Courtesy of Kitchen Dispensary http://thekitchendispensary.wordpress.com/
Today is the Autumn equinox. Summer really feels like it’s gone now and the air is beginning to feel fresh and crisp. I just feel like donning a pair of unattractive slippers and sitting on the couch. So today we were thinking of Chai Tea and how delicious and warming the spices are, but we wanted to make a sesame milk version. This recipe has all the traditional Chai spices but not the caffeine, sugar and dairy that Chai usually has and you shouldn’t. This is a drink that will go down well with friends who are not raw because it’s just so tasty and if you don’t have figs on hand you could also substitute with dates. It’s perfectly autumnal.
Sesame & Fig Chai Milk
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Sesame Seeds
- 4 Cups Filtered or Spring Water
- 6 Dried Figs
- 2cm Piece of Fresh Ginger Root
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Grated Nutmeg
- Seeds of 3 Cardamom Pods
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- 2 Tbsp Raw Manuka Honey
Method
- Blend the sesame seeds, water, ginger and cardamom pods together in a high speed blender for at least a minute.
- Strain and squeeze through a nut milk bag or piece of cheesecloth. Compost the sesame seed hulls and pour the milk back into the blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend for another minute. Feel free to adjust the spices to your personal taste.
- Pour into short tumbler glasses and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve with a cinnamon quill to use as a straw.
For a Chocolate Chai Milk simply add 1 -2 Tbsp of Raw Cacao Powder.
Making Seed and Nut Milks
Seed and Nut Milks are so easy to make. They are a great base for smoothies in place of dairy or soy. There are a number of videos on YouTube showing how to make the milk. This is a great demonstration by Karen Knowler. She uses almonds in this recipe which also make a delicious milk, I just use sesame seeds quite often as they are less expensive.
Not Milk
There are just so many health problems associated with dairy products. If you think about it we are the only species to drink milk as adults and we are the only species to drink the milk of another animal. It’s infant formula for cows, do you really think it’s going to be good for a human to drink? Cow’s are usually pumped so full of hormones and antibiotics which end up in their milk and eventually into the person who drinks it. Check out this interview with Robert Cohen, author of ‘Milk, The Deadly Poison’ about the dangers of dairy.
