Green Tea Fruit Medley Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup water
3 Bigelow® Green Tea Bags (can use any flavored green tea)
1 cup fresh berries, choose from raspberries, blueberries,or strawberries
¼ cup pineapple juice
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup ice cubes

Instructions:
Prepare tea by steeping 3 Bigelow® Green Tea Bags in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out bags and discard.

Combine tea and remaining ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy this anti-oxidant drink instead of coffee.

Yield: Makes 4 – 6 oz drinks. Prep time: 5 minutes.

Whether you celebrate Independence Day, the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with fireworks, parades, backyard barbecues, carnivals, picnics, baseball games or something else, be sure to quench your thirst this 4th of July weekend with one of our refreshing iced tea recipes – - wherever you celebrate.

Speaking of history and tea, think about this interesting tea tidbit from one of our friends at gather.com:

“…there is an old joke in my village’s history book. When tea was first brought to Long Island in 1700, the locals didn’t know what to do with it, so they cooked it and ate it like spinach while others spread the leaves on bread like butter.” (quoted from Echoes From the Past, Elisabeth S. Lapham)

And why not?  Yet, perhaps you’d rather stick to iced tea, like the one below, or try some of our other tea recipes.

Peach Chai Iced Tea

Ingredients:
1½ cups cold water
3 Bigelow® Perfect Peach® Herbal Tea Bags
3 Bigelow® Spiced Chai Tea Bags
7 cups of cold water

Instructions:
Recipe created by Dorinda of Covington GA, 3rd place winner 2007 Iced Tea Recipe Contest

Place 1½ cups boiling water over tea bags in a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Let steep for 10 minutes. Squeeze and remove tea bags, let the concentrated tea cool.

Pour concentrate into a 3-quart pitcher. Add the cold water and stir. Pour into ice-filled glasses and serve.

For more tea recipes and entertaining ideas, go to http://www.bigelowtea.com/entertaining/recipes/

Colorful Grilled Tofu Sandwiches

Ingredients:
6 Bigelow® Pomegranate Pizzazz Herbal Juice Tea Bags
¾ cup (180mL) boiling water
1lb (500g) firm or extra firm Tofu, drained and cut into 8 slices
2 cups (500mL) baby lettuce or spinach
¼ cup (60mL) balsamic vinaigrette
8 slices whole grain bread
Mustard and mayonnaise if desired
¾ cup (180mL) roasted red peppers, drained
4 slices Swiss cheese

Instructions:
Place Bigelow® Pomegranate Pizzazz Herbal Juice tea bags in a measuring cup and add boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and reserve ½ cup (125mL) tea.

Place tofu into a large dish, pour tea over and marinate for ½ hour, turning once or twice.

Preheat grill and grill tofu turning once after five minutes, cooking both sides for five minutes.

Prepare sandwiches by tossing greens with vinaigrette. Spread 4 slices of bread with mayonnaise and/or mustard, 2 slices of tofu, ¼ of the greens, ¼ of the red pepper and a slice of cheese, cover with another slice of bread. Continue until you have 4 sandwiches.

Yield: Serves 4 – Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grilled Lemon Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients:
6 large Portobello mushrooms
8 Bigelow® I Love Lemon Herbal tea bags
1 cup (250mL) boiling water
3 tablespoons (45mL) fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (250mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Clean mushrooms with a soft brush and remove stems. Set aside.
Place 8 Bigelow® I Love Lemon Herbal tea bags into a measuring cup and pour boiling water over tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags.
Mix together tea, coriander, pepper and salt and gradually whisk in olive oil.
Place mushrooms in a zip lock bag and pour marinade over mushrooms. In refrigerator, let marinade for up to 24 hours.
When ready to grill, place mushrooms on preheated grill and cook 8 to 10 minutes per side or until tender, basting frequently with reserved marinade.
Slice mushrooms and place on salad greens, or serve as an appetizer.
They also go very well with steak.

Yield: Serves 6 – Prep Time 10 mins. – Marinating Time 24 hrs – Cook Time 8-10 min

May is National Barbecue Month.  Here are some great recipes to try:
 
Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:
½ cup (125mL) hot water
10 Bigelow® Orange & Spice Herbal tea bags
¼ cup (60mL) brown sugar
1 small onion, diced
¼ cup (60mL) ketchup
2 tablespoons (30mL) mustard

Instructions:
Pour boiling water over tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Remove bags, squeezing them for excess tea. Add brown sugar until dissolved. Set aside. In a skillet, add tea, ketchup, mustard and onions. Mix well and simmer until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. This sauce can be used with steak, chicken and pork. It also can be used for baking beans.

Yield: Makes ¾ cup

Grilled Vegetarian Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients:
¼ cup (60mL) butter
6 Bigelow I Love Lemon & C® Herbal tea bags
¾ cup (180mL) boiling water
3 teaspoons (10mL) chili powder
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 pound (500g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon (5mL) salt
1 – 8 ounce (250g) pkg. Tempeh, crumbled
2 cups (500mL) light Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
Canola oil
12 – 6 inch (15cm) flour tortillas
Lemon wedges as a garnish

Instructions:

To prepare filling:
Place teabags into measuring cup and pour boiling water over bags. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove bags and reserve tea.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add tea, chili powder and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, onion and salt. Saute until mushrooms are brown and tender.

Add the crumbled tempeh and saute 2 minutes more or until heated through.

Remove from heat, cool for 10 minutes.

To assemble quesadillas:
Preheat grill to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly brush 6 tortillas on one side with oil. Place the tortillas oil-side down on large non-stick rimless baking sheet (Use a cookie sheet with sides by turning it upside down). Divide the filling mixture equally among the tortillas, top with cheese, top with remaining 6 tortillas, brush tops with oil.

Gently slide the quesadillas onto the grill. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side, until heated through and golden brown. Remove from grill and let stand for 2 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole and lemon wedges if desired.

Yield: Serves 6 – Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes.

Spinach Salad Spectacular with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
4 cups (1000mL) baby spinach leaves washed and dried (about 10 oz.)
1 – 8oz. (250mL) can manadarin oranges, drained
1 – 8oz. (250mL) can artichoke hearts (not in oil), drained
Optional Ingredients
2 medium-sized red apples, cubed (such as Red Delicious or Gala)
5 large ripe strawberries, cut up
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
Tomato, cut up
4-5 pieces bacon, well cooked, drained and crumbled

Instructions:
Combine baby spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, artichoke hearts and almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use any or all of the optional ingredients.

Toss salad with enough dressing to coat.
Dress salad with any one of our delicious Bigelow® Tea Vinaigrette Dressings. Recipes for these dressing can be found in the Salad and Side Dish Category.

Yield: Serves 6 – PrepTime: 15 minutes

Pomegranate Yogurt Dip and Fresh Fruit

Ingredients:
1 cup (250mL) plain yogurt (non-fat yogurt not recommended)
¼ cup (60mL) boiling water
4 Bigelow Pomegranate Pizzazz® Herb Tea bags
3 tablespoons (45mL) powdered sugar
Chopped dried cranberries for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Pour boiling water over Bigelow Pomegranate Pizzazz® Herb Tea tea bags. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Mix yogurt and powdered sugar. Add 4 tablespoons (60mL) tea mixture and stir well.

Place in an attractive bowl and garnish with cranberries (if desired).

Place a variety of fruit such as pineapple, kiwi, mango, papaya and bananas around the dip.

Yield: Serves 4. Prep time: 10 minutes – Cook Time: 10 minutes.

News reports say that we’re at the height of the flu season and a quick visit to the CDC Website proves they’re correct: after a relatively symptom-free winter, the United States is experiencing more widespread influenza activity. You, however, can help protect yourself and family by following a few health tips.

Jan Jarvis, writing for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, suggests several ways to prevent illness. Her common sense approach includes washing hands regularly with old-fashioned soap and water; getting plenty of exercise and sleep; and maintaining a healthy diet. Jarvis also discusses green tea as a preventative.

“Green tea’s claim to fame is its antioxidants, which may help boost the immune system,” Jarvis notes, citing a recent piece of research which suggests that  “ingredients in green tea can enhance the body’s immune system by 28 percent.” This is encouraging news, but not definitive proof of the flu-fighting power of tea, leading Jarvis to acknowledge that, even if it does not prevent a cold, tea has “other health benefits and it tastes good.”

For details on some tasty Bigelow tea solutions, refer to our Dec. 2007 post, Good Tea for a Cold, and the more recent, Tea Recipe for Lunch. Also be sure to check out all six of Jan Jarvis’s health tips here.