Even in the Bay Area, the weather is getting cooler, and I'm starting to crave soups, stews, and warming teas.  Let's focus for a second on tea.  Do you drink herbal teas?  If you don't, this is a place in your diet that could BLOW UP.  Seriously.  Teas provide nutrition, medicine, and hydration.  Plus, I love having tea with friends, or offering tea to guests that come over.  They are nourishing and nurturing, and fun to experiment with.  

Let's make some Cinnamon Ginger Tea.  

Cinnamon can help with a sweet tooth, as it not only tastes sweet, but can help with blood sugar regulation.  It's helpful for digestion and is also good for congestion.  You can cook cinnamon sticks for a long period of time, I commonly use them when I braise meats, but cinnamon powder should be added right before eating.  Longer cooking of powder can make it taste bitter according to Rebecca Wood of the The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia.  (Great book!)  

Ginger is also a powerhouse.  Warming, great for the metabolism, indigestion, gas, and inflammation, ginger is an amazing herb.  When I'm feeling bloated, I immediately reach for ginger tea, and many gastroparesis folks that I interviewed cited ginger as being great for helping with nausea.  You can use it in dishes, either minced or in large chunks (I usually take the large chunks out before eating).  Follow directions below to make tea :) 

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

1 claw ginger

1 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon honey (optional)

1 quart filtered water

Directions

1) Slice ginger into large chunks.

2) In a medium saucepan, place water, ginger and cinnamon over medium to high heat until water starts boil. 

3) Bring down to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Turn off heat. 

4) Stir in honey

5) You can drink immediately, or leave tea covered to steep for longer.  Wait until contents have cooled and pour entire contents into a jar to store in the fridge for later use. 

 6)If you do not want the tea too spicy, you can take out the ginger pieces when you want.  Taste as you go. Enjoy!