Thursday, February 7, 2013

Green Horchata

You know the song Kermit used to sing,  "It's not easy being green"?  :)  Fortunately, I find it quite easy to be green- there is often spinach, kale, basil in my kitchen to name a few.


As part of the It's Easy Being Green Contest, MarxFoods sent me samples of some unique green foods- bamboo rice, dill pollen, green eston lentils, mint herb crystals and green cardamom pods.  My task was to use two of these ingredients in a recipe.



I decided to make a twist on horchata using the bamboo rice and cardamom pods.  Instead of the traditional almonds, I played on the green theme and used pistachios.  I threw in a handful of spinach when I blended it up to keep the drink true to its roots and it worked like a charm!




Pistachio Cardamom Horchata
Yield ~3c

If you're not sure if you love cardamom, feel free to use only 1 or 2 pods and add a cinnamon stick.  You could also switch things up a bit and use brown sugar instead of the sugar!  I added spinach for to enhance the green color and you cannot taste it one bit (promise!!), but feel free to leave it out.

3oz bamboo rice
3oz shelled pistachios (raw or toasted will work, unsalted)
4 cardamom pods, split and seeds coarsely crushed
1 1/4c hot tap water
1/3c evaporated cane juice
handful of spinach, optional
1c almond milk
1t pure vanilla extract

In a large glass jar, combine rice, pistachios and cardamom seeds.  Pour in hot tap water.  Set jar aside and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Transfer the contents of the jar (rice/pistachios) to a blender.  Add sugar and spinach, and blend on high speed for a few minutes until as smooth as possible.  Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a jar or other container.  Add milk and vanilla, mix well.  Taste and adjust with sugar or milk to achieve your desired consistency (I added about 1/2c more almond milk).  Refrigerate a few hours.  Serve ice cold.



This is definitely one to remember come St. Patty's Day :)

Disclaimer:  The bamboo rice and cardamom pods used in the creation of this recipe were free samples provided by Marx Foods.

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