Today is the official launch of The Easy Vegan Cookbook by the amazing Kathy Hester. Thanks to my work with Allergic Living magazine, I had the chance to preview this title and selected it as one of only three books that made our cut for the print reviews. It’s that good. As you know, I like to give a sample recipe from new cookbooks to give you a “taste test” of the author’s style. From The Easy Vegan Cookbook I picked this Sweet Potato Spice Frozen Latte (with Kathy’s permission, of course!).
Photo for the Sweet Potato Spice Frozen Latte by Ann Olivero.
To note, The Easy Vegan Cookbook isn’t hefty in size, but it packs in 80 high-quality, everyday recipes and some pretty stunning, clean photography. Kathy focuses on the real world of eating, which means you will find far more savory meals within than desserts. A sampling of the eclectic recipes that caught my eye include:
DIY Golden Creamy Gravy
- Spiced Pumpkin-Cashew Cream Chez
- Maple Walnut Sausage Patties
- Vegetable Chowder
- Cuban Black Beans over Coconut Rice
- Easy Avocado Lemon Basil Pesto
- Singapore Mai Fun
- Almost Effortless Lasagna
- Sweet Potato Ropa Vieja
- Creamy Broccoli and Potato Casserole
- Szechuan Eggplant
- Falafal Pitza
- Zucchini Masala Fries
- Pecan Coconut Chocolate Chip Bars
- Orange Chocolate Mousse Parfait
- and yes … Sweet Potato Spice Frozen Latte
Also, The Easy Vegan Cookbook is pretty darn allergy-friendly. Of course it’s free of dairy, eggs and fish, but it’s also quite gluten-free friendly, and most of the recipes are soy-free and / or nut-free or include options to omit or substitute.
Special Diet Notes: Sweet Potato Spice Frozen Latte
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian, paleo, and food allergy-friendly. Just be sure to pick the options that work best for your dietary needs when making this sweet potato spice frozen latte. For example, for paleo, you will want to use coconut milk or a homemade milk beverage, an approved thickener (i.e. chia seeds or banana) and an approved sweetener (i.e. maple syrup or coconut sugar).
- 1¼ cups (312 ml) dairy-free milk beverage (your choice of type)
- ¼ cup (64 g) sweet potato purée
- ¼ cup (63 ml) coffee concentrate*
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- Sweetener of choice, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 teaspoon pectin or 1½ teaspoons (7 g) ground chia seeds
- 2 cups (43 g) ice
- Add the milk beverage, sweet potato, coffee and spices to your blender. Blend until they’re combined well and there are no lumps of potato.
- Add the xanthan gum (or pectin or chia seeds) and blend. This ingredient will keep the others from separating. Now taste and add sweetener, adjusting as needed. Remember, this is a concentrated flavor, so it needs to be a little sweeter now to be just right with ice.
- Add the ice. Depending on how powerful your blender is, you may have to add it ½ cup (120 g) at a time.
- Add more milk beverage if it’s too thick or more ice if it’s too thin.
Coffee-Free: For a Sweet Potato Spice Frozen Latte sans caffeine, simply leave out the coffee concentrate and add a touch more dairy-free milk beverage.
Thickening Options: If you don’t have xanthan gum, pectin or chia seeds, add about half of a large frozen banana. One of my lovely testers, Mary Banker, came up with the ground chia. Chia is less expensive than xanthan gum and adds a nutritional boost.
Reprinted with permissions from The Easy Vegan Cookbook Copyright © 2015 by Kathy Hester. Published by Page St Publishing.
13 Comments
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Starbucks who? This looks fabulous!!!!!! These are my favorite flavors!
I’m really intrigued by the sweet potato in this. It may not be pumpkin, but it’s still in the spirit of fall. Can’t wait to try it!
Yes, and you could certainly use pumpkin if you were craving that fall squash experience 🙂
The latte sounds so delicious. I love the idea of using sweet potato. I wouldn’t have thought of it.
With cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg in this perfect fall latte – I simply cannot resist this! Love that it’s a delicious dairy-free alternative!
Agreed!
Bring on the fall drinks and flavors!! So yum!
so comforting a yummy perfect for the fall, in Mexico we have a beverage somewhat like this one with candied yams and cold milk and then all combined makes a great milkshake.
That sounds so unique – I’ll have to look that one up!
this one is on my list to try soon – I am loving Kathy’s latest book!
I know, it’s a good one!
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