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Vanilla Bean Porridge with Turmeric Chai Tea Figs

kellie anderson
Start the day right with a breakfast of creamy vanilla bean porridge topped with turmeric chai tea figs.

In collaboration with Yogi Tea

Start the day right with a breakfast of creamy vanilla bean porridge topped with turmeric chai tea figs.

As some of you know, I’ve long been a vocal cheerleader for turmeric. Not only have I created many recipes featuring this hugely useful spicy root, I have written on its medicinal properties numerous times both here on Food To Glow, and over on Metro.

I won’t tread old ground, but I will say that I personally find turmeric – both ground and as a root – an invaluable part of my daily routine. There are very few days when I don’t either start or end the day with a mug of “golden milk”.

I can attest to its reputation as a potent anti-inflammatory: it definitely helps ease general aches and pains. Turmeric milk is also my first weapon of choice if there are coughs and colds flying around. The stuff works. Weirdly I find – and others have too – that drinking turmeric milk or tea in the morning is energising, whilst a nighttime cuppa is soothing and soporific. A magical elixir.Turmeric has featured in at least one of my previous porridge recipes. As an adopted Scot I would be remiss if I didn’t have at least a few porridge recipes. So, I have no qualms about offering you another. This time, however, the turmeric is in a teabag with other aromatic spices, and is used to poach dried figs.

With very little, if any effort you can simmer up a pot of warmly spiced figs to go with porridge, rice pudding, yogurt, ice cream, with cold meats and cheese – even in couscous. All without having to scrabble around in your spice rack. Or in my case, spice shelves. Deep shelves, heaving with precariously balanced bottles, jars and sachets. I feel a resolution coming on…Yogi Tea® has kindly given me a sneak preview of a new product that will be in select shops from the end of January. As soon as it arrived, and I got a whoosh of aroma from the opened box, I immediately thought it would be perfect for these poached figs. I wasn’t wrong. And the creaminess of the porridge adds to the chai “feel” and taste.

Turmeric Chai is a heady and unique Ayurvedic blend of turmeric root (55% – very high for a tea), cinnamon, liquorice, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, apple, fennel, mace, cocoa shells and cloves. The tea is beautifully balanced and perfect both for those who already love turmeric tea and turmeric milk and those who aren’t yet convinced. Pleasant, powerful and versatile are good descriptors for this tea.

The tea is organic and tidily contained in little unbleached teabags. As a drink on its own it is gorgeous, but the way to really enjoy it is with a splash of milk, whether dairy or plant-based. A little fat from the milk and the heat from boiling water may make it easier for our body to absorb and use the active compound in turmeric, curcumin.

As the sun sets on 2017 and rises to welcome 2018, Yogi Tea® want me to share with you my reflections on 2017 and what I wish to make happen in 2018.

#GoldenMoment reflections on 2017: working with brands I love, like Yogi Tea®; meeting and filming with the wonderful Dr Rupy Aujla (his book, The Doctor’s Kitchen is available for pre-order); the emails, messages and Instagram posts letting me know that you are making and loving Food To Glow recipes!

#GoldenMoment hopes for 2018: going “self-hosted” so that I can offer more of what you want; getting my act together to learn video (yikes!); adding more topics and free pdfs to the Nutrition and Cancer section here on Food To Glow; creating a newsletter offering subscriber-only recipes, overviews of nutrition studies, product reviews and giveaways!

So, what are your #GoldenMoments reflections of 2017 and your #GoldenMoments hopes for 2018? Share them using the hashtag and @yogiteaeurope on Twitter and Instagram, and @YogiTea on Facebook. 🙂

Vanilla Porridge with Turmeric Chai Tea Figs

Start the day right with a breakfast of creamy vanilla bean porridge topped with turmeric chai tea figs. xx

For the figs (makes a large jar) – make ahead and use within 10 days

250g (scant 9 U.S. oz) dried unsweetened figs, organic if possible

1 Turmeric Chai Yogi Tea® teabag

500ml (14 fl U.S oz) boiling water

Vanilla Porridge

40g (1/2 c) organic rolled oats*

120ml (1/2 c) water

120ml (1/2 c) milk of choice (unsweetened)

seeds from a quarter of a small vanilla bean OR a small pinch of real vanilla powder

Add-ins: nuts, seeds (I like to add shelled hemp seeds), other dried fruits like cranberries or sour cherries, slices of fresh fruit, extra vanilla.

Method

For the figs, snip the figs into small pieces and pop them in a saucepan with the Yogi Tea® teabag and 500 ml of boiling water. Bring to a simmer; cook gently for 20 minutes until the water is reduced and you have a light syrup. Allow the figs to cool in the juices. Store in a sterilised jar and use within 10 days in hot or cold dishes.

For the porridge, add the oats to a saucepan along with the water, milk and vanilla seeds/powder. Bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until the oats are creamy and soft.

*Nairns (UK) have certified gluten-free. Although oats are naturally gluten-free they are processed with the same equipment as other grains.

RIPE FOR PINNING!

Thank you to Yogi Tea® for sponsoring this post. Partnered posts such as this help me to keep bringing you my recipes and content – for free. Thanks to you as well, for supporting not only Food To Glow but also the quality brands with which I work. I only partner with brands I actually use and like. All opinions are strictly my own.

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