the stove or (Shock the horror: in the microwave) and then pour into glass until its just over 1/4 way up the glass. Break out your handy-dandy milk frother and frother that puppy up until its super foamy on top.

Take a large spoon and pour hot brewed tea over the spoon against the side of the glass so the tea by-passes most of the milk froth, you will begin to see the hot tea layering in the middle of the glass between the hot milk and the frothy whipped top section. Continue pouring until froth reaches top of glass.

Then use spoon to spread milk froth to cover your entry hole where you were pouring the tea. Garnish with carob and cinnamon or raw sugar. Enjoy this brilliant little novel-tea.

Carob garnish YUM*

Topping or sauce: Blueberry Maple Syrup

Blueberry Maple Syrup 


What you will need:


2 cups Maple Syrup
2 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 TBS Vanilla extract (I stock organic- tastes more natural)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg or all spice 


Directions:


Heat a sauce pot over low-medium heat.
Add blueberries and vanilla extract, keep the berries moving for 5 minutes and gradually reduce to low heat. Add cinnamon and nutmeg, let the spices hang out with the blueberries mixture for a few minutes and then add the maple syrup. The longer you can simmer this the more sticky and concentrated it will become, I like to leave it on low for 15-30 minutes but if you don't have time or are very hungry it will still taste great after just another 10 minutes.


Remove from heat and ladle over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, cakes, or pies. (served over my homemade whole wheat waffles with large mug of tea) YUM! 


Tip: If you want to keep your syrup, transfer into container with screw top lid. Lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge.  If you like more blueberries and less syrup cut one full cup of syrup from the recipe. 

Leftovers re-imagined: Vegetable Curry with White rice towers

Vegetable curry with white rice towers

 

What you will need:

Leftovers in this case vegetable curry (or stir fry, tofu, or anything you want to add rice and curry sauce to)

White, or brown or basmati rice (prepare rice by package instructions. My rice cooker took two measures of rice to four measures of water)

1 Cup Apple sauce

1 quarter or segment of white onion with root attached

2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS pure Ginger (from tube or jar)
1 TBS cilantro (dried, from tube or frozen shaker box)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

2-3 bay leaves (remember to take these bad boys out before you are done)

4-6 fresh thyme sprigs

2-3 cups vegetable stock

½ cup white wine (optional)

Handy tool:

Cuisipro Scoop and Stack Ice Cream Scoop work on ice cream, shapes, cookies, tea biscuits, and YES EVEN RICE into compact towers. See 3^rd photo Credit: Cusipro.com

http://FrozenTreats.cuisipro.com/en/

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisipro-Scoop-Stack-Cream-Green/dp/B00152MIGQ

Quick tip:

If you are just starting to stock your pantry or spice cabinet and want a quick and dirty trick for Indian cooking pick up ‘Garam Masala’ – a mix of cinnamon, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, cloves and nutmeg – a North Indian all spice of sorts. You won’t regret it! This singular spice mix could have substituted in here for most of the spices listed as one step. YAY for simplicity.

Directions:

Add oil to a sauce or soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add quarter of white onion (TIP: remove peel but keep part of root attached so it doesn’t separate, you want the onion flavor but not the actual onion, you will be taking this guy out when you remove the bay leaves)

After the onion has simmered in the oil for 2-ish minutes reduce heat add apple sauce, spices and mix together with white wine. Add vegetable stock gradually, sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.

Let sauce simmer 10 minutes.

Pre-heat plates or pasta bowls in microwave and unplug rice cooker or remove inner bowl. Heat up leftovers in microwave on high for 5-6 minutes. Use ice cream scoop or scoop and stack tool and arrange two balls or towers of rice per plate. Spoon leftover around or on top of rice.

Remove bay leaves, thyme springs and onion segment from sauce. Ladle or pour sauce over each plate of leftovers and rice. Garnish with basil or sprigs of thyme as seen in picture. Serve immediately. 

Breakfast: Vegan Pancakes

Quick Vegan Pancakes

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5-10 minutes
Skill level: Beginner

What you will need:

1 cup whole wheat flour (or flour of your choice Rice flour works too)

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp creme of tartar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp vegetable oil or Canola oil

1 tbsp agave nectar

1 cup soy or almond milk (I usually use Almond Breeze unsweetened original but you can also use vanilla)

1 tsp chocolate, vanilla, rock sugar (Optional-PC brand pepper mill style container)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and chocolate spice mix if used. Next, add oil, milk, and agave nectar. In a preheated pan over low/medium heat, pour a CD-size amount (or one soup ladle) Cook each side  until light brown or until you see bubbling

Photos shown served with Hash browns and Scrambled eggs (for Brian, I don't eat eggs)