June 14, 2013
STIR-FRIED BOK CHOY WITH SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS Recipe from Cooking with Green Tea by Ying Chang Compestine 3 dried shiitake mushrooms 1 lb baby bok choy or regular bok choy 2 Tbsp canola oil ½ Tbsp Mao Feng green tea 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ Tbsp rice wine 2 Tbsp rice milk or soymilk Salt and black pepper, to taste Soak the mushrooms in warm water until softened, about 15 minutes. Rinse the undersides of the soaked mushrooms under cold running water to clean them of any dirt or sand. Squeeze the mushrooms in your hand to thoroughly wring out the water. Discard the stems. Cut the caps into 2” chunks. Wash and drain the bok choy. Cut it lengthwise into 3” pieces. Heat the oil in a nonstick cooking pan or […]
May 6, 2013
RASPBERRY OAT BARS WITH BURGUNDY BLAST HERBAL TISANE Burgundy Blast Herbal Tisane – This refreshing blend brews to a bright cherry red color with a sweet, tart taste. Comprised of hibiscus flowers, mango, papaya, lemongrass, safflower, mallow blossoms and acai and pomegranate flavors, this tea is fabulous both hot and iced. Certified Kosher, Caffeine Free! For information visit our website 2 tsp Burgundy Blast Herbal Tisane , ground 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 cup flour 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder 1 cup oats 3/4 cup raspberry preserves Preheat the oven to 350. Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish. In a medium sized bowl mix all of the ingredients together (except the jam). Press 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared […]
April 9, 2013
It seems that most towns across the country celebrate the advent of Spring with a Spring Tea party, a time for everyone to shake off the hibernation of winter and come together as a community. We all have our Spring-time rituals. Usually when I hear the Spring birds singing, I start seeds indoors and plan this year’s garden. One of the plants that is essential in any garden I create is lavender. I love the aroma of lavender and the variety of ways lavender is used: from cosmetics and culinary recipes to medicinal purposes. And while it doesn’t bloom here in CT until later in the Spring season, I still associate the taste and smell of lavender as a harbinger of the season of new growth, color, light, […]
March 25, 2013
Enjoy the sunny flavors of the Caribbean with this blend of papaya, mango, hibiscus, orange peel, lemon peel, orange blossoms and flavorings. Caribbean Splash is a strong blend of citrus fruits that will make your taste buds jump and leave a tingly feeling in your mouth. Great used in recipe below for a refreshing summer treat! Caribbean Splash Smoothie 1 cup water 1 heaping tsp. Caribbean Splash herbal tisane 1 large banana, cut into quarters 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt 1 kiwi, peeled & quartered 3 frozen strawberries Boil 1 cup water and pour over Caribbean Splash. Steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the herbs and chill the “tea”. Pour the brewed tea into a blender. Add the fruit and yogurt and blend until smooth.
January 24, 2013
In one of the tea chat groups I belong to (Teamail), a woman mentioned that she had recently been served Chai tea oatmeal at a restaurant on the West Coast. She said it was delicious and I could well imagine that it would be pretty tasty. So since it’s winter and I do love a warm bowl of oatmeal in the morning, I brewed up some chai this morning and gave this a whirl. Oh my gosh – Yum! I will never make oatmeal without chai again! I brewed up 1 1/2 tsp of Chai Black Tea in 8oz water and steeped for 5 minutes. Then I poured the brewed tea in a saucepan, added 1/2 cup of oats, returned to a boil, then simmered. I added a little maple syrup […]
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 […]
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 […]