Skinny Chai Tea Latte

It is winter and cold and what better thing to do than to have some chai tea?

Especially if you have won a giveaway that has a box of tea, including chai tea.

Yes, I’ll be reviewing this at a later date, but for now I have this recipe to tide you over. This recipe comes from a book we added at the library, Lose Weight By Eating: Detox Week by Audrey Johns. I was flipping through the book, processing it, when this recipe caught my eye and I had to make it.

“Oh, the irony…I’m typing this at a coffeehouse. I’m just trying to be honest here, because though I don’t often visit coffeehouses, I do once in a while when I need a quiet space to work. I made this recipe earlier today, then figured, “What the heck, let’s make sure it is as good as Starbucks,” so I headed on over to my local spot and ordered-you guessed it-a chai tea latte. So here I am, drinking my second chai tea latte of the day and typing up my recipe, which I think tastes exactly the same.

I whisk the milk by hand, and it’s very easy. It only takes a minute and you’re done (and by the way I’ve had two wrist surgeries in my whisking hand, so I assure you anyone can handle this mild activity).”

Ingredients:

• 3 Chai Tea Bags, with the Paper Tags Cut Off
• 2 Cups of Unsweetened Almond Milk or Milk of your choice
• 2 Tablespoons of Pure Maple Syrup (optional)
• Sugar (optional)
• Pumpkin Pie Spice (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat 2 cups of water.
2. One heated, remove from heat and steep 3 bags of chai tea for five minutes.
3. In a small saucepan heat the milk over medium-low heat. As soon as the milk is simmering, whisk it.
4. Pour the tea into two cups and and add sugar, maple syrup, or other sweetener.
5. Top with frothy milk.
6. Sprinkle on some pumpkin pie spice (if using).
7. Congratulations, you just saved yourself $5.04.

I thought it was really good, but I had way more milk than tea. I don’t think the author planned for how it grows when heated and whisked. I had to make additional cups of tea to use it up-but otherwise, it was delicious!

For more tea posts, go to Blueberry Matcha Smoothie

For more recipes, go to Crispy, Chewy, Matcha Green Tea Cookies

Green Tea Frappuccino

So I know some of you are thinking…uh didn’t you say you were going to resume reviewing Rational Creatures?

You are all 100% right. However, this weekend I left the hot three digit heat to visit my friend in cool, comfortable degree weather-San Jose.

I was hoping to have the next installment of Rational Creatures ready but it’s isn’t and I don’t want to post a lackluster review for a book that I have been enjoying. So instead I thought I would pause and share a yummy tea recipe that will help you beat this summer (it’s not fall in California until October) heat.

This recipe comes from my sister blog, MysteriousEats, and is a way to make a homemade Green Tea Frappuccino which stars one of my favorite teas:

So I mentioned in Matcha, Matcha, Matcha that my niece and I would go on these faux-around the world trips. One day she wanted to go to Japan so I planned a trip around town and then we ended the day with the tea ceremony. As I had leftover Matcha and I love the Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino-it was a no brainer to use my sister blog’s recipe and make my own.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Ice Cubes (Less than 10)
• 1 Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1 Cup of Milk
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon of Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons of Matcha Green Tea Powder
• 1/8 Teaspoon of Vanilla or Vanilla Extract
• Xanthan Gum (Optional)
• Whipped Cream (Optional)

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Pulse and blend on high until thorough.
3. Add whipped cream if you want.

It’s absolutely delicious!

For more tea posts, go to I Won the Regency Marketplace Giveaway

For more Mysterious Eats recipes, go to Cheese Round

For more recipes, go to Matcha, Matcha, Matcha

For more Jane Austen quotes, go to Rational Creatures: Elizabeth & Charlotte