First, thanks to everyone who entered the Simply Bar giveaway and helped me contribute to Second Harvest! The giveaway received 87 entries, so I am going to upgrade the donation to $1 per entry and give $87 to the organization. I know they can use it and will happily put it toward food for the hungry!
I’m also just coming up for air after spending most of the past week marking student assignments in preparation for our exam (which has been deferred because of a fire on campus–yikes!). Speaking of deferrals, I am also going to defer my originally-scheduled giveaway for today. Instead, I’m going to share something that I think is imporant–my (current) philosophy of eating. I’ll explain why when I come back later on!
[Sometimes, you just want a dish that's "no fuss." I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so simple to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan." (For other FitP recipes, see "Categories" at right).]
Do you remember when milk came in glass bottles (the first time)? We had a milk delivery man (yikes–I swear, I really was born in the 20th century) who would drop off the bottles at the door every morning, then zoom away in his milk truck (and didn’t even ask for payment until the end of the week!).
Until I was 11, I thought milk came from trucks.
In those days, the bottles were stoppered with cardboard plugs that looked like inverted baby soothers–the part resembling the nipple was the handle, and you could push the cardboard disk below it back into the top of the bottle to close it. In first grade, our math teacher had us save the stoppers over the course of a month to use as props for addition and subtraction exercises. We each brought in about 50 stoppers–that’s how much milk we drank in those days (no wonder I have a reaction to it now!).
Well, this post isn’t about archaic cardboard milk stoppers, but the milk itself. My mom always ordered four bottles of chocolate milk the day before one of our birthday parties, because it was more expensive and too rich for every day. In fact, most moms would thin out the ultra-thick, ultra-rich chocolate milk with some two percent–but not in our house. We drank it straight–if “drank” is the right word. It was so rich it could coat a spoon, and you had to slurp it, slowly. My sisters and I loved it.
This carob chai latte reminded me of that chocolate milk. The inclusion of cashews and carob chips renders the liquid thick, glossy, and luxurious–just like that chocolate milk of yore, it coated a spoon. The consistency was very much like old-fashioned hot chocolate, frothy on top, with aromatic cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to warm it even more. If you’re not a fan of chai flavors, simply omit the spices for a comforting mug of hot, milky carob. Sipping this by the fire, I could almost see the milk truck in the distance.
Since I was already using my VitaMix to blend this together, I decided to take advantage of the “soup-making” capacity and run the blender until the drink was heated through by the power of the blades rather than dirty a pot. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, melt the chips first to ensure that they will blend in completely.
2 cups (480 ml) unsweetened rice, almond or soy milk
1/4 cup (60 ml) unsweetened carob chips
2 Tbsp-1/4 cup (30-60 ml) raw or lightly toasted cashews, depending on how thick and rich you want the latte
2 tsp (10 ml) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ginger
1/4 tsp (1 ml) cardamom
15-20 drops vanilla or plain stevia liquid
Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until hot. Pour into mugs and serve immediately. ( Alternately, place all ingredients in a small, heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until everything is melted and blended together. Then, use an immersion blender or frother to ensure that the melted chips are well-blended and to create a foamy top.) Makes 2 servings.
I’m linking this recipe to Amy’s weekly event, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays (even though it will feel entirely indulgent!). Check out the other entries, too!
I know it’s the Labor Day weekend and we’re all trying our darndest to get in the last coveted rays of summer before the new school season starts on Tuesday. . .
But it’s your last chance to enter the Simply Bar giveaway and win a whole box of bars for those school-day snacks or afternoon energy boosts! For more details and to enter, go here.
“Mum, I hate back-to-school. . . first of all, I can’t even enter the giveaway. And second, it means you’ll be going to school during the day, too. Maybe if I just lie on your backpack, you won’t be able to leave the house. . . “
