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Recipe Category: Spices & Teas


Chai Shortbread with Granola

So many chai blends, so little time!

Chico Chai is a great local option – either Original or Red Chai (with naturally decaf Rooibos) are perfect in this recipe. Hola Granola lends a flavorful crunch. 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 
  • ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted 
  • 3-4 Tbsp loose leaf chai – we like Chico Chai Original 
  • ½ tsp kosher salt 
  • 1 tsp vanilla 
  • 1 cup butter, room temperature 
  • 1½ cups granola – we like Hola Granola’s Original flavor

Directions

  1. In a spice grinder, grind loose leaf chai until pieces are very tiny but not yet powder.  
  2. Add flour and chai to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add salt, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and butter. Pulse until dough forms.  
  3. Remove dough from food processor and put in a mixing bowl. Add granola and gently fold in with a spatula.  Cover and refrigerate 1 hour so dough can firm up a little. 
  4. Preheat oven to 375°, line a baking sheet with parchment. 
  5. Using a tablespoon, place rounded scoops on baking sheet with 1 inch between them. Press down gently so dough is about ½ inch thick.  Bake about 12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown. 
  6. Cool a few minutes on baking tray before transferring to a rack to cool completely. 
  7. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Mexican Atole

Mexican Atole - orange ceramic mug with cinnamon-cocoa drink. Cinnamon stick garnish and tamales in background.

Atole (“ah-toh-leh) is a popular beverage in Mexico, made with masa harina, cinnamon, brown sugar and milk or water. Folks enjoy it at breakfast, with an afternoon snack, lending a taste of tradition and comforting hominess to both every day and celebratory events like Day of the Dead and, with the Mascogos, Juneteenth.  

It’s usually made with piloncillo, big brown cones of sugar. Here we use substitutes in case you don’t have an easy source for it.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups combo of water/milk or unsweetened almond, oat, cashew milk 
  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon 
  • 5 Tbsp sucanat panela, or combo of this and pitted medjool dates (sub 2 for each Tbsp panela) 
  • ½ cup masa harina 
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 
  • Pinch of salt 
  • Optional: 1 –2 Tbsp Spicy Cocoa – like Equal Exchange 

Directions

  1. If using dates as part/all of sweetener, pit then soak 4 hours – overnight.
  2. Blend all ingredients except vanilla and salt in a blender until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Note: If using Spicy Cocoa, lower the amount of other sweetener by 1-2 tsp per Tbsp used.
  3. Pour mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. 
  4. When mixture reaches a boil, lower the temperature and whisk steadily for five minutes as masa harina thickens. 
  5. Remove atole from heat, stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Adjust sweetness using reserved water from soaking dates, stirring well between each addition. 
  6. Best served immediately. Can be stored in fridge for up to two days; it’ll thicken so add a little water/milk before reheating. 

Barbecue Sauce

There’s nothing like fresh barbecue sauce. Give this Kansas City barbecue-inspired sauce a try!

Ingredients

  • 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt Optional: Pinch of cayenne for extra heat

Directions

Whisk ingredients together in a medium saucepan.

Cook over medium-high heat until sauce simmers. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly.

Use sauce immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to one week.

Spicy Roasted Garlic Hummus

Thank you to our friends at NCG for this amazing recipe!

The sweet, mellow, nutty flavor of roasted garlic and a little kick from jalapeno offer a delicious twist to this popular Middle Eastern dip.

In the month of October, we celebrate co-ops. Why? Because they are awesome! We feature recipes from co-ops around the country in our special Co-op Recipe Guide.

Ingredients

  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and roasted
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  1. Toss 4 peeled garlic cloves in a little oil and double wrap in aluminum foil. In a preheated 350 degree oven, roast the garlic for about 30 minutes or until the garlic is soft but not burnt.
  2. In a food processor, puree the roasted garlic and the one raw garlic clove along with the diced jalapeño. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, and salt. Puree until smooth. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth.

Salted Maple Coffee

Thank you to our friends at Pachamama Coffee for this amazing recipe!

We love this salted maple coffee to keep us warm and cozy by the fire as the crisp fall days set in.

In the month of October, we celebrate co-ops. Why? Because they are awesome! We feature recipes from co-ops around the country in our special Co-op Recipe Guide.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of your favorite Pachamama Coffee
  • 1 oz Maple Valley Cooperative’s Organic Maple Syrup
  • 4 oz oat milk (sub for any milk product you prefer)
  • Dash of Salt

Directions

  1. Make your cup of coffee how you prefer. Add 1oz maple syrup to the cup.
  2. Add oat milk to a jar with a dash of salt and an extra dash of syrup if you like it extra sweet. Froth mixture until desired thickness. Add to coffee.
  3. Enjoy!

Apple Cider Mimosas

Thank you to our friends at Frontier Co-op in Iowa for this amazing recipe!

Apple cider mimosas are the perfect fall twist on the classic celebratory drink. Spice up your next special occasion (or
even a fall-time brunch) with this simple two-ingredient combination that is a match made in autumn heaven.

In the month of October, we celebrate co-ops. Why? Because they are awesome! We feature recipes from co-ops around the country in our special Co-op Recipe Guide.

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp Frontier Co-op Organic, Cane Sugar
  • 1 tsp Frontier Co-op Organic Apple Pie Spice
  • 1 small red sweet apple
  • 4 Frontier Co-op Organic, Fair Trade Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks
  • 1 bottle champagne
  • 2 cups pasteurized apple cider, chilled

Directions

  1. On a small, rimmed plate, gently whisk together cane sugar and apple pie spice. Spread out mixture so the edge is bigger in diameter than the rim of your glass. Set aside.
  2. Dip the rim of each glass in a shallow bowl of water or apple cider, or rub an apple slice along the rim. Dip glass rim in sugar-spice mixture until rim is fully coated. Repeat with all four glasses.
  3. Just before serving, cut four thin apple slices and place one at the bottom of each glass along with a cinnamon stick. Tuck cinnamon stick under apple slice so it doesn’t float to the top.
  4. Into each glass, pour champagne until bubbles have settled and glass is half full. Add apple cider until glass is full.