Summer is in full swing! Yay...

I have been spending as much time outside as possible, walking to the gym with an audio book in headphones, making big dreamcatchers in the garden (I have a commission to make a collection of big ones for Soul Circus festival!)... and eating refreshing summer snacks.

Matcha tea came to mind recently, as I have just introduced a friend to it and he's become something of a little obsessed with matcha lattes. But for summer time it's nice to have something of the chilled variety on hand!

If you haven’t tried matcha. It’s a form of green tea that super high in antioxidants as the whole leave is ground and consumed (rather than just an infusion as per regular green tea bags). It is reported that just one serving of matcha tea has 137 times more antioxidants than 10 cups of regularly brewed green tea (source).

I love that is also has a milder, smoother flavour than regular green tea and a lot of people love it as it provides a caffeine boost of steady energy and focus but without the crash. Winner!

On the the recipe…

I love this twist on the classic vegan 'nice' cream. You could also make this into a creamy chilled thick shake by blending half and half with a plant-based milk of choice. It’s a two-way recipe :-)

Enjoy!

Recipe: Easy Matcha Nice-Cream

Ingredients - serves 2 (ish)

• equivalent of three frozen bananas cut into chunks (I pre-freeze big batches to have to hand at all times)

• 1 teaspoon matcha tea powder

• pinch of vanilla bean*

*this is optional, another option would be a few drops of peppermint with some choc chunks or cacao nibs mixed through (matcha mint chic chip!!)

Other optional toppings: nuts, cacao nibs or dried fruit sprinkled on top. Go crazy ;-)

Method:

Simply blend in a powerful blender that can handle frozen banana chunks for about 30-40 seconds until super smooth. Dollop into bowls (or tall glasses with a long spoon for special effect) and sprinkle with toppings of choice. This can also be frozen if not serving immediately.