Recipe: Matcha Afternoons

Matcha lattes have started to become a recent alternative to coffee, especially in the afternoons when taking coffee would keep me up all night. I usually would just buy them from a coffee shop, but decided to start making them at home. I have had matcha powder in my cupboard for awhile now but only started using it! To be honest, coffee tastes way better and making matcha requires more attention. I also usually prefer my coffee black and my green tea unsweetened, so a heavier, creamier drink is not kin to my standard palate.

However, the benefits of Matcha are great, and far outweigh the benefits of my most precious elixir that is coffee. I also add certain supplements to my juices which also work fluently with the lattes. Collagen, Incan Maca, and Indian Ashwagandha all have a warmer tone to it, which complement the combination of milk and Matcha. I will mention the benefits of each below based on the research available. Keep in mind, there can almost always be room for further or replicate studies when it comes to nutrition. However, most of these supplements are well-documented and have been helping people for thousands of years. This Matcha recipe is packed with protein and adaptogens.

Matcha: Matcha is the finely ground, soluble form of regular green tea. Regular brewed green tea contains an antioxidant called catechins. Catechins have been found to have anti-cancer properties and increase metabolism. Matcha, however, usually contains three times the amount of catechins. Additionally, matcha does not cause the shakiness that coffee can cause, and fare better in those who cannot handle coffee.

Collagen: These are amino acids from cows and fish. It smells weird but there is no noticeable taste to it when mixed in drinks. There are countless cases that have shown improvement in skin quality (using scan technologies), in joint pain, and in decreasing intestinal permeability (leaky gut) symptoms. If none of these benefits happen for you, collagen will at least keep you fuller for longer. This is probably the only supplement on the list which is a newer trend that could afford to have more intensive studies.

Maca: The Maca plant is originally from the Andes region and was consumed by the Incans for thousands of years. Most importantly, it balances hormones and has more calcium than milk.

Ashwagandha: This root has been used in India also as an adaptogen for thousands of years. Studies show that Ashwagandha powder improves insulin sensitivity and decreases the stress hormone, cortisol. It also reduces hair loss.

Cinnamon: Make sure you use true Ceylon cinnamon. We buy ours from our local Indian store in sticks/bark. It balances blood sugar, is a source of anti-oxidants (which are anti-cancer), and reduces total cholesterol. Learn more about the well-documented and proven effects here.

Matcha Recipe

(Makes two cups)

Ingredients:

10 ounces of a nut mylk (I use almond or macadamia, without fillers or preservatives)
6 ounces of water
1.5 teaspoons of organic Matcha powder
2 tablespoons of hydrolyzed collagen
1 tablespoon of Maca powder
1 teaspoon of Ashwagandha root powder
Grate/sprinkle of cinnamon

Genuinne granite tray and mixing bowl are from HomeGoods, clay spice bowls are from a women's co-op in the Guatemalan village of San Marcos, & cups are from World Market

Directions:

1. Heat up the milk and water on the stovetop, almost to a boiling point. Lower heat.
2. Add the powders: Matcha, collagen, maca, ashwaghanda
3. Whisk or pour into a blender for extra frothiness
4. Pour and add cinnamon!

Enjoy!

clotted cream & snow

My AWOL co-writer, Sheerin, briefly resurfaced from her medical books for the winter break, Alhamdolillah (praise to God), so we spent some time in NYC: staying with our newly married best friend, eating Arabic food in Brooklyn, eating God-sent scones in Manhattan, drinking velvety cappuccinos, eating--eh, I won't continue, lest I may seem gluttonous. We did not take many photos, but beauty was everywhere. We were sure to identify every view that was worth becoming still forever, yet too lazy to actually carry a camera. Essentially, the only photos taken in NYC were of these scones...naturally.

                         

I got a glorious mixed berry scone and Sheerin got a chocolate chip one. It comes with clotted cream and raspberry jam. The clotted cream is just fantastic. I will put the mixed berry scone recipe up after I make them myself, God willing. My heart can hardly wait.

I also had not seen another beloved friend in awhile, so we grazed in DC last weekend. I went back to one of my favorite French restaurants there (mostly because of how quaintly romantic it is), Petit Plats, for dessert. 

rainy Georgetown

Coat: Zara

Heels: MK (old)

Clutch: New Look (old)

Until next time,

-A

winter recipe chronicles: orange cran walnut cookies

It's a very good thing that pre-Christian festivals happened to be during winter, or Christmas might have been celebrated anytime else, and winter would be pretty dreary of a season. At least, for us, being from ancestral blood that probably only knew the milder of days. I do not celebrate Christmas, but I love the lights and I like the creative cookie recipes that are hauled out at the year's end. My little sisters and I baked two different types of cookies (and this will probably be all the baking for us). Baking is really not very fun to me. As a co-worker said to me, "baking is a science, cooking is an art". Well, I have a minor in fine art, and I failed science, so that's pretty definitive of my feelings on baking. Nonetheless, I like to get into the spirit of baking during snow days. Here I present my interpretation of an orange, cranberry, and walnut cookie.

Orange, cranberry, walnut cookie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar (1 cup if you like it sickeningly sweet)
1 egg
1 tablespoon of orange zest
3 tablespoons of orange juice
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 stick softened butter
1/4 cup oil (a bit less than that)

Directions:
1. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cranberries, and walnuts in one bowl.
2. Mix sugar, oil, butter, egg, orange juice, and orange zest in another bowl.
3. Slowly add in the dry flour mixture into wet ingredients while mixing.
4. Make balls and place 2-3 inches apart on cookie sheet.
5. Place in preheated oven at 325 for 10-12 minutes or when edges are golden. Rotate halfway.
6. Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

cranberries, walnuts, flour, salt, baking soda

orange juice, zest, butter, sugar, egg, oil

cookie dough balls

fresh out of the oven--enjoy!

-A

winter recipes with Aneela de el blog, "The Desi Knot"

How to Make the World’s Best Candied Yams!

Boo!! My name is (also) Aneela and I thought I’d come at y’all with a dramatic salutation as Anila has declared ‘Hello’ to be too tedious ;) I write a blog called The Desi Knot about Southasian weddings, design, and whatever else strikes my fancy at the current moment. Today, I thought I would share something we all hold dear to our hearts…food! This is my top-secret (not anymore) recipe for the world’s best candied yams! They were a huge hit at Thanksgiving dinner this year, so I thought I would share my gem-of-a-recipe with all of you! If you try it out, be sure to comment below this post and tell us how it turned out! Also, let us know if you would like to see Aneela and Anila swapping blogs more often! And, be sure to check out Anila’s post on The Desi Knot here. Phew, thank God we spell our names differently or you guys would have been in for a real treat!

Ingredients:

o   4 lbs. boiled and peeled sweet potatoes

o   ¼ cup salted butter (room temperature)

o   ¼ cup sugar

o   ¼ cup milk

o   1 large egg

o   ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For Topping:

o   1 ¼ cup crushed corn flakes

o   1/3 cup chopped pecans

o   1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed)

o   1 tablespoon salted butter (melted)

o   2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9x13 casserole dish.

2.      Boil and peel sweet potatoes.

3.      To make the topping, combine cornflakes, pecans and brown sugar. Stir in the melted butter until evenly mixed. Set aside.

4.      Mash sweet potatoes and combine with butter, sugar, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until evenly mixed.

5.      Put sweet potato mixture in prepared casserole dish. 

6.      Cover evenly with topping mixture.

7.      Place into oven and bake until the topping is golden (about 20 minutes). Sprinkle marshmallows over entire dish and bake until lightly golden on top (about 5 minutes).

8. Serve immediately and watch the compliments pour in.

 -Aneela of The Desi Knot