Drink it Up!

It's that time of year when we're starting to look for something cool to drink. Here are six recipes to fill the bill, including Be Dazzled Cranberry Punch and Lizard Lounge Tea. Enjoy!

GREEN TEA, BLUEBERRY, AND BANANA SMOOTHIE

This recipe and the next (Very Berry Breakfast Smoothie) are from “20 Super Healthy Smoothie Recipes” on the Runner’s World website. They’re originally from The Editors of Prevention.

This recipes begins, “Antioxidant-rich green tea makes this healthy smoothie a nutritional powerhouse.”

Servings: 1

3 Tbsp water

1 green tea bag

2 tsp honey

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

1/2 medium banana

3/4 cups vanilla soy milk

Boil water and pour in a small bowl. Add tea bag and allow to brew 3 minutes. Remove tea bag. Stir honey into tea until it dissolves.

Combine berries, banana, and milk in a blender with ice crushing ability.

Add tea to blender. Blend ingredients on ice crush or highest setting until smooth. (Some blenders may require additional water to process the mixture.) Pour smoothie into tall glass and serve.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 269; Protein: 3.5 g; Carbs: 63 g; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 38.5 g; Total fat: 2.5 g; Saturated fat: 0.2 g; Sodium: 52 mg

VERY BERRY BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

This begins, “Start your day off with a bang with this fruit-packed smoothie recipe.”

Servings: 2

1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries

3/4 cup chilled unsweetened almond or rice milk

1/4 cup frozen pitted unsweetened cherries or raspberries

1 1/2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 tsp ground flaxseed

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in blender, adding lemon juice to taste. Puree until smooth. Pour into 2 chilled glasses.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 112; Protein: 1 g; Carbs: 25.5 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 20 g; Total fat: 1.5 g; Saturated fat: 0 g; Sodium: 56 mg

LIZARD LOUNGE TEA

My oldest son spent several summers traveling the country, both singly and with friends. Several times, he wound up at the Rainbow Gathering, where he hooked up with a larger group of friends. Most of them had grown up in hot areas of the country, so they nicknamed themselves lizards; their area of the camp site was the lizard lounge. They would cook up their version of iced tea, which they would barter for other commodities. They were frequently asked what their secret ingredient was.

This is a scaled down version. I found that cranberry or cranberry-apple herb tea works very nicely with this, but any herbal tea can be used.

This, as well as other yummy recipes, can be found in my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

1/2 gallon apple cider

4 – 5 herbal tea bags

Place cider in a large pan or teakettle and bring to a boil. Place herbal tea bags into a large container and pour the boiled cider over the tea bags. Let steep for 15-30 minutes and cool. Very good.

SPICE TEA

I used to make this every year for Christmas presents; it was quite popular. Unfortunately, life got a little hectic...As simple as this is, though, I may be reigniting this as a present!

While this technically isn't for an iced tea, but, rather, a hot tea, there's no reason you can't brew up a batch and then turn it into an iced tea.

This can also be found in my e-cookbook, Off the Wall Cooking.

8 oz loose tea

3 orange rinds/peels

1 1/2-2 sticks cinnamon

2 T chopped cloves

Cut orange peels into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring occaionally. Let cool, add to loose tea, along with broken cinnamon sticks & cloves. Store in tight containers.

I'll post some single-serving drinks in a later post. In the meantime, enjoy!

BE DAZZLED CRANBERRY PUNCH

This is from Ocean Spray. Prep Time: 5 minutes plus freezing; Yield: Makes about 14 6-ounce servings

To view this yumminess, click here.

Ingredients

1 64-ounce bottle Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail

24 ounces club soda

8 ounces orange juice

Ice ring, garnish

Orange slices, garnish

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except garnishes, in a large punch bowl. Gently stir ingredients. Add ice ring and orange slices just before serving.

CAFE DE OLLA

The recipe for this yummy coffee is from the December 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 47. It starts off, “Literally 'coffee from the pot,' this recipe offers a simple way to make coffee for a crowd, with a spiced twist that no one can resist.” Serves 8 in 30 minutes or less.

To view this online, click here.

4 cinnamon sticks

4 star anise

4 allspice berries

4 whole cloves

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar or 4 oz. piloncillo (Mexican raw sugar cones)

2 cups medium grind, dark roast coffee beans

2 cups low-fat milk

1 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa, optional

Lightly crush cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice, and cloves with mortar and pestle. Place in resealable plastic bag, and pound with rolling pin. Transfer to large saucepan, and add sugar and 8 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add coffee, and let steep 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm milk in small saucepan, and whisk until frothy.

Strain coffee through fine sieve or coffee filter into pitcher. Stir in coffee liqueur (if using). Serve with frothed milk.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 80; Protein: 2 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 17 g; Cholesterol: 3 mg; Sodium: 35 mg; Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 16 g; Gluten-Free