Teas and Elixers

Teas and elixers Our musician friend, Paul, is into tea’s healing properties. I often sample tea for Culinary Thrill Seeking to get his take on it later. He also passes tea thoughts to me. He started saving alluring Austin-based Zhj Tea tins for me to upcycle into crafting projects. Maybe a tea tin wind chime.? He also passed beautiful flakes of guayusa fashioned from a holly tree of the Amazons. South Americans call it the “night watchman” as it helps them stay awake. I love how it looks in a jar as the light catches shiny flakes that look like cut glass. Paul has been patio entertaining for our covid bubble and has inspired this week’s focus on healthy pleasures.

Purity organic coffee When I mentioned Purity coffee to my friend, he looked it up on the spot to learn of the care in making this “consciously crafted for health” product. It’s suggested you enjoy this brand alone for several days and note the taste and how you feel. I loved the aroma from day one and have enjoyed Purity as expected. Makers acknowledge coffee is “misunderstood,” noting more than 19,000 studies have been conducted on coffee and health. The consensus is coffee is good and also associated with happy hepatic (liver) function and a decrease in liver cancer. www.puritycoffee.com has more on a product they’re proud to distribute. They have a strict standard for sourcing, testing and roasting toward the goal of supporting liver health. Less than 1 percent of the world’s beans meet their standards. If I didn’t make this clear, it tastes like all that effort has paid off. Huel Huel is fuel for humans. Very good-looking, fit humans, as seen on their website, www.huel.com If I tagged a pic, it would not be some on-the-go runner swigging a banana ready-to-drink complete with all that healthy stuff. Naw. I’m using this blend to soak bread for my husband’s morning French toast. It works, really. I’d feature guests enjoying a serving of Huel Mexican Chili which surprised even me. It’s a dry mix in a bag that smells good and spicy. This nutritionally complete food becomes a hot and savory rice and quinoa meal. Scoop it, add hot water and you are “Hueling.” I served it to myself (a known culinary thrill seeker), a guest tending toward vegetarianism and my spouse, who avoids every kind of food that my guest loves. We all agreed, this easy meal has something special in flavor and other benefits. He does know jack Turns out my husband does know jackfruit about his snacks. I cautiously presented “fruit” chips in a bowl and he happily munched away before asking what kind of fruit. Jackfruit, I said, expecting him to balk. Instead he confirmed his enjoyment, adding it’s an easy way to eat a “complicated” fruit. If you’ve seen these giant, bumpy boulders in the Asian markets, you understand. So, Ting’s lightly fried Jackfruit Chips are, as the label touts, delightfully crunchy and mildly sweet, with the ingredients list being simply jackfruit and palm fruit oil. Bonus: They’re loaded with vitamins and minerals. www.TingsChips.com Something in the water My first straight-up kombucha was at a farmer’s market. Regulars were lined up with growlers to refill. My potent sample made my face pucker and eyes widen, even l I expected a promised punch. Now a variation of the traditional fermentation is an innovation. Agua Bucha put out cans of what they say is the world’s first kombucha-infused sparkling water. Guess what? I’m not the only one appreciating the crisp bubbles in Mayer Lemon, Key Lime and Grapefruit. It’s subtle and refreshing. I get the feeling of a healthy beachside libation with 4 calories of organic acids and B vitamins. “Let’s be Clear” is the tagline. I’ll enjoy this all season. Mother Kombucha of St. Petersburg, Florida just gave us this joy. Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie aiming to convince you healthy eating is a great culinary adventure. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com