Rain In August:

This morning I woke up to a rainy day.  This seemed novel since our weather has been beautiful and sunny for so long.  Needless to say we really need a good rain.  So when I got up I was inspired to warm the house up a bit and have that cosy warm feeling.
I made Boden a zesty lemon poppy seed loaf which turned out to be  a recipe that wasn't so bad in the fat and calories dept.  As the loaf cooked in the oven I made a pot of homemade Chai tea from the Hollyhock Cook Book.  The house smelled glorious and felt super cosy.  I save the Chai in a mason jar without adding the milk.  As I want to drink it I heat up just what I want and add milk and some Stevia to sweeten.  I also drink this without the milk and it is just as yummy.

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf:

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Vegetable oil

1 Egg

2 tsp grated Lemon rind

1/3 Cup Milk

3 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 TBSP Poppy Seeds

1/3 Cup Yogurt

Glaze:

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Icing Sugar

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Spray or butter a 5 " loaf pan.
2. For the cake, combine the sugar, oil, egg, lemon rind, and the 3 TBP lemon juice.  Mix well then add Milk, mix again.
3. Combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add the dry mixture to the wet  alternating with the yogurt.  Mix just till incorporated.  Do not over over mix.
4.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 mins, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry.  Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 10 mins.
5. For the glaze, combine the icing sugar with the 2 TBSP of lemon juice.  Glaze the cake while still warm.  Prick the top all over with a fork.  Brush the glaze on over the cake top and sides with a basting brush.    

Holly Hock Chai:

Chai is a sweet, spiced aromatic Indian tea that is bold in taste.  Double the recipe and drink it all day :).  The Cardamon seeds neutralize the effect of the caffeine in the black tea, giving bit a gentle uplifting quality that won't fry your nerves.

Makes 6 Cups:

9 Cups of water

1/4 Cup freshly grated Ginger

2 Large cinnamon sticks

2 tsp whole cardamon seeds

12 cloves

2 Whole Star anise or 2 tsp of whole fennel

2 Black Tea Bags

3 Cups of Milk or non-Dairy alternative

1 tsp vanilla

sweeten as desired :)

1. In a Large saucepan, boil the water with the ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and star anise until only 1/3 of its original volume is remaining, about 3 Cups.  Remove from heat.  Add tea bags, cover and allow to steep for 10 minutes.
2. Put this through a sieve to strain off the whole spices ad tea bags.  
3. Gently reheat adding the milk and the vanilla extract.  Sweeten to taste.  Serve hot or cold :)

Add some Chai to your next smoothy you will be so surprised how yummy it makes it.

Try This:

7 Ice Cubes blended till crushed.  Add 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, 4 whole almonds, 1/2  a Banana, and about 1 Cup of Chai Tea.  Blend till smooth.  Add Two large handfuls of fresh Spinach.  Blend again until smooth and GREEN.  Enjoy!