Food Family Lifestyle Beauty Sustainability Health Immunity

First Blush Iced Tea

Name: First Blush Iced Tea
Ingredients: 1/4 cup (60 mL) dried strawberries; 4 hibiscus teabags, or 4 tsp (20 mL) dried hibiscus calyces in tea ball; 2 Tbsp (30 mL) no-sugar-added strawberry jam, plus extra 2 Tbsp (30 mL) (optional); 1/2 cup (125 mL) nut milk of choice; Edible pink flower petals (pansies and violets are options); 2 fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

Serves 4.

Vanessa Annand

Updated Jun 01, 2015

Colour-wise, this is the showiest of these herbal iced teas. Its brilliant magenta hue comes from hibiscus, a plant known for its tart taste and health benefits (hibiscus tea has shown promise in lowering blood pressure in mildly hypertensive people). Strawberries curb the tang of hibiscus, especially when we take a page out of Russian tea culture and sweeten this tea with jam.

Jammin’

Choose jam naturally sweetened with agave or juice rather than refined sugar.

Ice queen

When you make a pot of hot tea or prep fruit for fruit salad, make a habit of setting aside a little tea or a few pieces of fruit to freeze as ice cubes so you’ve always got gorgeous ice on hand.

If you want fruit or other solids to rest in the centre of a cube, fill the ice cube tray only halfway with water or tea, add the fruit pieces, and freeze. Then fill the remainder of the tray with liquid and freeze again.

First Blush Iced Tea

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60 mL) dried strawberries
4 hibiscus teabags, or 4 tsp (20 mL) dried hibiscus calyces in tea ball
2 Tbsp (30 mL) no-sugar-added strawberry jam, plus extra 2 Tbsp (30 mL) (optional)
1/2 cup (125 mL) nut milk of choice
Edible pink flower petals (pansies and violets are options)
2 fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

Nutrition

Per serving:

calories37
protein0g
fat0g
- saturated fat0g
- trans fat0g
carbohydrates8g
- sugars6g
- fibre0g
sodium31mg

Directions

01

Bring 4 1/2 cups (1.12 L) water to boil over high heat. Add a splash of boiled water to jug or jar that holds at least 4 cups (1 L), swirl around, and pour down drain.

Place dried strawberries and hibiscus in jug or jar and pour remaining water over them. Steep for 5 minutes, then remove hibiscus. Leave strawberries in tea.

Chill tea in refrigerator for 3 to 8 hours.

To create creamy ice, blend nut milk and 2 Tbsp (30 mL) strawberry jam together in blender. Pour into ice cube tray and freeze.

Serve chilled tea over ice. Garnish with edible flower petals and slices of fresh strawberry.

Optional:

Blend 1/2 cup (125 mL) hot tea with 2 Tbsp (30 mL) strawberry jam in blender until smooth and return liquid to rest of tea to chill.

Vanessa Annand

Writer and editor Vanessa Annand enjoys vegan cooking, time outdoors, and plucky publications.

READ THIS NEXT

Food

Potato Gnocchi, Nutmeg Spinach Sauce, and Orach Salad

Gnocchi are easily made deliciously chewy dumplings that are part mashed potato, part pasta. They’re particularly tasty simply browned and crisped in butter. Tender spinach is puréed into a bright green sauce scented with fragrant nutmeg. Orach is an ancient vegetable with a savory mineral flavor like spinach and chard. Its microgreens and tender leaves pair beautifully with earthy potatoes.

Food

Cauliflower Chickpea Fritters

Simple techniques elevate broccoli and cauliflower in this delicious side dish. Smooth white cauliflower purée and chickpea flour make gluten-and dairy-free yet memorably crisp fritters. Briefly cooked broccoli is smoothly puréed into a bright green sauce with lots of mellowed garlic.

Food

Celebrate Spring

Spring dawns and with it an awakening of our mood and senses. Shoots and leaves are emerging, and we’re greeted by a host of fresh vegetables rearing their heads after a long winter. It’s always a joy to see the first rhubarb, delicate peas, spring leeks, and asparagus. It’s also a time to savour spring treasures that are in more fleeting supply—such as fiddleheads, ramps, (delicate, yet spicy) salad turnips, and nettles. It’s like greeting old friends you haven’t seen in a while, a chance to savour their abundance and the health benefits they provide. Spring is a symbolic new beginning, which makes it a great time to learn something new in the kitchen. Whether it’s tackling an artichoke, something that always seemed too daunting, or finally experimenting with a vegetable you’ve admired but never dared to try, read on. Now’s the perfect time. These six spring-inspired recipes will help you get creative in the kitchen while helping you celebrate the bounty of nature. Welcome the optimism that spring brings.

Food

Warm Turnip Salad with Miso, Ginger, and Garlic Dressing

In spring, a different kind of turnip is available: a small, round, golf ball-shaped Hakurei turnip, often referred to as a salad turnip. These are lovely and crisp when eaten raw but can also be lightly sautéed and infused with flavour. In this dish, the turnips are first stir-fried and then coated in a dressing of miso, ginger, garlic, and honey before tossing with some spring salad leaves. Choose leaves that will stand up to the warmth of the salad, like a young mustard green mix including leaves such as tatsoi and mizuna. Keep the greens Turnip greens, especially the tender ones from spring turnips, can be steamed or prepared in a similar fashion to spinach, so be sure to reserve the greens and use them in another dish.