Vegan Green Tea LatteDelicious With Lots Of Health Benefits

Packed with the powerful catechin, EGCG.

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How I Start my Day
I need a little help getting started in the morning - who doesn't? I had to give up coffee years ago because it triggers my reflux. I still occasionally treat myself to a decaf almond cappuccino but I always start my day with a high quality Sencha green tea from Japan.

Green tea has been enjoyed as a health-promoting beverage since ancient times. Many of its health benefits are attributed to its most abundant catechin polyphenol, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate.) It has clear cognitive benefits and since I turned 69 this week, keeping my brain working is pretty important to me! It also has very strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, stabilize blood sugar, and boosts your immune system.  
I usually just drink a cup of Den's Sencha tea (using their pyramid tea bags) or make a cup of Matcha Green Tea. But for an easy treat, I make myself a green tea latte.

Compare to Starbucks Latte Macchiato

A Starbucks Grande whole milk latte provides:
230 calories
12 g total fat
7 g saturated fat
35 mg cholesterol
19 g carbohydrates
18 g sugar
12 g protein
160 mg sodium

A Sencha Green Tea Almond milk Latte provides
7.5 calories
1 g total fat
0 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
0 g carbohydrates
0 g sugar
0 g protein
40 mg sodium

If you substituted a green tea latte made with unsweetened almond milk and stevia for a Starbucks whole milk latte every day, you'd lose 23 pounds in one year!

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Green Tea Latte
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 1 serving]

Requirements
Espresso Aeroccino Plus or other milk froth maker
Mesh strainer (optional for topping)

Ingredients
1 cup of green tea
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
Stevia drops or 1/2 packet stevia, to taste 
Pinch of matcha powdered tea (optional topping)

Directions
Prepare a cup of green tea by pouring boiling water into a cup leaving room at the top for the milk. Let the water cool to 140 to 160 degrees F. You don't need a thermometer. Do this.

Make your froth by adding milk and stevia to your froth maker. 

Spoon into your tea.

You can top the froth with a touch of powdered matcha but put it through a fine mesh strainer so that it doesn't clump.

Latte with optional matcha topping

At less than 8 calories a cup, enjoy as many as you'd like!

Make Raw Vegan Gelato In MinutesWith Yonanas Elite, Nothing But Fruit!

Raw vegan cherry banana gelato.

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Look Inside my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen.

Creamy Frozen Dessert
Would you believe that you can eat a frozen dessert with the creaminess of gelato and the calories and healthfulness of raw fruit? No, this isn't an April fools joke. I just bought a new kitchen toy that allows me to do just that! It's called Yonanas Elite. It couldn't be easier. 

Basically, you freeze fruit and run it through this machine. The creamy texture comes from perfectly ripened bananas and you add other fruits, etc. to give it different flavors and textures. You can even make desserts healthy enough to enjoy during a raw food cleanse!

Yonanas Elite

Recipes
The machine comes with a recipe book with lots of fun ideas. The combinations are endless and you will no doubt be creating some of your own using your favorite fruits. For convenience, you can buy a lot of different frozen fruits, like pitted cherries, mangos, strawberries, raspberries, etc. in the supermarket.

You can also make sorbets with frozen berries, oranges, pineapples, cantaloup, watermelon, apples and more. It's all in the recipe book and it couldn't be easier!

I think my favorite combination so far is bananas and cherries with walnut pieces and a few dark chocolate chips stirred in at the end.

One of the recipes in the book is green tea ice cream where you simply sprinkle matcha green tea on frozen bananas and then run them through the shoot. 

Making matcha green tea frozen dessert

Make a Raw Vegan Pie
This machine makes the perfect filling for a raw vegan ice cream pie. Just make a pie crust with Raw Vegan Dessert Helper and fill it with the frozen dessert of your choice. Put it in the freezer for at least 4 hours and take out to thaw for 20 minutes before serving.

Raw crust from nuts, coconut, dates, raisins and cinnamon.

I'm excited about trying more of the recipes in their book and creating some of my own. If you come up with some winning combinations, please share by leaving a comment on the blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Watch videos on the Yonanas website for more instruction on how to use this machine.