Category Archives: Beverages

Jun 11 2013
40 Comments
Beverages, Chocolate, gluten-free, Raw, Smoothies

Chai-Chocolate Green Smoothie

chai-chocolate smoothieMy favorite hot beverage transitions right into summer with a cool, creamy version that also features another favorite: chocolate.  Kale included at no extra charge.

You’ll need a spoon for this one.

Chai-Chocolate Green Smoothie
Serves 2

1 1/2 cups strongly brewed chai tea, chilled
2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
4-6 dates, chopped
2 bananas, chopped and frozen
1 avocado
1/4″ slice fresh ginger
3-4 leaves of kale
cacao nibs, for garnish, optional

Ingredients Collage

Combine all of the ingredients (except the cacao nibs) in a blender.  Stop blender and stir occasionally if necessary.  Process until smooth and creamy.  Top with cacao nibs, if using, and serve immediately.

Smoothie Collage

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May 02 2013
33 Comments
Beverages, Smoothies

Hibiscus-Cherry Cooler

Hibiscus-Cherry CoolerFor months a friend of mine had been extolling the virtues of a daily cup of hibiscus tea. He told me that drinking it regularly could lower one’s blood pressure and some studies have shown that consuming the tea could help fight cancer – in particular brain and skin cancer. I finally broke under the strain of his sales pitch and asked him where I could pick up some. Not long afterwards a big box arrived in the mail. He sent me three pounds – three pounds – of hibiscus tea. I had my work cut out for me.

Kel and I have a cup of hot hibiscus tea a few times a week and I also occasionally add it to our morning smoothies. The combination of hibiscus and cherry pleases me the most. Hibiscus straight up is quite tangy – like on the lemon juice side of tangy – but the cherries, dates and bananas tame the tart. And the color is lovely.

Now for a few disclaimers. Keep in mind a couple of things: if you already have low blood pressure (as I do), you may want to limit your intake of hibiscus tea. Also, this tea can lower estrogen levels – if you’re on hormone replacement therapy or are on birth control pills, this tea is not for you. If you are undergoing chemotherapy – check with your physician before making this tea a regular part of your day. Finally, some folks experience an extra special little buzz after consuming hibiscus tea. If you find yourself having an unusually deep and meaningful conversation with your houseplants, you might want to gift the remainder of the tea leaves to a friend.

There’s still plenty of voting days left in Ethical Ocean’s Eat What’s Good vegan recipe challenge – and my Mango Sticky Rice Cake needs help!! Click on the image below to go to my recipe. And thank you!

Sharing this recipe on Healthy Vegan Friday!

Eat What's Good Banner

Hibiscus-Cherry Cooler
Serves 2 generously

1 1/2 cups hibiscus tea, chilled
2 oranges, peeled
1 lime, peeled
2 bananas (yes, peeled)
2-4 dates, chopped
2 cups frozen cherries (strawberries are mighty tasty, too)
1 tbsp. hemp protein powder, optional

Combine ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve.

Hibiscus Leaves

Hibiscus Cherry Cooler

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Apr 02 2013
39 Comments
Beverages

Drinking Your Greens: Oriya Organics Review

Oriya Green DrinksMy friends would never guess from looking at me. My family isn’t attuned to the tell-tale signs. But each morning I dump it surreptitiously into my smoothie; in the afternoon I take it straight up in filtered, room temperature water. The murkier the better and if the stuff tastes like freshly mown grass – I’m in heaven. I’m a green powder junkie. I’ve worked my way through more green powder brands than John Mayer has bedded starlets. Why do I like green drinks so much? Remember when all looked hopeless for Popeye – Bluto was about to win Olive Oyl’s heart – and then he’d greedily gulp down huge cans of spinach? Popeye’s biceps would bulge with anvils and soon his arms would be rotating like crazy windmills and he’d knock Bluto into orbit. Same thing for me. Only my biceps bulge with Dyson vacuum cleaners and my arms are whirling dervishes of Swiffers.

When Oriya Organics asked if they could send me samples of two of their products I said something along the lines of, “Bring on Bluto!” By the way, they didn’t ask me to write a review and they certainly did not pressure me to write a good review.

One of my complaints about some green powder brands is that they put weird stuff in there – stuff that I don’t want – like sweeteners and flavorings. If I want that stuff in my drink – I’m a big girl – I’ll add it myself. And some brands can’t guarantee their powder doesn’t contain animal products. Oriya products are 100% vegan, non-GMO, raw, organic, have no artificial ingredients, sweeteners or funky preservatives and wacky fake flavors. Just powdered green goodness – beautiful as the smell of freshly mown grass. Time to knock your day into orbit.

PS Thanks to Oriya, if you order from their website and use the coupon code (through April 30) unrefined you’ll get a free shaker bottle, free shipping and a 10% discount!

Here’s the lowdown:

Oriya Products

Superfood Protein Medley contains:
Sprouted Chia Seeds
Spirulina
Sprouted Brown Rice Protein
Hemp Protein
Chlorella
(21.2 ounces; 24 servings per container)

SuperGreen Medley contains:
Spirulina
Chlorella
Wheat Grass
Barley Grass
(8 ounces; 28 servings per container)

Superfood Protein Medley is soft-green in color and has a light, slightly sweet flavor, but I found it a bit gritty mixed with just water. This works better in a smoothie – though there is a powdery mouthfeel that remains. You’ll notice that “one level scoop” is a lot more than one scoop of the SuperGreen Medley powder.

SuperGreen Medley has a deeply green color and a flavor to match – really nice. It’s refreshing on its own and disappears like magic in smoothies.

The powders:

Powder Collage

In water:

Green Water

In smoothies:

Green Smoothies

One year ago today: We Walk
One year and one day ago today: Other People’s Food: Chocolate, Chocolate & Peanut Butter

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Feb 21 2013
42 Comments
Beverages, Fruit, Herbs, Smoothies

Not-Too-Sweet Pear & Parsley Smoothie

Pear & Parsley SmoothiePear & Parsley sounds like a big American retailer’s idea of a quaint British shop (or should that be shoppe?) opening soon in a mall near you that sells soaps, pretty tea towels and cocktail napkins printed with every conceivable form of “Keep Calm and (fill in the blank).”  But in fact, it’s just another kind of green smoothie.  When one has committed to consuming a green smoothie (or two) each day, one also has to commit to trying different ingredients so as not to get bored of the usual smoothie ingredient suspects (not that there is anything wrong with my good friends, kale and oranges).  I especially like this combination because it isn’t too sweet and it’s very refreshing.

One year ago today: No-Knead Anadama Bread
One year and one day ago today: Save-the-Piggies-in-a-Blanket

Sharing this recipe on Healthy Vegan Friday at Veggie Nook!

Pear & Parsley Smoothie

Makes 2

1 1/4 cups water
2 pears, cored and chopped
1 banana, cut into chunks
1 large stalk celery, cut into chunks
big handful of parsley
2 dates, chopped
1 kiwi, peeled
2 large leaves romaine lettuce

Place the ingredients in a blender and process until smoothie, thick and creamy.  Serve immediately.

Pears

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Jan 15 2013
33 Comments
Beans, Beverages, Fruit, Green Smoothie Challenge, Juice, Salads, Smoothies

“I Survived the Green Smoothie Challenge” & Lunch in Las Vegan

Tropical Colada Smoothie

Tropical Colada Smoothie

Not only survived – thrived.  From January 7 through January 13, Kel and I joined Somer and lots of other folks in the first Green Smoothie Challenge of 2013.  This was a positive, healthy and delicious way to kick off the new year.  The hardest part of the Challenge?  Banning my much-loved carbohydrates: whole grain bread (slathered with almond butter), brown rice, potatoes, hot rolled grains in the morning and my evening snack of Cheerios or Weetabix.  (Actually, it wasn’t that hard.) The easiest part was not having to think about what I was preparing and eating and that’s because Somer did all of the work by providing recipes and detailed instructions.  And since she’s an incredible cook, I knew the recipes would be really delicious.  Throughout the Challenge I snapped photos with my phone and shared them via Instagram.  As you can see, we did not go hungry.

Kel and I went strong throughout (even bringing my Vitamix, soups and loads of greens, veggies and fruit on a road trip we took) but fell off the wagon in a spectacular way on the last day of the Challenge during a day trip to Las Vegas.  I’d heard that Vegas is a very vegan-friendly town and indeed, it offers a lot of plant-based dining options.  I call it Las Vegan now, as a matter of fact.  While I have ample will power to bypass the slots and gaming tables, I just didn’t have the strength to say no to lunch at 100% vegan bakery and bistro, Pura Vida.  Photos below.

Binge eating in Vegas aside – - there’s no need to wait for the next challenge  - – start one today!  Click here to get the information and all the recipes you’ll need.

Big salad for dinner.

Veggie-loaded, big salad for dinner.

Moroccan Lentil Soup, Hummus, Salsa, Raw Veggies

Moroccan Lentil Soup, Hummus, Salsa, Raw Veggies (a.k.a. Lunch!)

Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie

Blueberry Vanilla Smoothie in the Works.

Lunch at Pura Vida:

Whole Grain & Flaxseed Pancakes with Berry Compote & Bananas.

Whole Grain & Flaxseed Pancakes with Berry Compote & Bananas.

Tofu Scramble and Soyrizo Burrito.

Tofu Scramble and Soyrizo Burrito.

Green Salad & Chili.

Green Salad & Chili. Thanks, Kaylie, for letting me photograph your lunch! It was great meeting you!

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Oct 05 2012
33 Comments
Beverages, Smoothies, VeganMoFo, Virtual Vegan Potluck

VeganMoFo: Peanut Milk, Banana & Cocoa Smoothie-Shake

Shake-smoothieYou knew this was coming, right?  What’s the first, most logical thing one would create with peanut milk?  Exactly.  Nothing earth-shattering here, folks, just the usual rock-solid-delicious smoothie suspects paired with their new friend, peanut milk, all mixed up together into an irresistible shake-like consistency.  Spoon required.

Hey, you!!  Have you signed up for the Virtual Vegan Potluck?  No?  What are you waiting for?!  I’m looking for vegan and vegan-friendly bloggers to contribute a dish for the world-wide, plant-based Potluck shindig happening on November 1.  Go here to sign up!

Virtual Vegan Potluck

Peanut Milk, Banana & Cocoa Smoothie-Shake
Makes enough for 2 

~1 cup homemade peanut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. cocoa
1/4 cup plain coconut milk yogurt
4 dates, chopped
3 ripe bananas, cut into chunks and frozen

cacao nibs & chopped unsalted peanuts, for garnish

Place all ingredients except for cacao nibs and peanuts in a high-powered blender.  Blend until smooth, thick and creamy – add more peanut milk if mixture is too thick.

Shake-smoothie 2

Vegan MoFo

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Oct 02 2012
84 Comments
Beverages, VeganMoFo

Peanut Milk & Meal

Peanut Milk

I’m weaning myself off of soy milk.  Not only because I’ve discovered a connection between my consumption of soy milk and how (icky) I feel, but also because of a post about carrageenan by Rachel that I found disturbing enough that I was inspired to make a change in the way we eat.  Carrageenan is extracted from seaweed and is used as a thickener in all kinds of food products (vegan and otherwise) – like commercial nut milks and ice creams.  Please read Rachel’s post to see why one should reconsider consuming products that use carrageenan.

But giving up soy milk meant that I needed to find an alternative milk not only for my morning cereal, but more importantly, for my cup of coffee.  I love the creamy-nuttiness that soy milk gives to my lattes.  In my quest I’ve made almond, cashew, hemp and hazelnut milks – and now, peanut milk.  Almond milk is pretty great; not so wild about hemp or hazelnut milk.  Peanut milk…well, I’m still experimenting.  (Sadly, it doesn’t seem to work well with coffee…)  If there’s a theme (and there isn’t) running through my VeganMoFo posts, it could possibly be peanuts…and chocolate.  I’m going to dedicate several posts to how to use peanut milk and its byproduct – peanut meal – but let’s start with the easy basics.  Made just like any other nut milk you’ve tried.

Peanut Milk

Makes ~1 1/2 cups

1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 1/2 cups filtered water

Soak peanuts in water overnight.  Drain and rinse thoroughly.  Place peanuts in a high-powered blender and add water.  (I found it perfect as is, but if you like, add a pinch of sea salt and a hit of vanilla or sweetener of your choice.)  Blend for about 1 minute.

Pour mixture into a nut bag that has been placed in a sieve over a large, deep bowl.  Squeeze to get out as much liquid as you can.  Transfer peanut milk to a container and store in the refrigerator.  Scrape the peanut meal out of the bag and into a container; store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Peanut Meal

 

Vegan MoFo

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May 17 2012
53 Comments
Beverages, Vegetables

Chocolate-Cherry-Banana (Green) Smoothie

SmoothiesA few days ago while doing a sort-of, kind-of inventory of my canned goods, I noticed four cans of tart cherries staring back at me.  Wow.  When did I buy those??  I grabbed one and checked the date: getting close to expiration time.  I’ve been on a mission to use those cans before the clock strikes midnight on them (what exactly happens on the expiration date anyway?  Do they self-destruct?  Instantly acquire botulism?)  My first recipe was a vegan version of Cauldron and Cupcakes’ Cherry Ripe Slice (I love the name of this recipe – I feel like I could change the words around and it would still make sense).  I must admit that my first go-round on these didn’t come out quite as expected.  Perfectly edible, but not ready for prime time.  I encourage you to check out Nicole’s decadent version – it looks and sounds wonderful.  (In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my smoothie variation of her dessert.  See the recipe below the Chocolate-Cherry-Banana Smoothie recipe.)

This, my second recipe using a can of cherries came out much better.  Perhaps because there was no measuring, substituting and baking.  Daily dose of greens included at no extra charge.

For those Virtual Vegan Potluckers out there (and anyone else who is interested), I created a Facebook page just for the event.  (Thanks, Lorna, for the idea!)  It’s a little rough around the edges, but I’m working on it!  Please check it out and give it a Like.  I’ll be slowly sharing the links to everyone’s VVP posts.  Click here to be whisked away to the Virtual Vegan Potluck page.  Also, the VVP Pinterest board is now complete!  And…the VVP now has its own Twitter handle: @veganpotluck.

Chocolate-Cherry-Banana (Green) Smoothie
Serves 2

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 very ripe bananas, sliced (frozen would be nice)
2 tbsp. powdered unsweetened cocoa
natural sweetener to taste (I used crystallized stevia)
1 15 oz. can pitted, tart cherries (packed in water, not syrup), drained well and frozen (or use 2 cups bagged frozen cherries)
A big handful of baby spinach
cacao nibs, optional

Put everything (except the cacao nibs) in a blender or Vitamix in the order shown and blend until smooth!  Divide between two glasses and sprinkle with cacao nibs.

Smoothies from the Top

Cherry Ripe Slice Smoothie
Serves 2

1- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp. coconut or vanilla extract
2 very ripe bananas, sliced, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp. powdered unsweetened cocoa
natural sweetener to taste (I used crystallized stevia)
1 15 oz. can pitted, tart cherries (packed in water, not syrup), drained well and frozen (or use 2 cups bagged frozen cherries)
A big handful of baby spinach
cacao nibs, optional
toasted unsweetened coconut flakes, optional

Put everything (except the cacao nibs and toasted coconut flakes) in a blender or Vitamix in the order shown and blend until smooth!  (If using both frozen bananas and cherries, you will need more liquid to get and keep the mixture moving.)  Divide between two glasses and sprinkle with cacao nibs and toasted coconut flakes.

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Smoothie

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May 11 2012
39 Comments
Beverages, Raw, Smoothies

A Real Orange Julius is Green

Orange Zest

Orange Green SmoothieSometimes after dinner on summer evenings, when the days stretched into 9 pm, mom and dad would herd us kids into the burgundy-colored station wagon and we’d drive the 15 miles or so over to Mentor and what passed in those days for a mall.  Malls were special places back then.  Rarities.  Imagine: people actually enjoyed spending time in them.  We’d walk past the shops, but rarely went into them.  We weren’t there to shop.  It was all about dessert.  We were there for either Baskin-Robbins or Orange Julius, both of which were tucked away in one of those “side streets” that malls have; the dead ends and backwaters.  Where the neglected step-children of the “anchor” stores were.

Do you remember Orange Julius?  The chemists there concocted bright orange drinks that had the after taste of St. Joseph’s Aspirin for Children – a taste, I confess – that I loved.  Maybe it was supposed to be vanilla, maybe malt.  I have no idea what was in the powder they added to the orange-flavored beverage, but whatever it was, it sure tasted good.  I’d bet that if I sipped an Orange Julius today, I would find it overly sweet and about as close to tasting like an orange as a green apple Jolly Rancher candy tastes like a fresh Granny Smith.

My version of the Orange Julius is the real deal: real orange, real vanilla and a healthy pile of spinach to help us get our daily dose of green.  No funky powder.  By the way, you’ll probably be seeing a lot of smoothie recipes coming down the pike.  I’m working my new Vitamix like crazy.

PS See you at the Potluck tomorrow!

The Real Orange Julius
Serves 2

A big handful of green or red grapes
2 oranges, peeled and quartered
1 apple, quartered and cored (I used a Gala; a frozen banana would be good, too)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
zest of  an orange
3 big handfuls of baby spinach

Place the ingredients in a good blender or Vitamix in the order shown.  If using a Vitamix, start on Variable 1 and turn to 10 (of if you are a Spinal Tap fan, crank it to 11 to get that extra little oomph) and then flip the switch up to High.  Let it process for 30-45 seconds.  Serve pronto.

Smoothie Ingredients

Smoothie Closeup

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Mar 27 2012
28 Comments
Beverages

Earl of Chai (Another Hot Drink From the Slow Cooker)

Cup of Earl Chai, MuffinDaytime temperatures have reached (scarily) into the upper 70s and lower 80s here, turning my cooking thoughts to cool salads, quick sandwiches and juices – ways to avoid turning on the oven.  (If this is March, what will July be like??)  Yet, even in deepest summer, I like to have a hot drink in the late afternoon – for the ritual and for taking a few relaxed minutes to sit and sip.

This drink was inspired by the Maple Pumpkin Latte I made not too long ago.  I decided to try making one of my favorite hot beverages in my trusty little crock-pot: chai.  All of the ingredients went in and in a couple of hours on Warm (my slow cooker runs hot), afternoon tea was ready.  Here’s how I did it:

Earl of Chai Tea
Serves 2

2 cups water
1 cup soy milk
1 Earl Gray teabag (string cut off)
2 black tea bags (strings cut off)
1 star anise
5-6 peppercorns
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
6-8 whole cloves
6 or so cardamom pods, smashed a bit
couple of packets of Truvia (crystallized stevia) or your favorite sweetener

Put everything into the slow cooker, set it to low (or warm) and forget about it for a few hours.  When ready to serve, remove the tea bags, and either scoop out the peppercorns and seeds with a strainer spoon, or pour the chai through a strainer over a big measuring cup.

Chai Ingredients

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