Tea Lattés

Before I move this post forward in any way, I just have to say that I am sinking my fork into the most moist, delectable, and steamy sweet potato ever. A grand reward for searching everywhere for them, in multiple marchés in Aix-en-Provence, before I finally found them.

Since eighth grade, my mom and sister and I went to Starbucks all the time. I didn't even think about it at that age, I would get iced black teas which are relatively harmless compared to the frappucchinos or mochas. It was sweetened with their sugar syrup, and I was aware of that, but I didn't mind. Then I became pescatarian (a fish-eater but no meat), and things didn't change. If my mother wasn't at Starbucks, I wasn't. It wasn't addiction, the habit was rooted socially. I switched to soy milk but continued using. (The syrup, that is)

At UC Davis I would only go once or twice a week. Once in the early morning after a 6 AM exercise class, but more often depending on how much relief I needed from my dorm mates. And of course, inescapably, I would go when I visited home. I was vegan by this time.

Then something wonderful happened! Late Fall of 2010, I decided to strip my diet of refined sugar. Including evaporated cane juice, brown sugar, and Starbucks syrups. This posed a problem, because I love tea lattés. I tried to make them at home but they never tasted right. I used black tea, soy milk, almond milk, stevia powder, maple syrup, honey, and even liquid stevia. These various attempts tasted good, but not great.

Today I figured it out. My host mother here in France bought Rooibos, unflavored unfortunately, but that doesn't matter. I also had on hand my liquid stevia from NuNaturals, and some vanilla oatmilk, sans sucre ajouté (without sugar added).

In France, when something says "Bio" it means that it's organic. 

Heat a very small amount of milk in a sauce pan. I like to boil the water, then move the tea kettle and place the sauce pan with milk on the still-hot burner. You don't need to turn the stove on again for the milk, it gets plenty hot from the excess heat from the burner!

Meanwhile, the Rooibos is steeping. 5 minutes with boiling water (100 degrees C, or 212 degrees F)

Leave room in the mug for the milk, unless you want clean-up.

Start with 3 or 4 drops of the liquid stevia. This stuff is potent. I usually use 5 or 6, because I am hopelessly addicted to sweetness.

Stirstirstir

There it is, cooling down in front of my giant postcards of "Les Couleurs de la Rouille" and "Les Murs en Provence". 

Tea lattés bring general happiness

In case you're wondering, I do still go to Starbucks on occasion. I always ask for unsweetened, even though I know a little evaporated cane juice is in the soymilk they use. At least I have my own liquid stevia to replace their sugar syrup. And there's always the humorous aspect:

Sur Le Sujet de Thé

Where do I even begin? 

This is a picture from Téance, a tea store in Berkeley, CA that not only orders their tea directly from tea farms, but also does tastings. I first visited with a group of friends from my dorm (in college) who also love tea. I then took a few friends of the family, and later my boyfriend, Eric. I try to buy some tea every time I go, but some of their tea is very expensive. The Japanese Gyokuro green tea is an amazingly moist and nutty tea. It is rich, but also fresh. And it fetches a high price. I think it was 60 dollars for 2 ounces. I bought Lu Shan Clouds and Mist instead, another refreshing green tea that I love. And I got my Gyokuro from Adagio, an online tea company. 

It didn't disappoint.

The last time Eric and I were at Téance, they had snacks for sale, as was indicated by a little chalk board. It read the flavors of mochi that were available for purchase: 

walnut, matcha, cocoa, adzuki, coconut, vanilla, ginger

Of course we spent probably about 20 minutes deciding, and finally we decided on the adzuki bean flavor, so we asked the manager (he tends the tea bar), and he said, "No, that's all one flavor".

ONE FLAVOR.

Eric and I just looked at each other, utterly amazed. Then we didn't hesitate to order it. 

Had we known 20 minutes ago!?

It was so delicious! 

We savored it with our mini forks, while we sipped Lichee Red Premium. (A Rooibos)

I will find out how to bake with adzuki beans, not to mention make mochi. Then I will tell you! But please don't hold your breath, I am still in Europe.

Téance's "Eight Treasure Herbs"

Téance's Chrysanthemum Herbal tea (can we confirm this?)

Yes, they're Goji Berries! At Téance.

La cuisine d'une étudiante Americaine

I haven't mentioned this at all, but I am studying in Southern France for three and a half months. Aix-en-Provence to be exact.

This explains my lack of posts, because I am without my dehydrator, blender, and food processor.

=(

Before you start salivating over the fact that I'm in one of the food capitols of the world, I would like to say that it actually hasn't been easy finding foods that are "easy on the digestive system" here. I suppose that it's the same in the United States, but there I already know where to go for all the foods I need, and more importantly, where not to go.

To find the specialties, such as Bouillabaisse, Ratatouille, and many others, you would have to sit down somewhere and dish out at least 12 euros. I have eaten some pretty good seafood salads though, despite the fact that the crevettes (shrimps), were still completely in tact. I know because they basically told me that they were.

I thought that I was a pescatarian for health and environmental reasons, but since my experience with my shrimps peering up at me from my plate, I can now officially say that I am also bound to pescatarianism by ethical reasons.

Anyways, the French also love white bread, cheese, meat, and pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants).

After a week or so of trying to eat from the small lunch shops in the streets of Aix, my digestive system was upset with me from the white bread and cheese. Already I have made a tofu scramble, and, by courtesy of my roommate, I've started eating smoked salmon lettuce wraps:

Big piece of lettuce, smoked salmon, capers, whole mustard, diced cucumbers

And it was so good. I thought I'd be hungry afterwords, but lettuce fills up your stomach, stretching it and stimulating those hunger-suppressing hormones. Also the protein from the saumon fumé made it very satisfying. I thought about adding avocado also, but I didn't want the taste to be too lipidy (fatty). There are already plenty of Omega-3s from the salmon, and I already ate avocado with breakfast so I didn't need any more Vitamin E, another dietary component that is fat-soluble.

Guacamole

I didn't realize how much Mexican food I ate in California until I came to France, where there is hardly any. Some students report that there IS a Mexican food place, but they recommend that we not go there.

Despite the fact that we're all going to try to make quesadillas, black beans, and guacamole on my birthday, I couldn't wait and on Sunday I ventured out into the freezing winds (really, it's called the Mistral and it's a powerful wind that flies in straight from the Alps), and I bought a red pepper, a tomato, an avocado, a lime, and some guacamole seasoning because they have that at the open air market (don't read into it though, or else I wouldn't be here, typing my craving out to you).
  

 

And then the guacamole seasoning, which I think was just Cajun seasoning, or something.

 

Et après:

YUMM!

(Strangely enough, they did have all sorts of tortilla chips in the grocery store)

Buckwheat Granola

Suddenly too warm to eat hot cereal?

Upset with all the sugary high-fructose corn syrup cereals in the markets?

Now there is never any need to set foot in the treacherous cereal aisles of boxed addiction and obesity! Heh, okay many cereals ARE healthy, but you see what I mean.
 Candy cereals for breakfast? It almost brings me to tears.

Children who don't know any better gravitate to them because of the good advertising and the bright colors, and some parents, luckily not many I know, LET THEM!

When I was growing up we were allowed Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies (the cereal, not the treats), and Cheerios. Not even Smart Start. I'm pretty healthy, but I adore Smart Start, I think from deprivation. I indulge from time to time, but not often at all, because it contains some of the aforementioned ingredients.

I think it's good to keep kids healthy, but not be too authoritarian in cereals that are reasonable if eaten in moderation.

Anyways, here I have a recipe for raw cinnamon (raisin) buckwheat granola. Credit is due to Epicurvegan - Buckwheat Granola, that is where I found this recipe.

You will need

flax seed mix

dehydrator

several cups buckwheat
(depends on how concentrated you want the spices)
1 c. raisins
1 c. any nuts you like
0.5 c. ground flaxseed
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
0.5 c. Agave nectar
2 Tbsp. water

buckwheat-flax mix

pinch sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract


1. Rinse the buckwheat well, then soak, covering it with plenty of water, for 6-8 hours. I did mine overnight.

2. Mix together the water, flax seed, agave, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl.

on the dehydrator

3. After draining the buckwheat, combine with flax seed mixture, nuts, and raisins. A fork was good for this.

4. Lay the entire mixture out on the dehydrator trays, and allow to dehydrate for 6-8 hours.

5. When it is sufficiently crunchy, it is done! Place in airtight containers, and I put mine in the fridge because I was worried about perishability from the moisture in the raisins.

in the air tight container

6. Let it soak in your milk of choice (I use almond milk), for a few minutes before eating, or just eat
the granola without milk as a snack.

Raw Vegan Frozen Fruit Pie

It's like I'm deliberately waiting until the warm season ENDS to post this cool recipe!

Delicious Raw Fruit Pie

When I was a first-year at UC Davis, I took a vegan cooking class through the Experimental College, and one of the sessions focused primarily on raw preparation of food. This raw gem was on the menu, so at the end of the day I bicycled the whole whopper back to my little dorm room across town and stuffed it in the freezer (of our mini-fridge). =)

My roommate at the time, Melinda, who is still my roomie until the end of August, then we will have to find satisfaction being merely good friends, tried the pie and LOVED it, so since then she has been begging and pleading to make it again.

Melinda on the left, me on the right

Come spring quarter, I finally dug up the recipe, and voila!

A weirdness about this recipe is that the ingredients list is vague about quantities. It's not all that important, because you can always soak more nuts than you need, and start with food processing a smaller amount, adding more accordingly. Just make sure to maintain the proper ratios.

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1-2 cups almonds (unblanched, NOT roasted, etc.)
1-2 cups raw sunflower seeds
0.5 cup coconut oil (secret: Use Artisana Coconut Butter, it will do wonders)
0.5 cup Agave Nectar

2 Tbsp Vanilla
dash of sea salt

Pie Filling

0.5 cup cashews
5 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 banana
4 Tbsp Water
juice from half a lemon
1 tsp vanilla
4-6 Tbsp Coconut oil - remember Artisana - that's an order!
1-2 cups of any berry you wish, fresh or frozen

Preparation

1. Soak almonds, sunflower seeds, and cashews in warm water for several hours (4-6 hours). Soak them in separate bowls.

2. Before you food process all the ingredients for the crust together, you will need to slightly warm the coconut butter, as it is solid at room temperature.

 Keep in mind that the recipe is supposed to be raw, so no cranking up the heat on the stove or nuking in the microwave for 60 seconds. If you must use the microwave, heat it for a few seconds at a time, and keep the stove on low and watch it closely so you don't breach the 118 degree (F) limit for raw foods! Why not just place the amount you need in the sun for a few minutes? It's hot anyway! Problem solved.

 

3. Once you have food processed all the ingredients for the crust, press into a pie pan, and place in the freezer.

4. Now food process the filling ingredients, and pour onto frozen crust.

fantastic color!

5. Carefully place the whole shabang into the freezer, and wait for it to solidify.

6. Once it has solidified, bust out a few pieces, wait 10 minutes or so for them to thaw, et mangez!

I learned something interesting at a Rotary meeting presentation about global warming and its effects on death rates from heat.
Take it with a grain of salt, because it became evident that the speaker was more than a little biased (to put it lightly), but this was based on data. He claimed that there are more deaths in the winter due to heart attacks than in the summer because in the cold blood becomes thicker and and clots can more easily form. In the warmer months blood is thinner and clots do not form as easily.

You may bring up the points that humans maintain homeostasis, blood keeps the same viscosity, etc., but this speaker explained that our extremities do become a lot colder in winter, which can cause a chemical reaction, thickening the blood. I'm no cardiologist, so I can only relay information, but I do know that this is a controversial topic, and a relatively new topic at that!

Just something to chew on!

Enjoy the pie, and the warmth!

Vegan, Raw, Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding

For my 18th birthday in 2009, Marika gave me this raw vegan chocolate mousse from Whole Foods. It was absolutely delicious. I don't remember the exact ingredients, but back then I was more focused on foods being merely vegan anyway, although I do remember Marika speaking of avocados and banana.

Since Winter Quarter 2010, I haven't been able to get raw vegan sugar-free pudding out of my head. It has got to be one of the easiest indulgences to make, as there is no baking (raw), so we don't have to fret over leavening or the sugar replacement responding unfavorably to heat.

I found the recipe on a website called "Naturally Knocked Up", which does not mean knocked up by food, but if given no other choice...I'd pick raw, vegan, whole foods every time! It's actually a website dedicated to increasing fertility through food. The woman who runs it is a Master Herbalist student, and encourages whole nutrition in its most natural state to influence the body's natural function.

Enough blather...

Raw Vegan Pudding

1 very ripe banana
1 avocado
1/8 c unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
non-dairy milk for thinning (if needed)

Blend all ingredients until as smooth as you like using a food processor or blender. If the pudding is too think, add the milk 1 tbsp at a time until the consistency suits your fancy.

The website also noted some other options:
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 tsp vanilla
mint leaves
fruit

Add whatever you like. This can easily become a nutrient pudding, with protein if you add a nut butter and potassium from the banana and avocado. If you add spice, like cinnamon, you've got some antibacterial action. Berries would supply you with antioxidants as well.

Not to mention the maple syrup or agave nectar...but I see that as more mental well-being, because it's not easy watching everyone I know inhale sugary foods all day long...college students treat their bodies like hazardous dumps! They'll come around.

"Cheese"cake

One of my largest internal struggles, which I hardly ever think about until I am given the opportunity, is my insatiable adoration of cheesecake. You might remember that I don't eat dairy; I have been deprived for so very long.

But wait!

The era of cheesecake abstinence is over with the recipe I am about to divulge to you....

The recipe is from Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, which has recipes and lifestyle tips for vegans and what she calls "superheroes", or macrobiotics. The cheesecake is from the vegan section of the book - not the superhero section - as the superhero desserts involve more whole grains, fruits, grain sweeteners, nuts, and usually some Japanese culinary methods as well.

Cheesecake

It kind of looks like styrofoam, but I can assure you it's not.

Ingredients
3/4 c Earth Balance Butter
2 c graham cracker crumbs*
1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu
1 c nondairy cream cheese*
1 tbsp safflower oil
1/4 c pure maple syrup
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp arrowroot
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon or orange extract
fresh or frozen-thawed mixed berries (for topping)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F., and oil an 8" or 9" spring form pan (I used an 8" cake pan).
2. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, turn off the heat and add the graham cracker crumbs. Then press the butter-crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 5 minutes.
3. Combine tofu, cream cheese, oil, syrup, soy milk, arrowroot, vanilla extract, citrus extract (if using) in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour this into the pan over the graham cracker crust.

4. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let it cool, add the berries, and chill until serving (the cheesecake, that is).

*For the graham cracker crumbs, I used MI-DEL Honey Grahams (pictured above), because they are only sweetened with honey and molasses, AND because it says that they are 100% whole wheat. Packaged foods are not 100% whole wheat unless it literally says "100% Whole Wheat".
Eric found that a good way to crush them was to use a rolling pin on a plastic bag with the air squeezed out...if you have trouble, I'll send him over!


*The cream cheese is "Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese". This brand is good because they use no partially hydrogenated oils, unlike Tofutti.

Everyone who tried this thought it was pretty good...and those were people who eat sugar and dairy regularly, so that's saying something. In the future I would add more cream cheese and less tofu, just to try to achieve a more cheesecake-like consistency. Chilling did help this though!
I also think a little salt might make it tastier. It was sweet but very light.
Don't let it bake for too much longer than the suggested 45 minutes - 1 hour, because the crust may start to burn a little. I would suggest extending the time by 5 minutes maximum after the hour has passed.