Hi there, Veggie Questers! Over the past month, I’ve enjoyed sharing veggie-licious research on how to reduce your risk of breast cancer. (My personal favorite: How to make your blood toxic to breast cancer cells in 2 weeks. Close second: Kicking breast cancer butt with cabbage.)
While I love learning about the disease-fighting benefits of a plant-based diet, though, I’m excited to offer you some new recipes! And now that I’m back in school finishing up my Registered Dietitian coursework, time is tight—so you can be sure that upcoming recipes will be fast and easy. Starting with this 5-minute pumpkin pie chai “notte” latte. (Heh.) Yep, that’s a latte without the coffee. (Or the icky dairy, for that matter.)No, I haven’t given up caffeine completely—it’s on the to-do list, but I’m only human. Instead, I’ve been enjoying this warm and cozy (and completely caffeine free) latte after dinner every night in lieu of dessert, since I’m trying to take off a few extra pounds. (Going back to school has been a blessing, but it turns out that I’m a study-eater. And I can’t afford to buy all new pants right now!)
Luckily this comforting vegan pumpkin chai latte delivers all the rich, custard-y goodness of pumpkin pie, but without the artery-clogging cholesterol or dead white sugar. (Blech.) Nope, instead you’ll get a creamy, rich, sweet drink to warm you up on crisp fall evenings, plus a bonus 230% of your daily vitamin A. For dessert. Love that!
(And just 61 puny calories. Love that, too.)
There is one small cheat, though: liquid stevia extract. Yes, it’s processed and probably not ideal, but I live in the real world, and stevia makes for a sweet and yummy pumpkin pie chai without all the extra calories. If you’d rather skip it, though, blend in 1-2 dates (or more as you like). I’m betting dates will make it even creamier and more delicious. (And remember to let me know how it turns out in the comments.)
Here’s to cuddling up with a warm chai latte!
(And possibly your sweetie, depending on if you feel like sharing.)
Speaking of which, here’s a reminder I think you’ll like: This Thursday, Nov. 7, is National Men Make Dinner Day! (You can keep up with all critical vegetable-related celebrations—and I believe National Men Make Dinner Day definitely qualifies—by clicking over to the Veggie Quest holiday calendar.)
Gentlemen, I do hope you’ve been planning accordingly. That said, Jeff is lucking out because I have a meeting on Thursday night, but if all goes as planned, I’ll be cashing in my dinner ticket on Friday. Possibly I should tell him about this? (Good thing he reads Veggie Quest!)
- 1½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- ¾ cup cooked pumpkin (both canned and homemade work)
- ¼ tsp liquid stevia extract (more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp allspice
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- dash ginger
- Whiz all ingredients together in a blender, then heat in the microwave (fast) or on the stovetop (oh ye of infinite patience). Serve steaming hot.
Bonus: For the lazy—I mean, resourceful!—you can halve the recipe and make it right in a tall mug using a stick blender. (My method of choice. ;-)) Then just microwave and serve. The ultimate in instant gratification—and easy clean-up!
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I'm Lee, an RD thriving on a healthy plant based diet.
Mmmm this sounds like a nice, comforting drink.<br />Glad to hear school is going well!<br />And I hope Jeff made you dinner Friday =)
Hi Kimmy, I'm actually cashing in my dinner this week. I'll keep you posted on what turns up! 😀
Hi there Lee! I was actually just checking out a few of your posts and had quick question about your blog. I was hoping you could email me back when you get the chance, thanks~<br /><br />Emily
Hi Emily, I just sent you a private message through Google Plus. You can also email me at Lee -at- Veggie-Quest -dot- com. I look forward to hearing from you!
I think I will try it this way: steep 1 vanilla spice chai teabag in 3/4 cup hot water. Mix with 3/4 cup almond milk, add the other ingredients, heat together. I like a little caffeine (just a Wee bit) first thing in the morning. 😉