Recipe: Chocolate Chai

CHOCOLATE CHAI

"Chai, the Indian combination of strong tea, milk and spices gives you tea's benefits plus addictively appealing flavor. The tea can be black, green or white, regular or decaffeinated. One of my favorites is this Chocolate Chai, which adds the bliss of chocolate and benefits of chocolate's antioxidant flavonols."

4 cardamom pods, cracked
1 (4-inch) piece cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1/4 tsp. anise seed
2 to 4 (1/4-inch) slices fresh ginger, peeled*
2 cups water
2 black tea bags
2 Tbsp. unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups unsweetened almond or soymilk
3 Tbsp. agave syrup, honey or stevia, or to taste

Place cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, anise seed and ginger in medium saucepan, add 2 cups water, and place over medium-high heat. When water simmers, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add tea bags, cover, and steep for 4 minutes.

Remove tea bags, cover, and steep brewed tea with spices for 20 minutes.

Strain to remove spices, and return spiced tea to saucepan.

In small bowl, whisk cocoa with 1/4 cup of hot tea until dissolved, then add to tea. Mix in vanilla, and almond or soymilk. Heat chai over medium-high heat until steaming.

Sweeten to taste then pour into mugs, or divide chai among 4 mugs and sweeten it to taste individually.

*Note: Ginger root varies in thickness. If you have a fat piece, 2 slices may be enough.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 120 calories, 3.5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat), 21 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 1 g dietary fiber, 65 mg sodium

Adapted from source: Dana Jacobi for The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)