Emily’s spiced chocolate mylk + a giveaway!

2014 sure has been a year full of cookbooks. Just as I finish cooking my way through one, another finds it way into my kitchen. That’s totally okay with me though. I’m thrilled there’s an increasing demand in the plant-based market and so many of my incredibly talented friends have been able to find a voice in the publishing world.

Perusing through my cookbook collection, it’s not hard to see that each one I own tells a different story, provides a twist on an old classic, or shares new techniques or ingredient combinations I had never thought of before. Each author has her or his own voice, and it is enhanced with each book’s ever-beautiful design and photography. When it comes to cookbooks, this crew doesn’t cut short on anything—humour, sass, creativity, or delicious food.

Today I’m featuring another example of a rising star in the cookbook world. Emily Von Euw is the voice behind the blog This Rawsome Vegan Life and is the author of the recent bestseller Rawsome Vegan Baking. Her brand new book, 100 Best Juices, Smoothies and Healthy Snacks, releases on Monday!

A little bit about the book:

• While the focus is on vitamin-packed juices and smoothies (both sweet and savoury), the book also includes nut mylks and mylkshakes, and healthy snacks like date bars, flax bread and kale chips.
• If you don’t own a juicer, that’s okay! All the smoothies and mylkshakes are made in a blender and most of the snacks use a food processor.
• There are tons of full-page photos to highlight the colourful, nutrient-dense drinks and snacks throughout the book.
• Tucked away in the back is a resources section that offers tips on techniques and recommended equipment brands in ranges that are best suited to your needs.

Emily doesn’t spend much time discussing the merits of juicing or writing out pages of detailed instructions (heck, you just push the carrots through the juicer, right?). Instead, she devotes her energy to concocting delicious-sounding recipes and creating colourful photos to inspire you to get juicing. I suspect for most people this will be more than enough and it certainly emphasizes an ease to which juices and smoothies can become part of a regular routine. I gave in to the allure of the lettuce turnip the beet juice and the simplicity of the energizer bunny almost immediately. Other recipes like the apple cinnamon delight smoothie, creamy iced chai latte and coco oat bars with peanut butter and carob are also on my to-make list.

But like a typical girl looking for a little comfort on a cold winter day, I also quickly spied a luscious-looking drink in the mylks and mylkshakes chapter—hello, homemade chocolate mylk! Seriously, guys, this is a chocolate milk lover’s dream come true. I wouldn’t compare it to any store-bought chocolate milk by any means. Think bold winter spices like cinnamon and nutmeg combined with a light cacao flavour and caramel date sweetness. It is pure magic.

For this recipe, you can make the mylk out of whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand—I used a mix of almonds, pumpkin seeds and hemp. I’d imagine this chocolate mylk could also be gently heated to create a warm mug of deliciousness. Thanks to Emily to allowing me to share the recipe with you today!

Cookbook giveaway

Want to win your own copy of the book? Enter using the widget below! The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents and will run until Thursday, December 11, 2014. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway