Even before I was a vegan, when I was a kid, I never liked eggnog. I was a picky eater, and white, creamy foods thoroughly creeped me out. I’ve moved past placing color restrictions on my food and am thrilled to have this vegan treat as part of my new holiday repertoire. I may not remember what real eggnog tastes like, but even if you do, this buttery, decadent, cinnamon-and-spice wonder is sure to transform even the most hardcore of eggnog fans. If you’ve never made your own almond milk before, this is the recipe to go for it. Infused with fragrant cinnamon, homemade almond milk straight from the blender will give your vegan eggnog the frothy, whipped feel of the dairy-based original.
Makes 4 Ingredients 1 cup raw almonds, preferably soaked 2 cups water 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp vanilla 4 tbsp maple syrup 2 frozen bananas 1/3 cup maple almond butter (cashew, macadamia or regular almond butter would work well here, too) 2 oz spiced rum, per drink cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions 1. To make your almond milk, soak 1 cup of almonds in water for up to 12 hours or overnight. (If you decide to make this on the fly or forget to soak the almonds, don’t worry about it. Soaking them makes the almonds easier to digest, but will not take away from the flavor of the almond milk.) 2. Toss the cinnamon, almonds and 2 cups of water into a blender. Blend for 2 minutes. Pour the milk through the nut bag into a measuring cup or bowl. Discard the almond pulp (or keep to bake into muffins for dessert!) and pour almond milk back into the rinsed blender. 3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the rum, to the blender and blend on high until creamy. Pour 2 oz of rum in a glass, top with eggnog and garnish with a cinnamon stick. This will keep in the fridge for about four days.
appetizers
Mini sliced beet sandwiches, layered with homemade hummus. A grapefruit, fig bruschetta tossed with vegan feta and sage. Baked onion rings with a roasted red pepper dip. Roasted winter squash rounds topped with vegan pumpkin seed pesto. entrées
Mini salads and sandwiches. Eggnog is fairly heavy, so think about treating your guests to an entrée buffet of tapas-style salads and sandwiches that pack a flavorful punch. Grain and fennel salad with fruit and roasted nuts. Mini fig and endive sandwiches drizzled with cashew cream. A puree of roasted veggies is beautiful, paired with seasoned mushrooms stuffed with a bit of tofu “cheese.” desserts
Coconut almond bark. Raw mint bon bons. Snickerdoodle cookies. Raw dark chocolate truffles.
Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Cruzan, Malibu, Mount Gay, Appleton Estate
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CHICKPEA MAGAZINE winter 2013