chai Archives • New Nostalgia

Drinks/ RECIPES

3 Ingredient Best Pumpkin Spice Chai

2 pumpkin spice rooibos tea bags, chai concentrate

I had one of my best girlfriends, Carma, over for lunch yesterday, and she brought along a super special treat. I had seen a photo she put on instagram telling about Pumpkin Spice Chai that she loved so much that she used the hashtag #nocoffeenoproblem. I know she is a coffee lover, so my ears, eyes and taste buds perked up! I asked her to bring the ingredients along to our lunch so I could try it out..because, you know…best girlfriends can do that. We can extend a lunch invitation but then ask them to bring a beverage so you can try it out. {smile}

Our time together was precious and almost 2 hours of chatting felt like just minutes. We have much in common. Our husbands work together, we are both mothers of middle school girls, we share our faith & have lived a lot of life together the last 6 years.

She was a rock for me when I was sick. The perfect balance of listening to me and letting me cry on the hard days but also cheering me on and not letting me get stuck in the yuckness of it all. She was the one who came to the first Oncology appointment with Todd and I. She was our stable notetaker, and boy, did I ever need stable that day! I was a mess, needing a bowl in the waiting room because I was so nauseous with fear and nerves. I couldn’t think straight so she thought for me. I still have her notes from that day. Seeing her handwriting, knowing her hand wrote hard words out of love for me, touches my heart and made me keep those notes. She also came to my first chemo and was my ride home. I will never forget her love in the battle.

pumpkin spice rooibos tea, almond milk & chai concentrate

Back to our lunch. We are both foodies and both have certain restrictions to what we will eat due to health issues. It is fun to have her for over knowing she will appreciate my weird food. I took the easy way out and got some amazing vegan soup from a local spot nearby. I made kale chips, roasted some carrots with a little oil, salt, pepper & garlic, & had some tomatoes from my garden to eat as sides.

Carma showed up with a cooler which made me smile. Not only did it have the Pumpkin Spice Chai ingredients in it, but she also brought black bean hummus with chips & 2 individual bowls of fruit. That made me happy. She knows what I will love and appreciate.

We saved the Pumpkin Spice Chai for an after- lunch drink. I’m so glad we did because I have to tell you…IT WAS SO GOOD THAT IT WAS LIKE DRINKING DESSERT!

We have had a few cool weather days here in Nebraska, and I’ve found myself wanting a comforting, fall-like drink. A pumpkin spice flavored drink that was easy to make and somewhat healthy. Well, people…I found it…or at least Carma found it for me.

Here it is:

Start with one cup of milk of your choice. We used almond milk.

Add 2 bags of Trader Joes Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea. If you do not have a Trader Joes near you, keep reading for good substitute ideas.

Let steep for 5-7 minutes, warming the milk gently on the stove.

When it gets to be this milky, caramel-ly color, get your head down in there and take a whiff. Deliciousness! I told Carma I want a fall candle that smells like this! Remove the tea bags.

If you don’t have a Trader Joes near you, shed a few tears, then wipe them away and order some from Amazon using this affiliate link. {I appreciate your support of this blog.}

After you remove the teabags, make sure the temperature is what you desire for warm, comfortable sipping.

Add 3/4 cup Oregan Chai concentrate. This amount is flexible. If you want less sweet, use less Chai concentrate.

Pour into your favorite mug & enjoy!

3 Ingredient Best Pumpkin Spice Chai
1 cup milk (I used almond)
2 pumpkin spice teabags
3/4 cup chai concentrate, or to taste

Put milk into a saucepan. Add teabags. Steep 5-7 minutes & warm to desired temperature. Add chai concentrate. Stir. Pour into 2 mugs and enjoy!

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Drinks/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Post From The Past: Amazingly Healthy Turmeric Chai Tea

This is a past post from the New Nostalgia archives. I love visiting post from the past, especially seasonal type posts. It is a great reminder to me of what I love, and what was post worthy! I will be taking a trip down “past posts” road occasionally in the month of October.

This is a guest post from Andrea at Frugally Sustainable. I am so happy to know Andrea. She is a faithful linker to our Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays, and I know you all love her because she often gets “most clicked on link” of the week.

I love everything about this guest post, but I especially love that it contains TURMERIC! I have read over and over that as one who has had cancer, I need to find ways to get turmeric in my diet. This is a wonderful, simple way to do just that!

Thanks so much, Andrea!

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We all have our go-to-remedies and today I would like to share with you one of mine.

Turmeric is one of the world’s most powerful natural healers. Its’ active ingredient curcumin, has been known for centuries to have extremely potent medicinal properties and is documented as being effective in treating a variety of conditions.

Other than the occasional curry, I struggled to add this beneficial root herb to our diet. That was until I created a Turmeric Chai Tea!

Although my palate rejoices simply at the thought of this drink, I must warn you…this is some pungent stuff! Tasty, but definitely a pretty serious tea.

10 Reasons Why Turmeric Is One of My Favorite Remedies

Turmeric is an anti-microbial. That means it will attack both bacterial infections and viral infections and destroy both. It is particularly effective in treating illnesses of the respiratory system (this makes it a superb remedy for the cold and flu season).
It has shown to prevent and stop the growth of prostate, breast, skin, lung and colon cancer
Known to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes
A natural liver detoxifier.
Research shows it may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
As a potent natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric may work just as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs. Furthermore, reducing the risks associated with the side effects of those types of medications.
It’s a natural painkiller.
Aids in fat metabolism (i.e. helps with weight management)
Trusted for many, many years in other cultures as a treatment for depression.
Speeds up wound healing and assists in the treatment of acne, eczema, psoriasis, uneven pigmentation, and lackluster skin.

I’ve added it to a list of my most favorite medicinal herbs. In fact, it’s right up there with garlic, ginger, parsley, sage and rosemary.

Turmeric Chai Tea Recipe

Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
(4 servings)

-3 tablespoons ground turmeric
-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/8 teaspoon ground clove
-1 teaspoon ground cardamon
-2 teaspoons ground ginger
-1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass jar.

Note: Cayenne pepper, although optional in the recipe, will speed the turmeric through the blood stream by relaxing blood vessels down to capillaries allowing more turmeric to get to the infections faster.

Tea Prep
(single serving)

-4 teaspoons of Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
-1 cup water
-sweetener to taste
-1/2-1 cup warm milk (i.e. cow, goat, almond, hemp, coconut, etc.)

Directions: Bring 1 cup of water to boil. Pour water over spices and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. Add sweetener and milk.

Notes and Tips

-WARNING: Turmeric will turn everything it touches yellow.

-Using fresh herbs is always the better option. If using fresh turmeric and ginger increase steep time, during the prep, to 20 minutes.

-Turmeric, along with the other spices required in this recipe, is available in a well-appointed health food store, the spice aisle of most grocery stores, and in bulk online through companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs and The Bulk Herb Store.

-Because it stimulates the uterus, turmeric is not recommended for pregnant women. It is also contraindicated for those with gall bladder disease or gallstones. As a good general rule, please consult your physician prior to the use of any herbal/spice remedy.

Inspirational Resources:
Turmeric Superfood
20 Health Benefits of Turmeric
New Findings Show Disease Fighting Powers of Turmeric

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Andrea is a Registered Nurse turned Frugally Sustainable Homemaker. Her blog, Frugally Sustainable, is “one of the most featured blogs in its niche! It is host to 4-5 informative posts per week that catalogue the why, the how, and the how-to on: frugality, simplicity, health and nutrition, motivation and inspiration, homeschooling, up-cycling, recycling, and designing a life that is interdependent on like-minded others, ecologically responsible and centered around the home.”

Drinks/ HEALTH/ RECIPES

Masala Chai-An Indian Beverage To Die For!

I am sitting here is absolute Chai heaven. Seriously. I’m so happy about this recipe that I am smiling stupidly at this computer screen, and I keep taking my fingers away from the keyboard to take another sip–this post could take awhile because of this tasty distraction. It is sooooo good!

I have made 2 different Chai recipes in the last 2 days. I liked the first one, but now that I have tasted this second one, I know I have the Chai Tea recipe that I hoped to find. I’ve had Chai tea on my brain ever since a Friday night a few months back, when I stopped at one of our local Indian Restaurants.

The restaurant is called Taj Mahal. I walked in to order take-out on a Friday night. It was fairly late, so they were not busy. The owner greeted graciously in his heavy Indian accent, took my order, and motioned to the bar showing me where I could sit and wait. He headed toward the back, and before the door shut behind him I saw him grab a pan in an empty kitchen, which excited me, because it meant that he would be the one cooking our meal. A few moments later, he returned with a teacup in one hand and a pan in the other. He had made a complimentary cup of Chai Tea for me to drink while I was waiting. I watched him pour the contents from the pan into my cup using a fine mesh strainer sitting atop of it. As the pan emptied, towards the bottom were all kinds of interesting shapes and shades of loose tea, seeds, and pods; browns and greens. I was intrigued, excited and touched by this man’s kindness.

cardamom pods

Needless to say, that cup of Chai was authentically amazing, and I have craved another ever since. This is SO much better then the Chai concentrate that you can buy in a box. There is no comparison! I am quite pleased that it only took a couple of tries to find a recipe that comes very close to the cup of Chai that I drank at Taj Mahal.

The recipe comes from Sabra @ One Life To Eat. It is a blog I just recently discovered on the basics of Indian cooking. I can’t wait to explore her blog more, as I would love to learn how to cook Indian food!
I loved this post she wrote about Masala Chai. She talks about memories of her father making it in the mornings and evenings, and some history of Chai tea. She also had this to say about the different ways it can be made:

Every Indian you talk to will probably also have his / her own favorite method of preparing Chai. Variations include brewing the loose tea leaves in boiling water, brewing them in milk, brewing tea leaves along with spices (known as Masala Chai) and brewing the chai with pieces of ginger (known as Ginger or Adrak Chai). Some like their chai weak, some like it strong. Some like more milk, some less.

Her process is simple and detailed at the same time. Hers is thicker and flavored with ginger & vanilla.
I think it is perfection and my search for a Chai recipe ends here!

To make 2 mugs of Chai – You will need:

A medium sized saucepan
A small sieve
4 heaped teaspoons Red Label or Society tea, available at any Indian store **I used loose Darjeeling
1 inch piece of ginger root
6-7 cardamom pods, slightly opened

3 tbsp sugar (I used processed white sugar, going to try pure cane sugar next time)
1/2 Vanilla stick (optional) (I used a splash of pure vanilla extract, added it at the very end)
1.5 cups water
1.5 cups whole fat milk

Method:

Heat water to a boil in the saucepan
Add the tea leaves, cardamom pods and ginger root and allow to brew on medium heat till the water turns a golden brown color
Add the milk and reduce heat to low. Add the vanilla stick and sugar at this stage. Mix well
Allow the tea to boil gently and thicken on low heat for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the saucepan as the Chai may boil over
Turn off the heat and let the liquid rest in the saucepan for 2-3 minutes. This lets the temperature of the liquid come down a bit
Pour through a sieve in your favorite mug. (*or mason jar:))

Do not be intimidated by the exotic ingredients. I took a quick trip to my local health food store, where they have bulk bins for the Darjeeling tea and the cardamom pods. I had ginger root in my freezer, and everything else on hand. I personally think whole milk is a must to achieve the creamy texture. My only complaint about this recipe is that it doesn’t make more! I would love to double or triple it and keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. My first cup was hot, but now I am drinking it over ice and OH. MY. YUM!
This post is linked to:
Get Your Craft On @ Today’s Creative Blog