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Tag Archive: Mint

Tazo Thai Iced Tea

Written on June 2, 2015 by Wannabe Chef in Drink

Some of my favorite food in the Summer comes from street festivals. Why go to one restaurant and sit down when you can pick and choose a meal from different carts on a nice Summer day?

My favorite drink to pick up is a Thai iced tea, which is usually some part tea concentrate, water, ice, and condensed milk. It’s almost always too sweet, but that makes me like it even more. I wish it were as easy to find year round as a Starbucks iced coffee but this homemade version is the next best thing.

If you have the foresight, you can make the tea in advance and let it chill in the refrigerator over night and save yourself some ice. I wouldn’t have minded adding a little sugar to mine, but keeping it less sweet lets the spices and mint flavors come out. Before adding to the drink, try activating the mint by clapping it between your palms.

Tazo Thai Iced Tea

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

1 Tazo sweet cinnamon tea bag
1 Tazo black tea bag(any variety will do)
1 anise clove(plus more for garnish)
10oz boiling water
3 Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 cups ice cubes
Fresh mint

Method:

In a large mug, combine the teas, anise, and 10 ounces of boiling water.
Steep the tea for 5-7 minutes.
Put 1 cup of ice into two cups. Pour 5 ounces of tea over each.
Add 1/2 cup of ice to each cup after 30 seconds when the ice melted.
Add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to each cup and stir well.
Garnish with activated mint and anise clovers.

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Grilled Cantaloupe with Yogurt and Mint

Written on July 18, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

To be honest, grilling in the Summer is slightly less fun when you’re a vegetarian. I don’t do it nearly as much anymore. That doesn’t mean vegetarian grilling isn’t delicious; sometimes I just need to be reminded of that.

Just like you can grill any kind of meat, you can grill all different sorts of fruit and vegetables. The heat from the fire makes the fruit taste even sweeter and pairs perfectly with something cool and creamy. Most recipes use a soft cheese or ice cream; this one uses Greek yogurt for a similar taste and texture only a little bit healthier.

Peaches are a great substitute for when cantaloupe isn’t available; you won’t have to change anything else in the recipe. Make sure to use full fat or 2% yogurt; non-fat yogurt won’t have the same depth of flavor or creaminess to really make this satisfying.

Grilled Cantaloupe with Yogurt and Mint

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 6 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

1/2 cantaloupe, cut into quarters
Olive oil
1 16oz container full fat or 2% Greek yogurt
Small handful of mint leaves
Honey(optional)

Method:

Heat up your grill to roughly 400 degrees.
Brush both sides of each cantaloupe wedge with enough olive oil to cover.
Once the grill is hot, lay the cantaloupe down and let it cook undisturbed for roughly 3 minutes until grill marks have formed.
Flip the wedges once and repeat with the other side.
When the cantaloupe is done cooking, plate it with the skin touching the plate. Scoop about half a cup of yogurt over each wedge. Garnish with mint leaves and honey if desired.
Serve immediately.

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Easy Chilled Watermelon Soup

Written on July 2, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Side Dish

Here’s another red and blue recipe to go along with that cake.

I really can’t take credit for the idea of this soup at all; it was one of those cases when you go to a restaurant and try something and think, “Hey, I can make that!” I would never have thought a sweet watermelon soup could be a good appetizer but the balance of herbs and a touch of sour watermelon make this soup a lot more than just sweet.

As soon as I bought a watermelon I cut up half and made this soup with a slight smile on my face realizing it was just as good as from the restaurant. With bright and vibrant colors, it seemed perfectly fit for this week. Unfortunately the one thing it’s missing is white, but I’m sure it’d be welcomed at any (very fancy) 4th of July party.

Be careful not to put too much watermelon in your food processor or it will overflow and you’ll have watermelon juice all over your counters. Trust me; I know from experience. Taste the soup at every step and add more herbs depending on your personal preference.

Chilled Watermelon Soup

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 4 servings):

1/2 large watermelon
2 Tablespoons sugar
Juice from 1/2 lime(about 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4-8 mint leaves, chopped finely
4-8 basil leaves, chopped finely
Blueberries, raspberries, and herbs to garnish

Method:

Cut the watermelon away from the white pith into smaller chunks between the size of a golf ball and a baseball.
In small batches, blend the watermelon chunks in a food processor until smooth. Keep in mind that as the watermelon blends it turns into a liquid and so will overflow easily.
Pour the watermelon puree in a large bowl. Repeat until all the watermelon has been used up.
Add the sugar, lime, salt, and chopped herbs into the soup. Mix well.
Let the soup chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Ladle into dishes, garnish, and serve cold.

Soup’s on.

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Mint Carob Cupcakes

Written on April 27, 2012 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

Whenever I get an urge to make cupcakes, I don’t even question what flour I’ll use. Coconut flour by far makes the best and lightest gluten-free cupcakes around.

I’d like to say I chose carob because it’s exotic and unique but honestly I picked up carob powder by mistake one day and never figured out what to do with it before now. Since I’m not the biggest fan of carob, I wanted to add mint to distract the flavor a bit. I think the two balanced well to make a tasty cupcake. Of course you could always sub in cocoa powder for the carob powder and these’d be just as good.

The frosting I used was a mint chocolate buttercream. It wasn’t perfect but not a failure, either. Definitely not paleo like the cupcakes. For a first go at chocolate buttercream, I’d say it was a success, even though my frosting talent has a long way to go.

Mint Carob Cupcakes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients(Makes a dozen cupcakes):

3/4 cup cup coconut flour
4 eggs
2 egg whites
6 Tablespoons carob powder
1/2 cup honey
1 cup almond milk(or any other milk)
2 teaspoons mint extract

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 12 cupcake holders with paper liners.
Mix together the coconut flour, eggs, egg whites, carob powder, honey, almond milk, and mint extract in a large bowl.
Scoop the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Hit the pan against the counter a few times to even the batter and knock out any air bubbles.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops are firm to the touch.

They’re really too good to know they’re gluten-free.

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Chocolate Mint Almond Butter

Written on December 21, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

Have you tried Justin’s chocolate almond butter? Don’t because you might never want to eat anything else. It’s really terrific. I just love the combination of chocolate and almonds; I figured this could only be made better with mint, and I think I was right.

This is another super easy do-it-yourself gift for foodies(vegan and gluten-free!) or a treat for yourself. I can’t believe how good this is in the morning in a bowl of oatmeal. I used Trader Joe’s creamy unsalted almond butter to get things going a little quicker, but you can also make it from raw or roasted almonds for a fully homemade treat.

Mint Chocolate Almond Butter

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 16oz):

12oz(3 cups) almonds OR 12oz(1 1/2 cups) natural almond butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon mint extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Method:

Put the almonds into a food processor and blend until smooth and runny. If you’re starting with almond butter, skip this step and just scrape the almond butter into the food processor.
Add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and mint extract and blend until completely emulsified.
Scrape the almond butter into a seal-tight jar. Store at room temperature for up to a month.

If you want to eat this off of a spoon, I wouldn’t judge; there’s been plenty of that this week.

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Homemade Peppermint Patties

Written on September 29, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

While I definitely have a sweet tooth, you could count the different candies I like with one hand: peanut butter cups, Snickers, Swedish fish, and Peppermint Patties. Oh, and candied ginger, but that doesn’t really count; I mean, it has ginger in it so that practically makes it a medicine.

I might be jumping the gun with Halloween still over a month away, but I’ve been really excited to make my own candy for a while. The last time I made these peppermint patties was for a New Years Eve party, so almost 9 months ago. That’s way too long for something this good. The filling is soft, smooth, and refreshing while the outside is dark and crunchy. Well I don’t need to tell you—you’ve probably had a Peppermint Patty before, and these taste just like the real deal!

Homemade Peppermint Patties(gluten-free/vegan) recipe here.

Recipe notes:

I had to use more than the amount of powdered sugar listed in the ingredients. My best guess is that the temperature affected the dough since the last time I made them was the dead of Winter. Just keep adding powdered sugar by the 1/4 cup until you can break off a piece and roll it into a ball without the sugar sticking to your hand.
I froze completely the filling part before dipping it in chocolate, which I think made the process easier.
I used chocolate chips again, but I think real bakers chocolate would be better since the coating had some trouble staying hard after being melted.
I froze the filling and finished patties on aluminum foil and it didn’t stick like I thought it might.

I was debating covering the tops with white non-perils but the chocolate hardened before I got a chance so I didn’t bother. You could spend the extra time to make sure all the sides are covered evenly and the coating is smooth; I, however, like when not every dessert is identical or perfect. It shows that it’s homemade and unique.

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Watermelon With Mint And Lime

Written on August 5, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Snack

Watermelon is without question my favorite Summer fruit. I go through 2-3 a week and to be honest I don’t remember what I ate instead before the season started. It’s going to be a real problem when Autumn rolls around but I’m trying not think about that.

I could eat plain watermelon all day, but where’s the fun in that? This no-fuss fancified melon packs a big flavor punch. The lime and the mint balance each other out nicely and make the watermelon even more cool and refreshing.

You can use any time of mint in this recipe–wintergreen, peppermint, spearmint. Just use whichever is on hand or whichever you have a preference for.

Watermelon With Lime And Mint

Ingredients:

1/4 watermelon, cut into wedges
Juice of 1 lime(~3 Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons sugar
7-8 mint leaves, torn

Method:

Mix together the lime juice and sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Toss together the lime mix with the watermelon wedges so that all the sides get layered with the juice.
Plate and garnish with the torn mint leaves.

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How To Make Mint Simple Syrup

Written on August 3, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in How To, Miscellaneous

One thing I’ve had to get used to working in a restaurant this Summer is never having a recipe. Chef’s don’t use recipes, don’t you know; so when I’m doing something for the first time, it’s usually with one or two of the chefs giving me directions one step at a time, not always agreeing with each other on their methods. It’s definitely a “dive in” approach to learning that usually leaves me wanting to sit down, read a recipe through, and then start cooking.

All of that is a roundabout way of saying that I learned how to make simple syrup and now I’m obsessed with the idea. The first one I wanted to make was a mint flavor, because mint makes everything better. With it you can make mint drinks, mint soda,—mint anything. I’m more interested in making frozen desserts with it.

How To Make Mint Simple Syrup

For 1 cup of simple syrup, you’ll need:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
10 mint leaves

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients together in a small sauce pan
Over a burner, bring the mixture up to a rolling boil keeping an eye that the mixture doesn’t boil over.
Once the consistency of the mixture turns from a free-flowing liquid to a syrup(about 10 minutes), turn off the burner and remove the sauce pan from the heat.
With a mesh strainer, strain the mint leaves from the syrup while pouring it into a container.
Let the syrup cool and store in the refrigerator when not using.

If you’re curious about the color of the syrup, it comes from the sugar granules. For a clear white syrup, use sugar that’s completely white. I used cane sugar that had a slight beige tint from trace B vitamins which created a darker, amber syrup.

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Raw Chocolate Mint Mousse

Written on July 13, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Dessert

I’ve been holding out on you.

I’m sorry.

I made this about a week ago and never got around to posting the recipe. But late is definitely better than never.

It all started when I went to London and had the raw chocolate, vanilla, and mint mousse parfait from saf, which was by far the best thing I had the entire trip. I had been thinking about it as soon as I got back. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to recreate because the ingredients were listed on the side of the dessert so all I had to do was copy them.

Let me tell you this tasted exactly like the real thing, which is good because I’m not sure I can afford a plane ticket to London every time I get a craving for this mousse. So, if you’re like me and have no plans to be near Kensington Square anytime soon, bookmark this recipe. If you do have plans to be there, send me a postcard. And some mousse.

Raw Chocolate Mint Mousse

Ingredients:

2 cups cashews, soaked for at about 3 hours
6 Tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1.5oz unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
10 mint leaves, finely chopped plus more for garnish
1/4-1/2 cup water

Combine the cashews, sweetener, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and mint in a food processor and process until it makes a smooth paste.

If serving immediately, slowly add in water to the processor as it’s blending until it reaches a light and airy consistency. Scoop into serving dishes and garnish with extra mint leaves.

If serving later, add in a tad more water than you think you should until the dessert is slightly runny. Pour into serving bowls and refrigerate until serving. As the mousse cools, the texture will firm up. If it firms up too much, simply whisk a couple teaspoons of water into the mousse with a fork until it’s come back to the right consistency again.

I like this better than raw chocolate mousse made with avocado because it actually has the light and airy texture of an egg and cream mousse. The taste is very rich and very minty.

It’s a lot of fat, but I’m going to pull out the “healthy fat” card here. We’re all going to die of something; if raw chocolate mousse does me in, I’m OK with that.

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