Tea recipes so you can make your own unique blends.

If winter is good for one thing, it’s for curling up with a good book and a mug of tea. This is the season to embrace coziness. In Denmark, they have a word to describe this exact feeling: hygge. Creating a warm atmosphere to celebrate the good things in life. That’s exactly how you get through a long winter. And what better way to do it than by making your own tea recipes?

With a handful of dried herbs and spices and an assortment of tea leaves, you can make your own unique tea blends at home. And given all the benefits of tea, you should definitely be drinking more of it. Here are 10 recipes to get you started.

1. Chai

A dark and spicy tea always goes well with a cold evening, and chai seems to often be the tea recipe of choice. While many buy it pre-made, chai is simple to make at home. Stock up on cinnamon, peppercorns, fennel, coriander, cloves and cardamom and away you go.

2. Lavender Earl Grey

I discovered this in a cafe in Canada and have been in love ever since. It is as simple as adding lavender buds to Earl Grey tea and then brewing. The ratio will depend on your personal taste, and if you want to make an even cozier drink, you can add in milk for a tea latte.

3. Ginger Turmeric Tea

In the winter, it’s nice to have a tea recipe that will give you an extra boost, and this one is it. Ginger turmeric tea is especially good if you’re trying to beat off a winter cold or the flu. All you need is powdered ginger and turmeric.

4. Lemon Tisane

This tea recipe gives you a calming citrus drink, make with dried lemon grass and lemon peel.

5. Peppermint Tea

Maybe you were smart enough to dry some peppermint from your kitchen pots last summer. If not, get your hands on some dried peppermint and make this tea recipe that is sure to perk you up.

6. Ginger Honey Lemon Tonic

Here’s another recipe for anyone trying to beat off the winter cold. Using fresh ginger root and lemon, you’re even welcome to pour in some whiskey.

7. Tranquil Tea

With chamomile and rose petals, this tea is perfect if you need to wind down from a long day.

8. Vanilla Rooibos 

With a fresh vanilla bean and some loose rooibos tea, you can make this aromatic red blend, that also happens to be perfect for baking cookies with. Because the only thing cozier than a book and a mug of tea is a book, a mug of tea, and a cookie.

9. Rosemary Tea

Dried rosemary isn’t just good for roasted potatoes, it also makes a lovely tea. Pair with peppermint and sage in this tea recipe.

10. Detoxifying Mint Tea

With spices like coriander and cumin, this tea recipe is a combination of dry ingredients which you can make in advance and keep on hand, combined with fresh ginger, mint and lemon.

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The post 10 DIY Tea Recipes for Cozy Winter Evenings appeared first on EcoSalon.

You could go to the tea aisle in your local grocery store and let the tea producers do all the work for you in terms packaging the right elixir to treat your mood or health condition, but where’s the fun and personalization (to the T) in that?

By following the following tea recipes, you can not only have a more active hand in what goes into your tea concoction but also tweak your recipe more precisely to your individual needs.

You’ll either need to steep the loose leaf teas in a teapot before straining into a tea cup, or use a ball strainer and steep the tea directly in a cup before consuming. Sweeten these tea recipes with stevia or raw honey. Enjoy sleep, digestive, and menstrual benefits with these three loose leaf tea recipes!

1. Sleep Aid

Mix together chamomile, mint and catnip herbs to create a sleep aid that will soften your senses and get you in the mood to hit the hay. Catnip has long been used as a remedy for insomnia and like chamomile, helps to relax the body and mind.

2. Digestive Aid

Fennel is widely used for its ability to reduce intestinal gas and ease bloating. Senna is also notorious for is digestion-boosting qualities and even acts as a mile laxative. Mix the two together along with mint or chamomile for a delicious and soothing (in more ways than one) tea. Be careful not to consume senna too regularly, as it can lead to diarrhea and the leaching of nutrients from your body.

3. Menstrual and Pregnancy Aid

During that special time of month or a pregnancy, women endure bloating and discomfort, among other things. A therapeutic tea is just what the doctor ordered. No need to go crazy with the mix — simply steep raspberry leaves and enjoy! Raspberry leaves are full of antioxidants, B-vitamins, potassium, and iron. Raspberry leaves help with nausea and balancing hormones as well as strengthening the uterus and pelvic muscles.

Photo Credit: Zanhouse

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The post 3 Loose Leaf Herbal Tea Recipes for Common Daily Ailments appeared first on EcoSalon.

These are the perfect accompaniment to a tea party of any size. Whether it’s high tea at three o’clock for the ladies or a tea party for your budding princesses, these teanies add unparalleled nutritional perks. In addition to vitamin C, chromium, zinc and magnesium, Matcha tea contains unique and powerful antioxidants called catechins, which counteract the effect of free radicals, a cause of DNA damage. I also add hemp seeds to the batter and the frosting to bump up the protein, omega-3, omega-6 and phytonutrient content. Just some added health insurance.

Makes 24 mini-muffin-size teanies

Ingredients

Teanies

24 mini paper baking cups
2½ cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (see page 13)
2 teaspoons Matcha green tea powder
1 teaspoon sodium-free baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon guar gum
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon coriander powder
½ cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup coconut nectar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/8 teaspoon stevia powder
¾ cup water
¼ cup unsweetened plain rice milk
1/3 cup hemp seeds

Frosting

1 cup hemp seed butter
¼ cup coconut nectar
1/8 teaspoon green Matcha tea powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 24-cup mini muffin tin with mini paper baking cups.

To make the teanies, whisk together the flour, Matcha tea powder, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum, salt and coriander in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle.

Add the grapeseed oil, coconut nectar, vanilla and stevia and stir to combine. Next add the water and rice milk, and stir until the liquid is absorbed and the batter is smooth. Stir in the hemp seeds and mix well to distribute evenly.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups to the top.

Bake the teanies for 13 to 14 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown around the edges and bounce back slightly to the touch. Rotate the muffin tin from front to back after 10 minutes of baking.

Transfer the muffin tin from the oven to a wire rack and let sit for about 15 minutes before removing the teanies to cool completely.

To make the frosting, mix together the hemp seed butter, coconut nectar, Matcha tea powder and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Frost the teanies when they are completely cool.

Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 teanie):
180 calories, 8 g total fat, 0.0 mg cholesterol,
16 g carbohydrates, 80 mg sodium, 2 g fiber,
3 g protein, 7 g sugars

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Image via Debbie Adler

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