FitSugar

Warm Up to Homemade Chai Tea Lattes

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:32:43 PDT

As the weather cools and Autumn storms roll in, nothing is more warming and satisfying than a cup of spicy, peppery chai tea. Preparing a homemade batch is practically effortless and tastes a million times better than store-bought chai blends. Let the scent and flavor of these exotic spices keep you feeling cozy throughout the changing season.

See this cozy homemade chai recipe.

Another Reason to Love Chai Tea

FitSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:00:00 PDT

I love a spicy cup of chai tea on a foggy morning or chilly evening. Aside from its exquisite taste, chai offers other benefits further down the digestive line. This wonderful tea can reduce gas. Chai is made from a blend of spices - cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and cardamom - that individually combat flatulence, but mixed together seems greater than the sum of its parts.

Check your spice cabinet and chances are high you have all the ingredients to make your own chai tea with this recipe. If not, you can always opt for an energizing Chai Bumble Bar.

Source

Chai Tea - Raise a Cup to Your Health

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:30:00 PST

What is not to like about tea? Tea and especially chai tea help prevent and fight many different kinds of cancer, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and may reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

The fact is - every ingredient in chai tea is good for you, and when you put them all together they pack a powerful punch for your immune system.

Chai is a great alternative to your morning cup of coffee - a 5 ounce cup of coffee contains 200 mg of caffeine and black tea contains half that.

In the winter, after a long day of playing out in the snow, it's nice to come home, take a hot shower and curl up on the couch with a steaming cup of chai tea. Of course you can buy chai tea packets, but nothing compares to making it yourself.

Want to see my recipe? Then

Masala Chai Tea (serves 4)

3 cups water
1/2 cups milk (good source of calcium and protein)
2 packets of black tea (full of healthy antioxidants, that may help prevent everything from heart disease to strokes to cancer)
4 whole cloves (believed to invigorate and restore energy; helps generate heat in the body; useful during the cold and flu season)
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (is a stimulant to other herbs enabling them to work faster)
2 cardamon pods (stimulates the mind and gives clarity)
1/4 tsp dried ginger (believed to strengthen and heal the digestive and respiratory system, as well as to fight off colds and flu; removes congestion, soothes sore throats, and relieves body aches; recent studies have shown it to be effective in preventing motion sickness)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper (warms the body)
2 Tbsp honey (for sweetness and soothing qualities - adjust amount to your liking)

In a mortar, crush the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon.
In a saucepan, add the mixture to the water, ginger, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
Add the milk and honey to the pan and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and add the black tea. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes.
Stir the chai, then strain it into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups.

Mmmm. I'm going to make some right now.

Global Pantry: A Short Course on Cardamom

Padma Lakshmi — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:18:02 PST

We've got a new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social networking site that celebrates our favorite topics, including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly. Today, Padma shows us what the spice cardamom is useful for, and why it's so much better to grind cardamom yourself.

Cardamom comes in two main forms: pale, sage-green pods that contain eight to 10 tiny, highly perfumed seeds (which are crushed to make the spice powder), and the larger black cardamom that is used to give savory roasts and curries their heat. For baking, make sure you ask for the green kind, as it is significantly more delicate in aroma and taste; the black variety tastes of menthol and eucalyptus. Most supermarkets sell cardamom in its powder form, but it’s very easy to make your own freshly ground cardamom powder for baking and mixing into spiced teas, like masala chai. Turkish and Arabic coffee also get their aroma from cardamom; it’s a lovely spice to have on hand to dress up many a simple sweet concoction.

Just take a dozen or so green cardamom pods (they are only a 1/4-inch long) and slowly peel away the pale, dry, green shell of each to reveal the tiny black pellet seeds inside. One side of the pod will be more pointed; with your thumb and index finger, peel back a side by breaking the little pointed nub. You can even smash or crush a few at a time with the back of a large metal spoon or ladle. Make sure you have a small mortar and pestle on hand; peel the pods directly over the mortar’s basin so as to catch all the seeds. Once you’ve collected enough seeds, discard the green outer shells and pound the seeds into a fine powder with the pestle. Save in a small glass jar in your pantry; the powder will keep its fragrance for months if you seal it well.

What’s your favorite spice for baking and cooking?

Photo Source: 2bp

More stories from PadmaLakshmi.com:

Global Pantry: A Dash of Asafetida Is All You Need

Warm Up With Drinking Chocolate

From My Kitchen: Basil and Blood Orange Salad

Pumpkin: A Savory Flavor That Spans Seasons

Warm Up With This Hot Beverage Breakdown

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:19:10 PST

With old man Winter blowing in, get in from the cold and warm up with a steamy cup of something delicious. Check out the nutritional breakdown for some of your favorites hot drinks.

Drink	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Carbs(g)	Sugar (g)	Protein (g)
8 oz. hot chocolate, skim milk, no whipped cream	128	1.2	25.2	21.2	7.2
8 oz. hot chocolate, 2 percent milk, no whipped cream	156	4.4	24.8	20.8	6.8
8 oz. hot chocolate, whole milk, whipped cream	230	12	28	24	7
8 oz. hot chocolate, soy milk, no whipped cream	150	3.5	28	23	6

Don't see your favorite? Keep reading to see the calories in other hot beverages.

Sugar Shout Out: Everything You Need to Know About the iPhone 4S

PopSugar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:55:00 PDT

5 Quick, Easy Ginger Recipes For Kids

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:00:02 PDT

Ginger has been used for centuries as an immune system booster, thanks to its antibacterial and antiviral properties. In addition, ginger helps alleviate indigestion and other stomach upsets. Warming and soothing, ginger can also help alleviate respiratory problems like coughs, bronchitis, and asthma. Especially during the upcoming flu season, keep your family healthy with these five kid-friendly preparations of ginger. Get the recipes.

A Day in the Life of James Oseland

YumSugar — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:02:14 PDT

You may recognize James Oseland from Top Chef Masters. He's a regular judge on the show. The New York resident is also the editor in chief of the beautiful and informative Saveur magazine. Here's what he did yesterday, a day he describes as "wonderfully average," Tuesday, July 26.

7:30 a.m.: I started out the day with my usual bill of fare. It was ploddingly predictable. I had homemade poor man's muesli. Every three weeks my partner, Daniel, makes it from scratch. This version had oats, whole rolled oats, and nuts of many different varieties. There were a lot of coarsely chopped Brazilian nuts - which I have affection for. Also dried currents, dried apples, and dried raisins. Daniel teaches ESL in New Jersey and he has to leave early at 5:30. What he does, the night before, is he makes two bowls of muesli and he leaves one in the fridge for me. I bring it out and put it on the counter and let it come to room temperature. I added kefir and some milk, along with my new obsession: fruit from Trader Joe's.

The fruit from Trader Joe's is weirdly more satisfying than the way, way, way too expensive fruit at the Union Square farmers market. At least for now. But this fruit from the Trader Joe's that's two blocks from my house is actually pretty good. It's hit or miss and it's unfortunate that it's prepackaged, so you can't smell it, but you can get some shockingly good fruit. I threw in some apricots and white nectarines that I chopped up and they were very delicious and very sweet. I put some cinnamon sprinkles on the cereal too. Alongside, I had a cup of PG Tips tea with a lot of sugar and a lot milk.

Keep reading to see what James did with the Trader Joe's fruit later in the day.

Tea Time Treats, Part II: Tea-Infused Beauty Products

BellaSugar — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:00:07 PDT

Even when it's iced, tea is hot right now. The trendy drink is available in an astounding number of varieties - from green to chai to yerba mate - and every day, it seems, I read about another health benefit of drinking tea.

It's no wonder, then, that tea has filtered into cosmetics. On Friday, I told you about three cosmetics with chai-inspired names, and today, I'm serving up a trio of treats that actually contain tea as an ingredient.

Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Face Mist ($28) is a tonic for your face that helps to tighten your pores and gives your skin a glow. It's infused with African red tea, white tea, and pomegranate, all of which contain antioxidants.

For two more tea-infused products,

Origins The Way of the Bath Matcha Tea Body Scrub ($45) is a gentle body exfoliator that is rich in natural antioxidants. It helps scrub away dead surface skin so the result is a fresh and shiny glow. Use the whisk to stir all the goodness in the jar, but it's a bit messy, so I suggest applying it in the shower or tub.

Bulgari Eau Parfumee Green Tea is an understated, citrusy, and floral unisex fragrance. Long-lasting but natural, it's made from bergamot, bitter orange, orange blossom, ceylon cardamom, pepper, coriander, rose, and, of course, green tea leaves. It is available in a 1-ounce bottle for $56 and in a 1.3-ounce bottle for $59.