Vegetarian Recipes

My Daily Tea Routine

https://www.loveandlemons.com/my-daily-tea-routine/

It’s an understatement to say that we really love tea. We drink more tea in our household than all other beverages combined. Green tea, hibiscus tea, and fennel tea are some of our regulars, but this post is about 3 new (to me) teas that I’ve started incorporating into my daily routine over the last few weeks. We’re partnering with Traditional Medicinals on this post because their teas are so wonderful.

My obsession with Traditional Medicinals started years ago. I was feeling under the weather and my throat needed some support. My mom told me “you have to try this tea that I just read about.” I couldn’t imagine that a tea would help, but I always listen to my mom’s health advice, and I’m happy to say that I felt much better! Since then, I’ve told every single friend to go out and get Throat Coat®… and that was just the beginning. Now, I love their wide range of organically sourced, medicinal-grade teas, including many with soothing, restorative benefits. For the past three weeks, I’ve been enjoying these three daily:

Morning (Tea #1): Roasted Dandelion Root
This slightly bitter tea reminds me of some of the teas that we enjoyed with breakfast in Japan. The deep roasty flavor inspired me to start making brown rice breakfast nori bowls – the whole grains, vegetables, and earthy tea make me feel like I’m getting my day off to a healthy start.

Herbal Power: Stimulates digestion and supports the body’s natural detoxification process.*
Tasting Notes: Earthy, with pleasantly roasted bitter notes.

Lunch: (Tea #2) Peppermint

I work from home, so I usually put together a pretty simple lunch like avocado toast with lots of lemon, sea salt, and sprouts. These bright flavors pair well with this bright-tasting tea, especially during these not-so-bright winter days.

Herbal Power: Rich in essential oils, this tea has soothing digestive benefits.*
Tasting Notes: Aromatic and undeniably minty.

3pm Snack: (Tea #3) Turmeric with Meadowsweet & Ginger

Admittedly, 3pm is often the hour when I reach for a coffee and a cookie. But, when I started drinking this turmeric tea at that time, a surprising thing happened – I didn’t need anything else to go with it! This tea has some wonderful benefits, such as supporting a healthy response to inflammation from a workout, but I personally really love it because it just tastes so good.*

Herbal Power: Supports a healthy response to inflammation after a workout.*
Tasting Notes: Warming, earthy and savory with a hint of spice.

If you try out your own 3 Teas, 3 Weeks routine, I want to know what teas you love! To get started, Traditional Medicinals is offering a buy two teas, get one free deal (click here) so that you can choose your own 3-tea combo. I usually find my teas at Whole Foods or Target.

Special thanks to Traditional Medicinals for partnering on this post.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Vegetarian Recipes

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Here’s a quickie recipe for those nights when you just need something fast and delicious. This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is super fast, light, and fresh, which makes it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner during the summer. The bright lemon flavor perfectly compliments the light and creamy ricotta, and the little pops of sweetness from the peas make every bite a little more interesting. Simple, fresh, and easy.

Originally posted 3-4-2011, updated 6-8-2022.

Do I Have to Use Fresh Lemon?

This is one of those recipes where you really do want to use a fresh lemon instead of bottled juice. The zest from the lemon adds a ton of bright, summery lemon flavor to the pasta without making the sauce too sour. We add just a little of the juice to balance the creaminess of the ricotta, but the zest is where you’re getting all that gorgeous sunny lemon flavor!

Not All Ricotta is Created Equal

I find there is quite a bit of variation in the quality of ricotta from brand to brand. Some are smooth, mild, and sweet like fresh milk, while others are bland and grainy. My preferred brand is Galbani, but they didn’t have any at the store when I went, so I got the generic Kroger brand. It was definitely a bit grainy, but the pasta was still quite delicious despite that!

Also, make sure to get whole milk ricotta. Low-fat ricotta just doesn’t hit the same in this recipe.

What Else Can I Add?

This simple pasta is a great jumping-off point for making a more elaborate pasta, if that’s what you’re in the mood for. Try adding some sliced chicken breast, fresh basil, or fresh spinach. Garlic butter shrimp would also go great with this pasta!

What to Serve with Lemon Ricotta Pasta

This pasta is so light and fresh that I suggest keeping any side dishes really simple, light, and fresh as well. I would go with a super simple side salad, or maybe some roasted asparagus and tomatoes.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Lemon Ricotta Pasta is light, fresh, and quick to prepare, making it the perfect pasta for weeknight dinners in the summer.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Total Cost $4.27 recipe / $1.07 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

1 lemon $0.89
8 oz. pasta* $0.67
1 cup frozen peas $0.50
1 clove garlic, minced $0.08
1 Tbsp butter $0.11
1 cup whole milk ricotta $1.60
1/4 cup grated Parmesan $0.36
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) $0.02
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste) $0.02
1 pinch crushed red pepper (or to taste) $0.02

Instructions

Zest and juice the lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp zest and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy water from the pot.
Place the frozen peas in the colander before draining the pasta so the pasta will thaw the peas as it drains.
Add the butter and minced garlic to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the drained pasta and peas, and about ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to the skillet with the butter and garlic. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.
Add the ricotta, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon lemon zest to the skillet. Stir until everything is well combined, the residual heat from the skillet and pasta have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has formed a creamy sauce. Add more of the warm reserved pasta water if needed.
Season the pasta with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Notes

*Use any short shape pasta.

Nutrition

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pasta – Step By Step Photos

Zest and juice one lemon. You’ll need about ½ tsp of zest and 1 Tbsp juice.

Cook 8oz. pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender). Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.

Add 1 cup of frozen peas to a colander, then pour the boiled pasta over top to thaw the peas as you drain the pasta.

Add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 clove garlic to a large skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic becomes very fragrant.

Add the still-hot pasta and peas to the skillet along with about ½ cup of the hot reserved pasta water. Stir to combine, then turn off the heat.

Add 1 cup whole milk ricotta, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp lemon zest to the pasta. Stir until the ingredients are combined, the residual heat from the pasta and skillet have warmed the ricotta, and the ricotta has turned into a creamy sauce.