Tea, tea, tea, morning, noon and night!

In our house, we love tea all year round but as the temperatures begin to slide down the thermometer, our tea drinking certainly increases. We all know that tea has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries and I'm not here to give you a history lesson (although I do reserve the right to teach and preach at a later date).

No, I just want to share with you a few of my favorite, simple tea recipes that get me up in the morning and keep me going throughout the day and, oftentimes, put me to bed at night.

Morning Start Tea
Yield: 1 serving

8oz hot (not boiling) water
1 tsp minced or pureed ginger root
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cardamom

Combine ginger, cinnamon and cardamom in tea cup. Pour hot water over and stir. Allow to sit a few minutes before enjoying. Can be sweetened with 1 tsp honey if desired.


Midday Slump-Chaser Tea
Yield: 1 serving

8oz hot (not boiling) water
1 teabag strong black tea, such as Irish breakfast tea
pinch of ground cayenne
few whole dried rosemary leaves (not whole sprigs!)

Place teabag, cayenne and rosemary in tea cup. Pour hot water over and allow to steep 3-4 minutes. Remove the tea bag (and fish out the rosemary leaves if you like). Enjoy as is, or stir in 1 Tbsp vanilla almond or oat milk.

Soothing Bedtime Tea
Yield: 1 serving

8oz hot (not boiling) water
2 tsp dried chamomile flowers
1/2 tsp dried catnip
1/2 tsp dried lemon peel or 1/2 tsp dried lemongrass or 1 tsp lemon juice

Place chamomile, catnip and lemongrass in a metal infuser spoon, basket or reusable tea bag and place in tea cup. Pour hot water over and allow to steep 5 minutes before enjoying.

Irish Breakfast

I woke up feeling not-so-hot today so I decided to take the morning off. After sleeping in a bit, I felt much better, but I found myself craving a simple comfort food breakfast to help ease me into the rest of my day. Oatmeal is an easy go-to comfort food for many of us, but I wasn't interested in plain ol' rolled oats this morning, no siree. Instead, I decided to invest a little bit of time for a super comforting bowl of Irish oats.

Irish oats are a super comfort food. Also known as steel-cut oats, they are whole grain groats (the inner part of the oat kernel) that have been cut into two or three pieces. The result is a chunkier oatmeal with a creamy consistency and a great nutty flavor.

Irish (steel-cut) Oats

1 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan margarine
1/2 cup Irish oats
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy, almond, hemp, your choice)

Step 1: Melt the margarine over medium heat and stir in oats. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasted.



Step 2: Add boiling water. (I use an electric kettle. The microwave is another great option.) Stir to combine and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring just once or twice to make sure the oats are not sticking to the bottom of the pan.


Step 3: Add non-dairy milk and stir to combine. Continue cooking 8-10 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.


Step 4: Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. The oats will continue to absorb liquid the longer they sit. Dish up portions and top with chopped nuts and dried fruit. Today, I chose almonds and raisins but any combination of your favorites is perfect!


Wait, what about a beverage?!

Usually, I'm a strict coffee girl. But with my Irish oats, what could be a better pairing than a piping hot mug of Irish breakfast tea? A full-bodied black tea, Irish breakfast is among my tea favorites and I'm partial to the Trader Joe's brand. Just pour 6-8oz of off-boil water over 1 teabag in your favorite mug. I like to add just a teaspoon or so of raw sugar, but this tea is also delicious with a bit of lemon juice. Now that my tea is brewed, I'm ready to dig in to my Irish breakfast!