Chai Latte Pancakes + A Giveaway

Okay, so I have a confession. I don’t really like water…I know that sounds weird and maybe it’s because the water in my town is HEAVILY polluted but it just does not do it for me. Soo…bland. I’ll drink it if it’s boiled and has tea steeped in it..or if it’s gone through the process of being brewed into coffee. Other than that, I stick to sparkling water. The heat wave that struck the Midwest this July really got me addicted to canned seltzer water…and to flavored fizzy water. And here I am, 3 months later in a bit of a rut with my 4 cans of flavored sparkling water a day. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my sparkling water but, for a change of pace, I was very excited to try out this new all natural bubbly “soft drink” that Cascal approached me about it.

Cascal All Natural soft drinks are crafted with natural juices (no added sugar except from the juices) and fermented for fuller flavor. At first, I was a little put off by the word ‘soft drink’ because sugary pop comes to mind and I do not usually drink soda. However, this stuff is not the average soda you are used to getting at McDonalds. It reminds me of a mix between my beloved seltzer water and a sparkling juice. The end results are just terrific.

A few of my favorite parts about this soda? Well, they have AWESOME and intriguing flavors. My favorite was the Crisp White which had notes of Pear, Apricot, and Magnolia. Even the one with a chocolate note (Ripe Rough with notes of Chocolate, Rose, and cherry) had a refreshing and not overly sweet flavor to it. And if I have not convinced you already, each can is only 60-80 calories. 60-80 calories for a soda? Ohh yeah!

Anyhow, if you are into trying these out, head to your nearest Whole Foods to pick up your favorite flavor or enter my giveaway for a chance to win a sample pack! The sample pack will have the following five sodas in it:

Crisp White – With notes of pear, apricot and magnolia

Ripe Rouge – With notes of cherry, rose and chocolate

Fresh Tropical – With notes of mango, jasmine and kaffir lime

Bright Citrus – With notes of lemongrass, tangerine and pineapple

Berry Cassis – With notes of black currant, tangerine and lemon

And now for the fine details…

How To Enter:

Leave a comment below telling me your favorite fall soup recipe.

For Extra entries:

Like Cacal or Vegetarian Ventures on Facebook and leave a comment below saying you did

OR

follow Cascal (@CheersCascal) or Vegetarian Ventures (@shellywester) on Twitter and leave a comment below saying you did!
***Make sure to include your email in the comment below so I know how to get a hold of you! This giveaway will be closed on Friday, November 2nd at 10 PM Eastern time and is (sorry!) open to US residents only.***

This is now closed!

____________

Oh, also, shifting topics…I have a recipe for you! Here is a recipe for some vegan chai latte pancakes that I created using a combination of Isa Chandra’s Chai Latte Cupcakes and Perfect Pancakes recipes!

Perfect way to brighten up your morning on these gloomy fall days!

Chai Latte Pancakes

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 Tablespoons canola/vegetable/coconut oil
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 2 black tea bag or 2 teaspoons loose leaf tea
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • dash of vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until just boiling. Remove from heat, add in tea bags, and cover. Let steap for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and cloves. Make a well in the center of the dried ingredients and add the oil, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until everything is well combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium and pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet (you should be able to make 2-3 at a time depending on the skillet size). Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve warm with cocoa powder and syrup.

Comment

23 Comments

  • Chanel Hason
    October 26, 2012

    Those pancakes look AMAZING!!!! I will have to try them soon 🙂

  • Laura Turner
    October 26, 2012

    I would love to try these “new” soft drinks. I am a former daily diet coke drinker and stopped because of how bad soda is for you, but I do miss the bubbly stuff!! My favorite fall soup recipe is one I am eating right now. It’s Vegetable Quinoa soup. It has green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, onions, garlic, carrots,celery, diced tomatoes, veggie broth, spices and quinoa. Super healthy and super delicious. I also like you on Facebook as well as Cascal

  • myhealthyohana
    October 26, 2012

    I actually used to dislike drinking water too, but now I’m addicted, as long as it is super cold with lots of ice. I used to drink a diet coke every day, but since I got pregnant and am nursing, I decided to cut out the caffeine. Honestly, I don’t really miss it…most of the time 😉 It would be great to have a healthier sparkling beverage for when the craving hits, will have to see if I can find this at our local Whole Foods!

    My favorite fall soup…maple butternut squash 🙂

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  • Stephanie @ Snacking ☀n Sunshine
    October 30, 2012

    So a couple of things:
    1) I just found you, and I love this blog. It’s so pretty and the recipes look delish!!
    2) I’ve liked you on facebook
    annnnd 3) My favorite soup is sweet potato soup with coconut, pear and ginger. So good. I’m going to be doing a post about it soon.

    I gave up soft drinks awhile ago (I was addicted to diet mt dew) and while I’ve never looked back from how the aspartame made me feel, sometimes I get a craving for a little carbonation!

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  • Megan
    October 31, 2012

    Those pancakes look amazing!!
    My favorite soup is any kind of squash soup! So your standard celery, onion, carrot, and then whatever spices I’m fancying at the time and squash! Blend and you have perfection!

  • Megan
    October 31, 2012

    I just followed you on twitter (@megankellly)

  • Megan
    October 31, 2012

    ANDDD I followed Cascal on twitter (@megankellly) : )

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  • trueindigo
    November 1, 2012

    I really enjoy Charred Onion Soup in the fall: http://wp.me/p1GQWj-JP
    Thanks for the chance to win the sample pack of Cascal soft drinks, my email is [email protected] . I (@BaconsNotAnHerb) am happy to now be following both Cascal and Vegetarian Ventures on twitter – yay!

  • gaiantlc
    November 1, 2012

    My favorite soup is Vegan Ribolita!

  • gaiantlc
    November 1, 2012

    I like Cacal on Facebook

  • gaiantlc
    November 1, 2012

    I like Vegetarian Ventures on Facebook

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  • Carissa
    November 7, 2012

    These sounds delicious!! Stoked to try them this weekend 🙂

  • Tiffany
    November 7, 2012

    Looks so delicious!!

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  • Rebecca @ Dorm Room Baker
    October 31, 2013

    This is such a good idea! Chai lattes and pancakes are great on their own, but putting them together sounds magical.

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