Matcha Latte

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The Japanese ceremonial art of making matcha tea is beautiful and meditative. In some tea houses and shops here in LA, you can still experience the full traditional ritual. The creators take pride in their product and hospitality. The key to a great matcha tea is the bamboo whisk that stirs the powdery tea so it’s smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a whisk, a chopstick or wooden spoon will suffice. 

This recipe yields 1 serving

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 teaspoon matcha powder
  • ½ cup hot water (ideally 175 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (can substitute honey)
  • ½ cup Brazil nut milk (or any nut milk)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut cream
  • 1 teaspoon matcha powder
  • 120 ml cup hot water (ideally 175 degrees Fahrenheit / 80 degrees Celsius)
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup (can substitute honey)
  • 120 ml cup Brazil nut milk (or any nut milk)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut cream

Directions

  1. In a mug, mix matcha powder with hot water.

  2. Once the powder is fully dissolved, stir in maple syrup (or honey).

  3. In a separate saucepan, heat nut milk. Add coconut cream to the milk and heat, but do not boil.

  4. Pour the milk mixture on top of the matcha mixture. Stir or briefly use a frother to mix and foam the top.

  5. Enjoy!

TIPS

**Matcha is pure green tea and can have a bitter taste. If you like the flavor, experiment with adding more powder. Be sure that the powder fully dissolves in the hot water to avoid a chalky texture. 

**If you do not have pure coconut cream, use canned coconut milk. Simply skim the thick layer of cream off the top after opening the can. Be sure not to shake before opening.

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Ginger Beet Smoothie

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Too often smoothies are made with the best of intentions but the finished result is a sugar bomb of fructose and little nutrition. This immunity-boosting recipe is the antidote. Beets boast an impressive lineup of iron, folate and B6, while spinach and strawberries pack loads of vitamin C. Add the antioxidants and bioactive compounds from the ginger, and you have a supercharged smoothie you can feel good about drinking daily.

This recipe yields 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large beet
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 1 inch fresh ginger
  • 1 handful strawberries
  • ¼ cup coconut milk
  • 1 handful ice
  • 1 large beet
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 2.5 cm fresh ginger
  • 1 handful strawberries
  • 60 ml coconut milk
  • 1 handful ice

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender and drink immediately. The mixture can also be stored in a Mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 

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Basilberry Mocktail

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This recipe yields 3 drinks

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup honey
  • 3-5 strawberries
  • 4 basil leaves
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 heaping green tea leaves or 1 green tea bag, steeped
  • Ice
  • 240 ml water
  • 240 ml honey
  • 3-5 strawberries
  • 4 basil leaves
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1 heaping green tea leaves or 1 green tea bag, steeped
  • Ice

TIPS

**Do not over muddle the basil or it will become bitter.
**Lemon juice acts as a natural sour; for more tanginess, add more lemon juice.
**To make this mocktail a cocktail, you can use 2 ounces of bourbon to replace the green tea. 

Original recipe by Botanical Mixology.

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Sumactail

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Sumac is one of my favorite spices thanks to its zesty flavor and bright red hue that brings a pop of color to many dishes I make. I also decided to try it in a mocktail (which could easily be a cocktail depending on your preference; I sometimes am able to tolerate tequila, which would work nicely here). Sumac and lemon are perfect partners, and honey adds some smooth sweetness, while the salt-rimmed glasses bring to mind a Mexican getaway. 

This recipe yields 4 mocktails

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons of sumac
  • 10 lemons
  • Ice
  • Coarse salt to rim glasses
  • 120 ml honey
  • 120 ml water
  • 2 tablespoons of sumac
  • 10 lemons
  • Ice
  • Coarse salt to rim glasses

Directions

  1. Put honey, water, and sumac in a saucepan and place on low heat. 

  2. Heat the mixture until the honey begins to dissolve and the consistency becomes a thick simple syrup, approximately 10-15 minutes.

  3. Remove from heat and strain to remove the extra sumac. I sometimes strain twice depending on the amount of sumac sediment that gets caught in the strainer.

  4. Juice the lemons. Occasionally I add a little juice from a fresh orange, as well. 

  5. Place ice in a cocktail shaker. I use 1 cup / 120 ml of lemon juice to 1 tablespoon of simple sumac syrup mixture, but you can experiment with this depending on how sweet or sour you like it. 

  6. Shake with ice in shaker and serve in a salted rimmed glass. 

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Brazil Nut Milk

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I love homemade nut milk. It makes coffee, smoothies and even SIBO-approved pancakes better. My SIBO diet allows for all nuts except cashews and pistachios. Further, I am always mindful of rotating what goes into (and on) my body. This is so I don’t end up creating new food sensitivities and also to spread out and maximize the nutrients my body is getting. In my search for alternatives to almonds, which are all too easy to eat in excess if you’re gluten or especially grain-free, I discovered brazil nuts.

Turns out, brazil nut milk is creamier and more satisfying than regular almond milk. My secret is doubling the amount of nuts, adding a pinch of Himalayan pink salt and vanilla bean.

This recipe will yield about 40 ounces (over a liter) of milk, equaling eight 5-ounce servings.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups raw organic brazil nuts
  • 5 cups water
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • 1-2 vanilla beans
  • 475 g raw organic brazil nuts
  • 1 liter water
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
  • 1-2 vanilla beans

Directions

  1. Soak Brazil nuts in water for 8 hours, at room temperature, covered with a flour sack towel or cheese cloth. (3-4 hours is fine - add a pinch of sea salt and a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to help activate faster). I use this glass pitcher because my nut bag fits over the sides and it’s easy to pour into the blender.

  2. Drain and rinse the nuts and add them to a 64 oz Vitamix or other blender, along with 5 cups / 1 liter of water.

  3. Arrange your nut milk bag in the glass pitcher you used to soak your nuts, trying to get the edges of the bag over the rim. I stick to organic cloth nut bags like this one.

  4. Blend nuts on medium working up to high until smooth and creamy, about 45-60 seconds.

  5. Pour liquid through nut bag back into glass pitcher and strain out the pulp. The pulp can be saved, even frozen, for baking and other uses that call for almond or other nut meal.

  6. Pour nut milk back into Vitamix and add salt and vanilla. Blend until smooth and well-mixed, about 10-15 seconds.

TIPS

**For a sweet nut milk, add maple syrup or chopped dates.
**Save in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
**A note about water quality. I have a whole house water filter, so even my soaking water is filtered. I also have an alkaline water maker built in under my sink and I use that one for the nut milk. Whatever your setup is, use as clean a water source as you can. If you live in the mountains and have delicious unpolluted alpine water, even better!
**Benefits of brazil nuts include this, as well as the trace mineral selenium, which also counteracts mercury toxicity.
**If your vanilla bean pods are grade B or dried out, soak them along with the nuts to soften them to more easily scrape out the paste.
**Vanilla beans can be replaced with vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
**If you don’t want to blend twice, you can skip the extra step and add your flavor ingredients before blending the nuts. It just seems wasteful to me to lose any of the precious vanilla beans to the filtering process so this is how I always do it.

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