Chai Banana Latte

Most of the time hot tea hits the spot for me (yes, even in the summer) but sometimes in colder weather I really miss a creamy chai latte, a London Fog, or even a regular latte or mocha.

A while back at the end of a summer season, I was talking to someone who was trying to stop drinking coffee. They were talking about how it would be fairly easy until that switch into autumn when they would be craving those creamy lattes, which got me thinking about how strong seasonal marketing is for us consumers. Half the time (if not more) we don't even realize that we're being preyed upon and made to want to buy things. Companies plant and culture seasonal cravings in us, usually for their products specifically (like pumpkin spice lattes and peppermint bark) but also for broader categories (like turkeys and rosé and egg nog). If someone was marketing water to us in the summer time, we would all be drinking more of it. But instead, we're being encouraged to drink more addictive substances like sugar and dairy products. I think the first step in combatting this mindset is to realize that the marketing is happening and to be aware of it. Once you take a step back, you can recognize it for what it is and you can work against it. So, this recipe is my way of pushing against it: creating a healthy alternative that's not padding some corporation's pockets.

I came up with this recipe when I was visiting Michigan in April. I had some Maté Chai with me from Shen Zen Tea and my aunt and I were craving chai lattes and were trying to figure out how we would make something similar with no dairy and no sugar. So, my mind immediately went to the one item that I used to sweeten everything: bananas. Brilliant! So we steeped some tea, got some almond milk, and the rest is history. 

Ingredients:

2 banananas

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (flax, almond, hemp, soy, coconut, hazelnut, etc.)

tea of your choosing brewed strong but not long (I can't get enough of Shen Zen Tea; their Masala Chai, Maté Chai, London Fog, and Lemon Turmeric are all great for this recipe)

1 t ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, or pure vanilla extract (whichever spice or flavor complements your tea)

Brew your tea so that it's strong, but remember that black tea shouldn't be steeped any longer than six minutes. Combine bananas, non-dairy milk, and ground spices in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour equal parts of the banana mixture and tea into a cup and mix with a spoon. If your tea is not piping hot, you may need to heat your drink in a small saucepan before consuming. 

Variations on tea and spices: Earl grey tea with pure vanilla extract. Masala chai tea with ground cinnamon and cardamom. Lemon turmeric tea with ground cardamom (which is pictured; I also added a little bit of Old Growth Heirloom Pu-erh for caffeination). 

Chai Banana Latte. 

Lemon Turmeric and Old Growth Heirloom Pu-erh teas.

Cornbread with Cranberries

I made this amazing cornbread using the Magic Skillet Cornbread recipe from The Vegan 8. I used almond flour because I didn’t have pecans, used kuzu root starch instead of tapioca starch, and added fresh cranberries from Bloom Creek Cranberries. So tasty and only sweetened with a tiny bit of maple syrup! 

Yum.

Fresh out of the oven. Cast iron with parchment paper is the best way to bake.

Banana Cookies

Variation with buckwheat flour, coconut, and cacao nibs. 

Sugar is a nasty beast. I’ve cut it out for short periods of time only to be reeled in by it once more.  I’ve also tried to stave it off by making smoothies with fruits and greens in hopes that my body will get enough nutrition so as not to crave extraneous unhealthy foods. Sometimes it works. It's important to me to have foods around that replace the foods I would normally grab during a snack attack. These banana cookies do the trick for me. They’re also great for a quick breakfast. 

Most of the recipes I'll be posting are original creations, but this one I discovered from Five Heart Home. I use her recipe for Banana Breakfast Cookies and modify it a bit. My modifications vary almost every time I make them, just to keep things exciting. Here's my version, with more modifications below.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

1/2 t ground spices (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, grains of paradise; any kind or combination)

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 large bananas (ripe or slightly overripe), mashed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup peanut butter (or any other nut or seed butter)

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, any kind or combination)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oats, ground spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl combine mashed banana, nut butter, vanilla, and nuts; mix well. Then gradually stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. Make sure everything is mixed well. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Each cookie requires about 1/4 cup dough, so you can use either a spoon to scoop out the dough or use your hands to form and ball then pat it down slightly. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they're just browned on the bottom. The cookies will not spread, so their shape on the baking sheet is how it will look once it's baked.

[Modification Notification! Sometimes I omit 1/2 cup of the oatmeal and add 1/2 to 1 cup buckwheat flour. I almost always add 1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes and 1/2 cup cacao nibs to the dry ingredients. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa. One time I added 1/2 cup finely grated carrots and 1 T finely minced fresh ginger. Try some of your own fun variations!]