Monday, July 13, 2015

Tropical Zen Matcha Smoothie


Ready for a tropical getaway in a cup? :) This is a perfect summer smoothie! Coconut, mango, and lime help me imagine I'm sitting at the beach.

What's a SMATCHA? A matcha (green tea powder) smoothie! Which is pretty much all of my smoothies! This month is PANATEA's SMATCHA month, and this smoothie was created in celebration! I'm a major matcha lover for many reasons-- it's high antioxidant content, unique energy boost, and great flavor.




Tropical Zen SMATCHA

Serves 1

Ingredients
  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted almond butter
  • Juice from 1/4 of a lime
  • 1 Medjool date
  • 1 scoop (1 g) PANATEA matcha
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Instructions

Add the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth. Optional: Top with toasted coconut. I toasted mine at 350 F for about 5-6 minutes. Enjoy!


Saturday, July 11, 2015

Basil-Lime Watermelon Juice



Love this juice! Like summer in a glass- so refreshing! I can't wait to use the left over pulp for smoothies too.

Feel free to mix up the proportions in the recipe if you like a little extra lime or basil. I'm thinking of adding strawberries or blueberries into the mix next time.

Basil-Lime Watermelon Juice

Serves about 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium watermelon, cut into chunks
  • 3-4 fresh basil leaves
  • Juice from 1/2-1 lime

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. (You could also use a juicer if you have one.) I strained the mixture with a fine mesh strainer and saved the pulp in the refrigerator to use in smoothies.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Sun Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers



These burgers are flavor-packed, so easy to make, and require minimal ingredients! The sun-dried tomato flavor goes really well with Cashew Hemp Seed Pesto and balsamic sweet onions. This combo makes a perfect summery dinner!

Sun Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

Burgers:
  • 2 cans chickpeas (I use reduced sodium so I can add salt to taste.)
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (I use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil with herbs.)
  • About 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • Cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Balsamic sweet onions:
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 large sweet onion- sliced
  • Salt and cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

The onions take the longest to cook, so I would get them started first. In a saute pan, add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and heat over medium heat. Add onions and top with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often.

In a food processor, add the chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper then process until chickpeas are chopped, but not pureed. In a bowl, add ground flax seed and water. Stir well and let the combination sit for 1-2 minutes to form a gel consistency (This will be the binding agent). Mix flax seed gel into the chickpea mixture and stir until well-combined. Form into patties. I was able to make 4 large patties.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. I used the same pan that I used to cook the onions. Add the chickpea patties. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side.

I highly recommend topping your burger with Cashew Hemp Seed Pesto too! Very easy to whip up in the food processor.

Hope you enjoy!