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Posts Tagged ‘tea vitamins’

Dot’s Thot: “Tea Party: Benefits all guests” — Dr. Maoshing Ni, referring to the health benefits of polyphenols (powerful anti-oxidants that work to prevent diabetes and cancer).

A flavorful alternative to morning coffee or a great centerpiece for tea time in the afternoon is spicy tea, the East Indian way. the addition of spices add to the tea vitamins and nutritional value, as well as to the flavor. This is a recipe that I found in a cookbook by Myra Goodman, Food to Live By published by Workman Publishing Company, Inc. It is a fuision approach in that the spices are traditional (whole), but uses the convenience of teabags. In addition, it uses the zest of orange peel, while I would prefer to use lemongrass leaves (but any citrus based flavor would do, even lemon or lime zest).

You might enjoy the cookbook, which contains many appealing fresh produce pictures and recipes. The recipes appear to be easy to follow and the photographs make the food look appetizing; so I added the book to my library. Where you see “Dot’s Jot:”, I have added my own notes to amplify the information.

Ingredients for Homemade Chai (I like lemon better than orange peel)

Homemade Chai (from Food to Live By)

– Makes about 3 cups

• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick (approx. 3 inches long)
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole cardamom pods – [Dot's Jot: green cardamom, not the black] or 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced — [Dot's Jot: about the size of your thumb]
• Zest of one orange, removed in wide strips — [Dot's Jot: in another part of the book, it is recommended that you just peel large strips using a vegetable peeler; no need for a special zesting tool]
• 4 bags of black tea, such as Darjeeling, orange pekoe, or English Breakfast — [Dot's Jot: Just personal taste; I am partial to Darjeeling.]
• 1 cup whole milk — [Dot's Jot: You can use reduced fat or non-fat or other milk substitute, if you prefer.]
• 1/3 cup sugar — [Dot's Jot: use less, if you prefer. I like less refined sugar; or honey, or a small amount of stevia. If using substitutes, sweeten just before drinking -- everyone can use their sweetener of choice and amount that suits them.]

1. Place the peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, and ginger slices in a heavy-duty, resealable plastic bag and crush them lightly with a rolling pin or mallet (or crush them in a mortar with a pestle). — [Dot's Jot: if you are using the ground cardamom, then add that in step 2.]
2. Transfer the crushed spices to a medium size saucepan. Add the orange zest and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the head to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. — [Dot's Jot: remember to add the ground cardomom when doing this step, if you are not using the green cardamom pods.]
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the mixture to steep for 5 minutes, then discard the tea bags.
4. Add the milk and sugar to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. [Dot's Jot: watch the pot carefully and don't let it boil over; it can be messy; I'm guilty.]
5. Strain the chai and discard the solids. Serve hot. If not serving immediately, allow the chai to cool to room temperature. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 7 days. Reheat it before serving. — [Dot's Jot: Some people like to be even more western and pour this over ice for iced chai. Feel free to do so, if you like -- refreshing either way.]

We hope you enjoy this chai recipe. Don’t forget, you can vary the amounts of the spices and try other “citrus notes” in the recipe. I have to admit that after you drink tea for a while, some of the charm does come from collecting tea sets for various occasions. I have several porcelain sets, but hope someday to own a real cast iron tea pot. They are heavy and decorative in a very asian way. So far, I have only bought miniature cast iron tea pots.

Aloha, Dot

Related Posts:

Awesome Book — Herbs & Spices: The Cook’s Reference

Japanese Organic Green Tea

Three Cups of Tea — Kiriyama Prize Book

Understanding Different Types of Tea and Tisane

History, Present and Benefits of Indian Spices

Fresh Ginger Tea and Honey Recipe for the Sniffles

Get Black Tea Here

Source for Whole Dried Spices

Psyllium Fiber Bottles

Dot’s Thot: “Can implementing the three R’s – reduce, recycle, reuse, save you money? If you only implemented the three R’s in your kitchen, you would save money.” — Catherine Pulsifer, 10 Tips for Saving Money in Your Kitchen, While Implementing the Three R’s

Baby Boomer Reuse Idea: Psyllium Bottles in the Pantry

by Dot

OK, here is one for reuse for the baby boomer generation. First, many in this age category are consuming fiber, often in that orange bottle, for control over cholesterol levels. In our household, we use the sugar free, 1.5 lb. size bottles. While recycling is always an option, here is a rather serendipitous use for this size, food-grade plastic bottle.

• Since the bottles are food-grade, they can hold pantry supplies.
• The plastic sleeve around the bottle comes off pretty easily. Slit the plastic and peel it off and clean the bottle.
• This size holds the standard 1 lb. bags of oat bran easily.
• Often you can reuse a scoop from one of the powdered nutritional supplements and keep it in the bottle.
• Many of us buy bulk in around the amount the bottle holds so as not to have our supplies go stale.
• Many boomer babies are also eating hot oat bran cereal to boost cholesterol control even more.
• One of the more common brands has a plastic sleeve that fits perfectly around the girth of that fiber bottle. If you buy that, you can tell by looking at the photo.
• So, empty the bag into the clean reused bottle.
• Cut the top and bottom off the bag and slide it on the bottle — no need to write on the bottle– no guessing what is in it. Tip: slide it on from the top, open end — wiggle it on like a tight girdle.
• You can cut the label off a bag and tape it on; like the dried lentils label on the right.
  

  Your Own Quick Label

• You can also label the bottle yourself. A quick, easy, changeable way is to use a post-it note, write what you want on it, adjust one side with the post-it stick-em and then secure top and bottom with reused rubber-bands from produce — those bands from asparagus bundles are perfect.
• These bottles tend to fit nicely on pantry shelves. Another plus is that if you accumulate and use a number of them on the same shelf, you can stack shorter containers on top.
• Suggested pantry items that fit into these bottles nicely: oat bran cereal, flaxseeds, flaxseed meal, raw walnuts, raw almonds, cashew nuts, specialty flours, trail mix, bulk spice ingredients, your own muesli concoction, loose leaf tea, coffee grounds, etc.
• Because these are opaque, the bottles help keep the light out and delay aging, for example, preserving the tea vitamins and antioxidants longer.
• The screw-top lids help to keep moisture at bay.
• Finally, if you buy bulk items, you don’t need to buy containers for the pantry — reuse those psyllium fiber bottles.

This is one reuse idea I have been using for quite a while and I find it very convenient. Hope you can use the idea as well. Go green, save money, reuse, and organize.

Aloha, Dot

P.S. The “crafty” among us can make those containers more attractive, I am sure. I was just happy to not add as many bottles to the landfills as well as finding containers that fit the pantry handily.

Buy & Preserve Loose Leaf Tea Vitamins in Reused Bottles

Buy Spice Ingredients in Bulk and Store Them in the Reused Bottles