I am far overdue
to write a new post. As I explained in April, I am in the middle of a personal
rehab/remodel of my back. When last I posted, I was seeing the chiropractor
three times a week, gradually increasing the time between adjustments. This
week, I 'graduated' to once every four weeks for maintenance.
While my
adjustments got fewer and further between, my workouts increased to close
to two hours per day, as I am using exercise for my primary pain management,
along with my recipe for a chai tea that I based on an ayurvedic recipe for
golden milk (turmeric paste in milk- see below). I have found that the tea
provides some basic relief, and hubby and I use it as our anti-inflammatory.
***Disclaimer: Nothing that I post should
be construed as medical advice; I am not a doctor, and I do not play one
on PC. This blog is primarily about my journey in the kitchen, with detours
into personal opinion and stories of what's going on in my world (after all,
what is a 'blog', but a web log or diary?). Personally, I try to avoid big pharmaceuticals,
and I do believe in the medicinal value of herbs and spices. That said, even
all-natural herbs CAN have side-effects, and I encourage my readers to research
and question everything, whether information comes from your doctor, your friendly-neighborhood internet blogger,
social media or TV. Very rarely does one individual hold all the answers, and
even those answers may not be correct for everyone.***
Now that we got
that out of the way, I have to say that I have been looking for ways to incorporate
turmeric into my diet, and this works nicely, especially in the evening. As
always, feel free to modify the recipe; use more milk or less, use a different
fat, sweeten (or don't) as you see fit. Also, either keep a spoon handy to stir
the spices, chug them at the end, or sip the tea until you get to the paste and
discard; we usually swirl a bit of water in any remaining spices and finish
them that way. This makes two large mugs (or buckets as we like to call them,
LOL), or three cups.
 |
| One of our 'buckets' of Golden Chai tea, with the many spices used in the recipe. |
·
8 oz
tea (fairly neutral in taste, black, white or oolong would work nicely, I even use Earl Grey)
·
8 oz
milk (I recommend the highest quality that you can find, whether that is
organic, grass-fed dairy, etc.)
·
8 oz
water (you can substitute more milk for a richer cup)
·
½
tsp turmeric
·
½
tsp allspice
·
½
tsp cinnamon
·
½
tsp ginger
·
¼ tsp
coriander seed powder
·
1/8
tsp clove
·
1/8
tsp nutmeg
·
1/8
tsp cardamom
·
1/8
tsp mace
·
app.
1 (generous) Tbsp of fat (I use butter, but you can substitute any high quality
organic oil)
Add
the liquids and spices to a pot and place over medium heat. Stir frequently
(keep in mind that any wooden spoon or silicone spatula that you use will probably
be stained yellow by the turmeric). Cook until the golden yellow of the
turmeric becomes more pronounced, add fat and sweeten as desired.
*It
should be noted that turmeric is known to have a bitter taste, so if you
increase the amount, you may want to do so gradually. Please read up on side
effects, and if you are on medication, you may want to check with your
pharmacist for possible drug interactions. Just as in the case of reactions to
food, be aware or your body's reaction to any herbal supplements that you may
try.
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