Drinks - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with drinks, since we do need something to wash down our tacos with. Today's drink recipes include Lizard Lounge Tea, Watermelon Punch, and Ginger Tea. Enjoy!

FRUIT AND YOGURT SHAKE

This comes from Maureen Callahan at MyRecipes, and begins, "Perfect for a midmorning snack, this fruit and yogurt shake packs the bright flavors of pomegranate cherry juice and crushed pineapple with filling plain yogurt. It can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days, so keep extra on hand to satisfy those sugar cravings."

Yield: 4 servings; serving size: about 1 cup

This can be viewed online at https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fruit-yogurt-shake.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen sweet cherries

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup pomegranate cherry juice (such as pom)

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained

1 banana, peeled and sliced crosswise

Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender; puree until smooth.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 142 calories; calories from fat 13%; fat 2.1g; saturated fat 1.3g; mono fat 0.6g; poly fat 0.1g; protein 3g; carbohydrates 28g; fiber 2g; cholesterol 8mg; iron 0.3mg; sodium 38mg; calcium 95mg.

PINK LADY PUNCH

Not sure where this one came from, though I'm thinking maybe from one of my mother's cookbooks that she bought to raise funds for some group or other...

Ingredients

4 C cranberry juice

1 1/2 C sugar

4 C pineapple juice

2 qts. chilled ginger ale

Directions

Add sugar to cranberry juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add pineapple juice. Chill. Pour into punch bowl & add ginger ale.

WATERMELON PUNCH

Years ago, I was a bride’s maid at a friend’s wedding. A friend of the couple held the reception dinner; this punch was served with the hors d’oeuvres. I’ve added ginger ale to the recipe; it’s good either way.

Ingredients

1 watermelon

1 T honey

6 oz. can orange juice, undiluted

2 liter bottle ginger ale

Directions

Put watermelon (excluding rind and seeds) in a blender—and blend. Pour juice through a strainer into a large bowl. Add orange juice and honey, stir, and add ice. Add ginger ale just before serving.

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.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon apple cider

4 – 5 herbal tea bags

Directions

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.

GINGER TEA

This comes from Vegetarian Times (posted on MAY 9, 2017), and begins, “Ginger is Mother Nature’s protective cloak, shielding us from sickness on winter days. This tea is very spicy—if it tastes too strong, dilute it with more hot water and honey. Traditional advice is not to drink more than 2 cups of ginger tea a day unless you are using it as a treatment for a bad chest cold.”

2 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

12 thin slices fresh ginger, pounded with mortar or rolling pin

1 Tbs. honey

Preparation

Put ginger and 3 cups water in small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes.

Strain out ginger slices and discard or reserve for another use. Stir in honey, and serve hot. Tea can be reheated, if necessary.

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