Wait until you try this fruity and refreshing green tea smoothie recipe
I found this awesome green tea smoothie recipe online, and the timing couldn’t be better. It’s hot here in Florida…really hot. Not only is this tea smoothie, refreshingly cool and delicious, it’s loaded with health benefits as well. Just check out the ingredients. It’s got different types of berries, flaxseed and other awesome ingredients. Try substituting different types of tea like black, white or rooibos as well.
How to Make Your Own Tea Smoothie
How to Make Your Own Tea Smoothie
Whether you’re a fan of black tea, green tea or any other type of flavored tea for that matter, it may surprise you to know that transforming your favorite flavor of tea into a delicious tea smoothie is actually easier than you may think.
All you need in order to make a tea smoothie is 1 cup of brewed and chilled tea, 1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen or crushed fruit, 1/2 cup of crushed ice, and 1 cup of a liquid base. (This can come in the form of yogurt, milk, ice cream or even soy/almond milk as well). Some people like to add 1 tablespoon of honey to give the smoothie a little extra flavor, however, this is only optional.
First brew your desired flavor of tea, and then pour it into a bowl or leave it in the refrigerator to cool for 45 minutes. Next, add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth, (make sure you add the crushed ice last).
When it comes to choosing what type of fruit you want to include in your smoothie, this truly depends on the flavor of tea you are using; however, the general rule of thumb in making tea smoothies is that you should add at least 1/2 a banana into the mix because it helps with both the texture and the flavor of your smoothie.
Some of the most popular kinds of fruit you could add to your tea smoothie include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapples, mangos and blackberries, or you could even try mixing them all together if you’re feeling exceptionally experimental.
However, green tea smoothies taste best when combined with bananas, blueberries and strawberries, black tea smoothies mix well with strawberries and raspberries, and rooibos smoothies taste great with peaches. (And perhaps it goes without saying that berry teas taste the best when mixed with different types of berries).
You can even try experimenting with different types of flavored yogurt to use as your liquid base if you don’t feel like buying different fruit each time you make a smoothie.
If your smoothie did not turn out as you had hoped, keep in mind that making your own smoothies usually requires a sort of trail-and-error process. So if you can, try to experiment with not only the different types of ingredients you add into your smoothie, but the amount of ingredients as well.
Bio: Aside from school and working part-time as an Assistant Chef, Bridget Sandorford is the resident Culinary Schools blogger where recently she’s been researching culinary masters programs specifically culinary colleges in California. Her passion for food has followed her research into many different areas, such as nutrition, fitness, organic foods, gardening, and cooking on a budget. She lives outside of Charleston, South Carolina.
Make Your Own Green Tea Mints
Make Your Own Green Tea Mints
If you’ve been standing in a check-out line recently at any supermarket, you’ve probably noticed the phenomenon of green tea mints in small designer tins. You may have been tempted to throw one on top of your pile of groceries, but upon closer inspection, it’s pretty clear that most of these mints have very little to do with green tea. However, the principle of green tea mints sounds tasty and intriguing – we drink peppermint tea and sometimes add fresh crushed mint leaves to our favorite varieties, so why not give green tea mints a try? You’ll have fresh breath, enjoy the effects of antioxidants, and even have ready-made gifts for friends if you can find some fun tins that will hold your mints. You can try the following recipe to make your mints and, of course, feel free to experiment. The simplicity of this recipe will allow you to be as bold or as subtle with the tea and mint flavors as you like.
What to Gather
- Teajo Tea Filters
- Teajo Green Sencha Loose Tea
- Water
- 1 Cup Granulated
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- Peppermint Extract
What to Do
First, you’ll need to make a green tea reduction. Heat one or two cups of water in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer, then remove it from the heat and add a tea filter with some green sencha leaves. This tea is recommendable because of its natural mild sweetness, and you can use as much or as little as you’d like. Next, cover the saucepan with cling-wrap to intensify the steeping period, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Once you’ve done this, remove the tea filter and return your saucepan to the stovetop. Boil the tea until you have just enough to measure four tablespoons.
Add the granulated sugar to the four tablespoons of tea reduction and bring the mixture to a boil. Next, add the powdered sugar and peppermint extract to taste. Drop your mints onto sheets of waxed paper, trying to maintain a uniformly round shape. Once the mixture cools, this will become more difficult and you might want to warm it up again. The best course of action is to drop your mints as quickly as possible. Wait for your mints to cool and you’ll be able to peel them off of the waxed paper easily.
Storing Your Mints
Most craft stores offer “favor tins” in a variety of shapes, and some even come with small decorative labels that you can use to personalize tins for friends. They can often be found with wedding and reception items, and if you come up empty-handed, you can always ask an employee about them. While you’re there, you can even purchase some ribbon to tie around your mint tins, making them even more festive. Your friends will be delighted to receive them as a gift.
Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is a passionate blogger on the topic of education and free college scholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
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