Old man winter has made himself at home. And while I really don’t mind his arrival, it’s the goodies he tends to bring with him, like colds, flues, and less than 10 hours of sunlight each day that I don’t enjoy. Being asthmatic, I’m especially prone to lung infection, particularly pneumonia. (I’ve gotten it every year since I’ve moved from Florida back to New York…hmm, perhaps a sign that I need to move back to Florida?) Anyway, I’ve been feeling a little under the weather and I’m of the mindset that prevention is the best cure, which is why as of late I’ve been getting my fill of things like tahini (you can read about its beneficial effects on asthma here), green veggies, and homemade soups. And now oat tea.
It was over a year ago that I reviewed Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Cookbook, but one of the recipes that really impressed me was Oat Tea. Tosca says it’s “for fighting colds during the winter season and strengthening your immune system year round.” (If that doesn’t sound like the perfect trick to have up your sleeve, I don’t know what does!) I’m pretty open-minded about food, which is why I recently decided to give this a try. (Incidentally, I wonder if eating a bowl of oats in the morning has the same effect, or is it something about drinking the liquid? Very interesting.)
So how did it taste? I have to preface what I’m about to say by telling you that I adore the flavor of oatmeal and eat it almost daily for breakfast. Now on the other hand, oat tea is a very interesting drink, to say the least. Its taste is decent (cinnamon, honey, and vanilla make sure of that), but it’s viscous and, well, slimy. (If you’ve made oatmeal you’ll understand what I mean – you know how the oats and water are a bit slimy at first until all the water is absorbed? Well this tea is just the slimy water.) Not that it was bad, just different. But if it helps keep me from getting sick I’d drink it again in a heartbeat. (Although I’ll admit I’d rather just have a glass of orange juice, lol!)
Oat Tea (Adapted slightly from Tosca Reno’s recipe for Oat Tea in Eat Clean Cookbook)
(Yield: 4 servings)
2 TB rolled oats
1 cinnamon stick
4 c water
1 TB honey (more or less to taste)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract (more or less to taste)
Put oats, cinnamon stick, and water in a small saucepan and bring up to a boil; turn heat down and simmer (covered) 30 minutes. Turn off heat and add honey and vanilla. Strain to remove oats if desired (I served it in a French press so there was no need to strain); serve.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
I’ve never heard of oat tea before, this looks really interesting so I will try it
I’m a big fan of Tosca’s. I have the books but I don’t remember this recipe. Sounds good for the winter months!
I am also asthmatic, but I do pretty well health wise although Spring with the allergies can cause me some trouble. I drink echinacea tea but have never tried this oat tea.
Interesting to be sure…the health benefits probably make up for the sliminess :)
That’s a funny way to use cinnamon ! Bravo
Wow, this is a new one on me, too. I wonder what the oats actually do in this to help fight colds? I can see how any nice hot liquid with a little honey will make ya feel worlds better. But oats, huh? Interesting. ;)
I love the flavor of oats but sliminess is one thing I can do without! In any event – I hope this helps Faith!
huh, i do love tosca, but slimy? i would definitely try it if it’s that good for you. hope you are weathering the cold! spring is almost here.
chef louise
Sorry to hear you are prone to pneumonia! That must be a horrible thing to have to go through year after year. I do think that Florida would be the perfect cure for that!
Oat tea is a wonderful cure until that happens…I have never heard of such a thing!
Just the mention of the word viscous has made me cringe…really not for me. What is for me is steel-cut oatmeal (at least 3 times per week) and high anti-oxidant apples like the Red delicious which has 5x more than most apples. It’s been researched and tested that apples help strengthen lungs…and I personally will take all the help I can get ;)
Faith, it seems that besides our love for chocolate and cheese…we both have pesky problematic lungs…hmmm.
Thanks for sharing this experimentation with us ;o)
Ciao for now,
Claudia
I would never have thought of oat tea before! Very interesting and it’s wonderful that it has healing abilities!
I had pnuemonia twice when I was a kid and was hospitalized for it. IT sucks! Have you tried emergenc?
What an interesting post! I do like oatmeal, so I wonder how I’d like this tea. If it helps with your pneumonia, it must be pretty powerful.
Hmmm, slimy tea, sounds interesting… but people eat and drink all kinds of unusual things for the health benefits! I hope you can keep the illnesses away! :)
Faith- I like the wholesome sound of Oat tea and the idea of it’s cleansing effects but I get the idea of slimy oatmeal water. I think I would want a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and a cup of regular tea to go along! I’m going to try your roast broccoli that is more my cup of tea, lol. Happy New Year and I look forward to following your blog in 2011;-)
Hehe, I love how you described it as slimy :) I don’t mind that filmy, slickness of oats – I actually really like it :) And this tea sounds delicious to me! Take care of you! No pneumonia this year!!
Hmmm, I do love oatmeal, so if the taste is similar and it helped me to stay well, I’d probably drink it :)! Hope it helps you feel better, Faith!
I don’t know about slimy tea, Faith. But you’re right in that if it prevents illness it’s worth it. It’s gotta taste better than cough med’s, right? ;)
This is a very original tea drink.I m a complete tea drinker and love to taste different kinds.This recipe attracted me coz its different from the usual.Thanks for sharing this.First time here.Loving your site a lot.
What a neat tea. I’m not sure I could get past the texture though. ;)
Wow! Now THAT is an interesting recipe! Did it help out with the asthma?
Julie M., Tahini helps with asthma (if you’re interested, see here for more info). The oat tea is supposed to help build immunity and I really have no idea whether it truly works or not (I’ll try anything though!). I am feeling a little better, so maybe it does help…fingers crossed! :)
Oat tea? I’ve learned about a dozen new things here, but this may be the most interesting.
I too love oatmeal, but when you describe it as slimy I get scared! Of course I am curious so I must give it a try.
I’ve actually never heard of oat tea… It’s unique for sure. Hope you feel 100% soon!
What an interesting idea! Hope it works and that you stay well :)
Ha ha, id have it in a heartbeat too , the orange juice ie!
I love oats , but jus not all the time , tahini i loveee,all the time!
Bdw, i almost always have a cafe in the mornings , and flavrd with exactly the same u use to flav the oat tea , cinnamon and vanilla , cinnamon or honey and vanilla :-)
Sometimes i add in a bit of cardamon too but i always get adventurous there!
And bdw, exactly when i think of ya , u hop by and make my day, thannk u!
And brite sunshine new year to ya!
Wow..that’s very innovative..a must try recipe!
Although unusual, I’d definitely be willing to try this.
By the way, your blog is so beautiful… just wanted you to know.
I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling a little under the weather, Faith; I hope the tea helps out!
Hmmmm…. Now this sounds good, when I was in London a few years back, I got SUPER sick and had to come home to Momma to get better. I wonder if your super Oat Tea would have assisted in the healing of me? Hope you don’t get ill again this winter, I shall send you some Aussie sun!
I adore oatmeal, especially McCanns, but I am going to pass on oat tea, thank you very much!
Come on back to Florida, Faith! Although it’s been pretty cold down here this year too. But at least it’s green. :)
Oat tea, wow! I’ve never even thought of making tea from oats, but if it will keep me from getting sick – I’m with you on that one ;) I think alternating OJ and oat tea will be perfectly acceptable :P I admit, I’m not a big fan of the sliminess of oats, but I’d still like to try this tea sometime.
Sorry to hear you’ve been feeling under the weather :( I hope the tea perks you right up!
That is so interesting! I am definitely going to try it. Thanks for sharing!
This is such an interesting recipe. Well, I would for sure to drink it if it’s beneficial to the health even though slimy…
Sounds interesting! I love trying new healthy teas and drinks :-)
Your post couldn’t have come at a better time! I’ve been sneezing nonstop with a terribly sore throat. I’m worried I might be coming down with something because I hate being sick. Plus the tea sounds delicious, I’d have it anytime. Would definitely want to try this!
This is so original. I have never thought of that. The cinnamon stick really adds to the taste.
I’ve never heard of this tea…I must let my mom know!! She’s having a cold right now, and her immune defense is lower due to menopause…I’m sure she’ll really appreciate this, esp since always have all those ingredients at hand. Thanks, Faith! And I hope you stay warm and flu-free!
That is an interesting and original drink! It must have a lovely flavor.
Cheers,
Rosa
Interesting! I’ve never thought of oats as having any immunity boosters. Crazy! No vitamin c, no antioxidants (or are there?)…makes me wonder what the magic is. You go girl, I love your willingness to try new things.
Indeed this does sound very different…but I’m all about trying new things! I am so sorry to hear that you are so prone to sickness during these cold months. I hope that all your healthy eating keeps you strong! Thank you for sharing this with me. I hope you had a lovely Monday. I am trying to stay warm in Austin…we finally got a cold snap down here!
Koreans do the same thing with barley and rice, minus the the cinnamon and honey seasonings.
This is quite an interesting drink. Thanks for your honesty about the slime. I know I wouldn’t mind giving this a try if it’ll boost my immune system. Think it might take some getting used to though. Thanks for another eye opener, Faith.
Faith,
Oats tea sounds delicious and healthy.
This is absolutely new to me! I have never tried oat tea before!
Oh no, hope this oat tea keeps you warm and feeling better, Faith! I am one who will try anything to stave off sickness, so thanks for this tip!
Slimy drink, I hope the bowl of oatmeal in the morning is just as good, I am feeling a little under the weather since this morning. Hope NYC does not get the best of you and the tea works for you!
Interesting! I’ve never heard of oat tea…and I’m not sure I really want it :)
But, that doesn’t mean I’d never try it if someone told me it would do something magical for my immune system. Or maybe if they paid me :)
Looks interesting! My husband gets asthmatic bronchitis. I’ll suggest this to him, he loves oatmeal.
Hope you feel better!
How fascinating! I’ve never heard of this as a tea and I’m trying to imagine the texture now! I’ll keep this up the sleeve come Winter time :D
Interesting for sure! I’m not sure I could do the slime…but I do love oatmeal. You definitely need to come back down south ;)