It's FALL! Among all the pumpkin patches, leaf piles and cute costumes, the season can bring some unwanted guests as well: coughs and colds!
And it just so happens that the other day my poor toddler, Penelope, was moping around the house with a stuffy nose. I remembered that the spice turmeric is known for its potential healing properties, so I fished it out of our spice cabinet and fixed her up a warm, spiced milk on the stove. It took almost no time at all, was so easy to do, and had our kitchen smelling incredible!
Turmeric may help reduce inflammation, and has been used for many thousands of years in Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic medicine for a multitude of conditions, including colds (WebMD). For these reasons and more, we use turmeric in our recipes. Potential healing properties aside, this milk makes for a tasty, soothing drink!
We call it our "Goldilocks Milk" because it turns out to be a beautiful golden color.
Not only was the Goldilocks Turmeric Milk delicious (I had some, too), but it provided some comfort for Penelope and made for a nice warm drink for us on a cold and rainy day. We topped it off with some cinnamon, for a nice flavorful touch.
Here is our recipe, below.
Goldilocks Turmeric Milk Recipe (by What a Good Eater!)
Age: 15 months+
Yield: 2 cups
Food storage: drink immediately
Total time: 15 minutes
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk. (Since we're using this recipe to help with a cold, we stay away from dairy in this instance as dairy can cause inflammation.)
- 1 tsp. dried turmeric
- 1 tsp. dried ginger (or 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced)
- 2 tsp. honey (preferably local)
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- small pinch of black pepper
- shake of cinnamon (for topping)
- Pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan, and place on the stove over medium heat. Stir in the turmeric, ginger, honey, nutmeg, and black pepper. (Use a whisk if needed, to blend ingredients.)
Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes, careful not to overheat. Stir for another minute, then cover, remove from heat, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. If you used fresh ginger, either pour mixture through a strainer or use a slotted spoon to remove large pieces.
Once the drink has cooled enough but is still nice and warm, pour into cups appropriate for you and your toddler, top with a shake of cinnamon, and enjoy!
*Note: turmeric can have a slightly bitter taste; however, the longer you let it simmer, the less bitter it becomes. The trick is to keep a watch on the pot, and keep stirring -- this way it won't overflow and leave you with a big mess on your stove!
This post first appeared on What a Good Eater!, a baby and toddler cookbook and website with wholesome, family-friendly recipes designed to promote a well-rounded eater right from the get-go. Join the newsletter, here, and follow for news on the book release!