Sparkling Matcha Lemonade

I am not a coffee person. I drink it on occasion, but I usually end up getting bad headaches from the caffeine. Yeah. Headaches from the caffeine. It's annoying because I find the boost it gives me on my Sunday work-at-home mom adventures really helpful. Like, when I drink coffee, I can power through writing thousands upon thousands of words about obscure medical conditions (because that's the bulk of what I do these days) and still be up for more.

But I also have discovered that whenever I get back from a coffee-writing binge, I have a near-migraine and have to recover for hours. So, I mostly drink tea or smoothies or plain water. Years ago, I was sent some matcha powder to try and found it pretty tasty and interesting. I made Sunflower Matcha Cookies with it as well as Mighty Green Microwave-Muffins. Check out those recipes -- I'll be making them soon as I reconnect with this ingredient.

Anyway, I've read that it has 100+ times the antioxidants than in plain old green tea. I also keep seeing it on Instagram everywhere. I picked some up this weekend. I actually bought a kind with ginger in it. The Republic of Tea's U-Matcha Ginger.

And then I made lemonade with it!

SPARKLING MATCHA LEMONADE

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 to 2 tablespoons raw sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 to 1 can sparkling water (I used lime-flavored)
• Ice is optional
• Ball jar with plastic lid

Method . . .

I've made lemonade a bunch of different ways. I tried making this kind by first using hot water to create the simple syrup and then by just vigorously mixing the water and sugar. The second method worked just fine and + saved time. So, pour your water, lemon juice, sugar, and matcha into your Ball jar. Screw on the lid and shake for a minute or two.

You want to shake until all the powder is incorporated and it looks like this:


How much sparkling water you use depends on how diluted you want yours to taste. One day I had mine full strength, and it was great. The next I wanted a more subtle beverage, so I diluted with the full can. (You'll get some frothy head on there. Just sip it away!)

I'm not a huge fan of ice, so you can either put that in or leave it out. Really, this drink is up to you. I doubled the recipe one day to make enough for Stephen to try. He likes it, too!


It's:

Cold
Wet
Sweet
Refreshing
Matcha-y tasting

LOL with the adjectives. Sometimes things we make in the kitchen are just plain good.

Good. 

Enough said!

I'm under the weather and this return to winter isn't helping matters. I should be back tomorrow with something fun. I am also working on a few videos, one of which is a Q&A, so if you have anything you'd like me to answer, leave a note in the comments. I'm foremost working on my capsule wardrobe video, but I've had a major change in that area lately (still under 33 pieces!) -- and I cannot wait to share.

Thursdays are my favorite, so make it a good one!

Related:

Blackberry Lemonade for 2
Red Zinger Lemonade
On Secret Recipes
Green Microwave Muffins
Green Cookies . . . Weird

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Mapled Matcha-Sunflower Seedsters

When Mighty Leaf sent me some of their teas to sample, they also sent me a packet of matcha powder. To be entirely honest, I had never even heard of matcha powder powder before.

So, I set it aside . . . utterly confused, unsure what to do with it.


What is matcha? Well, it's green tea powder used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes. It's rich in nutrients, amino acids, antioxidants, fiber and chlorophyll, among other good-for-you things.

Ever since, I've been trying to think of a fun, tasty way to use it. I found all sorts of recipes online -- even this amazing matcha-marbled pound cake. Ultimately, though, I opted to create my own matchapiece (Hahah? OK. I'm a dork!).


I'm also taking part in Heather's (Hangry Pants) Macaroon Monday. It's this great idea she came up with to get us all out of our comfort zones in the kitchen -- to try something new. Heather made these amazing French macarons. They turned out great -- and look pretty intimidating!

For me, "something new" in the kitchen is baking with matcha AND making a cookie that doesn't include chocolate and/or peanut butter. It was difficult, and I had absolutely no idea how they'd turn out. Stephen liked them so much, though, that I had to make a second batch.


MAPLED MATCHA-SUNFLOWER SEEDSTERS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons matcha powder
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, and matcha powder.
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, maple syrup, almond milk, and sugar.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until incorporated. Stir in the sunflower seeds.
5. Spoon tablespoon- sized amounts of dough onto the cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. (They will expand somewhat during baking, so keep about 1-1/2 inches between cookies.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned (but not too brown, you don't want to ruin the gorgeous green color!).
7. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack. Store for a week in an air-tight container (we like ours in the fridge!).

This recipe makes 24 cookies (if you abide by the 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie instructions). I made a half batch at first, but these will disappear faster than you'd think. Plus, you'll want to send 'em to your friends.

They are THAT good.


(Also good: The quinoa-coriander ginger snaps you see in some of the photos. That recipe will come SOON.)

How have you experimented in the kitchen recently? Use any new ingredients? Try any new methods? Conquer some crazy recipes? We want to hear it all! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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