The Healthy Eating Site » Beverages

Super C Fizzy Antioxidant Refresher

Eat Healthy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:42:27 +0000

Super C Hydrating Fizzy Refresher

This is one of by favorite refreshing pick-em-up drinks. I drink it nearly every day and I really miss it when I don’t. This is one of my ‘happy foods’, combining red bush tea (also known as rooibos) and the fermented wonder-drink kombucha. Rooibos tea is high in minerals, loaded with antioxidants and very hydrating, making it a great isotonic sports drink.

Combine the hydrating properties of Red Bush tea, the vitamin C and antioxidant properties from superfoods camu camu and lemon, and the energizing zing of kombucha and what have you got? Why a Super C Fizzy Antioxidant Refresher of course! Okay, enough silliness. But seriously, this tasty beverage always lifts my spirit as well as my energy levels. It’s quick and easy to make, but so good for you. Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

2 cups Red Bush tea (2 cups boiling water, 1 red bush tea bag, make the day before and store it in the fridge overnight and it will be ready to make a cool, refreshing drink for you the next day)
1 cup kombucha tea
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoon sweetener (raw unfiltered organic honey, raw agave syrup, or raw yacon syrup)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon camu camu powder
1/2 teaspoon MSM powder
powdered organic ginger to taste
dash of cayenne

Instructions:

I keep the red bush tea in the fridge, and make a new batch as soon as I use the tea from the previous day. This way my Super C Fizzy Antioxidant Refresher drink always comes out refreshingly cool right out of the blender.

Add all ingredients except the kombucha tea to the blender. Blend thoroughly until the sweetener is completely dissolved. Add the kombucha tea and pulse the blender briefly to just mix everything.

Serve and drink. Garnish with a sprig of fresh wild mint if you like.

Makes up to 3 servings, unless you love it as much as I do and drink it all!

How To Make Cashew Milk

Eat Healthy — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:28:30 +0000

Delicious Nut Milk

You can make a delicious, creamy non-dairy nut milk from raw cashews. They can be added directly to smoothies to make them creamier, or you can create this nut milk and use them in smoothies, on raw granola, or other dishes.

Cashews are quite soft and will blend well without soaking, but if you have problems digesting nuts you may want to pre-soak them for 6-12 hours and throw away the soak water before you proceed.

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
3 cups water
1-2 T clear agave nectar, raw honey, yacon syrup or other sweetener
1 teas natural vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean
2 pinches Celtic sea salt

Instructions:
Blend cashews, water, salt and sweetener on high until creamy.

If you don’t have a very powerful blender you might want to use soaked cashews and/or add only half the water to start, and when the cashews are well blended add the rest. If you have a powerful blender, like a Vita-mix it’s easy, just add all the ingredients and blend.

Depending on what you want to use the cashew milk for it may be fine as-is, but you can also strain it through a fine sieve or nut milk bag or piece of muslin to remove the fiber. Be sure to save the nut fiber to use in cookies and other recipes.

Cashew milk can be substituted where I have used almond or other nut milks in most of the recipes here.

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Green Smoothie of the Day

Eat Healthy — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:59:10 +0000

Green Smoothie

Today’s green smoothie (breakfast of Champions!) came out really creamy. I’m not sure why, but I’m sure enjoying it. I’ve got 2 superfoods packed in this one, goji berries and goldenberries (a.k.a. Incan Berries and Golden Inca Berries). Just for a change I decided to add some spice – cinnamon and ginger, it’s a subtle but nice change.

Ingredients:
4 kale leaves (stalk removed)
bunch of curly parsley (any kind will do)
4 sprigs apple mint (alternatively any other fresh mint)
2.5 cups kombucha (alternatively use filtered water)
3 frozen bananas
1 handful frozen goldenberries
1 handful dried goji berries
2 good shakes of powdered cinnamon
pinch of celtic sea salt
pinch of powdered ginger

Instructions:
Put all the greens into a blender. Add kombucha up to the 2.5 cup mark on my blender jug. Blend, starting on slow and gradually turning up the speed until the liquid starts turning green (at first the liquid is still clearish, with green leafy bits in it, but I keep blending on high until the bits start liquefying).

Add the rest of the ingredients, breaking up each frozen banana into about 3 pieces. You probably don’t have to break the banana if you have a super-blender, like the Vita-mix.

The banana and goldenberries will thicken the mixture, so add more kombucha or filtered water until you smoothie is the consistency you like.

This will make several large glasses, and will keep in the fridge for the rest of the day if you want to drink it throughout the day.

Tip: The quickest way I’ve found to de-stalk the kale is to grab hold of the thick end of the stalk with one hand, wrap my thumb and index finger around the stalk near my ‘holding’ hand with my palm facing toward the leafy part and then just sliding my thumb and index finger up the stalk to pull off the leafy part.

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Banana Mocha Non-Milk Shake

Eat Healthy — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:11:31 +0000

Banana Mocha Non-Milk Shake

I created this as a non-dairy alternative to my former favorite, espresso milkshakes. Now, I may be biased, but I’d say espresso milkshakes pale in comparison to this baby! This is a favorite afternoon pick-up drink in my house.

I also find this satisfies my sweet cravings, and is a lot healthier than having a chocolate bar.

Ingredients

1 cup brewed espresso
1 cup rice milk, soy milk, or nut milk
4 medium frozen bananas
1 T cacao nibs, cacao powder, carob powder
1 teaspoon raw agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla essence
generous shake of ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Brew the espresso ahead of time and allow it to cool down. I usually make it in the morning and put it in the fridge until afternoon when I make my shake.

Break or cut the frozen bananas into several pieces. You may have to experiment to see just what size your blender can handle.

Put the banana pieces into the blender and add all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Serve.

Makes 4 servings

Banana Mocha Non-Milk Shake

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Apple Cider Vinegar Drink Recipe – Basic Tonic

Eat Healthy — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:00:23 +0000

Apple cider vinegar is amazing stuff with a myriad of health benefits. This basic apple cider vinegar tonic recipe can help you lose weight, combat fatigue, prevent leg cramps and night cramps, and so much more…

Ingredients:
1-2 teaspoons raw, unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
1 glass water

Instructions:

Apple Cider Vinegar Drinks

Mix 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Take 3 times daily, before or during meals.

It’s not hard to make your own apple cider vinegar from either cores and peels or whole apples, check out the homemade cider vinegar recipe to see how easy it is. If you’re using store-bought ACV be sure to get one that’s organic, unfiltered, and unpasteurized in order to get the most benefit from it. Bragg’s make a really good quality cider vinegar.

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Banana Berry Smoothie

Eat Healthy — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:42:43 +0000

Banana Berry Smoothie

This great tasting smoothie is packed full of nutrition. It’s especially high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. The yogurt contributes acidophilus, to keep your intestinal flora healthy. Using soy yogurt, instead of dairy makes this a dairy-free, vegan drink.

Ingredients:
1 banana, chopped
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, diced
1 kiwifruit
1-2 handfuls frozen blueberries or mixed berries
3/4 cup apple or pineapple juice
1/2 cup organic yogurt, soy yogurt, or kombucha

Instructions:
Cut the kiwifruit in half, and using a spoon scoop out the flesh.

Add all ingredients to a blender or smoothie maker. Blend well.

Notes:
Use soy yogurt for a vegan smoothie, or kombucha for vegan or raw versions of this smoothie.

Serves 2

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Peach & Strawberry Smoothie

Eat Healthy — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:04:33 +0000

Peach & Strawberry Smoothie

The delicate hint of rose complements the taste of the strawberries perfectly and really brings out the fruity flavors of this drink. I can’t eat much first thing in the morning, so I’ll often have a smoothie to last me until I can eat a bit more. Tinned peaches and frozen strawberries make this a quick, nutritious drink you can whip up anytime of the year.

Ingredients:
1 can peaches, in juice
1 handful strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 to 1-1/2 cup organic acidophilus yogurt
1 teas bee pollen
1 teas Eau de roses (extract of roses)

Important ingredient notes:
Make sure the peaches are in juice, not syrup, even light syrup – it’s full of sugar and definitely not healthy. Even light syrup really overdoes the sugar and takes away from the flavor of the peaches.

Look for Eau de roses in shops that specialize in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean foods. This is the flavoring that’s commonly used in Turkish delight. If you can’t find any, try substituting natural vanilla essence instead.

Instructions:
Pour the peaches, including their juice and yogurt into a blender. Add bee pollen and rose water. Blend well.

Frozen strawberries will make this a bit thicker and colder than fresh strawberries. You can also add some ice if you want a really cold drink, but not too much or it will mask some of the subtle flavors of this smoothie.

Makes 2 tall smoothies

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Minted Lemon Tea

Eat Healthy — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:46:36 +0000

Lemon Mint Tea

This versatile drink makes a delicious, refreshing summer drink chilled over ice, as well as a warm and relaxing winter drink. Great for soothing sore throats.

Ingredients:
Juice of one large lemon
4 T fresh apple mint, roughly chopped
3 large leaves fresh lemon balm, finely chopped
2 T honey (more or less to taste)
2 cups boiling water
salt

Instructions:
Put the kettle on to boil. In the meantime, chop the apple mint and lemon balm.

Place into a glass or ceramic bowl. I use a Pyrex measuring cup.

Squeeze in the lemon juice.

Add honey, and a scant dash of salt, you don’t need much. Use Pink Himalayan Salt or Celtic Sea Salt if possible. Use just enough salt will help take the edge off the lemon juice and bring out the flavors, but not so much that you notice it.

Pour 2 cups boiling water over the mixture. Stir and leave to steep for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm, or leave to cool then serve chilled over ice.

Makes 2 glasses.

Variations:
Any sort of mint will do if you don’t have apple mint, but you may need to reduce the amount used for stronger flavored mints.

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Hot Mulled Cider

Eat Healthy — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:11:16 +0000

When winter sets in, the weather gets cold and the days get short it’s nice to have a hot beverage to warm you up. Curled up in an easy chair in front of the fire, sipping a Hot Mulled Cider is my idea of a cosy night in. I put the pot of cider on top of my wood stove in the evening as the sun goes down and I have not only a delicious hot drink, but a beautiful aroma for the rest of the evening.

Ingredients:
4 cinnamon sticks
1 gallon organic apple cider
1 tbsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. allspice
1 lemon or lime, washed and sliced (optional)

Instructions:
Place the spices into a piece of small cheesecloth and make it into a bag, putting a rubber band around the top. In a large soup pot, place the apple cider, lemon/lime slices if you’re using them and the spice bag. Allow it to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Dip some of the cider out into a large cup and use a cinnamon stick to stir it.

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Rice Milk

Eat Healthy — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:04:27 +0000

While you may have come across Rice Dream, the common brand of rice milk found at the supermarket, did you know you can prepare your own rice beverage within the comforts of your own home? Rice milk is a type of grain milk that you may fall in love with once you try. Most of its flavor comes from brown rice that is usually sweetened with sugarcane syrup. When compared to the milk that comes out of a cow it possesses more carbohydrates, but fails as a proper source of calcium and protein.

All over the world, there are different forms of rice milk, such as kokkok of Thai origin. Brown rice is its main ingredient and sometimes the only thing added to the beverage. When preparing a kokkah recipe, other rice selections and seasonings are sometimes used, such as sesame, barley, sweet rice, and/or azuki bean.

Here’s a quick and delicious recipe for homemade rice milk:

Rice Milk

Ingredients:

2/3 cup of hot rice
3 cups of hot water
1/3 cup of cashews
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of honey

Instructions:

1) Simply place all of the ingredients in a blender. Mix.

2) Chill before serving.

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