Coffee or Tea?

Tea or Coffee? The question that haunts many, many people in the morning.

Personally, I am a fan of both. They both have great, intense, rich, and sometimes delicate flavors.

Tipu’s Chai, a chai tea company based out of Montana, contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to try some free samples.

Free food? Of course I would!

They were so kind and sent me a package of their instant chai tea “with no preservatives, no sugar and no artificial sweeteners.” I learned that most instant chais do contain these three things, so I was very happy to learn that it didn’t! It would be great for the lactose intolerant and diabetic.

The directions say to simply add it to warm milk, but I added it to warm almond milk. It was very good!! A little bit of this stuff goes a long way!

My mom, who is a big chai fan, loved the tea because it was rich and full-bodied. She said, “It is not like the chai that you get in a coffee shop with the sugar and milk and froth. Instead, it tastes very authentic. Just like the Indians make.” She should know because she has an Indian friend who makes her own chai tea.

Thanks again, Tipu!

Now onto coffee. Mocha to be more specific.

I have always been a big fan of iced mochas. When I was about 8 years old, my mom bought me a mocha mix to make my own mocha shakes. They were so good, yet they were filled to the brim with sugar. On average, a small mocha purchased at a coffee house has atleast 30 grams of sugar. Some of them having as much as 50 grams. Sheesh, that’s a lot of refined carbs.

Alas, I craved a mocha one morning…

My solution: Mocha Oatmeal!

Mocha Oatmeal

~This is a great substitute for those high-sugar drinks. It also fills you up, and keeps you satisfied!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk or milk substitute (or water, but the milk makes it super creamy. I used almond milk)
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon instant coffee mix (I actually cheated here and used Caffix, a decaf instant “coffee” made from barley…)
Toppings: sliced almonds, chocolate shavings, or even whipped cream. Be creative!

Heat milk and oats in saucepan until it begins to boil. Turn down to medium heat, and stir until oats are cooked. While stirring, add the cocoa powder and coffee.

Serve in a bowl, or a coffee mug and top with your toppings of choice!