Tea and cornbread from The Joy of Vegan Baking in February

Ginger Tea and Cookbooks

February has been a full month, as I moved to a new apartment in wintry weather conditions. Then promptly got sick with a nasty cold. When I finally unpacked my VegCookbook Club books, the cookbooks of Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, all I could manage in my sickly state was tea. Luckily The Joy of Vegan Baking has two excellent and medicinal tea recipes that I brewed up repeatedly.

Pictured above is the Ginger Tea, which uses fresh ginger root. I made it hot and strong, sweetening with agave nectar, as suggested. I think this tea healed me. Below is the spicy Chai. This recipe let me dig out lots of spices, like I was cooking. (Man, I need more spice in my life!) This richly-flavored brew calls for cardamom, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla.

Chai

Eventually I did manage to bake, after much drooling over Patrick-Goudreau's lovely cookbooks. The cornbread recipe below is also from The Joy of Vegan Baking. (I never cracked my copy of The Vegan Table but will cook from it come spring.) To me this cornbread was perfect, not overly sweet or oily. I swapped white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose. And I left out the whole corn kernels but might try blueberries as an addition next time. The cornbread was served with hot soup but it would be great at any meal, any time of day. 

Meanwhile, the oven at my new apartment bakes like a champ! However the oven light doesn't work. (I wonder if I can replace it?) This kitchen is smaller than my last one, but I'm sure it'll produce lots of good vegan food. The March VegCookbook Club has been announced. It's The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon, from the popular and beautifully designed blog, Oh She Glows.

Cornbread

Ginger tea and a book

Cure-All Ginger Tea

Here's a quick photo of the Cure-All Ginger Tea from How It All Vegan, the VegCookbook Club's April pick. This tea is a spicy tonic. It requires only four ingredients: water, fresh ginger, cayenne pepper, and sweetener. (I even skipped that last one and enjoyed the peppery warmth plain.)

I'm also enjoying Life After Life, an enthralling new novel by Kate Atkinson. It's a grand spring read. No caffeine required.

Meanwhile, outside...

Project Smoothies completed

I finally finished the Smoothies chapter of Crazy Sexy Kitchen, the VegCookbook Club's first selection of 2013. Next month's cookbook has been announced: Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. 

Chai Latte
A lovely chai that is nicely spiced and warming. The drink wasn't too sweet with ginger and cardamom to balance out the dates. However, it isn't really what I think of when I think of a smoothie. Where's the fruit? In fact, I added freshly brewed black tea, taking a "Note From Chad" suggestion. This tea variation pairs well with a chunky book.

Closing the Smoothie chapter

For the Love of Nog!

This frothy, pale treat also seems like it could fall under "and other beverages." There isn't much fruit involved either, just banana and dates. For me, this was a super sweet beverage, although lighter than the "vegg nog" that I made from Nava Atlas' Vegan Holiday Kitchen. (Alas, no rum in the CSK version.) Both nogs have proven to me that nutmeg is a spice to break out year-round, not merely for holiday concoctions.     

Homemade cashew milk

Basic Nut/Seed Milk 
Finally, I used raw cashews for this homemade nut milk. This recipe produced a creamy liquid with a strong cashew flavor. I tried this milk in my morning smoothie but found it too rich and overwhelming. Instead I added small amounts to mugs of black tea and matcha.

The recipe was much simpler than I anticipated. I soaked cashews in water and then blended the bloated nuts. I wasn't able to find a proper nut milk bag for straining. (Even at Whole Foods!) Instead I improvised with some small cotton sachets* that I found at my neighborhood natural food store. After I squeezed the cashew liquid from its pulp, these sachets resembled spent prophylactics. (Just saying.)

*The bags are reusable and the packaging says they are ideal for teas, bath herbs, camping, and backpacking. Perhaps they'll come in handy for future VegCookbooking?

Tea break with matcha and books

In addition to following veggie food blogs, I'm a fan of book blogs. (I did noticed another VeganMoFo blog that manages to cover both books and vegan food.  Brilliant idea, Alex in Leeds.) One common feature on book blogs that I always enjoy is "Library Loot," a weekly posting where bloggers share their library finds.

So today, I thought I'd post a photo of my October library books with a steaming mug of matcha, my tea of choice on a fall day. I've mentioned matcha, a fine powder green tea, here before for its antioxidant health benefits. Matcha is simple to brew because it doesn't even need to steep. Just stir in hot (or cold) water, add a splash of vegan milk, and you are ready to dive into the books.  

My library loot includes:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Battleborn by Claire Vaye Watkins
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

Also on my fall reading list, but not photographed here, are my own worn paperback of The Comedians by Graham Greene and a brand spanking new copy of Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon, which I just won from a Goodreads giveaway.