How to Make Lavender Kombucha. One of my favorite indulgences when I’m grocery shopping is lavender kombucha.
(We shall not speak of Trader Joe’s salted caramel sauce). It’s bubbly, tart and has the distinct flavor that only lavender buds can bestow upon a beverage. Yes, it’s hippie refreshment at its finest. Kombucha is a drink made by placing a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) in a jar full of super-sweet tea. The jar is covered with a coffee filter or cheesecloth and very carefully placed in a dark, out of the way spot for a week. Because the SCOBY is a living organism, the result is a live food. Unfortunately, it’s also expensive to purchase.
Naturally, I had to learn to make it myself. Ready to get started on the first round? You will need (for 1 gallon of kombucha): 1. 2. 3. 4. Now it’s time to kick it up a notch. Once your kombucha is done, remove the SCOBY and put it in another clean jar. Let’s add some flavor now, shall we? You’ll need: Green Juice and Smoothie Recipes. Thai Lemongrass and Ginger Iced Tea.
Last week I helped out at a Thai cooking class at The Hutong taught by my friend Sandra of Savour Asia.
As we sat down to a meal of mango salad, pork laap, and red curry chicken, I realized how much I missed having lemongrass as a kitchen staple. In New York I could easily take the train to Chinatown whenever I wanted to cook with lemongrass. In Beijing, Sanyuanli market has several stalls selling the aromatic stalky grass, but is such a trek from my apartment that it doesn't enter my cooking consciousness at a moment's notice. After scooping the last of my laap mu into my mouth, I decided I must must must get lemongrass that day and make iced tea.
Lemongrass and ginger iced tea is my drink of choice with Thai food if I want something lighter than iced tea with condensed milk. Oh, and the green lemongrass tops? Cleanse your body with vegetable juices. Tired and sluggish?
Try taking cleansing vegetable juices. Celery, carrots, etc. have excellent cleansing properties because the fruits and vegetables are medicines in themselves. Plus, it’s easy for the body to absorb them, so you can see the effects pretty quickly. Here is a simple tip on preparing cleansing fruit and vegetable juices. Taking just two or three glasses of these a day will help you feel stronger, more alert, and even give you better skin. Preparing the juice Juice may be extracted by hand or through a juice maker or blender. Best cleansing fruits and vegetables One of the best things to include in a vegetable juice is spinach. How to Make Water Kefir. Make Your Own Coffee Syrup. Do you have any coffee lovers on your holiday gift list this year?
(If not, feel free to go ahead and put me on your list!) This is a cute little idea for making your own flavored coffee syrups that you can use at home to take your morning cup of joe to the next level. If you are making these as a gift I highly recommend making 2-3 flavors. We made vanilla, raspberry, and caramel flavored syrups. For the vanilla syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (the clear kind is much preferred here). For the raspberry syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup fresh raspberries. For the caramel syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup caramel (store bought or make your own).
You can add decorative labels or ribbons to these when gifting them. Enjoy! Green Juice and Smoothie Recipes. Flavored Lemonade Inspiration. Elsie and I are starting to plan some spring/summer back-yard parties for this coming season.
It's going to be my first summer in my house (just became a first time home-owner this past autumn). We plan to host a few little get togethers, I may build a small fire pit for s'mores. Who knows! We decided to try creating a few different lemonades, gearing up for the season. Once you have made your own lemonade (make your own from sugar, water and lemons or you can use a concentrate or store-bought kind as your base) you can add in all sorts of flavors to dress them up to you or your guests tastes. Grapefruit Lemonade- to a large pitcher of lemonade add in 2 cups of grapefruit juice and fresh slices of grapefruit. Strawberry and Basil Lemonade- to a large pitcher of lemonade add 2-3 cups of chopped strawberries and a handful of chopped basil. Cucumber Mint Limeade-to a large pitcher of limeade (or lemonade) add one cucumber, thinly sliced, and a handful of chopped mint leaves.