By Susan Morales

I bring you one of my favourite drinks from my childhood with an Ayurvedic twist (of course). Earlier this year I had the pleasure of working as an Ayurvedic personal cook for a lovely man and as soon as he tasted my concoction, he looked at me and said, “you have to share this with the world”. So, this one is for you, Ralph! I have a cup every morning during winter and it always puts me in a good mood because I know I am nourishing my body with all that goodness.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup of white quinoa
• 5 cloves
• 3 black peppercorns
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon quill
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup of milk of your choice
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground vanilla bean or alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of blanched almonds
• Sweetener of your choice (I love honey with this drink)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First thing is first: the quinoa must be soaked overnight to get rid of its bitterness and it also makes it easier to digest.
2. Boil the quinoa along with the cloves, black peppercorns, cardamom pods and cinnamon quill.
3. Once the quinoa is cooked, strain and remove all spices. You should be left with cooked aromatic quinoa.
4. Place 2 tablespoons of the cooked quinoa, milk and blanched almonds in a Nutribullet / blender and blend until you get a lovely frothy consistency.
5. In a small saucepan on medium heat place the blended drink along with turmeric, vanilla bean and sweetener and whisk to maintain the frothy consistency.
6. Once hot and frothy, pour the drink into a cup and sprinkle with ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
7. The remainder of the aromatic cooked quinoa can be placed in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, so each time you make the drink just follow steps 4-6. Easy!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it and sharing it with you. I love hearing from the Manly Co-Op family, so contact me on Instagram: @MissSusanM