Drinks

As hot as August tends to be (at least here in Florida), staying hydrated is so important. Therefore, today's post deals with drinks to help keep you hydrated, and includes Vietnamese Iced Coffee and Cafe de Olla. Enjoy!

HEALTHY TRIPLE-LAYER SMOOTHIE

This comes from PETA. Makes 3 servings; Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 0

To view this online, go to https://www.peta.org/recipes/detox-smoothie/.

Ingredients

3 cups banana chunks, frozen

1 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, juice reserved

1/2 cup kale or spinach leaves

1/2 cup raspberries

1 cup blueberries

Instructions

Add 1 cup of the frozen banana chunks and 1 cup of the pineapple chunks to a blender and blend until smooth. Divide evenly among 3 glasses.

Blend together another cup of the frozen banana chunks, 1/2 cup of the pineapple chunks, and the kale or spinach. Add some pineapple juice, if needed, to keep things moving. Carefully add to the glasses, trying not to mix the colors.

Blend together the remaining cup of frozen banana chunks with the raspberries and blueberries. Add some pineapple juice, if needed. Carefully pour into the glasses and serve immediately.

STARBUCKS CARAMEL FRAPPUCCINO COPYCAT

This is from Kiley Heidtbrink at AllRecipes. Kiley wrote, "This is my version of Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino! It's easy to make at home by blending coffee with milk, caramel sauce, and ice. Top each glass with whipped cream and drizzle more caramel sauce on top. Serve with a straw."

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 5 minutes; Servings: 2

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/235850/starbucks-caramel-frappuccino-copycat-recipe/.

Ingredients

2 cups ice

1 cup strongly brewed black coffee, cooled

1 cup low-fat milk

1/3 cup caramel sauce

3 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Blend ice, coffee, milk, caramel sauce, and sugar together in a blender on high speed until smooth.

Pour into two 16-ounce glasses.

Tips

You can make strong coffee by using 2 tablespoons ground coffee beans per 1 cup water in your coffee maker.

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.

SPICE TEA

I used to make this every year for Christmas presents; it was quite popular. Unfortunately, life got a little hectic...As simple as this is, though, I may be reigniting this as a present!

Ingredients

8 oz loose tea

3 orange rinds/peels

1 1/2-2 sticks cinnamon

2 T chopped cloves

Directions

Cut orange peels into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool, add to loose tea, along with broken cinnamon sticks & cloves. Store in tight containers.

I'll post some single-serving drinks in a later post. In the meantime, enjoy!

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.

Ingredients

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

Directions

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

VIETNAMESE ICE COFFEE

This is from Kay Chun in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Kay wrote, "This popular coffee drink requires only three ingredients: coffee, water and condensed milk. Traditionally, a Vietnamese press is used to make the coffee, but this recipe calls for a simple pour-over cone. (If you don't have a coffee cone, you can substitute brewed espresso for the coffee.) Vietnamese iced coffee is normally made one serving at a time, but for ease, this recipe makes a batch that will serve about four. Be sure to use a boldly flavored dark roast coffee, since the condensed milk and ice will dilute the drink."

Yield: 4 servings (about 2 1/2 cups); Time: 10 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020268-vietnamese-iced-coffee.

Ingredients

1 cup finely ground dark roast coffee, such as French roast

3 cups boiling water

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preparation

Place coffee grounds in a heatproof container. Slowly pour boiling water over the grounds in a circular motion to evenly saturate. Do not stir; let steep 5 minutes.

Line a coffee cone with a paper filter and place the cone over another heatproof container.

Slowly pour the steeped coffee through the filter, allowing all the liquid to drip through completely. (You should have about 2 cups of strong coffee. See Tip.) Discard the filter and coffee grounds. Stir the condensed milk into the coffee until well blended.

Fill 4 glasses with ice cubes. Divide the coffee mixture among the glasses and serve immediately, or transfer to the refrigerator, where it will keep, covered, up to 3 days. Serve over ice.

Tip

The brewed coffee can be made a few days in advance and kept chilled in the fridge.