Cooking with Tea - Healthy Recipe Ideas

Tea is more than just a pleasant beverage. It's also a way to imbue food with subtle flavor and spice without any extra calories or fat. Tea has many health benefits derived from teas antioxidants and tannins, and there are so many different types and flavors of tea that can spice things up in the kitchen.

Chai tea is a popular Indian style drink that has a delicious combination of spices that work well with sweet foods. It's widely available in the states now in tea bags, drink mixes and also in soymilk. Try making rice pudding with Chai infused milk or soymilk. Stir in some coconut for extra flavor. You could also bake up some Chai infused muffins with bananas and chopped figs, or Chai banana bread with lime zest and pineapple chunks.

Green tea has a lot of health benefits but it also has a subtle almost grassy flavor. You've probably had green tea ice cream at Japanese restaurants; why not try a green tea smoothie? Make a green tea concentrate by steeping several bags in a small amount of water. In a blender put plain or vanilla fat free yogurt, sliced bananas, berries, or your favorite fruit, a drizzle of honey, ice and a splash of the green tea concentrate. Blend and drink for breakfast, lunch or an after school snack.

Herbal teas can complement your baked goods. For example, if you're baking an applesauce cake or quick bread, use some apple cinnamon herb tea. Steep the tea in the milk for the cake and it will add lots of spicy flavor. If you're baking fruit or bran muffins, add some lemon or red zinger tea. For a unique twist to traditional carrot cake, add some concentrate from Constant Comment or Earl Gray tea.

Teas can be used in marinades for meats, poultry and seafood as well. Just make sure that your tea is cool before you use it in a marinade or it will begin to cook the meat. For example, use an herbal mint tea with lemon, olive oil, and other fresh herbs for a refreshing seafood marinade. Use black teas in marinades for red meat, and white or green teas in Asian style marinades for poultry.

Tea is a delicious and healthy food that can be used for more than sipping iced or warm. It can pack a lot of fat free flavor into your meals that will leave everyone wondering, "what is that delicious flavor?" You can keep them guessing, or let them in on your new secret ingredient.