I returned from my maternity leave, and back to collaborating with Hynt Beauty to bring you delicious recipes showcasing some of their organic plant-based ingredients! This month, I wanted to highlight green tea! (And don’t forget, use code ABBY20 for a 20% discount if you want to try out any of Hynt’s beauty products!)

Green tea has long been studied and reported for its various health benefits including long life, energy, and overall health and well being. It’s biggest claim to fame is its high antioxidant content (and yummy flavor!). If you’re looking to get the most out of green tea, the way to do it is “Matcha.” Matcha tea is made with powdered tea leaves, not just steeped and brewed leaves like “regular” tea. Because of this, matcha green tea is even healthier!

• One cup of matcha tea has 10x the antioxidants of green or black tea, and gram for gram, matcha has 10-20x the antioxidant power of blueberries, acai or pomegranates.
• Because matcha is actually ground up whole leaves, you get dietary fiber and chlorophyll which does not come out in brewed teas.
• Matcha green tea has L-theanine which helps promote a calm and focused mind and lessens the caffeine spike so you get a more sustained energy boost.

Besides a matcha latte with almond milk (one of my guilty pleasures), matcha is great in smoothies and baked goods. It’s also delicious in raw treats like these vegan & gluten free Matcha Macaroons! The chocolate ganache is totally optional, but definitely recommended. 🙂

Chocolate Covered Organic Raw Matcha Green Tea Macaroons (GF & Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic raw walnuts
• 2 cups organic unsweetened finely shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• ⅓ cup organic coconut nectar
• 1 ½ tbsp organic matcha green tea powder
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 pinch sea salt

Directions:

1. In a food processor pulse nuts until chopped very fine. Don’t over-blend, or you’ll get walnut butter!
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
   (Optional: run the mixture through the food processor again to ensure everything is well mixed, and green!)
3. Using a small ice cream scoop or melon baller, put balls onto a Silpat sheet or parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
4. Enjoy as is (they’re delicious moist!), or dry them out in the oven.

To dry them out: Put them in the oven on the lowest setting for a few minutes just to remove some of the moisture. For these to be “raw” you need an oven that can go down to 115 degrees F for 1-2 hours. You don’t want to actually cook them.

* Cook’s Note: My oven only went down to 170F, so I baked them at 170 for about 5 minutes, turned off the oven with the tray still inside, and let everything cool back to room temperature. They were fantastic!

Homemade Ganache

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup organic coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 2-4 tbsp organic coconut nectar or maple syrup

Directions:

1. On stove top over low heat, whisk all ingredients together.
2. Continue mixing until smooth and well-combined.
3. Dip macaroons, and transfer to wire rack to cool.