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Tuesday 25 October 2011

Will Run For Hubbard Chai Lattes


What isn't there to love about a steaming cup of orange frothy cinnamon topped liquid (it isn't a tofu pumpkin skinny latte I promise)?

roasted hubbard squash from Dalew Farms

This Saturday was a day filled with lattes and lazy dogs.  There should be more days like that.  After reading about pumpkin protein bars and homemade lattes I found the motivation that I needed to roast some of the squash that had been sitting in my kitchen for the last week.

Hubbard Chai Lattes
(2 medium servings or a morning full of lattes)

ingredients

1 cup steeped chai (I used 1/2 marathon tea)
1 C unsweetened soy milk (almond or dairy would work as well)
1/4 C roasted hubbard ( more than 1/4 C = a lumpy hot squash smoothie)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
pinch cardamon 
pinch nutmeg
1-2 tsp maple syrup, agave nectar or your favourite sweetener (I usually leave this out)

* I mostly just shake a bunch of spices until things "look right" I suggest that you do the same.

Steep your chai.  Divide between two of your favourite pottery cups.  In a glass measuring cup combine milk, pumpkin, vanilla bean paste, spices & sweetener.  Heat in the microwave (or on the stove) until the mixture is hot and steamy.  Place milk in blender.  Blend until frothy.  Divide milk mixture between the two cups.   Sit at your kitchen table with your favourite beasts at your feet and enjoy.

*You can substitute the chai for your favourite tea or coffee.

* Canned pumpkin works just as well.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Will Run For Half-Marthon Tea

sweet ginger chai

Last weekend Pace Bunny and I ran in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon.  You'll be happy to know that we finished before the 100 year old man that was running (but after the person who was in a flash costume, Tinkerbell & Peterpan and the grandpa who was wearing a cotton shirt that said something like "this grandpa's been running for 73 years").  We crossed the finish line smiling and there were no stops at the portapotty so we were happy.

the Flash.


Tinkerbell & Peterpan


The night before the 1/2 marathon Farmer & I decided to walk to one of my favourite vegetarian restaurants.  It's too bad that the walk was an hour both ways in gale force winds rather than the 1/2 hour we thought that it would be.  It was there that I discovered gloriously delicious sweet ginger tea!  The recipe ( if you would call it that) below isn't quite the same as the tea I had but it's pretty delicious none the less. 

Half-marthon Tea
(serves 2)
ingredients

2 cups steeped chai (looseleaf or teabag)
4 slices of fresh ginger
1-2 teaspoons of raw blue agave (maple syrup, honey, etc.)

Steep your tea.  Add agave nectar.  Add sliced ginger.  Let sit 2-5 minutes.  Serve in a tall glass with a cup cozy (or drink while wearing oven mitts).


Sunday 9 October 2011

Will Run For Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

I'm not sure why my cousins thought that ice-cream cake & homemade wine was a good idea but who was I to argue.  These are the same cousins that thought it would be a good idea (so I didn't exactly argue) to text a picture of a birthday cake and an inappropriate hand gesture to our cousin who forgot about his own cousins dinner.  Perhaps we shouldn't have let the cousin who had been drinking send the text....sorry Clare who knew J couldn't be trusted to type in a telephone number correctly.

So after too much ice-cream, wine, and a Sunday run I decided to skip out on mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing and instead make baked oatmeal with some of my favourite fall ingredients: pumpkin, cranberries and maple syrup.


baked pumpkin oatmeal with apple butter

oats, allspice, dried cranberries, cinnamon

soft silken tofu, vanilla, maple syrup, soy milk

30 minutes later baked oatmeal
Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

ingredients

2 C old fashioned oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice 
1 C soy milk
1/2 block soft silken tofu drained
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 C dried cranberries
3 Tbsp local maple syrup
1/2 C canned (or roasted or boiled) pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In your favourite corningware combine oats, dried cranberries, cinnamon & allspice.

In your blender combine soy milk, pumpkin, drained tofu, vanilla, & maple syrup.  Blend until well combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine thoroughly.  Allow to bake for approximately 30 minutes uncovered.

Top with apple butter, additional soy milk or maple syrup.  Maybe share with a friend.

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for pumpkin, cousins parties, and two very sleepy dogs.

Will Run For Pumpkin Scones

Last week was the last big run (18 kilometres but we'll pretend that it was 19) before the half-marathon which happens in a week (note to self stop eating ice-cream cake and start drinking water).  Last week I ran for pumpkin scones.

pumpkin scones & apple butter 


flour + oats + cinnamon + ginger + nutmeg + tumeric + cloves

pumpkin + oil + vanilla bean paste + maple syrup


add wet ingredients to dry

bake for 12 minutes at 450 F.

add delicious apple butter 


water your kitchen helper 
Spicy Pumpkin Scones

(10 scones)

ingredients

1 C unbleached flour
1/2 C wholewheat pastry flour
1/2 C old-fashioned local oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup  canned pumpkin or my favourite roasted hubbard squash
3/4 C soy milk (almond or dairy works too)
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C local maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2  tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp turmeric
12 tsp unrefined sugar (to sprinkle on top of scones just before baking)

Preheat oven to 450 F. 

In a large bowl combine flours, oats, baking powder, salt, spices.

In a medium bowl combine pumpkin, olive oil, maple syrup & vanilla.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients.  Gently combine.  Resist the urge to over mix unless you enjoy shoe leather.  

Use your 1/4 C measuring cup to place batter on a baking stone.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for  12 minutes. 

Top with apple butter.