Yerba Mate Chai

There are quite a few things that I am utterly obsessed with at the moment...

80's music. 

Soba noodles with mung bean sprouts. 

Kettlebells. (If you live in Seattle, Kettlebility's classes are awesome!)

Tim Ferris and The 4 Hour Workweek.

Chicago Fire on NBC. (a.k.a. A drama about beautiful people that rescue people. I'm in.)

Popcorn with a little coconut oil and sea salt. Pure bliss. 

Kris Carr's new cookbook. 

Danielle LaPorte and The Desire Map. 

Yoga pants. Always and forever.

And yerba mate tea. Ooh how I love mate tea.

I first began drinking mate tea in college and instantly fell in love. Later that year I completely gave up coffee for mate and have never looked back. Yerba mate tea is a South American tea that tastes sweet and grassy. To me, it has a milder taste compared to green tea. I prefer to drink mate because it gives me an energy boost without the side effects of caffeine (e.g. headache, jitters, etc) that I experience when I have black tea or coffee.  You can find mate at any health food store or online. 

I love drinking mate tea with just a little homemade vanilla almond milk, but I decided to change it up this week with a simple mate chai. If you don't like the taste of mate tea or prefer to have a caffeine-free version, simply sub rooibus tea instead. 

Yerba Mate Chai

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Makes 1 large pot of tea (6 cups)

Ingredients:

1/2 of a star anise star

10 whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole white peppercorns

1 cardamon pod opened to the seeds

1-inch piece fresh ginger, mashed

3 cups water

2 heaping tablespoons of yerba mate tea (or another tea of your choice)

3 cups almond milk (or milk of your choice)

Sweetener of choice, to taste

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, add spices and water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 - 20 minutes, depending on how strong you want the spice flavor to be. 

Add almond milk to the water and spices. Bring the milk and spice mixture just to a boil and remove from heat. Add the tea and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.  Add sweetener to taste, if desired.  Strain into a pot and serve warm. 

Creamy Cinnamon Oatmeal Porridge

There are days when a smoothie just isn't going to cut it for breakfast.  On these days I wake up craving something warm, filling, and cinnamon-y.  These days call for homemade spelt waffles, fresh from the griddle.  

But, if you're anything like me, you don't end up with warm, delicious spelt waffles.  Nope, if you are me, you end up oddly crispy, yet somehow undercooked waffle-imposters because you decided that you didn't need to follow a recipe for waffle batter.  (Apparently, Sonnet, apparently... you do.)  

No harm done though, because smarty pants you, you had some steel cut oats soaking.  Looks like you get to indulge in that hearty, delicious breakfast after all.  

The key to this porridge is soaking the oats for 12 - 24 hours.  Soaking grains increases their digestibility and makes them more nutritious.  Most grains contain phytic acid which can block mineral absorption during digestion, but soaking and fermenting grains neutralizes this acid and allows your body to absorb more nutrients.  In cool weather, soak the oats for a full 24 hours and in hot weather, soak them for 8 - 12 hours.  I recently soaked and fermented my oats for two days, resulting in a very intense, sour porridge.  For most palates, I would definitely recommend sticking with 12 - 24 hours.

The other important aspect of this recipe is the cinnamon.  I love using cinnamon in my cooking because it helps to balance blood sugar and decreases inflammation.  Sounds like a win-win! Eat up!

Note: If gluten-free, be sure to choose Bob's Red Mill brand for steel cut oats.  Although oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often contaminated with wheat during processing.  

Creamy Cinnamon Oatmeal Porridge

Slightly adapted from Wild Fermentation 

Serves 2 - 4

1 cup steel-cut oats

5 cups water

sea salt to taste

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Soak oats for 12 - 24 hours in 2 cups of water.  Keep container covered to keep dust and flies out.  The oats will absorb most of the water.

When oats are done soaking, bring an additional 3 cups of water to a boil.  Lower the heat and add the soaked oats with any remaining water.  Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until the oats are hot and have absorbed all the water, about 10 - 15 minutes.  Stir constantly as the oatmeal gets thicker to prevent it from burning.  Serve warm with your favorite toppings.