Tuesday's Real Food Recipe- Homemade Chai

It's at this time of year that all I can think about is enjoying a warm cup of chai on my porch with a good book or my journal.  To me, fall is  the peace after the crazy start of the school year in August.  It's the changing colors that release the fragrant leaves carried on the breeze, and all I want to do is embrace it.  It's like the last gift of summer, wrapped up in beautiful colors and smells.

That's when it hits me.  Cinnamon.  The best smell in the entire world!!!  I want to smell it in my house and in my drink, so chai is a staple for me.  The best chai is the one made at home, where you get the fragrance of the spices going and it makes your entire house smell warm and cozy.  Here is my go-to recipe for homemade chai.  You can make several variations too, by using what you have on hand.

Homemade Chai:
Place all of the ingredients in a 4-6 qt. saucepan
Peel and slice about 1/4 cup of fresh ginger
5 star anise
6 cardamom pods
6 cloves- don't have star anise or whole cloves?  Try allspice berries!
1/2 cup honey - add more or less to your liking
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cups of water

honey, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, green cardamom, allspice, star anise, black tea

Bring the water mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  I love the smell so much, sometimes I let it go longer, and add a little more water if too much has evaporated!! 

Add 2 black or green tea bags to your mixture and let it steep for 3-5 minutes (only 3 for green tea or it will taste bitter). 

Remove from stove, squeeze tea bags to remove excess water.  Add cream or drink it "black".  You can also drink this cold and over ice if you prefer an iced chai.  You may want to add more honey, too.  If you aren't going to drink all the chai, you can let it cool, and place in a mason jar in the fridge for up to one week.

Like your chai with vanilla?  You can add a splash of vanilla at the end when you remove the pot from the stove, or even add a vanilla pod to the mixture at the beginning while boiling/simmering.  YUM! 

Here's mine this morning...I wanted to froth the milk for you but my moolatte is out of bateries!  it's still delish. 


I hope you enjoy this delicious fall beverage!!! 

Love,
Anna