Core Lemon Grass Drink (tasty and medicinal) - Thai Cooking School

Lemon grass has been used in Asian medicine for thousands of years.

It is well known for:

• settling all digestive ailments
• recovering from colds and flu
• reducing fever, cramps
• "gas" (yes the polite word for farting)
• relieving aches and pains (great for 'girl pains')
• relieving any sort of cramps
• relieving athritis symptoms

And it is also apparently good as an antifungal. If you have athletes foot, don't tell me about it, but try soaking your tootsies in a diluted solution.

Lemon grass also makes a tasty beverage which is particularly refreshing on hot muggy days.

Serve icy cold with heaps of ice cubes.

Also can be drank hot as a "tea" if you prefer.

This was my favourite drink in Phuket - the drinking water is icky and I avoid all artificial sweetners (I react to them).
OK - my favourite drink was cocktails, but I didn't drink them all day :)

Serves: 10+ glasses

Difficulty: Super Easy - chop and boil

Ingredients:

• 3 stalks lemongrass, chopped to approx m]5mm rounds (about 1 cup worth)
• 2 1/2 litres cold water
• your choice of sweetener - sugar (pts), Equal, Stevia or Xylotil

Method:
Put cold water and lemongrass into a large pot and slowly bring to boil with lid on
Allow to simmer for about 10 mins, until the lemon grass is vaguely green and the water is tinged yellow.
Turn off heat, strain and allow to cool.

This makes a concentrate which you have about 1/2 and 1/2 with cold water, according to your tastes. Try with soda or mineral water too!

Sweetening - sweeten according to your tastes. If using a liquid or a powder which dissolves quickly, you may prefer top do this in the glass rather than sweetening the concentrate.

If you want to sample the drink straight away, add about 1/2 cup to a small jug and add 3 or 4 large ice cubes, stir until ice cubes stop melting. Then serve with more ice cubes and stir in your sweetener.

Store in a airtight jug or bottle in the fridge for up to a week. I prefer to store as concentrate to save room, but you may prefer to store as ready to drink.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 0 if you don't use sweeteners with points.

CORE Frappes

What's a Frappe?

It's a fancy word for grown up slushies :)

Below are a few of my favourite Frappe recipes - all are Core and for the Pointers, they max out at 1 to 1.5pts for the non-booze ones

Email me your favourite Frappe on dazeydee@adam.com.au and I'll add it

Serves: recipes serve 1-2

Difficulty: Very Easy

Method: add ingredients and blend until you can't hear ice rattling around.


COFFEE FRAPPE (base for other flavours)

• 2/3 cup Tone milk (or other nonfat milk)
• 6-8 ice cubes
• 1 - 1.5 tsp instant coffee
• sweetener to taste
• sprinkle of mixed spice or cinnamon (1/4-1/2tsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla essense

They came out so thick we couldn't suck through straws and ate with long spoons

MOCHA FRAPPE

• add 1 tsp cocoa to Coffee recipe

CHOCOLATE FRAPPE

• use 1-2 tsp cocoa instead of coffee

CHOCOLATE MINT FRAPPE

• use 1-2 tsp cocoa instead of coffee
• add about 6 mint leaves

VANILLA FRAPPE

• 2-3tsp vanilla essence instead of coffee
• use nutmeg instead of other spices

COFFEE AND BANANA FRAPPE

• add a banana (or a frozen banana) to the coffee recipe

MANGO FRAPPE

• 1 ripe mango (or tinned in juice, drained)
• ice
• you may need a dribble of water or juice to get the right consistency

APRICOT FRAPPE

• 6 pieces of tinned apricot in juice, drained
• ice
• you may need a dribble of water or juice to get the right consistency

SMOOTHIES

• omit coffee and add bananas, berries etc
• optional - add part yoghurt, part milk

ZERO POINT SLUSHIES

• ice
• 1/3 cup diet cordial
• 1/3 cup water
  

ZERO POINT FIZZY MOCKTAIL SLUSHIES

• ice
• 1/3 cup diet cordial
• 1/3 cup diet lemonade of other flavour

Blend ice and cordial, pour into glass and top with fizzy

MANGO DREAM FIZZY MOCKTAIL

• ice
• 1 ripe mango (or tinned in juice, drained)
• 1/3 cup diet lemonade

Blend ice and mango, pour into glass and top with fizzy. A little mint is lovely in this too.

BOOZE FRAPPES

More Points in these ones :)

TIPSY FRUIT FRAPPES #1

• ice
• 1 ripe mango (or tinned in juice, drained), or 6 pieces tinned apricots
• sparkling white wine

Blend ice and mango, pour into glass and top with fizzy. A little mint is lovely in this too.

TIPSY FRUIT FRAPPES #2

• ice
• 1 ripe mango (or tinned in juice, drained), or 6 pieces tinned apricots
• 1 nip vodka
• 1/3 cup diet lemonade (or try berry fizz)

Blend ice, vodka and mango, pour into glass and top with fizzy. A little mint is lovely in this too.

COFFEE FRAPPE COCKTAIL

• 2/3 cup Tone milk (or other nonfat milk)
• 6-8 ice cubes
• 1 - 1.5 tsp instant coffee
• sweetener to taste
• sprinkle of mixed spice or cinnamon (1/4-1/2tsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla essense
• 1 nip of vodka or clear chocolate/coffee liquer (the creamy ones like Baileys are more Points)

FIZZY COFFEE COCKTAIL (Black or White Russian)

• 6-8 ice cubes
• 1 nip of coffee liquer (not cream based)
• sweetener to taste
• sprinkle of mixed spice or cinnamon (1/4-1/2tsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla essense
• 1/3 cup diet lemonade or diet cola

Blend all except diet soda, pour into glass and top with fizzy.