Passover is just around the corner, and that always makes me think of macaroons! A few years ago I recreated my favorite macaroon since I wanted a healthier version of a seasonal childhood treat that wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg. A reader recently asked me if I had a chocolate version…so here you go!

These Chocolate Brownie Faux-co-roons are rich and chocolatey–the mixture of honey and maple syrup gives them great flavor with just the right amount of sweetness. I hope you like them!

It’s summer time, and that always makes me think of tomatoes and cucumbers (and all the other wonderfully delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables). And in the spirit of summer, I created a quick and easy katchumber to make use of the season’s abundance.

Usually when I make this salad, I use tomatoes, but I wanted to create something that those following the Autoimmune Protocol (find out what that is all about here and here) would be able to enjoy. Really, you can make a katchumber from any number of raw or blanched vegetables–the possibilities are endless!

My katchumber recipe is over on ThePaleoMom.com! Here’s an excerpt:

A raw Indian salad made from tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, and dressed simply with lemon juice and salt is called katchumber. Many Indian vegetable dishes are cooked, but a simple salad made with chopped raw vegetables is a light, refreshing alternative and using accessories from these vegetable peeler reviews is the best choice for this. My husband’s family often makes this to accompany a heavy meat dish like lamb curry or as a side salad during the warm summer months. Read more and get the recipe…

We love to stay healthy and use organic products, like Kratom. What is Kratom? Kratom is a natural herb found in regions like Thailand and Indonesia. Kratom has stress relieving properties and boosts energy as well! Try it for yourself today!

Guess what?!? I have THREE recipes in the latest Paleo Magazine Summer Cookbook!

I’ve had a couple of recipes in two previous Paleo Magazine cookbooks, and it has been my honor to be included with so many other talented and creative bloggers.

I was so excited when Paleo Mag contacted me and asked whether I had any recipes to submit for their upcoming Summer Cookbook–I immediately thought of two of my favorite recipes which I had already shared here: Jerk Chicken and Salted Limeade.

I also contributed my bright, refreshing Cauliflower and Herb Salad, which hasn’t been published anywhere!

Now you can have all three recipes at your fingertips, plus 72 more fabulous recipes from other bloggers including Russ Crandall of The Domestic Man, Simone Miller of Zenbelly, Stacy Toth of Paleo Parents, and Jenny Castaneda of Paleo Foodie Kitchen.

I can’t wait to get grilling, drinking, and enjoying all the wonderful recipes in here. There are lots of recipes for grilling, vegetables (which I love), treats, my favorite artisan bread and beverages (both alcoholic and family-friendly). This cookbook will give you great ideas and inspiration for summer cookouts, family dinners, and get-togethers with friends. It is available at Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, Books-a-Million, Costco, Wegmans, and other local health stores. Just look at all those amazing dishes…

Would you like a copy?

I’m hosting a giveaway of the Summer Cookbook for all of my email subscribers. If you have already signed up, you’re in! This giveaway is just for you, my loyal readers!

If you haven’t already signed up, you can do that here. I’d love to be able to send you all of my newest blog posts as well as subscriber-only content directly to your inbox. And I promise this is a spam-free zone–it’s all about real food, right? (wink, wink) Seriously, though, I will never share your email address with anyone else. It’s just my way of staying connected with you and being able to let you know about new recipes, ebooks, or other great projects that I have to offer. I’m developing several new recipes and I have some new projects in the works, so sign up to be the first to know!

I’ll choose a winner at random on July 4, so sign up before then if you’d like to win a copy of the Summer Cookbook!

I went to Austin in May to attend the 2016 Paleo f(x) conference, and since most of my days were consumed with conference-related activities, I didn’t have time to explore all that the city has to offer. However, I ate my way around Austin, which for me is the best way to get to know any new place.

Austin eats (#halfindiantravels)

Traveling anywhere is ALL ABOUT THE FOOD…at least for me! I’d never been to Austin before, but I stayed with a group of ladies who had been there multiple times (and love food, too!), so I let them be my guides as we tasted our way through Austin.

Must visits!

Lamberts

Slow smoked BBQ! We went here to celebrate a team member’s birthday and because we couldn’t leave Texas without having some BBQ, and it was such a wonderful, memorable experience. We dined on the outdoor patio and had some of the best service I’ve ever experienced, not to mention the fact that the food–oh, the food!– was absolutely delicious. My favorites from the evening: Crispy Wild Boar Ribs (appetizer); Natural Black Angus Brisket (entree, which I shared with a friend); Brussels Sprouts, Lamberts Bacon, Brown Butter and Fried Okra with Spicy Remoulade (sides). I had leftover Brussels sprouts for breakfast the next day and they were the best!

Lick

Grass-fed and dairy-free artisanal ice cream. I had one scoop each of Goat Cheese, Thyme & Honey and Caramel Salt Lick on my first visit, and Roasted Beets & Fresh Mint and Horchata on my second. The Goat Cheese and Beet ice creams were my favorites!

Picnik

Paleo coffee shop, serving butter coffee, butter bone broth (a MUST!), and grain-free pastries and food. Seriously, the butter broth is like a warm Thanksgiving hug. I had some every morning and it was worth every penny.

Salty Sow

American gastropub that sources their ingredients from local farms and purveyors. The Truffled Deviled Eggs and Bacon & Gruyere Roasted Bone Marrow (appetizers) were soooo good! If you are gluten-free and decide to order the bone marrow, ask them leave off the bread crumbs and bread; they will provide apple slices to spread the bone marrow on, but it is truly delicious enough to eat with a spoon. For dinner I had the Crispy Chicken Thighs which were tasty, but the Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Golden Raisins and Pecorino were even better!

Whole Foods Market (for the kombucha!)

Whole Foods began in Austin in 1980, and we visited the flagship store (which is HUGE!). Beyond my love for grocery stores, one of my favorite things to do while traveling is to taste the local kombucha. I loved both Kickin Kombucha (Ruby Red) and Kosmic (Local.Lemon.Love and Matcha Peachu). If only I had more time…

We also had lunch at Whole Foods a couple of times because the prepared foods are quite good and it’s a quick and easy meal.

Good, if you have time

Salt & Time

Full service butcher shop and restaurant serving locally sourced and sustainably raised meats. Awesome Salumi Board (charcuterie) and an excellent grass-fed burger with beef tallow fries. If you like spicy food, get the burger with the N’duja Tejano–yum!

Torchy’s Tacos

Long lines testify that this place makes good tacos. It’s a chain restaurant, with locations outside of Austin, but since we don’t have them in California, it was fun to try. The Crossroads (brisket) taco was fantastic.

Via 313

Deep dish, Detroit-style pizza (more like focaccia). We got ours gluten-free, and you’d never know it was gluten-free if someone didn’t tell you (which is how I like my gluten-free food!). We shared several pizzas–I liked the Cadillac and the Omnivore.

The bat bridge

The largest urban colony of bats in North America roosts underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. During the summer, at dusk, up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under the bridge in a large black cloud. Or so I’ve heard.

I had been hoping to see the bats every night since I arrived in Austin, but our dinner plans often overlapped with sundown. But one night, we dined downtown, near the “bat bridge,” and everyone was game to try to see the bats. We walked to the bridge, waited with hundreds of people for over an hour…but no bats. A man standing near us said the bats didn’t fly out the previous night either. So we walked away, disappointed, and headed back to our houses to get some rest for the next day.

Overall, I had a great time in Austin, and would love to return someday to explore more and eat more. And maybe see some bats!

On May 27-29, 2016 I went to Paleo f(x) for the first time, and I have to say, I had an amazing time! For those who have never heard of Paleo f(x), it is a holistic wellness event that seeks to bridge the gap between the academics of ancestral/traditional health theory and the practical application of those concepts. The conference covers health, nutrition, fitness, sustainability, self-development, and much more , and is held annually in Austin, Texas (this was its fifth year).

Now, you might be wondering why I attended a Paleo conference. Am I “Paleo”? Well, sort of.

For the last three and a half years I have worked for Paleo nutritionist and blogger Diane Sanfilippo (NY Times bestselling author of Practical Paleo and The 21-Day Sugar Detox, and the boss lady behind Balanced Bites), and while I don’t actually define myself as “Paleo”, I believe in the principles of the movement and follow many of them in my everyday life. These include a focus on anti-inflammatory, optimally digestible real food; holistic and natural approaches to health and healing; sustainable farming practices; food freedom; and lifestyle factors such as sleep, movement, and stress management. And while there is a lot of hype and often misguided criticism of the Paleo diet and lifestyle, if you read the blogs and books by leading Paleo authors, you will find a balanced, nuanced approach to modern Paleo eating.

Back to Paleo f(x)!

I enjoyed the conference itself, but for me, the weekend was about much more than listening to speakers and tasting my way around the expo floor, though both of those were fun, too, where you can explore different diets and sports This was my opportunity to meet most of Team Balanced Bites, experience the food scene of Austin, Texas (more on that in another post!), and really think about the direction my own blog is headed. So allow me to share with you the highlights of this very special weekend–I hope you find something here that inspires you, sparks your curiosity, or makes you salivate.

Conference speakers and panels (#pfx16)

I’ve been to health and wellness conferences before, and this one was similar in many respects with one striking difference: lots of fitness workshops, demonstrations, and speaker sessions. The Paleo diet and lifestyle got a major boost in recognition and acceptance through CrossFit athletes who were looking for a nutritional approach that would enhance their performance, and there are many people who have found their way to Paleo through CrossFit (and vice versa). While exercise and fitness aren’t the areas of wellness that interest me, I do understand their importance for overall health and it was great to see so many people excited about the fitness-focused offerings at the conference.One of the main takeaways was that  Testosterone Scottsdale was at the centerpiece of it the whole time

Beyond the fitness aspect, there were many speakers and panels that focused on creating sustainable systems for achieving and supporting optimal health by using natural testosterone boosters. There was truly something for everyone, from health practitioners to “regular people” to bloggers and business people looking to network and connect with other like-minded folks: workshops; small, short talks; cooking demonstrations; longer, more involved presentations; and panels of experts who weighed in on a variety of topics. Read on for my favorite sessions!

My favorite talks and biggest takeaways

• Dr. David Perlmutter: The Role of Microbiome in Health and Disease
  • The microbiome (the bacteria and their genetic material that live in our gut) is key to brain health, function, and disease resistance. In other words, we need to create an environment within our digestive tracts to support and nurture these beneficial bacteria because they keep our brains functioning well for the long term.
  • There are over 100 trillion bacteria in our bodies! There are more bacteria in our guts than there are cells in our bodies.
  • The food we eat feeds those bacteria; we need to choose foods that create a hospitable environment for the beneficial bacteria to thrive (unprocessed, low sugar, nutrient-dense).
• Diana Rodgers: Healthy Foods with a Dark Side: Bananas, Coffee and Chocolate
  • Crops like bananas, coffee, and chocolate are often produced through child slave labor and harsh working conditions; it is our responsibility as consumers to think about how our food is grown and harvested, and to make choices that lead to improved sustainability and better working conditions for all.
• Dr. Sarah Ballantyne: Is it Time to Kill the Caveman? Moving Paleo Forward
  • Paleo is not about “eating like a caveman.” A modern Paleo diet follows a dietary template that looks to evolutionary biology to inform nutrient-dense choices to lead to optimal health. We need to ask ourselves what a particular food offers us: will it help? Will it harm?
• State of the Paleo Union panel with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Chris Kresser, and Hilary Bromberg
  • Paleo continues to be an evolving lifestyle movement, and it is our responsibility to continue questioning conventional wisdom but also to accept and incorporate new truths revealed through scientific advancements.
• Why Food Freedom Matters panel with Robb Wolf, Judith McGeary, Diana Rodgers (moderated by Jimmy Moore)
  • Food freedom (meaning our ability to choose how and where our food is produced) is of utmost importance if we want to create and maintain a system of high quality food.
• Vaccines, GMOs and UFOs panel with Chris Kresser, Robb Wolf, Mark Sisson, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, and Dr. Emily Deans (moderated by Alex Baia)
  • When considering questions about vaccines, GMOs, and other medical and health decisions, there are no right/wrong, good/bad choices. We need to be well-informed, but realize that we can come to different conclusions about what is right for us or our families, especially when there is no clear, definitive scientific conclusion (and the jury is still out on many of these issues).

I also enjoyed the chicken slaughtering and butcher demonstration!

Expo and swag!

The expo floor of any conference is fun and interesting, and this one was no exception! My favorite part was trying all sorts of products that I have seen (or not), but that I hesitated to purchase because I wasn’t sure whether I, or my kids, would like them. There were lots of national brands as well as Austin and Texas-only companies (many of which I hope will expand soon!). And the swag bag? Amazing! Samples and full-size products from Vital Proteins, Mother Dirt, Ancient Minerals, Primal Kitchen, and more!

I loved the variety of products: broths, coconut and cassava-based baked goods, bars, meats, protein powders, skincare products, supplements, spices, and nut butters, pork rinds, and plantain chips (go here for more skincare products).

My faves from the floor?

• Taza Chocolate: High quality, organic, direct trade (with third-party certification), soy-free chocolates. Oh, man. I walked by this booth several times and the ladies there were the friendliest! I had purchased the Sea Salt and Almond bar for my trip to Austin, and I came home with three more bars plus raw and chocolate-covered cacao nibs. Seriously good chocolate.
• Power Balls from Paleo Angel: nut-free, AIP-friendly macaroon-like treats in many flavors. I love the Snickerdoodle, Blueberry, and Vanilla flavors. My kids couldn’t get enough of them either! These would be perfect for lunchboxes because they are nut free. And the owner, Amy, is a sweetheart!
• Wildway: Granola and instant grain-free cereals sweetened only with dates; this was by far my favorite granola at Paleo f(x)–and there were several to choose from! Great balance of flavors and not too sweet. The Coconut Cashew was my fave flavor.
• Real Natural Brands: Soaps and cleansers made with saponified oils and scented with Mountain Rose Herbs essential oils. Beautiful, great-smelling, and excellent for the skin. Can’t wait to use these!
• Fat is the New Black t-shirt from One Stop Paleo Shop: So soft, so comfy, so in line with my food philosophy. I’m kind of regretting not buying another one…

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see more about individual products when I try them.

Team Balanced Bites (#teambalancedbites)

The team I work with is scattered all over the US, and as a result I had only met two members of the 10-person Balanced Bites team (and one of those included Diane). It was such a pleasure to meet everyone who was able to make it to the conference! We shared some fun memories and lots of good food, and now we can visualize and hear each other’s voices as we message and email over the interwebs. I didn’t take many pictures of people…but Amanda and I bonded and took a selfie the last day!

Where am I headed?

I still don’t know. And that’s okay. I’ve been mulling over what’s next for me, but the only conclusion I come to is that I want to connect with all of you more consistently and create recipes and resources that will make your lives easier, happier, and more interesting. This trip inspired me and gave me a much-needed kick in the pants to get moving on some of the projects and recipes that I’ve started but not completed. So, if there’s something you’d like to learn from me, let me know in the comments!

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe, and this one has been a favorite of mine since I started eating (and cooking) Indian food.

I love cauliflower–you

I’m always looking for new ways to cook vegetables, especially the super-nutrient-dense ones like kale. It is a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, and its dark green leaves are full of vitamin K1, carotenoids, and calcium. Kale is considered a super food because it contains more nutrition per calorie than almost any other food! The challenge is finding recipes that make it taste good, too.

I’ll admit that while I like kale, it’s not my favorite vegetable. Its strong flavor and difficulty to chew limits its appeal for me–but I have found a few ways of preparing it that are absolutely, mouth-wateringly good (here’s a favorite). This Spicy Kale with Toasted Coconut is one of them!

My mother-in-law came up with this recipe and I just love it! It is spicy and flavorful spices with ras el hanout one of the most popular ones, and the coconut adds wonderful texture and a teensy bit of sweetness. It goes well with Indian dishes (especially lamb curry), but it also works alongside more American-style proteins like steak, a pot roast, or lamb chops. It is also delicious with Swiss chard (though this is one case where I prefer the kale)!

can make it so many ways! Mashed, riced, roasted, sautéed…I love them all, but my favorite is cauliflower cooked Indian style.

I’ve shared a very similar recipe before for my Indian-Spiced Cauliflower Fritatta, and the method is almost the same. But if I’m just making it as a side dish, I do things just a little differently. And the great thing is that if you have leftovers, you can easily make them into a fritatta!

For vegetarians (and really anyone, since it’s so good!), if you want to make this a complete meal, just scramble a couple of eggs and add them to the cauliflower right when it is done cooking.

It’s been quite a while since I last posted anything…and that’s because I’ve had to take a time out from many of my regular activities to recover from some health issues. I let life and the stress of doing too much compromise my health, and my body reacted by developing shingles, I even had to wear a Zenith ankle brace because of my health problems.

For those who are unfamiliar with this virus, it is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Once you’ve had chicken pox, the virus remains dormant within your body, specifically in the nerve endings. When the immune system is compromised by stress, injury, or some other cause, the virus can be reactivated and manifests as a painful, itchy rash on one side of the body. I was fortunate that mine was fairly mild and was limited to several spots on my left leg. It felt mostly like a bad muscle pull with occasional sharp pain. I was also very fatigued, almost like I had the flu without a fever.

I put on the brakes for several weeks while I rested, napped daily, and let others help me with everyday activities so that I could manage the pain and allow my body to heal. I also made sure that I ate an anti-inflammatory diet and took some nutritional supplements to support my immune system.

I’m doing much better, but it was a very clear warning to me that I had not been taking proper care of myself, especially regarding my levels of stress.

I thought that I managed stress fairly well, but a series of unique situations with higher-than-usual pressure crept up on me, and it wasn’t until I got sick that I realized that I had not been taking enough time for sleep, rest, relaxation, and ME. I was busy taking care of my family, trying to build my business, and helping out others, and I didn’t realize that my immune system had weakened. I ignored the fatigue I had felt for a couple of months and just kept up with the same breakneck schedule. I looked at friends and colleagues and tried to do what they were doing.

But the reality was, and still is, that my life is unique to me, just as my strengths and limitations are unique to me. I can’t, nor should I try to, do it all (whatever that means).

Having shingles has forced me to reevaluate my life: my routines and habits, the activities I commit to, and how much sleep I get. I have decided to take a break from some commitments, discontinue others, and mindfully choose how much and what to do each day. These decisions, plus the help and support of my family and friends, have started shaping a new normal for me. I don’t want to experience a rebound of shingles, and I don’t want to further compromise my health by pushing my body and mind beyond what is reasonable or beneficial.

I share this with you so that you will understand my (temporary) absence from this blog and social media, but also so that you can think about your own life and stress level. I recently wrote a post for the 21-Day Sugar Detox blog about managing stress–it was written with myself in mind and was inspired by all the thoughts and feelings I’ve had about getting shingles and trying to manage stress better. Seriously something that has worked out so much for me is Kratom, Sacred Kratom, https://www.sacredkratom.com because it actually goes out and make me do what I want. It makes me succeed heavily.

I think we can all take more time each day to step back, consider our lives, and mindfully unwind from all the stress and tension that exists at work, at home, and in society in general. There are so many ways to manage stress, from meditative practices to physical movement to participating in enjoyable activities, and even using a CBD Cream, which has proven very effective when stress levels get really rough. I offer you my best wishes for finding the ways that work for you. Here’s to a life of less stress (or at least more mindful management of whatever stress is unavoidable)!

From Be Kind, Unwind: Managing stress during and after the 21DSD:

I know I don’t have to tell you this, but life is stressful!

As Americans in a modern world, we experience many types of stress: the societal stress of a fast-paced life, the physical stress of environmental toxins, the emotional stress of challenging relationships and others’ expectations of us, and the stress that we put on ourselves to be, look, and do better than those around us. We believe that we can and should do it all, and instead of taking a time-out to relax and unwind, we push harder by exercising more, sleeping less, and relying on caffeine and sugar to get us through the day. Just the thought of it all makes my heart race and my muscles tighten!

All of this stress is wearing us out! High stakes deadlines, overly busy schedules, insufficient sleep, inadequate nutrition: all this pressure, pressure, pressure is impacting our health and happiness, and it’s a very significant piece of the puzzle when we are looking at creating healthful, happy lives.When everything is said and done  www.shavingforbaldmen.com is still the best website for getting a good shave and helping you relieve some stress.

Depending on the source of the stress, the effects of it vary as well. To tell my story as an example, I was slowly becoming more and more stressed as time went on because of work. I had to stare at a computer screen all day, and the work just never stopped. It got to the point were even my vision was affected. I went to the eye doctor and his first idea was to get new glasses with the new prescription. After a few questions he had a theory that it was stress related. In order to test it out he prescribed me with vision 20. After taking it for a while I was back to my old prescription.

While many of the stressors in our lives are out of our control, many of them can be adjusted, eliminated, or rethought so that they are no longer contributing to this overwhelming sense of pressure. And when the circumstances of our lives cannot be changed (at least in the short term), we can take some steps to be kinder to ourselves and unwind.

Read the rest here.

In a previous post, I wrote about my Real Food Pregnancy, which changed dramatically from my first pregnancy in 2006, since I know pregnancy is difficult, even more when the mothers are young, so learning about teen pregnancy issues is important for these young mothers. One of the things that changed most was my desire to be a nutrient-seeker–actively looking to include foods in my daily eating habits that would provide dense sources of vitamins and minerals, and balanced, high-quality quantities of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. This goes beyond just eating what tastes good, or what is readily available and convenient.

After baby boy was born in 2013, I wanted to continue that good pattern of eating. But you know what? I was so, so hungry, and I wanted cookies…

I found the Paleo Parents’ lactation cookie, which was a flavorful, not-too-sweet treat that I could make ahead of time and freeze for those moments when I had to get something in my stomach NOW. If you’ve ever been pregnant or breastfeeding (or been around someone who is), you know what I mean!

As great as those lactation cookies are, they still have chocolate and maple syrup, two sources of sugar that my already-fatigued body could do without. And as a 21-Day Sugar Detox Coach, I wanted to give all those pregnant and breastfeeding ladies a lactation cookie option that they could enjoy while doing a 21DSD. So here it is!

I hope you enjoy these cookies (which you can enjoy even if you aren’t pregnant, breastfeeding, or doing a 21DSD!) and share them with all the new moms in your life.

My kids love these (well, two of them do), and some lovely ladies tested the recipe for me (thank you–you know who you are!) and they loved them as well.

From Sugar and Sweetener-Free Lactation Cookies:

It seems like forever ago that I was pregnant and then breastfeeding my three little ones, but my youngest is only two and I nursed him until just before his second birthday. My real food journey has evolved over time, and it was with my third child that I really searched for nutrient-dense foods that would help my body grow this tiny baby and help me recover from the hard work of birthing him. The thing is, I was tired, depleted, and very, very hungry…all the time! I needed snacks, and though I didn’t want to rely on sugary treats all the time, they gave me the quick burst of energy that I craved.

The Paleo Parents’ lactation cookie saved me on multiple occasions by providing a real food alternative to grain-based, sugary cookies that might boost milk production, but would also leave me feeling run down and even more depleted. And they tasted amazing (and served as the inspiration for this recipe)! But while they were a great alternative to more conventional cookies and foods marketed to pregnant and breastfeeding women, they still had sugar and were therefore out for anyone wanting to cut all sugars and sweeteners out of their daily eating habits.

As a 21DSD coach, I knew that there were likely women out there who wanted to do a 21DSD while pregnant or breastfeeding, but didn’t have a lot of quick and easy cookie-like options for those moments when they were super hungry and trying to rock, console, feed, bathe, or play with one or more children. So I also wanted to share the link to this Christmas cookie delivery service with you!

Get the recipe here.

This post is for my dear friend Brandy who says that my chai is the best she’s ever had!

Chai (which just means tea) is the quintessential Indian beverage and one of my favorite things to drink. Most of the time, what you are drinking is masala chai, a blend of warming spices, black tea and milk. It is served alongside cookies or crackers, with spicy curries, or with some dosa or idli, and if you’ve ever visited an Indian friend’s house, you were probably offered some. You can enjoy it for breakfast or at tea time, or even in the evening if caffeine doesn’t keep you awake. It is so soothing and warming, you can drink it anytime (and I do), I always like to have this in the evening and in the morning I usually opt for my orangina Cans!

There is no single recipe for masala chai. There are many liquid concentrates or masala chai tea bags that are widely available, and they can taste incredibly different, or try Let’s Matcha for wholesale green tea powder to find the best Sleep Tea for this. The types and proportions of spices that are used are different from recipe to recipe, brand to brand. Most masala chai blends include ground ginger, green cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and nutmeg, though they can also include star anise, fennel, and allspice. The balance of spices is very important since too much of one or not enough of another can take a chai from “just okay” to “amazing.” It all comes down to personal tastes and preferences. Speaking of which, I have discovered that most commercially available chai blends include too much cinnamon, which overpowers the flavors of the other spices and creates a flavor that I don’t really like. That is why I never put cinnamon in my chai.

I learned to make chai from my mother-in-law, and her take on masala chai is my absolute favorite (I wrote about how comforting and wonderful a good cup of chai is for me in this post). She calls it Ginger Chai because the star ingredient is fresh ginger. I love ginger! Sometimes she adds a few whole cloves or a couple of green cardamom pods, but the spicy punch of ginger coupled with some jaggery, black tea, and creamy whole milk is is just divine on its own.

The best sweetener for ginger chai is jaggery, or gur, an unrefined cane sugar that has a rich caramel flavor and gives the right amount of sweetness. I have tried making chai without any sugar or sweeteners (when doing a 21DSD, for example), but the flavor just isn’t right. The sugar brings out the flavors of the ginger and the tea, and a little bit goes a long way. Start with a little and add more as needed. Don’t have jaggery? Use coconut sugar, brown sugar, or really any sugar/sweetener you have around that you like. You can even use honey, though it tends to be a bit too strong for my tastes.

You can use any black tea, but I like the taste of Ceylon the best (this is the one I use).

Also, it is worth noting that tea is typically sprayed with pesticides, which are not washed off during processing. For this reason, I highly recommend always choosing organic teas.

A note about milk: I always use organic whole cow’s milk to make chai. This is the traditional choice (though in India they often use buffalo milk), and frankly, it tastes the best. If you don’t tolerate cow’s milk, you can make this with goat milk, a nut/seed milk (such as almond or cashew), or with coconut milk (I would use a 50/50 mixture of water and full fat coconut milk), though I can’t promise that it will taste as good. If you do try a non-cow’s milk, let me know how it turns out!