Sweet Herbal Iced Tea

Often, my husband and I will take a drive down to Tucson and visit the Krishna Temple restaurant down there. All the food is vegetarian and extremely delicious. If you ever have a chance to visit a Krishna restaurant, I encourage you to go and enjoy the most delicious food at extremely reasonable prices.

Last Summer, we enjoyed an iced herbal tea which was made without sugar and was most refreshing as well as healthy.

I asked them the recipe for this which they gladly shared with me.

When I was growing up, Mum never allowed us to have soft drinks in the house, and when we were out for dinner a single glass was all we were allowed. She would have us drinking water and more 'healthy' options for drinks. This recipe would have been most welcomed to me as a child, and so if you have children and are trying to cut down their sugar intake, please try this recipe out and let me know how everyone enjoyed it.


Take a couple of bags of herbal tea (any flavour works - we enjoy a hibiscus and strawberry blend, mint, chamomile, etc).

Boil 1 - 1 1/2 cups water and steep the tea bags in this, leave for about 10 minutes.

Pour the tea into a gallon jug and add water to reach 1/2 gallon.

Fill up the rest of the gallon with unsweetened apple juice.

Put it in the fridge and let it chill.

This is a wonderful alternative to the sugar and chemical filled, soft drinks and powdered drinks. It is natural, and the apple juice provides a nice "je ne ces quoi" about the drink that is very pleasant, and it is also naturally sweetened.

Try this with your family, children and let me know how it works out for you.

NB: You can also adjust to have more apple juice if you so desire. I personally enjoy just a hint.

"Soft" Mead

With the summer upon us, I like to have a variety of choices when it comes to beverages.

Since my husband and I don't drink coffee or tea (which is quite often enjoyed iced during the summer months), I'll often make this most refreshing drink. If you have never tried mead, which was the alcoholic beverage of choice during times of 'ole, here is a very refreshing non-alcoholic version. It is really easy to make and not much fuss.

I add frozen strawberries and always make sure to drink it cold. This is a very refreshing drink and is not only great to drink often, but is really great to serve at Summer BBQ's and get-togethers.

I am going to experiment with various different fruits and will then let you know how these turned out.

When you try it, let me know how you liked it...


Ingredients:
4 cups spring water
1 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 lemon, sliced
1 orange, sliced
½ packet of frozen strawberry (or experiment with other fruits)

Instructions:
1. Bring water, honey, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan.

2. Stir until honey is dissolved; heaviness at bottom of pan will disappear.

3. Use a wooden spoon to skim off the film that rises until surface is clear.

4. Add lemon and orange slices, squeezing as they are placed in the water (add frozen strawberries now too - let cook for about 5 - 10 mins and then mash the strawberries to expel the juices).

5. Cool completely; strain. Pour into bottle and store in refrigerator.






"Soft" Mead

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