Mexican Christmas Punch

This recipe is based on one found on Mexicrave for Ponche Navideño. My daughter made this for me last month and I really enjoyed it. I do not have access to fresh guavas, tejocotes or sugar cane so this is a Canadian version. It is served warm with a spoon so the fruit can be eaten after you finish the drink.

Ingredients:

Makes 10-12 cups

10 cups water,

1/2 cup loose hibiscus tea

3 tamarind pods, shells removed

1 orange, cut into quarters, skin left intact

1 red apple, chopped into small cubes

2 pears, chopped into small cubes

7-10 pitted prunes, chopped

handful of raisins

3 or 4 cinnamon sticks

3 cloves

1 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Put 10 cups of water in a large pot. Add peeled tamarind pods and hibiscus tea. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Strain the liquid and discard the pods and loose tea petals

Add the cut up fruit, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.

Cover pot and let simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Stir very well to make sure the flavours and sugars combine.

Ladle into heat proof mugs and serve warm.

Chai from Scratch

Last week I forgot to put a tea bag in my lunch bag and ended up going to the cafeteria to get a hot drink. I had a choice of decaffeinated tea (uggh!) or a chai tea bag in hot water. The chai was weak and watery unlike the creamy and delicious drinks I have been served at Indian restaurants. This week I experimented with masala chai recipes and came up with one that is versatile and inexpensive. Vanilla beans are the most costly item but they are optional. The best way to make vanilla chai is to add vanilla syrup as your sweetener. My vanilla syrup recipe is here. The cinnamon sticks in the ethnic section of our supermarket were less than half the price of the cinnamon sticks in the baking aisle. The other spices were purchased at a bulk store. I like the heat of ginger and added a generous amount but any of the spices can be increased or decreased according to preference or availability. Assam tea is traditionally used and a bold black loose tea is my choice. Green tea or rooibos tea can also be used.

This recipe is based on one found at Crunchy Betty's epic guide to making your own chai. I like a stronger brew and increased the amount of tea and some other spices. It is worth reading the information about chai at this link.

• 7 cinnamon sticks (3 inches long), broken into smallish pieces
• 15 green cardamom pods  (crushed/cracked with a mortar and pestle)
• 15 whole cloves
• 5 allspice berries coarsely crushed
• Ginger root- 2-3 inches, cut into slices
• 1 tsp black or white peppercorns coarsely crushed
• 2 vanilla beans, sliced open (optional)
• 9 cups of cold water

Combine the above ingredients in a pot and simmer for 30 minutes on the stove. Remove from the heat and add

• 1 tablespoon fennel seed (or anise seed) 
• 4 tablespoons black tea leaves or equivalent amount in tea bags
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg

Let the tea steep for 15 minutes (less or more time according to preference) and strain into a jug.

You now have 8 cups of chai concentrate which can be kept in the fridge. When you are ready to have a drink, heat the chai and add warmed milk and sweetener of your choice. I like a ratio of 3:1 tea to milk and add 1 spoonful of honey to a 12 ounce mug.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup

The temperature this morning was "minus double digit" cold again even though it is March. This relentless winter pushes one to hibernate or fill up on warm comfort foods. This morning I put the high fibre cereal box back in the cupboard and heated some delicious black bean soup left over from dinner last night. With a freshly made sourdough whole wheat tortilla and a cuppa tea, I was ready to face the day.

In a large pot add

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds
• 1 diced onion
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1/2 large carrot, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, diced

Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until onions are starting to brown.

Add

• 2 cups broth
• 1/2 cup fresh salsa (I used Costco's fresh salsa)
• 4 cups black beans
• 1/2 cup corn (optional)
• Additional seasonings like basil, oregano, cayenne, red pepper flakes, chili powder to taste

Simmer until vegetables are tender and then crush 2 cloves of garlic in soup.

Put half the soup in a blender and process until smooth. Add blended mixture back into the pot. Stir and serve. Garnish as desired with sour cream, lime, tortilla chips.

Lentil Curry

I made this tonight in 30 minutes and it was a warming, nourishing meal before we went out to shovel the snow that fell today.

Early prep: Soak 1 cup of brown or green lentils overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water and simmer for about 20 minutes until soft but not mushy. OR- use 3 cups canned lentils

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1-2 tbsp minced ginger (I used some from a jar)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1-2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 medium onions coarsely chopped
2 large portabello mushroom, diced
2 large potatoes, diced
1 cup water
6 oz coconut milk (small tin)
3 cups cooked lentils
a couple of large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Heat oil in a wok and add crushed cumin seeds, onion, ginger. Cook onions until translucent. Add other seasonings. Add portabello mushrooms and potato and toss until coated with spices. Add water and simmer with lid on until potatoes are tender. Add lentils, coconut milk and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Adjust seasonings adding more salt if desired.

Serve on rice or with a flatbread. Serves 4 generously.

Options: This recipe would work well with diced carrots, cauliflower or sweet potato instead of the other vegetables. Other greens could be used instead of spinach.