ZenJewess's Recipe

Russian Tea (Sugar-Free)

Category: Recipes

Being diabetic, I'm always looking for ways to satisfy cravings without adding to daily sugar intake. This lovely drink is especially nice all winter long to tickle your nose with spices and warm you all the way to your toes. This summer I grew stevia in my garden. It graced me with uber-sweet dry leaves that I ground into a powder. You can, of course, use commercial stevia or other non-nutritive sweeteners, but avoid aspartame in this recipe because it tends to turn a little bitter in boiling water. (Great for coffee, but not in this Russian Tea mix.)

Makes: 5 cups of mix
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons mix per 1 cup hot water
Yield: Approximately 40 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups orange-flavored sugar-free/sugar-reduced drink mix (e.g. Tang, Crystal Lite)
2 teaspoons ground stevia leaves
1 cup plain instant tea (unflavored, unsweetened)
1 cup sugar-free lemon-flavored instant tea
1 cinnamon stick; freshly grated
1/2 of a whole nutmeg; freshly grated
1 teaspoon whole cloves; freshly ground
1 teaspoon whole allspice; freshly ground

Directions:
Grind whole cloves and allspice in coffee grinder. Finely grate cinnamon stick and whole nutmeg.

In a large bowl, combine orange drink mix, stevia, instant teas, and ground spices. Whisk thoroughly. Store in an airtight container.

To serve:
Stir 2 teaspoons of mix into into 1 cup boiling water. Adjust to taste.
Float a lemon or orange slice on top.

Substitutions: Though I don't recommend it because freshly ground or grated spices are far more aromatic, you can use pre-ground spices instead. Approximately 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice.