To anyone looking for a drink,
I've been trying to curb my chocolate cravings for this new health kick I'm on but at this time of year, it's proving even more difficult. I can already take solace in the fact that I love dark chocolate so that's at least a teensy bit better for me.
After scouring Pinterest for ideas and testing flavours , I've put together 3 warming winter drink suggestions to keep you cosy when the air starts to get icy outside.
Now of course my go to winter drink is a large mug of hot chocolate and the thicker the better. But since I'm trying to be a bit more mindful of what I eat, I found two equally warming drinks that don't contain quite as many "bad" ingredients.
Chai tea
The first is chai tea. I refrain from adding latte on the end of that, because it's not a latte until you add the milk, and that's a choice of preference. I'd only ever tried this one before a few years ago (or so I thought) when it gained popularity and I spat it out straight away. It was gritty and way too milky and it was just put off for life, or so I'd assumed.
When I was scouring the cupboards for the spices that some of these chai recipes required, my mum came in and asked if she could help. She then proceeded to call me a hopeless Pakistani, if I didn't know how to make it already and I have to be fair to her, the way she explained it, I've watched her make tea like that for years. Suddenly it was a familiar recipe that my mum would always just make to taste. And honestly it's much better than any of the coffee shop versions, even if I do say so myself!
- tea bags - one per serving
- 1 cup of water per serving
- stick of cinnamon (or cinnamon powder)
- nutmeg (fresh or powdered)
- ginger (fresh or powdered)
- cardomom (fresh or powdered)
- whole cloves
- vanilla pod (extract can be used too)
- sugar/honey/sweetener (optional)
- milk (optional)
I have deliberately not added amounts to this ingredient list because when it comes to this infusion, it entirely depends on your tastes. I'd always say begin with a little and add more to your tastes. Spices such as these tend to be quite strong and if you're not used to the combination, it can be quite overpowering.
Again, it is down to personal preference and also availability as to whether you'll use fresh or powdered forms of the spices. For me, the fresher it is, the stronger the flavour but in a less overpowering way. That doesn't sound like it'll make sense to anyone but I know what I mean so I'll hope you do too!
The recipe itself is simple enough. add the tea bags and water to a saucepan and bring it to a boil and at that point, add all the spices and allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Once you can smell it filling up your kitchen, it will be safe to take it off the heat. Strain the tea to remove all the whole ingredients and add milk at this point, if you want to.
It should be the perfect warming blend to see you through the colder nights and you get the positive of having the fragrance fill your home for a while afterwards!
And about those China tea cups... let's just say I've been watching a LOT of Downton Abbey recently and I wanted to do things properly. I did have to raid my mum's special crockery cupboard so I may be in trouble if these end up chipped. Oops! Since the tea cups had such a vintage feel, I thought I'd filter the photos to match.
Spiced apple juice
If teas are not your cup of tea (hehehe), then this spiced juice will be just as warming and cosy, without the caffeine. It's really simple too! I was finding all sorts of variations on Pinterest so I just smushed it together to make my own concoction.
- 2 cups apple juice
- stick of cinnamon
- 4 cardamom pods
- zest of one orange
Just like before, pop it all into a saucepan and heat until it's infused and you can smell the spices. It should take about 5 minutes. Then strain, pour into cups and enjoy.
Decadent Hot Chocolate
Now I know I said I wanted replacements for hot chocolate and these two drinks are both comforting and good for you in terms of the spices involved. But I also think, you only live once and you can enjoy a sweet, decadent treat when you need it.
My trick here is to have smaller portions and savour it so that that is all you need. If you think the other recipes were simple, this will be fit for a 6 year old to follow - with adult supervision of course.
This hot chocolate only requires a few squares of dark chocolate and some double cream. You can substitute the double cream for milk or make it half and half of each depending on how rich you would like it.
You simple heat enough double cream for a small mug (~100ml) and place squares of chocolate at the bottom of your mug of choice. When you pour the hot cream over the chocolate, it will eventually melt into the liquid and there you have a rich drink. You should add chocolate to suit your tastes so I prefer dark chocolate but it'll work just as well with white or milk chocolate.
Another simple trick is to infuse the cream with a handful of mint leaves if you want a refreshing minty aftertaste. It'll taste like an after eight mint. Another trick that helps me to be good, is to use espresso cups as they are small enough for a treat but you can't over indulge with them.
I hope you enjoyed these simple easy recipes. I always find that when you make something for yourself, it is all the more satisfying.
Until next time, be inspired...
Love, Z
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