Vanilla Rooibus Tea with Cacao & Mint

Since I'm hosting the savory tea giveaway from Numi this week, I thought it would be fun to talk a little bit more about tea. 

If you ever come to Seattle, one of the places that you absolutely have to visit is Remedy Teas on Capitol Hill. I am obsessed with this tea house. They carry over 150 organic loose leaf teas in the cafe, including white, green, oolong, black, rooibus, yerba, and a variety of herbal teas. If you are a tea drinker, this place is pure heaven. 

One of my favorite combinations was a seasonal holiday tea they featured several years ago that tasted like chocolate peppermint candy. Let me tell you, I bought out the store. Literally. And over the next eleven months I drank it all. 

Then the following Christmas I anxiously awaited for this seasonal tea to return, but they never brought it back. Several months ago I found myself craving this tea again and I finally decided it was time to just make my own combination. So I did.  

Rooibus is a sweet, caffeine-free tea from South Africa. I love drinking it as an afternoon treat and this combination is perfect with a little almond milk and stevia.  

I was pleasantly surprised by how cost effective it is to make my own loose leaf blend by purchasing the ingredients separately and then mixing them together. A small tin of this blend can usually run around $15, but I found that purchasing the ingredients in bulk and making this myself cut the cost to a little less than 1/3 of the price. I found the ingredients at my local health foods store, but I also provided links below to order online if your store does not have a bulk section or does not carry these items. Since vanilla beans are quite pricey, I kept mine whole and added it to the tea blend to help infuse the tea with vanilla flavor. Storing the tea in a tea tin kept the vanilla bean fresh enough that it still has plenty of flavor to reuse in future batches of tea. 

Vanilla Rooibus Tea with Cacao & Mint

Makes about 15 cups of tea

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rooibus tea

2 tablespoons cacao nibs

2 tablespoons peppermint tea

1 vanilla bean

Instructions:

Assemble the ingredients and store in a tea tin.

The general rule of thumb when brewing loose leaf tea is 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of water, but I tend to like stronger tea so I usually add 2 - 3 teaspoons per cup of water. I am by no means a tea expert, but here are some other helpful tips I typically use for brewing rooibus tea:

• Always use fresh, cold, and preferably filtered water for boiling. (This will help your tea to taste the best.)
• The recommended temperature for making rooibus tea is 205°F, which means you can usually bring the water to a rolling boil and then steep the tea right away. (Some teas are better at a lower temperature so you have to wait a few minutes after boiling.)
• For steeping the tea, I usually opt for my trusty Bodum teapot or tea filters if I am using a travel mug on-the-go. Lately I've been using a tea infuser, which allows me to steep the tea directly in my mug. For some reason this has felt easier than using a teapot, but it's all personal preference. 
• Rooibus tea should steep for 3 - 5 minutes, and then the leaves should be removed.  It's also recommended that the cup is covered during steeping, but if you use the teapot or tea infuser, this usually has a lid of its own. 
• Finally, enjoy your tea! Add some milk of your choice and your favorite sweetener (if desired) and serve hot!

Recipe shared at Wellness Weekend

Glazed Donut Peaches with Vanilla Creme

When you're running your own business, fellow entrepreneurs are more than happy to give you advice and tell you stories about best marketing practices and the nightmare that is tax season.  Business owners will also comfort you with stories of how long it took for their website to go live and how they aren't even on speaking terms with their web designer anymore. (Since my web designer is my partner, I certainly hope my situation has a different ending.) 

Here is something that other people don't tell you about starting your own business... For the first few months, you will probably eat a lot of dessert while sitting in front of your computer stressing out. I'm not gonna lie. I did.  They also won't tell you that soon after your sweet craze you'll look in the mirror and will be horrified by where that dessert ended up. 

Don't worry though.  I got your back.  This week I created these glazed donut peaches with raw vanilla cashew creme so you can enjoy a sweet, delicious treat without all the oil and refined sugars. Finally a donut that you can feel good about eating. 

First, start with some perfectly ripe donut peaches.  I highly recommend buying local if possible and definitely buy organic. (Note: Peaches are on the Environmental Working Group's "Dirty Dozen" list because conventional peaches contain a high amount of pesticide residue. If you purchase any of the items on this list, you should definitely buy organic.) 

The fun thing about these donuts is that you can add whatever toppings you desire: sprinkles, unsweetened coconut flakes, and chopped nuts are my personal favorites.  I tried two versions of these: one with peeled peaches and one with unpeeled peaches.  When peeled, these definitely take on a closer "donut" texture so the extra effort is worth it in the end.

Glazed Donut Peaches with Vanilla Creme
Adapted from Veggie Wedgie
Serves 8

Vanilla Creme Glaze:
1/3 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight then drained
seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 medjool date, pitted
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 - 3 tablespoons water, as needed

Begin by soaking the cashews overnight in water.  Drain.  Add cashews to a food processor or high-speed blender.

Cut the vanilla bean open by slicing down the middle to open up the pod.  Scrape the seeds into the food processor and discard the pod. Add the date, maple syrup, and 2 -3 tablespoons of water to the food processor and process until smooth and liquidfied (but not watery), scraping down the sides with a spatula as necessary.

Glazed Donut Peaches:
8 ripe donut peaches
Toppings of choice (e.g. sprinkles, unsweetened coconut flakes, chopped nuts, etc)

Pit the peaches by using a small paring knife to cut around the middle and remove the pit.  Peel the peaches using your fingers.  Place peaches in freezer for 10 - 15 minutes to harden while you are preparing the vanilla creme glaze.

Once glaze is ready, remove peaches from freezer and dip in glaze.  Sprinkle with toppings.  Place peaches back in freezer for 10 minutes to allow the glaze to "set."  Serve immediately.

Ice Candy

BUKO ICE CANDY

• 1 can condensed milk (300ml)
• 1- 1/2 cup grated buko
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups coconut water
• 1/2 gallon water

Mix all ingredients together: condensed milk, grated buko, white sugar, vanilla, coconut water and water.
Mix well until sugar is dissolved and condensed milk well blended.
Prepare the container or ice candy plastic bags and pour the mixture with a funnel to make ice candies. Makes 40-50 pcs. ice candies.

PINEAPPLE ICE CANDY

• 4 cups pineapple Juice
• 1/2 gallon water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp pineapple extract

Dissolve sugar in water thoroughly before adding all ingredients.
Mix all ingredients together: pineapple juice, pineapple extract, sugar and water.
Prepare the container or ice candy plastic bags and pour the mixture with a funnel to make ice candies. Makes 30-40 pcs. ice candies.

CORN ICE CANDY

• 1 can condensed milk (300 mI)
• 1 cup creamed corn (canned)
• 1/2 gallon water
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together: condensed milk, creamed corn, vanilla and water.
Mix well until sugar is dissolved and condensed milk well blended.
Prepare the container or ice candy plastic bags and pour the mixture with a funnel to make ice candies. Makes 30-40 pcs. ice candies.