Chai Scones

I'm out of OATS!
Not a crisis at all, really.
OK . . . maybe to a food blogger.

Oats are a key ingredient in the bean burgers I wrote about yesterday. I tried substituting brown rice and -- I think I used too much sweet potato this time around -- they turned to mush. A gigantic patty of delicious mush seasoned with just the right amount of cumin, thyme, and paprika.

I got nothing. I woke up early today and decided to bake scones before sunrise.

I promise I don't have some sort of baking addiction. But if I get the kitchen to myself and the house is otherwise quiet (like before Ada wakes up for the day, bless her heart), I must take full advantage.

Then while I was waiting for enough daylight so I could photograph them, I wrote a post all about how baking vegan doesn't mean using strange ingredients. The text got rather long and took on a life of its own, so I'm saving it for another day.

It's been a while since you've had a descent recipe. Let's get to it.


CHAI SCONES w/ CHOCOLATE CHIPS + WALNUTS = Vegan recipe

What you'll need . . .

• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance*
• 1 cup chai tea, double-bagged**
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup crushed walnuts

* I imagine you could also use oil or butter, for that matter.
** Just brew a cup of tea, but use two bags of your favorite chai.


Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. If you have a baking stone, place it inside you oven. Otherwise, a baking sheet should do fine, just grease a bit.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, baking powder, and salt.
3. Then cut your Earth Balance/butter into small pieces and toss it in the flour mixture. Use your hands to incorporate it until the flour looks like coarse meal. (If you have a food processor -- especially if you plan to try oil -- you could also put it all in there and pulse until incorporated.) Set aside.
4. Once your tea is brewed nice and dark, pour it into a smaller bowl and mix with the flax meal. Let sit for a couple minutes. Then add in the maple syrup, brown sugar, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a spoon until just combined.
6. Then fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. I actually folded them together with my hands -- being careful not to knead the dough.
7. I place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so. Then on a floured work surface, I rolled out into a round disk and cut into 8 slices. You can make smaller scones, too. It's up to you.
8. Then place on your baking stone (or sheet) and bake for 15 minutes. You may need a couple more minutes depending on the size of your scones.
9. Let cool a bit before serving. But they are delicious warm with a cup of -- you guessed it -- chai tea.

Go forth & make scones!

(And if you do, please tell me how they turn out for you!)

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Zero Calorie Tazo Chai Giveaway

***Giveaway Is Now Closed***

Congrats to lucky winner Andrea, who writes: "Lately I've been cooling down by running through the sprinkler with the kids. I would love to try some of this tazo chai tea."


Before we get to the review of Tazo's tasty tea, I have a confession. Well, I guess it isn't really a confession. It's more an apology. I feel like I unknowingly duped you all into thinking I made those sweet potato tots from scratch. I most certainly didn't. But I was SO excited to find them in our freezer section this weekend.

The evidence:


Though I didn't make them on my own, I feel this incident has inspired a challenge. I have some ideas on how they'll come together . . . and I'll be sure to share the results soon!

ZERO CALORIE CHAI


When Tazo contacted us to see if we'd like to review their newest flavor of Zero Calorie Iced Tea, we happily signed on. But as Stephen will tell you (he was the primary taste-tester this time around), he would have bought this stuff himself -- and plans to -- any day of the week.

Seriously. Get a room!


Naturally sweetened with the stevia plant, the drink is a healthy alternative to other beverages (think soda!). It's made from a rich and spicy blend of freshly brewed black tea, sweet cinnamon, ginger, star anise and fragrant cardamom -- all the stuff we love in the fall/winter -- summer-ized.


If you don't feel like taking Stephen word for it, you don't have to. You have a chance to win a few bottles of your very own chai, along with cute tumblers and a cool lunch tote (that actually keeps things cool!).

To help you picture it:


TO ENTER: Leave a comment with the words ICE ICE BABY somewhere in the mix.
IN ADDITION: Tell us about your favorite way to cool down in summer.
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Tuesday, June 21st at 9:00PM EST
PRIZE SHIPS: USA only.
ALSO: To win, I need your email address -- so please provide it (or your blog link so I can find it -- just some way of contacting you) or, unfortunately, you cannot win.
PS: One entry per email address is allowed. The winner will be selected using Tara's Random Number Generator and announced Wednesday (6/22) morning.


Pssst: Yesterday on (never home)maker, baby! we posted a bit of a registry rant. How much stuff do you actually need to raise a child these days?! We'd love your help!

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Our Recipes: Drinks and Other Beverages

DRINKS AND OTHER BEVERAGES:

• Easy Vegan Hot Cocoa*
• Maple-Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa*
• Roasted Quinoa "Tea"*
• Red Zinger Lemonade*
• Carrot Cocktail*
• Easy Chai Mix*
• Virgin Moscow Mules*
• How to Brew Beer (Series)*

* means VEGAN

BACK TO ALL RECIPES >>>

OR BROWSE BY CATEGORY:

GRANOLA & OATS	PANCAKES, ETC.	SMOOTHIES
SPREAD, SAUCES, DIPS	SALADS	SOUPS & STEWS
SNACKS & STARTERS	SANDWICHES & BURGERS	PIZZA, ETC.
STIR-FRIES, ETC.	OTHER MEALS	BREADS
CAKES & CUPCAKES	COOKIES & BROWNIES	PIES & TARTS
ICE CREAM & PUDDING	DRINKS	CONVERSIONS

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(Tea)ser: Roasted Red Quinoa "Tea"

Even I think I'm a little crazy for doing this. So, keep that in mind as you feast your eyes on my latest drink invention: Roasted Quinoa "Tea" -- that's right. It's what you get when you roast red quinoa on your stove-top . . . pulverize it in your food processor . . . and run it through your espresso machine.

Would you like a taste?

Roasted quinoa turns such a rich, beautiful, d.e.e.p. shade of red . . . it's a shame to turn it into powder, really. But necessary.

At least I think . . .


My decision to run it through the espresso machine was made purely by smell. Yeah -- roasted quinoa smells somewhat like ground coffee. Plus, I was in a rush -- it was the fastest way to turn the grinds into a warm beverage.


It sure looks convincing. And it tastes pretty great, too!


Just add almond milk and a spoonful of maple syrup -- it's sort of like chai minus the spice . . . with some added nutty flavor, but totally caffeine-free.


Then, package the rest to save for another day.


No recipe for this concoction -- yet.

I'm waiting to have Stephen try it . . . to make sure I'm not just a crazy person. And then more taste-testing by me, of course. Plus, I'm interested to see if the turning-it-into-powder and espresso-madness are necessary. One of our favorite drinks -- roasted corn tea -- can be made with the kernels left whole.

What's your favorite warm beverage? Of course, I love my chai lattes -- especially since I came up with my own, top-secret blend of the stuff. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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On Secret Recipes . . .

Have you read our GUEST POST on Ashley's blog today? If not, you're missing out -- we share some of our tasty, but thrifty kitchen staples. You know, those foods that give us the most bang for our buck both in flavor AND nutrition. If you haven't, be sure to check it out at some point today!

Now, I'm not a coffee drinker. In fact, I rarely touch the stuff. My warm beverage of choice is herbal tea, more often than not. When the cooler months come around, chai tops the list. So, when I started feeling fall-ish this weekend, I craved -- you guessed it! -- chai. Problem is, one mug of the stuff costs almost $5 out. Make it with soy? You're asking for at least a $6 bill.

I mean. C'mon! What's IN this stuff?


A trip to the grocery store only yielded a carton of condensed/sweetened mix that cost, again, nearly $5. Of course, that carton boasts many more servings than a measly single one. Still, I thought, I could do better.

Homemade is always best -- am I right? Why not make my own batch? Yes! Why not?! And thus begins the story of why I drank 8 tall mugs of chai yesterday.


You see . . . broken into its component parts, chai is nothing more than black tea mixed with several spices. There are many different mixes I've consumed over the years -- some sweeter, some bolder, some garden-variety -- so when I set out to make my own, I also set out to make my VERY own.

A unique chai blend. A secret recipe, because I have only a mere few.


Today, my dear readers, I won't be sharing my secret recipe for maple-cocoa chai -- a mix that goes perfectly well with almond milk. Warms the body and spirit. But if you're just dying to make your own, here's a basic recipe that'll get the job done. From there, you can let your imagination (and taste-buds) go wild!

BASIC CHAI

What you'll need . . .

• 3/4 cup dry black tea (I just cut up some black tea bags we had around the house)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Almond milk (or other)
• Agave or honey

Method . . .

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Put in a bag or other container to store.
2. Use 1 teaspoon tea mix per 3/4 cup water (or so, depending on your preference). We used a French press to make ours -- I think it's the easiest method.
3. Again, this part's all about preference, but I like to fill my glass about 2/3 full with tea, 1/3 with milk, and add a bit of sweetener. Mix. Enjoy.

It took me mug after mug to get this recipe to meet my specific tastes. But it's well worth the effort. We're talking probably less than 50 cents a mug versus almost $5. Plus, it's cool to make something that you love . . . that's specifically catered to your unique tastes. If you like your tea spicy, consider cayenne pepper and more ginger/cloves. More tame? Maybe some more cinnamon and sugar.

For me, THIS was the winning combo. It has it all -- spice, sweetness, AND a hint of chocolate . . .


Whatever you do: Don't share absolutely all your best recipes. Keep some sacred. Secret. Because as much as I love sharing with all of you (and I really, really do), there should be at least a few foods/drinks that I'm best at making -- right? :)

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