Lavender Tea Latte I wanted to post this recipe nearly a week ago for you but first my trackpad on my laptop stopped working and I was forced to travel to the deep dark depths of the Apple Store to get it fixed. As soon as I got it back, my host server was down! Ugh, what a week. We do, however, have some exciting events coming up! This Friday, June 17th we'll be doing our last Tacolepsy pop-up at Green Bliss Cafe in Fullerton. Starting on July 15th we'll be at Renewable Farms in Anaheim with music, art, and a full outdoor patio under the lights. Oh yeah, and BEER! Its the best way to spend a Friday night for sure, and is totally family-friendly, so make sure you come eat with us. Starts at 6pm and goes until about 10pm! This Tuesday, July 21st, for Fullerton's Day Of Music, we're working with Wander Outfitters to make and serve vegan chili and cornbread for everyone out celebrating. Stop by to say hi and for a warm bowl of spicy, homemade chili and to see some of our new Plant-Based Adventures merch! But anyway, back to this recipe. Buying tea lattes costs way too much these days. It’s rarely under $5, especially with the up-charge for non-dairy milk. And who can afford that nonsense? Well now you don’t need to! This easy-to-make Lavender Tea Latte is like the chai lattes prettier, more summery cousin - and can be made totally caffeine-free! Soothing and sweet, with just the right amount of creaminess, this drink is the perfect morning treat or nighttime sipper.   INGREDIENTS: 12 oz unsweetened almond milk 1 lavender tea bag OR 1 tablespoon loose leaf lavender tea in a strainer 1 tablespoon maple syrup, agave or sweetener of choice 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract lavender flowers, for garnish dollop of coconut whipped cream (optional) DIRECTIONS: Heat the milk and tea in a medium-sized saucepan until hot, but do not bring to a boil. Remove the tea bags or strainer and whisk in the maple syrup, ginger and vanilla. Using a milk frother or high speed blender, add your desired amount of foam to the drink. Scoop in a dollop of coconut whip, if you choose, then sprinkle with fresh lavender flowers for garnish and enjoy immediately! NOTES: Serves 1 You can use any tea you like in place of the Lavender to create a tea latte. Strong green, fruity black and earthy herbal teas all taste great! Don't leave the tea to steep in the milk more than a couple minutes after removing it from the heat. It is easy for floral teas like lavender to get bitter if it sits too long. 
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Lavender Lemonade
Yesterday, it was hot. I mean really, really unbearably hot. Yes, I know I live in Southern California. Yes, I know yesterday was officially the first day of summer. Its supposed to be hot, right?
No thank you! June in California is a weird month. Sincerely misleading in its placement during the calender year, June is about as close to a chilly spring as it gets here. Called 'June Gloom', most mornings start hazy and gray. By noon the sun usually picks up a little, but some days you'd swear it was so cloudy it would rain- but it almost never does. And then there was yesterday. By 10 am I had stripped down to just shorts and a sports bra trying to stay cool, but nothing was helping. I needed a cool, refreshing drink to perk me up before I wilted completely. I remembered seeing a lavender lemonade recipe on Finding Vegan recently- and man, did that sound GOOD. The perfect combination of spring flowers, summer citrus, and ice cold reshreshment. 
It was also deceptively easy to throw together. The most challenging part was waiting an hour to drink it!
The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of sugar, but I wasn't really diggin' that. I'm trying to look better in my bikini, not worse! I cut the sugar down to 1/3 cup and used brown rice syrup since thats what I had on hand. And since brown rice syrup (and agave) are both slightly sweeter than sugar, a little less goes a long way. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free! 
Adapted from Munchin' with Munchkin
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers 1/3 cup brown rice syrup or agave 2 1/2 cups water 3 lemons, juiced or about 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 cups water 
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine lavender flowers, brown rice syrup, and the first 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil; Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir once, cover, and let it sit for one hour. When your hour is up, use cheesecloth to strain the remaining lavender flowers from the mixture. (We always get our cheesecloth from CheeseclothFabric.com 'cause they offer such great discounts when you buy in bulk- and we use it for everything! Recipes, cleaning, even as a first aid bandage once!) We simply placed a large piece of cheesecloth over the jug and held the edges while pouring. Once strained, add the lemon juice and remaining 2 cups of water and stir well. Refrigerate & serve chilled! 
Strawberry Lavender Shortcake
Craving something sweet and armed with 3 pints of fresh, locally grown strawberries from the farmers market the other day, we decided it was the season for shortcakes!
Shortcake with whipped cream and strawberries is an old classic; making it vegan was neat, but adding lavender really brought this recipe to a whole new level. The delicate lavender flavors undertone the sweet of the strawberries and the sweet, nutty flavor of the coconut whipped cream. A delicious spring treat! 
Ingredients:
2 cups (gluten free) flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon lavender flowers 2/3 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup hemp milk coconut whipped cream 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and cut 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and lavender in a bowl. Cut in vegetable shortening, using a fork. Once you have a uniform consistency of crumbs, add in hemp milk. Mix to combine all ingredients, but don't over mix. The batter will be batter-like than dough-like, the baking powder adding some fluff to the mix. These are drop biscuits, so using a large spoon, drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto a non-stick cookie sheet. I got 6-8 biscuits per batch, depending on how big I made the shortcakes. Bake for about 15 minutes, until they reach a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool. Wash and cut up 1 pint of strawberries. Sprinkle over shortcakes, top with coconut whipped cream, and enjoy!
Lavender Lemon Cheesecake with Coconut Whipped Cream
Since my Mom is still in town, we've been making lots of vegan treats. She's not currently a vegan, but I've been doing my best to convert her...and after a treat this good (and gluten free, and dairy free, and soy free), she might just stick with it!
This dish tastes like a lighter version of a key lime pie...plus lavender! Its not too sweet, with the crust adding a delicious crunchy texture to every creamy bite. This whole pie only lasted two days in our house! We adapted the recipe from This Rawsome Vegan Life. More of a chocolate fan? Check out the recipe for our Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. Based off of this cheesecake recipe, its smooth, creamy, and just a little bit chocolatey! 
Crust:
1/2 cup dates 1 1/2 cup nuts (I used almonds and cashews) 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. Line a cake pan or pie tin with non-stick or waxed paper. Press mixture into the sides and bottom of pan. Refrigerate to set, about one hour. 
Cheesecake:
3 cups cashews 3/4 cup lemon juice 2/3 cup agave nectar 3/4 cup melted coconut oil 1 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons dried lavender 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Blend all ingredients together in food processor until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Then taste test...with a very large spoon. Because seriously, this stuff is HEAVEN. It is awesome, it is delicious, and I don't feel guilty overeating it. Pour batter into set crust and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before removing from wax paper and serving!
Coconut Whipped Cream:
1 can full fat coconut milk 3-6 tablespoons powdered sugar 1-2 teaspoons vanilla Refrigerate coconut milk overnight, being careful not to shake or jostle cans. You want the milk to separate into two distinct layers and that happens most easily is they're not at all disturbed. Once your ready to make the whipped cream gently open the coconut milk, and using a spoon, remove the thick white layer of coconut from the top half of the can, leaving the clearish liquid left at the bottom. Put the thicker white stuff into a mixing bowl with the sugar and vanilla. The clearer, left-over liquid is like a concentrated coconut milk. This can be used in place of milk in some other recipes, but usually I just throw it into my oatmeal and smoothies for the next few days. Now back to the whipped cream mixture: sometimes, once I've spooned the thickest white stuff into the bowl, I stick it back into the fridge for another half hour before beating it to help it firm up and hold air better. Either way, when you're ready to begin, mix with hand beaters...and mix, mix, mix! Mix until all mixture become light, airy, fluffy and whipped cream looking! Then...enjoy! Leftovers can be refrigerated for several days, re-fluffing with beaters as necessary. 
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