October 24, 2012
As I was wandering in the grocery store the other day looking for something remotely interesting for dinner I spied the tofu section. Having not made tofu in while, and having quite the store of potatoes and carrots, I decided it sounded cozy to turn on the oven and do a little roasting/baking. The tofu needs at least an hour to marinate, so I started with this part of the meal. The whole dinner was fast & delicious. Ingredients: 1 block extra-firm tofu, well pressed 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp. Tamari 1 tsp S&V organic Lemon Myrtle 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp toasted sesame oil1/2 tsp chopped ginger root 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp basil 1/2 tsp thyme Preparation: Press any excess water out of the tofu. […]
October 3, 2012
September 18th and the weather turned surprisingly chilly. I know it’s New England … it’s September… But every year I swear I’m a little surprised when the weather cools down. And with the rain and gray skies it seemed much more Fall-ish than the previous day’s sunny 70’s. So what’s a girl to do? Brew up some tea and make soup? Yup! I took stock of the root cellar and what’s growing in the garden and made a delightful lunch! A few days ago we pulled some carrots out of the garden and harvested all our potatoes. That’s the best “job” – potato harvesting. If you haven’t had a chance to do it – you have to try it sometime. The summer starts to wind down, the potato plants start dying, the weeds […]
September 10, 2012
Everyone likes their tea a different way: with cream, without, with sweeteners or without. So it doesn’t seem so out of place to discuss here a major problem with a sweetener so often used in tea. I speak of honey and the problems that have plagued the little bees for years – colony collapse disorder (CCD). I’ve been reading articles about this and talking with apiaries about their experiences for about 6 years and was curious to know how our tea drinking community feels. The more I read, the more questions I find that I would like answered. I don’t want to lapse into the assumption that there are greedy corporate giants who are knowingly harming the environment and continuing to do so for financial gain. I know […]
August 27, 2012
Continuing on the theme of recipes “to incorporate all your summer squash that’s growing in your garden” – here’s another recipe using Simpson and Vail green tea and squash. The summer heat was blazing when I made this soup so I opted to cook it in a crock-pot. It kept the kitchen cool and by the time we sat down to eat it the temperature had cooled considerably. Green Tea Summer Squash Soup 2 Tbsp Japanese Green Sencha Tea 6 cups water 1 cup chopped onions 2 cloves minced garlic 2 cups chopped yellow squash 2 cups chopped zucchini 3/4 cup chopped celery 2 cups chopped potatoes 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 tsp salt, or to taste 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped 2 Tbsp fresh parley, chopped 1 […]
August 24, 2012
The weather is starting to cool off here in the northeast. Thankfully it’s still warm enough to enjoy a nice glass of iced tea made with Simpson and Vail loose tea and some pickings from the garden. In addition to summer squash growing profusely, I seem to have an over abundance of basil plants this year. SOME people here may say I have a slight “problem” that may require therapy, and I readily agree that the basil is a little out of control this year. In my defense though, I saw a little woodchuck in the Spring and I may have over-reacted when I started putting seeds in the raised beds. Who knew that ALL the seeds would grow and that no creatures would visit the garden! So I potted basil […]
July 26, 2012
“Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? …” Well mine is growing quite abundantly! If you’re like me you’re swimming right about now in yellow squash and zucchini. And you may be searching recipes for some fun, new ways to cook them. And broccoli, onions, herbs….. If your pantry, like mine, also has a lot of Simpson & Vail tea in it – why not have some creative kitchen fun? Last night was pesto pizza, 2 nights ago was this sauteed Summer Squash with rice (see recipe below). Tonight will be Summer Vegetable Soup, which is in the crockpot right now. Summer Squash, Basil and Green Tea Sauce: 4 Tbsp butter 2 tsp green tea (I used Organic Vietnam Green) 2 Tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp capers (or […]
July 15, 2012
Here’s a yummy recipe for a wonderful loose iced tea that’s helping me battle the heat today! Today’s recipe is for Simpson And Vail Burgundy Blast Iced Tea. Place 6 teaspoons of Burgundy Blast Herbal Tisane in a 6 cup teapot (32 oz) and pour boiling water over the herbs. Steep 5 minutes. Strain out the herbs and let the tea cool a little. Pour about 1/2 the teapot into ice cube trays and freeze. Cool the remaining tea in the pot. When the cubes are fozen, place in a tall glass with a few teaspoons of orange-mango simple syrup* and pour in the tea. Top with a mint sprig and enjoy! This is a cooling, refreshing beverage that will quench your thirst on a hot summer day! *Orange Mango Simple […]
May 24, 2012
There’s no denying it – it’s iced tea weather! I was in a Thai restaurant a little while ago with my friend Carol and we both tried their Jasmine iced tea with lunch. It was delicious – light and delicate with a little sweetness and a more subtle taste of Jasmine. I thought the recipe below would come close to it. Jasmine Tea Syrup: 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp Dragon Phoenix Pearl Jasmine In a small saucepan, over medium heat, gently heat and dissolve the sugar in the water. Add the tea and steep 1.5 minutes. S train the tea leaves. Chill the syrup and add a little in your next glass of iced tea! Enjoy!
April 25, 2012
Many of our Simpson and Vail customers are huge fans of both the taste and flavor as well as the benefits of our loose Rooibos tea. The question is, are the health claims true? Researchers in South Africa (Professor Maryna van de Venter of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology and her colleague, Dr Trevor Koekemoer, at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), funded by the South African Rooibos Council, are currently studying Rooibos’ effects on the aging process. The thought for many years has been that the antioxidants in Rooibos bind with free radicals preventing them from damaging cells. Certainly European and South African cosmetic companies think this may be true as well, since Rooibos is found as an ingredient in many skin care products overseas. Ten years […]
April 16, 2012
I made this loose tea rub, (with Simpson and Vail Loose Tea, of course), a week ago and finally got around to using it on some tofu I picked up. My partner in crime here in the house doesn’t want to be mentioned by name in this blog. So let’s call him Double 0 14 (cause, yes, he’s just THAT much better than 007′!) Anyway, 0014 and I don’t exactly have the same diet – he’s a carnivore and I’m a vegetarian. I used to stress about things to make for dinner, but as he so eloquently pointed out, he’s an adult and was able to fend for himself long before he met me. Quite true. So sometimes we end up making different meals and sometimes he’ll happily dive in to […]