Tea infused desserts are beautiful to look at and wonderful to taste. Whether it’s a hint of orange and chamomile tea or chai tea in your food, the flavours never fail to disappoint your taste buds. There are many tea-infused desserts out on the Internet but many recipes make use of the classic tea flavours such as white tea and the likes – sure, the benefits of green tea are undeniable, but there are many more flavours out there that are equally beneficial and delicious!

Nilufer offers you unique organic tea with flavours that are different from your usual brands like yogi tea – even the packaging is an artwork by itself. Say goodbye to searching for green tea benefits or looking up recipes for chai tea or white tea or other yogi tea options because things about to become a whole lot flavourful!

Have a cup of tea with some ginger rooibos tea flavoured shortbreads

So, why not start small and check out some simple tea infused desserts that are out of the tea cup and beyond the search for green tea benefits? For the following dessert recipes, it isn’t necessary for you to have a tea infuser, tea set or even green tea extract – just grab a tea cup and Nilufer’s tea bags.

Shortbreads come in a variety of shapes, sizes and now flavours as well! It could go well with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning or snacks at a party. Put aside your white tea or chai tea because ginger rooibos tea is the new shortbread flavour to taste and challenges the benefits of green tea. Less bitter than white tea and other herbal teas, ginger rooibos tea will come out to be a whole new world of delicious-ness!

Rose tea infused madeleines with a side of milk

Madeleines are delicious and we’re infusing rose tea into them so they become delicious as well! Forget about having to use green tea extract or white tea or chai tea because rose tea infused madeleines will be on another level. Almost everyone would know the benefits of green tea by now but did you know that rose as an ingredient can help restore peace to your mind? Leave your yogi tea flavours and green tea benefits list aside because Nilufer’s rose tea will make fragrant and delicate-looking madeleines that will go hand in hand with a glass of cold or warm milk.

A tea cup full of homemade orange and chamomile tea flavoured ice cream

Ice cream with green tea extract is common, but orange and chamomile tea flavoured ones aren’t! People can go on about the benefits of green tea or yogi tea all day - orange and chamomile tea will challenge it. Orange and chamomile tea infused ice cream adds a little zest in the flavour while helping to calm your body down at the end of the work day. Have a scoop (or two, we won’t judge) in a tea cup while you wind down for the day. While you don’t need a full tea set for this, a tea infuser could help bring out more flavour if you like a little more floral zest in your tea cup of delight!

Floral blossom tea ice cubes to cool your beverages

This isn’t much of a dessert but these are so delightful that I had to share them. It’s one recipe that doesn’t involve classic yogi tea flavours, chai tea, green tea extract or searching for the benefits of green tea. Again, no tea set needed, but a tea infuser can bring out a stronger flavour. Green tea extract and green tea benefits will not be on your mind once you pop these ice cubes in a glass a drink of your choice.

A tea infuser or tea set could be useful if you’re looking to use these recipes for parties, but don’t worry if you don’t have a tea infuser or tea set – just steep those tea bags longer! Green tea benefits are undeniable, but there’re more teas out there that bring relief to the mind or body, and make delicious infusions in many recipes!

Do you find yourself grateful that on Monday you can start afresh?

Whatever happened the week before, or at the weekend, can almost be forgiven as we say, “ok new week, new start”

Monday starts great, good intentions carry into Tuesday, we may even get in a workout but then the old habits start to slide in.

You wake up late, no time for breakfast, but coffee perhaps? The workload starts to pile up, going out for lunch has to take a backseat so you grab what you can at your desk, by the evening you’re exhausted and a big, satisfying comfort meal makes all the stress go away….

These are the perpetual habits I see from most of my clients who when they start working with me have not yet managed to master the art of food preparation.

You see, willpower is not enough! Why? Well our genetic make-up designed us to crave highly sugar based food (carbs convert to sugar) and we create instability in our blood sugar by skipping meals, we’re overstimulated through caffeine when our body is tired. All this will lead us directly towards making poor food choices. Our caveman genetics knew that sugar was an instant form of energy & doesn’t really care that our modern brain wants us to crave & choose food that will allow us to maintain a certain aesthetic appearance as well as a tank of energy that can fuel long days of burning the candle!

Food Prep Sunday has become part of my life because;

My willpower will lead me to foods that don’t serve me well
I don’t have time to cook hearty meals or even think about what I want to eat once the week has started
I don’t want to yo-yo diet

We all have way too much to think about every day, so I developed this simple formula to my food prep days, which allows me to have quick go-to's, that can be assembled easily or create a meal in very little time ie 15 minutes or less;

Cook 1-2 starchy vegetables or carbohydrate, eg rice, oats, sweet potato, pumpkin
Have 3-4 easy vegetable options eg mixed salad leaves, roasted carrots, frozen spinach, tomatoes, avocado
Have 2-3 protein choices pre-boiled eggs, roast chicken, baked tofu, cooked lentils

These items prepared & cooked where relevant on Sundays give me freedom to just assemble based on what I fancy & of course what needs eating first

Preparing your meals in advance minimises failures and above all allows you to sustain a long term healthy lifestyle

We would like to thank Cherilyn from All things Vegan sg for allowing us to steal her wonderful sweet treat recipes to share will all our Nilufer Tea Blog readers! Cherilyn is a vegan living in Singapore and is very passionate about veganism and would like to share the love with everyone ?
Check out her blog to learn more about the Vegan lifestyle and learn more about how Vegans in Singapore are doing it!

Healthy and delicious Vegan Unicorn Cupcakes and Pancakes Recipes

So lately I've been seeing so many unicorn cupcakes on social media and I decided to try making some hella cute cupcakes as well. Click on to view how to make these little unicorn ? cupcakes!

Unicorn Cupcakes ?

Prep time: 1hour Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients:
Vanilla Sprinkled Cupcakes

1 cup non-dairy milk + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cups rainbow sprinkles

Frosting

3 cups icing sugar
1 1/2 cup vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 color gel

Decorations:
View Cupcake Jemma's video here.
Instructions:
For the cupcakes:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar to the non-dairy milk. leave it to curdle.
3. Add softened butter to a large mixing bowl and cream with a mixer. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined and fluffy.
4. Sift over the butter and sugar mixture alternating with the milk mixture. Blend until no lumps are present.
5. Add sprinkles and use a wooden spoon to carefully mix the sprinkles into the batter. OR use a spatula to fold it in.
6. Place the batter into 15 cupcake holders.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
For the frosting:
1. Cream the butter until creamy and light in colour.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and add in the vanilla extract.
3. Divide the batter into 4 separate bowls and add in food gel. ( each colour for each bowl )
4. Use a cling wrap and lay it out.
5. Place strips of the different coloured icing onto the cling wrap and roll it up.
Refer to cupcake Jemma's youtube video on unicorn cupcakes to learn how to do the icing and the decorations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW6nIhcNDbs
Photos:

**WHOLEWHEAT BANANA PANCAKES**

This recipe for pancakes is absolutely amazing. They make the perfect breakfast if you are craving for something warm and sweet. It is simple and very yummy. It can be made really quickly so time isn't a problem at all! I personally love these pancakes as they are super easy to make and satisfies my taste buds. So here they are!
Remember, if you do make them, please tag me on Instagram@cherealkiller! I would love to see those delicious pancakes that you have made. I have a video posted on youtube here.
Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 10 mins
Ingredients:

300ml of unsweetened soya milk
1 tbsp flax meal
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup (plus more to serve)
1 tsp vanilla extract
120g wholemeal flour
45g buckwheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Coconut oil used to cook the pancakes
80g walnuts or any nuts to your liking (optional)
150g fresh mixed berries (optional)

Steps:

Warm 60ml of soya milk in the microwave or in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Place the flax meal in a bowl, add the warmed milk, stir well, and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the apple cider vinegar into the remaining soya milk and set aside to thicken and curdle.
In another small bowl, mash the banana with the brown sugar, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
Whisk in the flax mixture, curdled soya milk into the banana mixture and blend well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the wholemeal flour, buckwheat flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the wet ingredients until just combined and fold in the nuts (optional). The mixture should have a thick consistency.
Heat a frying pan or a cast iron griddle over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates immediately.
Lightly oil the griddle and drop scoops of batter to your liking. Cook until bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook further for about 1.5 mins. Grease the pan a little between each batch to prevent sticking.
Serve the pancakes with maple syrup and berries (optional)

Nilufer Tea has been on the hunt for collaborations with vegan bloggers and instagrammers in Singapore and we are elated to be able to receive such positive and wonderful feedback about our tea from these influencers who share the same ethical visions as we do. In the weeks to come, we will be featuring numerous influencers on our blog and sharing a little bit about them so our readers and Nilu-fans can get a little inspiration to stay fit and get motivation to go on a healthier diet. We are also doing a little tea giveaway on a few of their accounts, so stay tuned for more information and tag your friends and family!

This week's influencer is @THRIVEORIGIN

View this post on Instagram

These were beary nice 🤤

A post shared by Cheryl (@thriveorigin) on Mar 23, 2017 at 7:00am PDT

click here for her youtube channel

View this post on Instagram

I get asked alot why I'm always laughing or smiling and just appear so carefree these days. Well, we all have our own problems but it is how we choose to react to it that makes us who we are. And let's be honest, happiness is not given. I choose to be happy because life's too short to mull over things that won't matter in the end. To be able to wake up each day and see my loved ones makes me happy. So does having enough food and a shelter over my head. It's not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes us happy.

A post shared by Cheryl (@thriveorigin) on Dec 9, 2016 at 9:42pm PST

Also known as Cheryl, is a vegan blogger, vlogger and instagrammer from Singapore. If you are looking for some inspiration for breakfast bowl recipes, how to take very aesthetically pleasing photos of your food as well as food recommendations in Singapore for vegans, her account is the place to gain some inspiration. Find out how she avoids non-vegan foods and how she goes about her daily life as a vegan in Singapore. Her photos have a real rustic and vintage effect to them which I really like personally.

And we got featured several times on her account as well. Thank you for choosing to collaborate with us, Cheryl!

Are you a health/ fitness blogger who is keen to collaborate with us? We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to collaborate with.

Sounds like you? Do pop us a mail at info@nilufertea.com.

When it comes to organic herbal tea, there’s more than meets the eye. Herbal teas pack a punch when it comes to health benefits. Here are some interesting facts about herbal teas that you may not have known about!

Rose Tea: Relief for Menstrual pain

The mention of roses conjures romantic images of flower bouquets or petal-strewn beds, but rose tea also helps alleviate menstrual cramps. This sweet tea improves blood circulation, which helps regulate menstruation and relieve any pain. Rose tea is recommended to be drunk before and during one’s period to ease any heavy blood flow and make your period more comfortable.

Treat yourself to a brew of rose tea when you anticipate that time of the month coming. The floral aroma and sweet palate of our rose paradise tea is sure to please your senses. What a better way to indulge than knowing you’re doing your health a favour as well!

Chamomile Tea: Secret to Silky locks

An organic herbal tea made out of dried chamomile flowers, this infusion can help revitalize dull, tired-looking hair. Chamomile tea can help strengthen your hair, giving it a glossier look. The anti-inflammatory properties of chamomile tea also help relieve any scalp irritation by eliminating dandruff.

If hair products and a hectic lifestyle have left your locks looking dry, pop a chamomile tea bag in a cup of hot water. The mild, clean taste of this brew is sure to cleanse your palette, making it easy to incorporate into your diet. This organic herbal tea is sure to improve not just your hair but your overall well-being!

Red Rooibos Tea: Natural Defense against disease

This organic herbal tea contains polyphenols that are antioxidants found in plants. Red rooibos tea contains almost 50% more polyphenols than green tea. Polyphenols help keep cancer at bay, keeps your heart healthy and acts as a natural defense against inflammation.

Red rooibos tea is mildly sweet, making it a tasty treat that boosts your immune system as well. Our ginger rooibos tea is paired with apple mint and ginger- A herbal infusion that is sure to please your taste buds. Next time you feel yourself coming down with a flu or a cold, pop a red rooibos tea bag in a cup of hot water to brew. This organic herbal tea is sure to boost your immune system!

PREVIOUS POST ON YOGA SEEDS COLLAB

In our previous post on the blog, we have shared that we were blessed with the opportunity to be a part of Yoga Seeds' 4th anniversary celebration. It was such an enriching experience for the Nilufer team as well as for the attendees as we had some fruitful discussions about the perks of taking organic herbal teas. These pictures speak a thousand words.

Photo with Wendy, the Founder of Yoga seeds (right)