Chai Tea

Chai Tea

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of Almond milk
• 4 tea bags (black tea)
• 2 tablespoons of Agave nectar (sugar substitute)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
        Heat water to boiling. Add tea bags and reduce heat. Cover and let tea bags steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove tea bags.
    
        Stir remaining ingredients into tea and heat until simmering. Serve.



This recipe is adapted from one in the Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook (ISBN: 0-7645-6704-7). It is diabetic friendly and is good for people with a lactose issue as well. The original recipe uses fat-free milk and honey but I use almond milk and Agave nectar because Agave it has a lower glycemic index* than sugar and honey and I think it tastes good with the Almond milk.

Enjoy!



*Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly blood sugar levels rise.

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:

·          ½ of a butternut squash, cut into one inch cubes

·          ½ tbsp. coconut oil

·         1 tsp dried thyme

·         1 ½ tsp fresh rosemary

·         ¼ tsp cinnamon

·         salt and pepper

·         ¼ cup almond milk

·         1/8 white onion, diced

·         1 clove garlic, crushed and diced

·         ¼ tbsp. coconut oil

·         1 cup water

·         5 mushrooms, cut into one inch cubes

·         1 cup mixed greens, cut into ribbons

·         9 lasagna noodles

·         2 cups cheddar cheese

·         ½ cup feta cheese

 Cooking directions:

                For the sauce, roast the butternut squash in the oven at 375° for 40 minutes in coconut oil (1/2 tbsp.). Let the squash cool and place in blender. Add thyme, rosemary, almond milk, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. In a large sauce pan, sauté diced onion in coconut oil (1/4 tbsp.) on a medium heat until somewhat translucent. Add garlic, sauté for about a minute, and then add the squash puree.  Warm puree on a medium high heat and add in the cinnamon and water. Stir to incorporate the water and thin the sauce, then reduce to low heat.

 

 

                To assemble, cook lasagna in salted boiling water until noodles are soft. Put a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 dish (glass works best) then layer three lasagna noodles to cover the entire area of the dish. Follow with 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the greens, 1/3 of the mushrooms, 2/3 cup cheddar cheese and 1/6 cup feta cheese. Repeat 3 times until ingredients are gone. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the oven on the center rack at 350° for 40 minutes. Let cool slightly, serve and enjoy!