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Happy Chinese New Year with Slimming Fortune Cookies!

Phuong Le — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:38:06 +0000

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! To celebrate, I created a delicious tea infused fortune cookie recipe! The best part, besides all the powerful antioxidants, is the slimming affect of the tea! Oolong has been shown to help shed stubborn pounds by boosting your metabolism and blocking the fattening effect of carbohydrates. Fortune cookies aren’t just for “fortunes” either! Write a love note or a day brightener as a “fortune.” Watch the other person’s expression when they see their personalized message. It’s fun and it tastes so much better than the store bought cookies. Plus it’s quick and easy.

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons Simply Slim tea brewed*

* Use 1 tsp of Simply Slim tea for 1/2 C of water and brew for 3 minutes. This will create a strong and intense flavored tea. Take 3 tsp for the recipe.

1. Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 inches x .5 inch. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.

2. Create a 3-inch round stencil out out of a plastic can lid.

3. In a bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract and vegetable oil until frothy.

4. Sift the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl. Stir the tea into the flour mixture.

5. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a wooden spoon.
Note: you can also dye the cookies at this point with food coloring.

6. With a small offset spatula, spread batter through the stencil so it is a circle onto a silpat or parchment paper, about 6 per cookie sheet.
7. Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (14 – 15 minutes).

7. Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass, wooden spoon or the edge of a muffin tin until the ends meet. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape.

Each serving includes (based on a total yield of 9 cookies):
Calories 93, 11 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Protein, 5 g total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, trace Fibre, 72 mg Sodium, 18 mg Potassium.

Tropical Fruit Salad with Moroccan Mint Green Tea Dressing

Phuong Le — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 07:53:02 +0000

Benefits of Mint

* Mint is also said and in many cases proven to:

* Relieve symptoms of indigestion, heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome by relaxing the muscles in and around the intestine.
* Act as a powerful antioxidant, protecting the body against the formation of cancerous cells.
* Inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria and fungus.
* Ease and unblock the breathing and respiratory passages and airways.
* Relieves the symptoms of colds and flu.
* Mint can help with nasal allergies.
* It can relieve congestion, head colds and headaches.
* Act as a mild sedative and has calming properties.
* Relieve minor aches and pains such as muscle cramps and sprains.
* Combat bad breath.
* Provides a cooling sensation to the skin and can help to treat minor burns, itching and skin irritations.
* Mint is a very good cleanser for the blood.
* Mint tea can help clear up skin disorders such as acne.

* This Herb is bombarded with many vitamins

* It contains carotene, the pigment which is part of Vitamin B complex family.
* It also contains good amounts of Thiamine.
* Riboflavin, essential for many biological functions in body, is also present in Mint.
* Niacin and Folic acid are also present.

* Minerals present in Mint include:
* calcium, Phosporus, Zinc, Copper, magnesium and manganese, Selenium and fluoride.

Tropical Fruit Salad with ONO Moroccan Mint Green Tea Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1 pineapple
10-12 strawberries
2 medium firm pears
fresh mint
ONO Morrocan Mint green tea dressing

DIRECTIONS:

1. Core a pineapple and cube the pineapple flesh and place in a large bowl.
2. Dice up the strawberries and pears and add to the bowl of cut pineapple.
3. Add the ONO Moroccan Mint Tea dressing and toss
4. Fill the pineapple with the fruit mixture and top with minced mint leaves.
5. Garnish with mint leaves and vanilla bean pods. Enjoy with a delicious cup of ONO Moroccan Mint tea!

ONO Moroccan Mint Green Tea Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tsp of ONO Moroccan Mint Green Tea
1/4 cup of steaming hot water
1/4 cup of cold water
1 Tablespoon of honey
1 Tablespoon of fresh mint minced
1 Tablespoon of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/5 cup of olive oil
1 vanilla bean pod

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place ONO Morrocan Mint green tea in an ONO Modern Mug infuser and add the steaming hot water. Wait 2 minutes and remove the filter.
2. Add 1/4 cup of cold spring water to cool down the hot tea.
3. Cut the vanilla bean pod down the middle to expose the beans. Scrape the beans out and add to the tea. Save the pod for garnish.
4. Place the brewed tea, honey, mint, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a jar with a tight lid and shake well.
5. Drizzle over the fresh cut fruit and enjoy with a cup of ONO Moroccan mint tea!

Ginger-Lemon Cookies with Soothing Sleepy Time Tonic

Phuong Le — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:54:08 +0000

I just learned so many interesting health benefits about honey and cinnamon! Did you know….

* The daily intake of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Researchers have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts and its use strengthens the white blood corpuscles.
* Ancient cultures used Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder for longevity. 4 spoons of honey, 1 spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 cups of water are boiled to make this tea. The prescribed amount is to drink 1/4 cup, 3 times a day. It keeps the skin
fresh and soft and slows down old age.
* Honey and cinnamon helps in improving the digestive system, remove gas from the stomach and intestine and treat stomachache, flatulence, indigestion and bladder infections.

Here are two delicious recipes I created that incorporate honey and cinnamon! YUMMY!

INGREDIENTS for COOKIES:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

DIRECTIONS for COOKIES

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, and baking soda. Beat butter, honey, sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer, in a large bowl, until creamy. Add egg and lemon juice and beat until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually stir in flour mixture until blended.
3. Drop dough by rounded teaspooons 2 inches apart on nonstick or lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks.
4. When the cookies are cool, sandwich them with teaspoon dollops of the Lemon filling. Put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator overnight.

INGREDIENTS for LEMON FILLING

1/4 cup of softened butter
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons ONO Sleepy Time brewed
1 tablespoon lemon zest
DIRECTIONS for FILLING:

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the tea and lemon juice.
2. Arrange the cookies in pairs on a large work surface. Spoon or pipe 1 rounded tablespoon of the lemon filling onto the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with the remaining cookies, pressing them together so the filling spreads to the edge.

DIRECTIONS for ONO SLEEPY TIME TEA

6 teaspoons of ONO Sleepy Time tea
1 1/2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1. Place honey and cinnamon at the bottom of an ONO 5 Cup teapot.
2. Insert an ONO glass filter into the pot filled with Sleepy Time tea.
3. Add hot water and steep for at least 5 minutes.

Slimming Goddess with Fresh Mint and Peaches

Phuong Le — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:38:35 +0000

Here is the recipe:

6 cups of water
3 tablespoons of ONO Slimming Goddess
1 tablespoon of honey
fresh mint
2-3 ripe peaches, sliced thin
splash of cranberry juice

serves 4-6
1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil.

2. Add Slimming Goddess and honey in the filter of your ONO 5 Cup Teapot.

3. Add the water to the leaves and steep for 5 minutes.

4. Remove the filter and let the pot of tea cool. Then chill in the fridge for 2-3 hrs. You can also pour it directly over ice after cooling without having to chill it in the fridge.

5. Splash with cranberry juice.

6. Drop in slices of peaches and sprigs of mint and serve tea over ice.

SIMPLY SLIM PINEAPPLE COCKTAIL

Phuong Le — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:24:22 +0000

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup of pineapple juice
* 1/2 cup of white rum
* 1 cup of coconut milk
* 3 tsp of fresh lime juice
* 1 cup of ice cubes

* 1/4 cup of brewed and chilled ONO Simply Slim tea sweetened with simple syrup
* Brew the tea strong (1 tsp of tea per 1/4 cup of boiling water)
* Simple syrup
1 cup water : 1 cup sugar (or 1 tsp of truvia) heated and cooled
(only add what is needed to flavor the tea and reserve the rest in the refrigerator)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all the ingredients except the sweetened tea and blend well.
2. Pour into a tall glass. Top with some of the sweetened ONO Simply Slim tea.
3. Decorate and serve immediately.