Chai Tea (Indian Style)

This recipe is very simple. I learned it while taking a cooking class in Udaipur (stay tuned for an upcoming post on that experience) and it was warming, simple and super tasty.

delhi street chai...yum

I drank a lot of chai in India. Due to Ryan's aversion to caffeine, each time we were served chai I'd end up drinking mine and then his as well. Hotel chai, street chai, house chai, restaurant chai, all were served up to us on a multiple times a day basis. While always similar, and therefore good, some were better than others. Chai is best when made with freshly ground spices and ginger. It is still good on the street, made with chai masala powder, but much better the fresh way. You'll need a mortar and pestle, or a small coffee grinder for this.

What I like about Shashi's recipe is its simplicity. Some chai recipes have a spice list that goes on and on...but not this one. You can taste each component individually, while the combination as a whole has its own flavor spectrum. I have made it with cow's milk and I have made it with almond milk. In India, it is cow (or buffalo) all the way, so naturally that one tastes more "authentic", but the almond milk version is equally delicious and dovetails with my nutritional ways more seamlessly.

Enjoy!

Chai Tea
     Shashi's recipe from Udaipur
     (makes one cup)

1/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk (or 1 cup almond milk, and omit the water)
2 cardamom pods
4 black peppercorns
1/2-1 inch fresh ginger, cut into small chunks
1 TBS black tea or darjeeling tea
2 TBS sugar (I have tried with both white cane juice and brown sucanat, both were nice)

Put the water and milk into a saucepan. grind the cardamom pods, black peppercorns and ginger in the mortar and pestle. Add to the milk along with the tea and sugar. Allow concoction to come to a boil and reduce the heat. Continue cooking until the liquid is brown from the tea and the aromas of the spices have been released. Pour through a strainer into your cup and enjoy!

sharing a chai with the one and only Guppi Bola

Almond, Chocolate & Cherry Biscotti

I'm back! 6 weeks traveling through Turkey and India: eating, drinking and breathing in as many sights, sounds, foods and flavors as possible. Although I didn't post as much as I would have liked to while on the road, I have a backlog of notes, photos and recipes to share...in due time. My brain is a jumble of spices, fermented grains, myriads of lentils and other exotic delights. I need a little time to process before I try to cook it all up in the 10 kilo tava we brought back in our luggage.

For the moment, however, I'd like to share a little slice of blissful homecoming with you: gluten free almond, chocolate and cherry biscotti, dipped in melted chocolate and enjoyed with a delicious almond milk latte.

Did I miss chocolate? Perhaps. I certainly am happy to be back in the loving arms of my la Pavoni espresso machine, bequeathed to me by a dear friend in an insane fit of generosity.

I love the story of how la Pavoni and I met. A few years ago, I was in Seattle visiting an old friend who had a groovy, old school stainless steel espresso maker that operated on a very simple mechanical basis, with a lever arm to push pressurized, steamy water through a small grupo packed tight with finely ground coffee beans. A simple wand on the side would steam milk to foamy perfection and the drinks she churned out were among the best I've ever had. I went home to San Diego fantasizing about having a fancy, old espresso maker of my own.

 

Alas, a precursory web search snatched the dream away from me before it even had time to gestate. These things cost upwards of $2000! I absolutely do not have that kind of disposable income, no matter how shiny and perfect the coffee maker might be (it is after all, just a coffee maker). That's a ticket to Ghana! Or two tickets to India. No way. So I put my dream on the back shelf, promising myself that if I ever hit it big, then maybe, just maybe, one day, I would have one of my own.

That night, we went for dinner at Shelly & Rich's house, two of our most beloved friends in the world. They have three lovely children and hanging out with this family is one of our top pastimes. It doesn't hurt that Shelly is a fellow vegetarian foodie, and that we all subscribe to a jacuzzi-wine-food-wine-jacuzzi-fireplace type lifestyle. We are kindred spirits, to say the least. Shelly has a veggie food blog as well, so we are constantly bonding over food, amongst other things.

Anyhoo, Shelly and I are conversing over another glass of wine on the patio and she, out of the blue, mentions to me that she has this espresso machine that her (rich) neighbor had given her a few years ago that has been collecting dust ever since. They are a bottomless coffee-pot type family, too busy to put that much effort into just one cup of coffee. If I wanted it, it was mine.

"Does it have a lever?!?!" was my greedy response. An affirmative nod was all I needed. "I'll take it! Are you sure???? Do you know how much that machine is worth???? You don't want to sell it on ebay???"

As it was bequeathed to her, so it was handed down to me, on the condition that I don't sell it myself, which has never, ever crossed my mind. It is mine and I love it and not a day at home has passed in the past two and a half years that I did not honor my la Pavoni by lovingly filling it with water, waiting for the pressure to build, blending up a fresh batch of almond milk, and enjoying a homemade almond latte, finishing up the ritual by polishing the metal to a shine and tucking it back away in its honored spot on the kitchen counter.

I chalk this experience up to another mystifying case of ask and you shall receive...the universe is a wonderful place, sometimes!

Other drinks I make with my wonder-machine are chai lattes and hot chocolates for Ryan, as he does not like caffeine. One small spoonful of loose-leaf chai (with rooibos) in the grupo produces a small, concentrated amount of tea that I temper with steamed & sweetened almond milk. Or steamed almond milk with a spoonful of good cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, an inch of fresh vanilla bean and a couple of spoonfuls of sugar. Frothy and delicious, we call these drinks "foamy-yummies".

And they are deeelicious with this biscotti recipe.

 GF almond, chocolate & cherry biscotti

• 3/4 cup almond pulp (from making almond milk)
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar or evaporated cane juice
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2-3/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp almond extract 

• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup good quality chocolate chips (optional, for dipping)

 Preheat the oven to 350F

Combine the dry ingredients (through cocoa powder) together. Add the almond extract to 1/2 cup water and add to dry mix to create a ball of dough that is not too wet. Add more water if necessary, slowly. Once mixed add the almonds and cherries. Divide the dough into to two parts and shape into flat-ish logs on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from heat. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat in the oven to 300F. Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces and place back on the cookie sheet. Put back in the oven to dry and toast for about 15-20 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool. These biscotti are more on the soft, dry side than the crunchy side.

 If you are dipping these in chocolate, melt the chips over a double boiler. Dip each cookie, flat side down in chocolate and then set it (chocolate side up) on the cookie sheet. Once all are dipped, place the sheet in the fridge or freezer to help set the chocolate. 

Finished!

GF Carrot Cupcakes

I know you've all been making almond milk...and you just don't know what to do with all that pulp! Here is another recipe for you. (If you don't have surplus pulp, I suppose you could still make these all the same.)

These carrot cupcakes are moist, fluffy and soft. I used this recipe as a starting point, but made modifications to make them gluten and dairy free. They are not too sweet, so I say they qualify as everyday muffin fare if you don't have a special occasion to make them.

For you experimental gluten free bakers out there, the most important thing you need to know is that flax meal, chia seeds and eggs are your best friends for binding all the other ingredients together. Also, if you use both baking powder and soda in a recipe you will get a lot more rise than if you use just baking powder alone.

These are delicious without frosting, but even better with. Ryan made the frosting for this, adapted from frostings we used to make in our raw food days, a blend of cashews, dates, coconut milk and other goodies. It's a little more like a sauce than a stiff frosting.

          Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes
          (2 dozen large or 4 dozen small cupcakes)

1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups sugar (I used one cup evaporated cane juice and one cup sucanat)
1 cup almond milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice in it (let sit for 10 min)
1 pound carrots
3 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one orange
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup flax meal
1 cup almond pulp (or more oat flour if you don't have any pulp)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Set oven to 350F. Toast walnuts in oven for 5 minutes. Grate carrots, and add the almond milk, eggs, olive oil, vanilla, orange zest, and sugar, almond pulp (if using) and mix well. Combine the other ingredients together in a separate bowl and fold into the wet mix. Fold the walnuts in, being careful not to over-mix. Fill silicone muffin molds or greased tins 3/4 full (these rise) and bake for 15-25 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool before frosting.

While you are baking the cupcakes, make the frosting. Have on hand 1 cup soaked cashews (soak for about 1-2 hours).

Coconut-Cashew Frosting

1 cup soaked cashews
1 1/2 cups coconut cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
contents of 1/4 vanilla bean
6 pitted medjool dates
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Blend until smooth, Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate to help set. Once cupcakes and frosting have cooled, you may frost!

Home Made Almond Milk & Amazing Chocolate Cake

Almond milk, how do I love thee? Heaps of ways!

Let it suffice to say that, once you know how easy it is to make, and how delicious it is to drink, you will never go back. I make almond milk every couple of days to enjoy in coffee, with cereal, or to use in some recipe or another instead of regular milk. I think its better than milk, and far better than boxed soy or almond milk.

Almond Milk's only drawback is that you have to figure out what to do with the almond pulp after straining. Lucky for you,  I have a bunch of recipe solutions for that, too.

All you need to make this delicious drink is a blender and nutmilk bag (or a paint straining bag from the hardware store). I get mine at Home Depot, about $2 for two 1-gallon size bags (be sure not to get the 5 gallon bag). It helps to soak the almonds for a few hours before you blend, but if you don't, no big deal.

all you need (besides a blender & almonds) to make almond milk

Fresh Almond Milk*

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 6-8 cups filtered water

If possible, soak the almonds over night (soaking softens the nuts and switches off the enzyme inhibitors, making the almonds more nutritionally available and easy to digest...and creamier). Blend with the water for at least 30 seconds, until completely pulverized. Place the straining bag in a pitcher or bowl and pour the blended almonds and water through. Squeeze and strain (imagine you are milking an almond cow) until as much moisture is out of the pulp as possible. You now have fresh, delicious almond milk. I like mine plain, pure, and simple. But feel free to add sweetener, vanilla, a pinch of salt, or whatever floats your boat.

*For a slightly more viscous result, try adding a few tablespoons of chia seeds to the blender with the almonds. It makes it a little more difficult to strain, but the result is thicker. Also, if you want something more like a cream, use less water, or more almonds.

You should also know...this fresh almond milk lasts no longer than 2-3 days, so drink up! Or don't make too much.

soaked almonds, fresh almond milk, and my favorite way to enjoy: in a foamy cup of coffee

The question is, what to do with all this pulp? I used to stick it in a ziploc bag, throw it in the freezer and forget about it. Then one day I realized that I had about 7 gallons of almond pulp. These days, I try to create some kind of baked good with the pulp in order to keep up with the volume. This works out well for us here who don't eat wheat products. I make bread, muffins, and cake most often. Ryan makes pancakes and chocolate chip cookies.

what to do with almond pulp???

David Lebovitz, the Paris based food writer, wrote in The Sweet Life in Paris, "Every Frenchwoman I know loves chocolate so much she has a chocolate cake in her repetoire that she's committed to memory, one she can make on a moment's notice".  Although not French, I have taken this predilection to heart. My recipe is based on this flourless chocolate cake recipe, updated by yours truly to incorporate the almond pulp & a couple of other things. (I realize that this post is listed as 'vegan'...that would refer to the almond milk, and not this cake. Sorry, vegans.)

Amazing Chocolate Cake

• 6 oz chocolate chips (good dark chocolate)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (I suppose you could use butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar (unrefined if possible)
• 1 tsp peppermint oil (optional but delicious)
• 1 cup almond pulp
• 3 egg yolks & one egg (this makes for a very soft cake, but 3 regular eggs will also work fine)

Preheat oven to 375°.
Oil & Line 8" round pan with parchment.
Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil over a double boiler. Add all other ingredients, eggs last & mix well. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes until done.

Voila! This cake is seriously amazing. It is not fluffy, but rather very dense and fudgy. No need for any embellishments. Sometimes I omit the peppermint oil and add cayenne, cinnamon, and dried cherries. Or I just make it plain. Sometimes I sprinkle more chocolate chips on top before baking it. Yum!

Enjoy! More almond pulp recipes to come...