Homemade Chai Tea

I'm back!  And it's Monday, so it's time for another recipe!

It's funny, four years ago I discovered that a good way to ignore the passage of time is to be 8 1/2 months pregnant on your birthday.  I wasn't the least bit interested in turning 30 because I had a baby on the way (and accompanying health conditions to worry about.) This year I discovered that a good way to ignore the passage of time is to launch a business.

This was, perhaps, not the best time to launch a business, what with my birthday, Kal's birthday, and the end of the school year for both boys all coming within several jam-packed weeks.  We were determined to launch within Allergy Awareness Week though, so it was what it was.  Since I let the blog slide for a few weeks, here's the announcement:

Visit our site to safely adorn your allergic little ones!  www.allergysuperheroes.com

But on to the recipe!  Because if I don't start back now, who knows when I will!

I am not a coffee drinker and neither is my husband.  In fact, we don't even own a coffee pot.  We do, however, like tea.  Chai is a nice, rich beverage that we both enjoy, but it can get expensive.  I found this recipe in a magazine years ago, adjusted the spices to my liking, and quickly fell in love.  It's a little time consuming until you get used to it, but it's well worth it!

Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tsp ground fennel seeds (I can't find them ground, so I do it myself)
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 cup loose black tea (I use Earl Grey, like Captain Picard :)
• 3/4 cup agave
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice 

Directions:

Heat spices in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant*.

Add 4 cups of water and the tea. Bring to a boil*.

Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain out the tea and spices*.

Stir in agave, molasses, vanilla, and lemon juice.

Combine 1/4 cup of your concentrate with 3/4 cup milk of your choice.  Either heat or serve over ice.  (You can even use water if you like things less rich.)  Cover and refrigerate the rest.

*Note!  Do not overcook the chai! I've made this several times, but every once in a while I don't get much tea--instead, most of it turns into a gelatinous mass.  The spice/tea leaf combo usually gets a bit gelatinous and sticks to itself at the bottom of the pot, but once or twice the whole mixture turned out this way, and I think it was tied to cooking the spices and/or boiling the tea for too long.  You want to be ready to move onto the next step of the recipe right away.  Be aware!

Enjoy!

Linking up at Allergy Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Fridays, and Corn-free Everyday!

What are you cooking up this week?