Well, although the calendar tells me that it is November 1st, it feels like the never-ending summer here in Colorado with dry windy weather and temperatures in the 70’s & even 80’s! And although it is still quite warm out, I wanted to share a few of my favorite fall/winter warm beverages. I actually drink all of these year-round, but find myself reaching for them much more during the cooler months.
First, Kukicha tea. One of my teachers in school turned me on to this one (thanks, Ted!). It is a wonderfully earthy tasting twig tea from Japan. I buy the Eden Foods brand at Natural Grocers. It comes in a box with a purple label and has 16 – 20 bags if I remember right.
Next up is molasses tea. Super simple recipe. You will need a bottle of Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses and some water. That’s about it. Boil 8 – 12 ounces of water, add 1 – 2 Tbsp of molasses (or to your desired level of taste). Stir and you are set. You can add a splash of whatever kind of milk product you enjoy if you find the molasses flavor too strong. I also sometimes add a bag of black tea to it if I want a little added caffeine kick. Molasses is a great source of iron, as well as electrolytes including potassium, calcium, and magnesium. In Oriental medicine, it is very nourishing for the Blood which is important to good health.
Last but not least is a recipe I adapted from the Cashew Latte recipe in the Plantpower Way cookbook. The way I do it is this – Ingredients: 8 ounces boiling water, 8 ounces hot coffee, 8 ounces Califia Farms Toasted Coconut Almond Milk (heated), a handful of cashews (about 1/4 – 1/3 cup), 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder, and 3 – 4 pitted dates. Make sure all the fluids are hot. Put everything in a Vitamix and slowly increase speed until you get it to high and the dates & cashews are smooth with no pieces. If you don’t have a Vitamix or super high power blender, you may want to soak the dates & cashews overnight, unless you don’t mind your beverage being a little gritty or chewy. If you want a caffeine-free version, just leave out the coffee and maybe add a bit more water instead. This makes a good quick breakfast on the run if you don’t have time for any solid food, although I would still recommend grabbing a hard boiled egg or bit of protein. 🙂
Anyhow, these are my go-to recipes. Feel free to play with them a little, adjust them to suit your taste, and enjoy their warm nourishing properties and flavors as the weather turns cooler here on the front range.
Enjoy!