Chinese Five Spice Golden Milk

Golden Milk seems to be the new hip(ster) thing to do right now.

Well, as you saw from my post on Monday, I pretty much look for any excuse to get extra turmeric in my system.

It's an amazing painkiller and anti-inflammatory.  The best of Advil and Tylenol.

For those of you who are not in the know, Golden Milk is a hot coconut milk-based beverage that gets its beautiful color from turmeric.

It tastes like a big warm hug from your grandma on a terrible, no good, very bad day.

It does a pretty bad ass job at replacing hot chocolate for me and it has such a wealth of antioxidants.

Let's get the deets...

Chinese five-spice powder is a mixture of ground spices, usually cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechwan peppercorns.

1. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a well-known anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agent.

It has also been studied for an anti-clotting effect on blood platelets.

Cinnamon appears to slow the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, which evens out blood sugar.

2. Cloves

Cloves contain eugenol.

Eugenol has potent anti-inflammatory effects and may help lower the risk of digestive tract cancers and reduce joint inflammation.

Oil of cloves is also used for its painkiller and anti-bacterial properties. It is also believed to improve circulation and digestive disorders, even to relieve tension headaches.

3. Fennel

The health benefits of fennel come from its combination of phytonutrients including the flavonoids quercetin and rutin, both potent antioxidants, and anethole, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and cancer protective effects.

Fennel is a well-known remedy for gastrointestinal disorders. In fact, fennel tea is my go-to when I have a terrible stomachache.

4. Star Anise

Star anise has been used medicinally for respiratory tract disorders. It contains shikimic acid, a component of the flu treatment Tamiflu.

5. Szechwan Peppercorns

Szechwan peppercorns are not pungent like black pepper; instead, they have a lemon flavor. In some parts of Asia, people regard the spice as a remedy for digestive problems.

With all of these good benefits, lets now add Turmeric to the mix!  Talk about a powerful drink!


Chinese Five Spice Golden Milk
Paleo  Vegan  Dairy Free  Refined Sugar-Free


Ingredients

1 can (13.5oz) of unsweetened full fat coconut milk
3/4 c or 6 oz of Nutpods, plain flavor (or unsweetened, carrageenan free Almond milk)
1/2 c of water
1 T coconut oil
2 T maple syrup
1/2 t of Chinese 5 Spice
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground Ginger
1 1/2 t ground Turmeric
1/8 t black pepper
dash of sea salt

Supplies
Small Bowl
Whisk
Sm/Md Saucepan

Do it!
Wisk together all the spices in a small bowl, set aside.

Turn your stove on to medium hot, around 5-7.

In a small-medium saucepot dump all wet ingredients and including the tablespoon of coconut oil.

Wait for the oil to melt and whisk wet ingredients vigorously. Add the spices while whisking.

Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  The longer it simmers the more depth of flavor you achieve.

Pour into 2 mugs, add a dash of sea salt, and garnish with a cinnamon stick!



#leohusband and I find this rather rich and usually we have leftovers.

I just pour whatever is left into a Tupperware to reheat later in the week when I need a Treat Yo Self moment.

Enjoy!