By Irene Hayton and Carol Song

This recipe uses green tea instead of the traditional black tea. See this month’s Health Tip for information on the health benefits of green tea. 

• 4 cups filtered water
• 2 green tea bags
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• 2 cinnamon sticks or 8 pieces cinnamon bark
• 10 green cardamom pods
• 10 whole cloves
• 1 star anise flower or a piece of licorice root
• ½ inch (1 cm) slice of fresh ginger
• pinch stevia powder

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add more stevia if needed. Add low-fat milk, soy milk or rice milk to taste.