Lemon Verbana Iced Tea

Lemon verbena infuses the lightly sweetened iced tea with sunny citrus flavor. You can also use the fragrant syrup to enliven cocktails or moisten pound cake. Blanching the herb leaves brightens their color so the syrup will stay green. Avoid using a strongly flavored tea, such as Earl Grey, as it will overpower the taste of the syrup.

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup lemon verbena leaves
• 4 cups ice
• 6 cups brewed tea, chilled
• Mint leaves (optional)
• Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Cool sugar syrup completely.

Cook lemon verbena leaves in boiling water 1 minute. Drain and plunge into ice water; drain.

Combine sugar syrup and verbena leaves in a blender; process until smooth. Cover and chill overnight. Strain sugar syrup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Place 2/3 cup ice into each of 6 tall glasses; add 1 cup brewed tea and 2 tablespoons sugar syrup to each serving, stirring to combine. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon wedges, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:67 (0.0% from fat)

Fat:0.0g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)

Protein:0.0g

Carbohydrate:17.4g

Fiber:0.0g

Cholesterol:0.0mg

Iron:0.0mg

Sodium:7mg

Calcium:0.0mg

Judy Lockhart, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005

Kiwi Colada

Here's a fun twist on the classic summertime umbrella drink. Kiwifruit and melon liqueur give the cocktail a green hue and slightly tangy flavor. Although we used green kiwi, you can substitute the golden variety for a sweeter taste and golden color.

Yield 6 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 5 peeled kiwifruit, divided
• 3 cups ice
• 1/4 cup light rum
• 1/4 cup Midori (melon-flavored liqueur)
• 3 tablespoons Cream of Coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

Preparation

Cut 4 kiwifruit into quarters, and place in a blender. Set remaining kiwifruit aside. Add ice and remaining ingredients to blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a pitcher; discard seeds. Divide evenly among 6 glasses. Cut remaining kiwifruit into 6 slices; garnish each glass with 1 kiwifruit slice.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 143 (10% from fat)

Fat: 1.6g (sat 1g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.2g)

Protein: 0.6g

Carbohydrate: 23.1g

Fiber: 2.5g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 0.4mg

Sodium: 11mg

Calcium: 17mg

Cynthia Nicholson, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005

Hibiscus Punch

If you enjoy the tart floral flavor of hibiscus tea, you'll like this unique punch called bissap rouge in Senegal. You can find dried hibiscus (also called roselle or sorrel) in Asian, Mexican, and Caribbean speciality markets, or order online at www.mexigrocer.com.

Yield 8 cups (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup hibiscus pods
• 2/3 cup superfine sugar

Preparation

Combine water and hibiscus in a large nonaluminum Dutch oven. Cover and let stand 2 hours. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve, reserving punch; discard solids. Add sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves; chill.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 66 (0.0% from fat)

Fat: 0.0g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)

Protein: 0.2g

Carbohydrate: 16.9g

Fiber: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 0.0mg

Sodium: 0.0mg

Calcium: 4mg

Cooking Light, APRIL 2003

The Bee's Knees Cocktail

Here's an easy cocktail that is sure to be the buzz of your next dinner party. The Bee's Knees gets its sweetness from a quick-to-prepare honey syrup. And we've given this classic drink a floral, Provençal twist by adding lavender. The result is unexpected and delicious: a perfect balance of sharp, fragrant, sweet, and strong.

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup hot water
* 1 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms*
* 1/4 cup honey
* 6 tablespoons gin
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

Mix hot water and dried lavender blossoms in bowl. Let steep 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup honey. Strain into another bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the honey syrup, gin, and lemon juice; strain into cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into 2 chilled Martini glasses.

*Available at health foods stores.
From epicurious.com

The Wonderful Blizzard of Ours!

Shakes are one thing, but dare we take on the thick and goodie-packed greatness that is the Dairy Queen Blizzard?! Heck YES! Here's a crazy-good swap for DQ's Mud Pie Blizzard, complete with chocolatey, mocha-licious mayhem and plenty of cookie pieces. Check it out...

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Breyers Double Churn Free fat-free ice cream, French Chocolate
1 No Sugar Added Fudgsicle pop (the 40-calorie single version)
1/2 pack 100 Calorie Packs Oreo Thin Crisps, slightly crushed
2 tsp. Hershey's Lite chocolate syrup
1/2 - 3/4 tsp. instant coffee (depending on how much you like coffee flavoring)
1/2 tsp. Coffee-mate Original Fat Free powdered creamer, dissolved in 2 tbsp. warm water
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda)
3/4 cup crushed ice (about 4 - 6 cubes)

Directions:
Combine the chocolate syrup, instant coffee, and sweetener with the Coffee-mate mixture. Add 2 tbsp. of cold water, and then pour into the blender. Cut the fudge pop into pieces (removing the stick), and add the pieces to the blender as well. Then add the ice cream and crushed ice. Blend briefly at low-to-medium speed until just mixed. Spoon mixture into a glass, and then stir in the cookie pieces. If needed, place in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up. Then enjoy!

Serving Size: entire recipe
Calories: 253
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 222mg
Carbs: 59g
Fiber: 8.5g
Sugars: 29g
Protein: 7g

POINTS® value 4*
From Hungry Girl website.

Hot Cocoa

HG's That's Hazel-NUTS! Cocoa Supreme

Cocoa Nutty!

Warning: Humans who love chocolate may become addicted to this recipe. The beverage you are about to consume is extremely delicious. Prepare to fall in LOVE...

Ingredients:
1 packet Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Diet Hot Cocoa Mix
2 tsp. Coffee-mate Sugar Free Hazelnut powdered creamer
2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip
Optional Garnish: additional unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a mug except for the Reddi-wip. Add 1 cup very hot water, and stir until ingredients are fully dissolved, melted, and combined. Top with Reddi-wip and, if you like, sprinkle with additional cocoa powder. Consume as soon as you can without burning your tongue!

MAKES 1 SERVING


Serving Size: 1 cup with whipped cream (entire recipe)
Calories: 114
Fat: 5g
Sodium: 173mg
Carbs: 14.5g
Fiber: 2.5g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 3g

POINTS® value 2*
From Hungry Girl website.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Sarah's Homemade Hot Cocoa

1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 c. milk
a bit of vanilla, if desired

Combine cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan. After about 1 to 2 minutes, add milk and vanilla. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature.

Submitted by: Sarah Wright