earl gray smoothie

I love earl gray tea. Sweet bergamot orange and tangy black tea were simply made for each other. This creamy, caffeinated smoothie is made with just bananas, earl grey tea, and chia seeds. No where for that flavor to hide.

First, a few quick facts about tea. All teas (green, black, white, and oolong) are actually from the same plant; camellia sinensis. All contain flavanoids which act as antioxidants, fighting off free radicals that form in our bodies. Free radicals have been linked to causing cancer so drink your teas!

I like to double up on the tea bags when I am adding teas to a recipe. This concentrates the flavor, making it shine through and compliment the other flavors without watering down the whole thing. Steep the tea bags for about 4 minutes. Don't forget or it will get bitter! Place the brewed tea in the fridge overnight. It's important that the liquid in your smoothie is cold to get an "ice cream like" consistency.

• 2 frozen bananas 
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 1/2 cups cold earl grey tea

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Serve with granola topping. I had just made honey + nut buckwheat clusters yesterday so I tried them out with this smoothie! Fantastic.

If you are interested in the honey + nut buckwheat clusters, just check out my chunky chocolate buckwheat granola recipe but use peanut butter instead of tahini, and honey instead of maple syrup.  Or just make the chocolate version because that is amazing too!