I always loved waking up in the morning to a cup of warm turmeric & pepper milk, a morning ritual that helps me feel good all day long. This ritual takes a slight turn during summer season when I replace the same with my infused water, first thing in the morning.

Infused water..Hmm..nothing fancy, it’s just our good old H2O combined with a few slices of fruits, vegetables or herbs.

I first saw pretty pictures it and read about the benefits of it on Pinterest a few years back and since then, am hooked to this infused water. And now, come summer and I love to see these colourful glass jars on my kitchen counter first thing in the morning.

This is my elixir which keeps me hydrated during long week days and hot summer. A jar of plain water, some fruits or vegetables and a few herbs to pep up the drink and there you go.

I love the fruity undertones of my infused water. Cucumber and lemon, apple slices with a tiny stick of cinnamon, lemon slices and mint, oranges & mint, ginger & lemon..there are endless combinations that I try out each day. Just add whatever fancy you, in plain water, refrigerate and drink it the next day. These drinks are so easy to make and even more easier to drink.

Call it by any name…my colorful infused water absolutely rocks!

Until quite recently, when my cousin introduced and gifted me a bottle of unpasteurized Apple cider vinegar. I have been adding a little apple cider vinegar also in my infused water, since then.

“Never drink it direct, always dilute it with water to reduce the acidic after taste of acv. 1 tsp. in a glass of water is good enough. This fermented drink is good for your gut health, controls blood sugar has several antioxidants and boosts immunity” she listed out the benefits of the same.

“And yes, do make sure you get the organic, raw and unpasteurized acv with “the mother” on the label for better health” she cautioned me.

I have been using filtered acv for many years in my baking and as salad dressings and love the tartness it gives to my salads and never thought of trying it in my drink.

I recently got a bottle of unpasteurized ACV with “the mother” from Borges and have been trying out various combinations to figure out which one suits my palate best. It sure is an acquired taste.

More about some recipes of ACV after documenting the styling assignment I did last week..

The assignment was for a restaurant Kebabisthan, it was a fun filled 2 days shoot with the photographer Swathy sekaran and Chilli production house.

 

Water washed and packed a large batch of my boards and other props..

Could manage to click a few shots of the food with my mobile..

Working shot at the studio…

I had a wonderful time styling for the products as I could use many of my hand made boards which is not required for many white background based commercial shoots.

This brings me back to some of the recipes I tried from online food blogs using Apple cider vinegar.

Turmeric -ACV Tea

I often make turmeric-ginger-lemon tea at home and sip it all day long. I don’t follow any recipe as such to make this concoction but I keep increasing or decreasing ingredients according to taste. I have started adding a dash of acv to it for better health.

Ingredients;

• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp. organic, unfiltered AVC
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• Spice mix
• Mint leaves (optional)

Method; peel and finely chop ginger.

My spice-mix has the following ingredients in it;

• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Bring water to boil, add the above spice mix and boil it for another 9-10 minutes.

Remove it from heat, cover and let the spices seep for 10 minutes. Sieve and add honey, lemon juice and acv in it and stir well to combine all ingredients. drink it warm.

You can also make ahead the above concoction with more quantity without adding acv and lemon juice and store this turmeric tea in refrigerator for up to 20 days or more.

Use the desired amount of concoction, warm it a little and add acv and lemon juice in it. Add fresh mint leaves for more flavors.

Green tea ACV drink

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 green tea bag
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. acv
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 small ginger piece
• Crushed mint leaves

Method; Place a green tea bag in a glass and pour hot water over it.

Add honey, lemon juice, sliced ginger, acv, crushed mint leaves and enjoy it warm.

You can also add crushed ice and enjoy ice cold acv green tea.

Note;

1. I have reduced the recommended quantity of ACV in my drinks, as I still need to develop the taste for it.
2. Try not to heat ACV and honey directly as it can reduce the healing properties of the same.
3. Add more honey or water to adjust the drink to your taste.
4. Turmeric acv tea is good for cough and sore throat, these concoctions work for me.
5. Use fresh turmeric to make tea for better health.
6. Acv has a strong flavor, work around it to find which recipe works for you the best and reap the benefits.
7. Both the drinks could be relished warm and ice cold.

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