Holiday Chai Latte

One of my favorite cold weather brews, for celebrating special occasions, or just because…Enjoy its enticing morning aroma while simmering!

ingredients

4 cups water

2 whole star anise pieces

5 crushed green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

½ tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1 TB finely diced ginger root

1 TB finely diced turmeric root

2 tsp of matcha (or 4 green or black tea bags)

1 cup milk of your choice, including non-dairy options ie – coconut, cashew, almond , rice, hemp milk

liquid stevia to taste (or local raw organic honey or Vermont maple syrup)

preparation

Bring water, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, ginger and turmeric root to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add matcha (or green or black tea bags). Simmer gently  for 3 more minutes. Strain  and pour into 2 mugs. Stir in ½ cup of warmed milk in each. Sweeten to taste. For a special treat, add your chai to a blender (I use a Magic Bullet) and froth.

I’ve made this dessert more than any other. Simple, Delicious. Perfect every time. My daughter had the idea of putting the pumpkin pudding into a pie crust – hence the recipe name.  You can make your own crust or I often buy a gluten-free one from the frozen food section of my favorite  local market Lucky’s. https://www.luckysmarket.com.

I like to cook a small sugar pumpkin for about an hour at 350º.  Organic canned organic pumpkin also makes a great pie.

Pumpkin Pudding Pie

ingredients

3 cups pumpkin puree (organic canned or fresh)

1/3 cup honey or coconut nectar

1  1/2 TB molasses

1/2 tsp powdered cloves

1  1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

4-5 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups scalded skim, whole, or goat’s milk, rice milk, coconut, almond, hemp milk etc.

5 tsp cinnamon

preparation

Mix in order given. Pour into buttered or oiled  baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes @ 450 degrees. Then bake @350 degrees until set for another 30 minutes or so. Let cool for an hour or more.

adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

 

My fascination and passion for food began at an early age.  At age 6, I insisted on making a pie all by myself. My mother let me loose in the kitchen with a bag of flour, a can of cherry pie filling, a mixing bowl, and a pie plate. I enthusiastically made a paste with the flour and water,  iced the bottom of the pie plate with it, dumped the pie filling in, and layered the paper maché type glue on top. As my mother recalled, I baked the pie for several hours, as it would not brown.  I then proudly presented  it to my beloved neighbor, Mr Burchenal, who had to break into it with a hammer. He took a spoonful of the filling, smiled broadly, and pronounced it was  delicious. Thus  began the joy of creative cooking and sharing with others.

Lucky for you, I have revised the pie recipe, and have another fall dessert to share that I’ve made several of the past few weeks, especially with our abundance of peaches and apples in our orchard. 

Apple Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

Filling

2 cups of chopped peaches or nectarines

2 cups of blueberries or blackberries

1/2 cup finely chopped dates

2 TB lemon juice

2 TB arrowroot powder

Topping

1/2 cup gluten free  (GF) oats

1/2 cup almond flour, coconut flour, (I like to use Birch Benders GF pancakes and waffle mix) https://birchbenders.com/products/gluten-free

1/2 cups chopped nuts of your choice (pecans or walnuts)

6 TB coconut palm sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup coconut oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine filling ingredients filling in mixing bowl.

Combine topping ingredients in separate bowl. When fully blended, scatter evenly place on top  of filling so that the filling is fully covered with the topping.

Bake 35 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes and serve!  YUM!