Friday's Kitchen: 'Change One Thing' - Sugar and Dairy Free Chai Lattes

Well, here it is...my first Friday's Kitchen recipe post under the 'Change One Thing' theme.  I decided, a short while ago, to dedicate a month's worth of recipes to making minor changes to recipes in order to make them slightly healthier, but not less tasty!  It's been nearly 5 months since I gave birth to Daisy and I'm keen to get my pre-baby body back, not to mention fit into the vintage leather skirt I have snaffled away in my wardrobe upstairs.

As a foodie, I'm not a fan of fad-dieting, I believe in making permanent lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy weight, but then again I'm a huge fan of cake and chocolate!  So, along came 'Change One Thing'; an attempt to think outside the box with cooking and baking and simply 'change one thing' to improve health, without completely cutting out things I love.  

For the first recipe, I've gone for a Dairy AND Sugar-Free Chai Latte!  Grabbing a Starbucks was pretty much a regular deal when I lived back in London; but coffees are costly and these luxuries were the first to go when little D came along.  Lucky for me, I formulated a lovely homemade recipe for making Chai Lattes with an authentic spicy, warming taste.  Not only that, this recipe was easily adaptable to make it healthier.  I substituted milk for delicious Almond Milk and used Agave Nectar, a natural and light sweetener, instead of honey/sugar.  The result is a creamy, sweet and spicy drink - perfect for an afternoon treat.  I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients: (makes one large mug or two smaller cups)
5 Whole Cloves,
1 Cinnamon Stick (I often use half plus extra ground cinnamon)
5 Whole Peppercorns
1 Inch Piece Fresh Ginger
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Teabag of English Breakfast Tea (or something of similar strength)
2 tsp Agave Nectar
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 Cup Almond Milk/Milk of your choice

Method:
Firstly, place your dry ingredients (cinnamon stick, ginger, peppercorns and cloves) in a saucepan.  Add your vanilla extract and then add your cups of water (all at once).  

Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and cover the saucepan.  Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then rip the tea bag and pour the tealeaves into the saucepan.  Give the mixture a quick stir, then leave to further rest for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, remove the lid and pour the mixture into a bowl through a sieve, use a spoon to push through some of the mulch, as this helps to give your latte more flavour!  Discard your other ingredients and pour your flavoured chai back into the saucepan.  

Pour in your agave nectar and, lastly, add the milk - put on a low heat and, using a magic mixer or milk frother, slowly bring to the boil stirring all the time and remove from heat before milk boils completely.  Serve in a mug or cup with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon!

Enjoy all the goodness of a sweet latte, with none of the guilt!

If you are a blogger, why not join in with my 'Change One Thing' theme for August?  Email any recipe links and I will post links each Friday HERE!

Next week: Vegetarian Balti Curry with Wheat-Free Onion Bhajis