Whiteley Creek Homestead

Even though this recipe is called "tea", it has the consistency of a smoothie. It comes from my Super Smoothies recipe book that I purchased at a yard sale.

Sleepy Tea

The herb chamomile, used in tea form in this recipe, is a mild relaxant… thus the recipe’s name.

1 ½ c orange segments

2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate (I substituted frozen Cascadian Farm Organic Raspberry Juice Concentrate because that is what I had on hand in my freezer. It gave the smoothie a slight raspberry flavor… yum… and a pretty pink color.)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp honey

2 pinches cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

1 cup strong-brewed chamomile tea, made into ice cubes and crushed (I substituted “The Republic of Tea” Ginger Peach Longevity Tea that my daughter, Lisa, had given Dick as a gift along with a tea kettle for his birthday.)

I also add 4 tbsp ground flax seed for additional nutrition.

Whiz all ingredients in blender except the crushed tea ice cubes until the mixture is smooth and the honey is dissolved. Add the crushed tea ice cubes and blend until smooth. If you haven’t planned in advance, you can make this recipe without freezing the tea into ice cubes. It just won’t be as thick but still very yummy.

The veggie chips are sweet potato, squash, carrots, green beans, and taro (the French fry-looking sticks in the photo). What is taro, you say? I was perplexed as well. Well, here you go… It is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable for its edible "corm". A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem, with one or more internodes, that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Here's a photo of taro.

When Dick and I vacationed in Jamaica twenty-five years ago, we watched in amazement as a limber man wrapped his bare legs and feet around the trunk of a tall tree clamoring to the very top where clusters of coconuts were hanging. He lopped off a coconut with his machete and, with as much dexterity and ease as in his ascent, he proceeded to return to the ground where we stood. He whacked open the coconut exposing a watery liquid, which we tasted. Many years later, when I began cooking with coconut milk because of the health benefits, I desired to learn more. When you puncture a coconut, the watery liquid that comes pouring out is called coconut water. Coconut cream is a far creamier liquid made from the white meat inside the coconut. The coconut meat is grated, soaked in hot water, and then strained through mesh or cheesecloth. Coconut milk is coconut cream that has been diluted with water. Good brands, which have not been artificially homogenized, will have thick cream floating on top while the milk at the bottom is much more watery. I am fascinated with the bright white color of coconut milk compared to regular milk. This photo doesn't really do justice to the actual striking white of the coconut milk in the glass on the left.

I made this “Creamy Colada Smoothie”, which is a piña colada spin-off because of its coconut and pineapple ingredients. (I purchased the vintage box of straws and the painted wooden Humpty Dumpty at a yard sale. The Sweetheart Mother Goose Drinking Straws box has its original 2/25 cents Woolworth's price sticker still attached to the lid. I imagine that possibly H.D. was originally a component of a baby's mobile hanging above a crib.)

Coconut Milk Smoothie

½ c orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed

½ c crushed pineapple (I used chunk because I had it in my pantry.)

1/3 c coconut cream (I used light coconut milk.)

½ c milk

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks

I also added a kiwi and a 2 tbsp ground flaxseed. To make a thicker consistency, add crushed ice.

Place all ingredients into blender and whiz until smooth.

Today I decided to vary the Creamy Colada Smoothie recipe just a bit. I substituted pineapple juice for the orange juice, increased the coconut milk* to 1/2 c, eliminated the milk, and added 1/2 c strawberries. I used the 1/2 c. pineapple and 1 frozen banana, as in the original recipe, as well as added my usual flaxseed. That is the beauty of smoothies. You can do whatever floats your boat, you can march to the beat of a different drummer, or "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." (Juan Ramon Jimenez) The coconut milk label is in such pitiful shape because I had already torn it from its can and tossed the can into a recycling bin when I decided to include it in my photo shoot. *Native Forest Coconut Milk, which is pictured in this post, contains organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, and guar gum). An alternate brand, which is distributed by Natural Value, contains pure coconut extract and water… no guar gum. Without guar gum, it often solidifies, but you can simply warm the can prior to using.  

I made this dessert for Easter dinner yesterday when my kids came to visit. It was a light ending to our meal with just the right amount of lemony flavor. I will most certainly be serving it to my bed and breakfast guests for a summer evening dessert.