Mocked Iced Coffee

I like PERO so I decided to make an iced coffee recipe using it.

3 teaspoons PERO
4-5 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream

Toppings:

Whipped cream
Chocolate Syrup
Ice cubes

Add the PERO to the boiling water and dissolve well. Sweetened with the sugar; stir in the vanilla extract. Immediately add the heavy cream mixing well.

Serve very cold over ice cubes or with a dollop of whipped cream and some chocolate syrup.

Makes 1 serving

Banana-Chocolate Smoothie

2 bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen
2 cups low-fat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small box sugar-free chocolate pudding
2 cups crushed ice or ice cubes

Put the milk in a blender. Add the pudding mix and blend well. Place the banana slices in the blender and blend well until very smooth and creamy. Stir in the vanilla and ice and crush the ice and blend again.

Makes 2 servings

Batido Tropical

I came up with this combination one day that was completely out of frozen mixed berries.

1 ripe mango, peeled, chopped and frozen
1/2 peach, unpeeled, cut in chunks and frozen
1/2 banana, peeled, cut into thick slices and frozen
1/2 apple, unpeeled, cut into pieces and frozen
3/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
Honey to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Makes 2 servings

Martha Stewart's Cinnamon-Spiced Mexican Horchata

Martha Stewart Living 2011

www.marthastewart.com

4 cups milk (use whatever fat content you like best)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup rice flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 cup dark rum

Bring milk and cinnamon stick to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, and transfer to a pitcher or bowl. Mix in sweetened condensed mil, vanilla, rice and cinnamon. Chill until cold (a good 2 hours should do it).

Strain mixture with a sieve and add in rum if using. Pour over ice and garnish with a cinnamon stick or a little sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Serves 4

My additional ingredient:

After watching a video where Rick Bayless make horchata with rice and whole almonds at the Martha Stewart show, I use almond flour and rice flour in equal parts until I get 1/3 cup total.

Fruit' n Juice Breakfast Shake

Dole
www.dole.com

1 extra-ripe medium DOLE banana
3/4 cup DOLE Pineapple juice
1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup DOLE fresh frozen blueberries

Combine all ingredients in blender. Process until smooth/

Makes 2 servings

Banana-Oat Smoothie

Martha Stewart's Every Day Food Magazine

www.marthastewart.com

In a blender combine:

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used vanilla flavor)
1 banana cut into thirds (I used frozen)
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Puree until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serves 1

Spiced Kiwi-Pineapple Smoothie

1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks in its own juice, drained, (reserve the juice for another use) and freeze the pineapple
3 ripe kiwis, peeled and chopped
2-3 tablespoons honey
1 cup Lite unsweetened coconut milk
2 (6 oz each) containers low-fat yogurt (you could use, vanilla, key lime pie or coconut cream pie flavors)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup crushed ice
Pinch cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cardamon if desired

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree to break the fruit and combine thoroughly.

Makes 4 servings

Berry Good Smoothie

1 banana, peeled, chopped and frozen
1 cup frozen mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries and blueberries)
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup milk
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons oat bran

Place all the ingredients in the blended and process until smooth.

Makes 2 tall glasses

Colada de Avena Quaker (Ecuadorian Quaker Oatmeal Drink)

In Ecuador, we cook the fresh pulp of maracuya (passion fruit) or ripe naranjilla with the water and spices. Here in USA, I use frozen pineapple juice concentrate. It works really well.

4 cups water
Some cinnamon sticks
Some whole allspice
Some whole cloves
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 cup cold water
1 can frozen pineapple juice
Some vanilla extract
Sugar to taste

Boil the 4 cups of water with the cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a covered pot on low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, soak the oatmeal with the 1 cup water; let it rest.

Once the boiling water has all the flavor of the spices, add the oatmeal mixture and turn the low to medium. Cook stirring until the mixture is thick. Remove from the stove top.

Using a colander on top of a deep pot, strain the oatmeal mixture. Use a wooden spoon to help the mixture go through the colander. If necessary, use a little bit of water as well. Discard what remains in the strainer.

Once you have a very thick strained mixture, add some of the frozen pineapple juice and let it thaw. If necessary add more water and sugar to taste. Finally, strain the colada one more time and at the end, add some vanilla extract.

Serve over ice cubes.

Makes 6-8 servings

Banana-Strawberry Smoothie

After buying a bottle of Boltfarms banana-strawberry smoothie which I loved, I decided to make my own version at home.

Blend until smooth:

2/3 cup fat-free milk
2/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 1/2 bananas, peeled and chopped (I like to use frozen)
1 big Granny Smith's apple peeled or unpeeled and chopped
7-8 big strawberries, fresh or frozen
Honey to taste if needed

Makes 4 servings

Pineapple Banana Smoothies

Rescue Dinners by Robin Miller (Cookbook)
Food Network Host

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her book. Very easy, balanced and tasty meals. If you do not have it yet, you need to go and buy it.

2 large ripe bananas (I cut them into thick slices and freeze them)
2 (10 oz) cans crushed pineapple packed in pineapple juice, undrained
1 cup vanilla yogurt (low-fat)
1/2 cup ice cubes (I use 1 cup)

Place everything in the blender and liquefy until smooth.

If  desired, grated some fresh nutmeg on top of each serving.

Makes 4 servings

Apple Peach and Banana Smoothie

2 cups cold fat-free milk
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, chopped and frozen
1 big ripe peach, unpeeled, cored, chopped and frozen
1 big very ripe banana, chopped and frozen
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup lemon juice
Honey to taste

Optional:

1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
2 tablespoons wheat germ, wheat bran, oat bran or ground flax seed

Pour the milk in the blender. Add the honey and blend well. Stir in the frozen fruit and lemon juice and press the "crush ice" setting until the mixture is very smooth. Add the ice and press the "crush ice" bottom again.

If adding some of the optional ingredients, just add them and blend or liquefy. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Blueberry-Banana Bliss

2 cups cold milk
2 medium bananas, very ripe, cut in chunks and frozen
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1/3 cup lemon juice
Honey to taste

Pour the milk in the blender, add some honey and blend well.

Stir in the lemon juice and the  frozen fruit little by little pressing the "crush ice" or "frappe" option. When the mixture is smooth and icy, serve immediately.

Mixed Berry-Banana and Citrus Smoothie

1 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 medium size bananas, very ripe cut into chunks and frozen
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups frozen strawberries, halved or raspberries
Honey to taste
1 cup ice cubes

Mix the liquid ingredients in the blender. Add honey to taste.

Stir in the frozen bananas and blend on the "ice" setting. Once it is smooth, add the remaining fruit and follow the same process.

Finally, add the ice and crush it well.

Makes 4 servings

Christmas Smoothie

My husband named this smoothie "The Christmas smoothie" because of the colors: red from the raspberries and green from the spinach even though the green gets lost when combined with the other ingredients.

2 cups frozen raspberries or strawberries
1 cup fresh spinach or a handful of frozen spinach
2 cups low-fat strawberry or plain yogurt
1 cup milk
1/2 banana
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons honey or more if using nonfat plain yogurt
10 ice cubes

Put the frozen raspberries in the blender, add the milk and spinach and blend well.

Add the yogurt and blend using the spoon to stir (the motor has to be off). Once the mixture is smooth, add the honey, wheat germ, banana and blend again, there must not be chunks.

Finally, stir in the ice cubes and use the "crush ice or frappe" button to grind the ice.

Makes 4 servings

Refresco o Jugo de Tamarindo (Tamarind Drink)

A very popular drink in some Hispanic coutries, very refreshing if served with a lot of ice.



5-6 tamarind pods (like in the picture)
6 cups cold water
Sugar to taste
Vanilla to taste
Crushed or ice cubes.

Peel the tamarind pods and soak them in 4 cups of cold water. Let it rest in the fridge or counter for about 4 hours. Using a clean hand or a wooden spoon, mash the pods in the water to release the pulp, this will take 3 or 4 minutes.

Pass the mixture though a strainer and add 2 cups of water to the leftover tamarind in the strainer.

Add sugar and vanilla to taste and ice cubes.