Spiced Chai Drink Dairy Free, Sugar Free

It’s the day after Thanksgiving

and all through the house,

the creatures are creeping,

quiet as a mouse.

Waking slowly from sleep,

Letting eyelids creep

Open to see

the need for some tea.

Spicy Chai is the drink

For people who think

That the day after Thanksgiving Should continue the gratitude and opt outside for some altitude.

Ok, so I’m no poet. but it’s the thought that counts, right? Getting ready to go climb the Chief in Squamish means a great wakeup.

But I am a tea drinker, not a coffee drinker.

My daily wakeup of choice is rich black tea with almond milk.

My morning routine is 2–3 cups of tea without sweetener, even in my almond milk. So when our daughters asked for our family Chai recipe for the next trip to our favorite outdoor rock climbing, I mixed up a big batch. It isn’t hard, and the girls adore the warming qualities of the combination of spices- Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, and Black Pepper. Now traditionally Masala Chai also contains black tea, thick milk or half and half and some sweetener like honey. Our girls are in a month long lead up to the USAC Rock Climbing Divisional Competition. While they are training, they’re avoiding sugar. So for the next month or so, all my new recipes will use only natural sweeteners: honey, maple syrup, dates and dried fruits. And since Katie doesn’t do well with caffeine, we now have our Spiced Chai Drink, Dairy Free, Sugar Free and black tea-less.

We’re grateful for the time to play outside, especially on a day when many people are inside the stores and malls that surround us.

We’re grateful that one of our favorite retailers has decided to close for the day and encourage people to #OptOutside. It’s our favorite place to be.

November 18, 2015

Prep time: 3 min

Cook time: 15 min

Total time: 18min

Yield: 4 quarts

Ingredients:

4 quarts water

1 large knob ginger

1/4 cup green cardamom seeds

1/4 cup cinnamon chips

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 tablespoons whole cloves

Directions:

1. Place water in saucepan. 2. Peel ginger and slice into thin slices. 3. Add the ginger and spices to the pot. 4. Simmer for 15 minutes or more. We’ve been known to let it sit on the warmer burner all day. 5. Strain the chai, reserving the ginger slices to make candied ginger. Discard the spices or save for potpourri. 6. To serve: Serve warm with a bit of unsweetened alternative milk of your choice.

Originally published at www.drjeanlayton.com on November 27, 2015.