Raspberry Tea

This is an excellent hot weather tea to cool you down. I like to use a handful of lemon flavored herbs like lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass and lemon basil. Chop up half of a lime and add it to a litre of water, either barely hot or cold. Add your handful of herbs and some fresh fruit juice. I used raspberry juice strained from raspberries, about ½ cup. Let the tea steep several hours if you use cold water. Let steep at least one hour if you use hot water. I add some stevia to give the tea a tart/sweet flavor. Chill in the fridge or with ice and enjoy!

Saffron Rose Milk Tea

¼ cup almonds

1 tablespoon sugar or ½ tablespoon honey

1 cup milk

¼ teaspoon rose petals

10 fennel seeds

3 strands saffron

2 cardamom pods, seeds removed and shells discarded

Grind fennel and cardamom in a coffee grinder. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. For a hot beverage, add the ground fennel, cardamom and other ingredients except honey to a saucepan and heat gently for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain and add honey. Sprinkle with two saffron strands and ground up rose petals to decorate.