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Simple Loose Leaf Black Tea Box, February 2020

We paired this beautiful collection of Simple Loose Leaf black teas with various tea time snacks! Check out the links to the recipes below:

Tulsi Chai with Savory Tea Biscuits
Purple Jasmine Tea with Baked Mandazi
Apple Cinnamon Black Tea with Cream Cheese Cookies
Ceylon Supreme Tea with Cinnamon Sugar and Chai Spice Khari (Puff Pastry Twists)

For more tea posts, check out #zezooteaparty.

Tulsi Chai with Savory Tea Biscuits

Purple Jasmine Tea with Baked Mandazi

Apple Cinnamon Black Tea with Cream Cheese Cookies

Ceylon Supreme Tea with Cinnamon Sugar and Chai Spice Khari

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Recent Posts

Ukad (rice flour and buttermilk porridge) May 30, 2020
Lavender and Lemon Scones May 10, 2020
Savory Tea Biscuits (shortbread cookies with carom seeds) March 29, 2020
Baked Mandazi (Swahili Sweet Bread) March 14, 2020
Cream Cheese Cookies February 29, 2020
Cinnamon Sugar and Chai Spice Khari (puff pastry twists) February 22, 2020

zezoo.cooks | Instagram

If you are feeling strong today, do whatever you can to help. If you are not feeling strong, seek comfort wherever you can. I’m seeking comfort in my mom’s favorite food/recipe: Ukad. Since I can’t be with her right now, I’ll settle for this Ukad, which is basically a warm comforting hug. . . . Ukad is a rice flour and buttermilk porridge, flavored with ginger, green chilies, garlic and curry leaves. Some people make it with ground turmeric (giving it the golden yellow hue), others leave it out. Try it both ways and see what you like best! . . . Detailed recipe is up on my blog (link in bio). If you have all the ingredients or can easily procure them, I promise you this Ukad will make your day more bearable (and that sounds pretty good right now). . . . #foodphotography #foodstyling #indianfood #marathifood #marathi #maharashtra #foodblogger #instafood #foodgram #traditional #classic #homefood #madefromscratch #homemade #momsrecipe #familyrecipe #food52 @we.are.marathi @marathi_food_lover @foodfoodtv @thepunefoodie #pune #rice #buttermilk #porridge #breakfast #sunday #weekend #snack #grainfree #glutenfree #easy #ukad

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there - newly-minted-moms, to-be-moms, moms forever, all of you. Hope you are celebrating and *being celebrated* wherever you are. . . . Over the past couple months, I posted 4 tea pairings for the Black Box I received from @simplelooseleaf. Few days ago, I got another box from them, and the very first tea in the box was the Blue Lady Grey - a tea so delightful, so perfect, and so quintessential “May”, I had to make myself a cup right away, and get cracking on its pairing it with something equally beautiful for Mother’s Day. . . . I present to you (and to my dearest Aai), these Lavender and Lemon Scones. . . . The lavender from the tea pairs wonderfully with the lavender and zesty lemon from the scones, that aren’t too sweet on their own, but rich and decadent from the cream. The lavender and lemon glaze is simply gilding the lily, because mothers deserve nothing but the best! . . . The recipe for these scones is now up on the blog (link in bio). Also check out the links in my bio for the Black Box tea pairings. . . . Have a wonderful Sunday and a happy Mother’s Day! #simplelooseleaf_partner #zezooteaparty #sponsored . . . #thefeedfeed #f52grams #huffposttaste #eeeeeats #buzzfeedfood #food52 #foodphotography #tea #tealover #weekend #sundayfunday #blogger #teatime #zezooteaparty #teacollection #teatasting #teapairing #mothersday #blacktea #lavender #lemon #spring #may #scones #british #london #fleamarketfinds

Is there such a thing is a “low key” Cinco De Mayo? There is now. . . . As part of his agenda to keep things exciting and normal, @thetravellingindianpassport has been religiously celebrating #tacotuesday this year, scrounging up anything that can be taco-fied. This year for #cincodemayo and #tacotuesday, we tried couple of new recipes from the latest @bonappetitmag: Scallion salsa (to be served with smashed avocados) and Honey Chipotle Shrimp Tacos (served with shredded cabbage, pickled onions and garlic crema)! . . . Quick enough for a weeknight assuming you have most of the ingredients, and really delicious! The shrimp marinade in particular is literally just 2 ingredients: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and honey! I used @beelocalhothoney for an extra kick, but regular honey would do just fine. Throw them on a grill pan or sauté until cooked through, and they are ready to adorn your tacos. . . . For the charred scallion salsa, char the scallions/green onions in vegetable oil until browned, then chop them roughly and combine with mixed fresh herbs (I used parsley), ground cumin, coriander, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Spoon over smashed avocados for a tangy, zippy and quick vegetarian taco! . . . #cincodemayo #tacos #tacotuesday #bonappetit #mexico #mexicanfood #crema #cremamexicana #tortilla #tacos #shrimp #hothoney #avocado #celebration #pickled #taco #scallions #foodblogger #foodphotography #foodstyling #homemade #eattheworld #instafood #foodstagram #huffposttaste #quarantine #food52 #f52grams

A few weeks ago (or was it months? 2020 has been such a blur!) I had entered my Pea Pesto Pasta recipe in Chef @ranveer.brar’s @barilla Pasta contest, and I recently found out that I won! Chef Brar will soon be making this recipe live on his channel, and I can’t wait to see it! Thank you Chef, I’m a huge fan of everything you do! . . . This pasta also happens to be a quick and easy, quarantine friendly meal, check out the recipe on my blog (link in bio). . . . #barilla #barillapasta #ranveerbrar #pasta #italian #peas #pesto #easy #contest #justforfun #foodblogger #pantry #italianfood #glutenfree #vegetarian #foodphotography #foodstagram #foodstyling #instafood #homemade #quickmeals #kidfriendly #spring #dreamofspring #springiscoming

For the final installment of my @simplelooseleaf tea pairing challenge, I’m pairing their spicy and intense Tulsi Chai, bursting with holy basil, ginger root and cinnamon chips, with my riff on the famous savory Indian shortbread cookie, the Jeera Biscuit (savory shortbread cookie with roasted cumin seeds). . . . I swapped out the cumin seeds for a combination of the more zingy and intense ajwain (owa in Marathi, carom/caraway seeds in English), spicy black pepper and sea salt. The earthy, bold and spicy hot tea pairs really well with a slightly spicy, savory cookie, jolting you and your taste buds to sit up and take notice, which can be quite useful if you are on your 20th day of “working from home”. Or is it 57th? . . . Recipe for these cookies is up on the blog (link in bio). Please check it out for substitution ideas so you can still make the cookies with whatever you have at home! . . . Over the past few weeks, I paired 4 delicious Simple Loose Leaf teas with a few tea time snacks that I thought go really well together (recipes for all the snacks can be found from the link in my bio). In those few weeks, the world has changed in ways we couldn’t have imagined. People all over the world are finally understanding the severity of the situation with COVID-19, some thanks to their governments, and others despite. And due to that shared understanding, there is hope of getting through this, even though it might come at a huge cost, and with huge deficits. Here’s to that hope, and the actions we all need to take, to get us through it all! . . . #simplelooseleaf_partner #zezooteaparty . . . #thefeedfeed #f52grams #huffposttaste #eeeeeats #buzzfeedfood #food52 #foodstyling #foodphotography #tea #tealover #weekend #sundayfunday #blogger #teatime #teapartea #zezooteaparty #teacollection #teatasting #teapairing #chai #chaitime #tulsi #biscuit #jeerabiscuits #savory #pantry #quarantine #cookies #shortbread

Depending on how many days have elapsed since your most recent grocery run, you may be out of fresh herbs (assuming you found them in the first place). . . . If you are bored of your Mac and Cheese’s and your bottled Marinaras, all you need is some frozen green peas, a hard cheese (like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan), and some toasted nuts (pine nuts or almonds or cashews would be best) to make this quick Pea Pesto! If you have some mint, basil or cilantro leaves to spare, throw them in there for a pop of freshness, but the green peas have got you covered on that count. . . . Slather it on bread, or toss it with hot pasta (and some hot pasta water) for a meal that will be ready in <20 minutes start to finish. . . . Recipe is on the blog (link in bio). . . . #stayhome #staysafe #pesto #pasta #pantry #italian #italianfood #glutenfree #vegetarian #plantbased #quarantine #quarantineandchill #selfisolation #foodphotography #foodstagram #foodstyling #foodblogger #foodbloggers #instafood #homemade #makeahead #weeknightdinner #weekday #quickmeals @bonappetitmag @basically @healthy_ish #foodporn #dreamofspring #spring #springiscoming #quarantinelife

Gudi Padwa, or the Maharashtrian New Year, is on Wednesday. And this year, it’s going to look way different than years past. . . . There is “no one size fits all” approach to getting through these extraordinary times, no matter where you are in the world. Everyone is dealing with so many different challenges, coming up with solutions on the fly. Things might get a lot worse before they start to get better, so maybe it’s in our best interest to adjust to this reality the best we can. . . . As for us: we are trying to stay optimistic, do our work, stay out of the way, help however/whenever we can, be extremely grateful for what we have, and thank all the doctors/nurses/first responders. Lather, rinse, repeat, until convinced of the new reality. . . . If you think that making something elaborate and delicious is what you need right now (and you are able to spare the resources it takes), then this Puran Poli recipe is for you. The recipe can be made from pantry ingredients (assuming you have chana dal and jaggery). If you don’t want to make the Poli (the roti/flatbread), just make the Puran (sweet Chana lentil filling) and eat that warm, with ghee, thinned out with some milk, for a special, comforting treat. . . . Step-by-step guide to Puran Poli is on the blog, grab the link from bio. . . . Stay where you are if you can, and be safe . . . #india #indian #foodphotography #foodblogger #indianfoodbloggers #festival #gudipadwa #foodstyling #foodporn #indianfood #maharashtra #puranpoli #padwa #newyear #homemade #fromscratch #thefeedfeed @marathi_food_lover @marathifc @foodfoodtv @foodtalkindia #foodart #pune #puneri #gudi #marathifood #family

The world has been a scary place recently, and every new thing we hear seems to make us more unsettled. In an effort to share something new today that will definitely NOT bring you down, here’s this week’s @simplelooseleaf tea pairing! The only thing unsettling about this is the fact that I had never had Kenyan Purple Tea before, and I could kick myself for it. . . . Here’s presenting this week’s @simplelooseleaf Purple Jasmine Tea, a unique blend of Tumoi Purple tea from Kenya, and Jasmine green tea! We are pairing this with a baked version of the popular Swahili fried bread, Mandazi, a just-about sweet confection, similar to a beignet. . . . I am ashamed to admit my knowledge about the continent is appalling, most of it acquired from @trevornoah’s book. Even worse? I know next to nothing about African food (besides Ethiopian food which I only know how to eat). So after being tasked to pair a tea from Kenya, I decided to be ignorant no more, and looked into a whole bunch of snacks popular in Africa. . . . Mandazi is what I picked to go with this particularly delicate and fragrant Purple Jasmine tea: a fragrant yeasted dough, cut into squares or triangles, then deep-fried (we are baking ours), and then dusted with confectioners sugar! . . . The recipe for Baked Mandazi is up on my blog (link in bio)! . . . Many of you all over the world may forcibly staying at home at the moment - either due to mandates from your respective authorities (lucky you!) or your good sense to self-quarantine - and if you/your family are well, enjoy this bonus time together to do something new! Bake something new, play a new board game, reorganize your medicine cabinet, re-label all the canisters in the kitchen (wait, that last one is just for me). Just stay indoors and out of the way - don’t overload the healthcare infrastructure in your area, leave it for those who really need it right now! . . . You can start with these Mandazi, and claim you know at least 1 African recipe! . . . #simplelooseleaf_partner #zezooteaparty

Holi Hai! . . . Granted you may not be able to go outside and (safely) play this year, but you can still make this Thandai (a sweet and slightly spicy nut+milk drink) and Moong Dal Halwa (a sweet lentil halwa) at home and feel like it’s Holi on the inside. . . . Both recipes are relatively healthy (sugar levels can be adjusted), grain-free and dairy-free, and can be found on the blog (link in bio)! . . . The festival of Holi brings people together to celebrate, and at present, due to the COVID-19 threat that may not be possible where you are. In many parts of the world people are confined to their homes, many separated from their families. . . . Let’s take a moment to express gratitude to the doctors and healthcare professionals who are exposing themselves to a multitude of risks to keep the general population safe. Let us do our part by practicing safety, exercising caution, using common sense as a guide, and most importantly: not contributing to mass panic and paranoia! Unless you are an expert, please let’s not add to the deluge of misinformation that is out there, in the name of “sharing”. . . . Share help, gratitude and good food instead! . . . #holi #india #indian #foodphotography #foodblogger #dairyfree #glutenfree #grainfree #indianfoodbloggers #festival #halwa #thandai #foodart #foodstyling #indianfood #indiandessert #holi2020 #homemade #fromscratch #thefeedfeed @marathi_food_lover #foodstagram @food52 @foodfoodtv @marathifc @foodtalkindia #colors #rangpanchami

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