Batch-it Crazy 🤪 🦇
Batch-prep Matcha-fueled breakkies this month. Plus fireworks to cool you down.
People want three things in life; to be happy, to be healthy and to be rich. I can’t make you rich, but two out of three ain’t bad! (Although, if health is our wealth, maybe I can make you rich after all!?)
This Substack is all about food to twerk your taste buds, with a high-five to the nutritional gods and sustainability queens. Yup. It’s about bringing more sass into your kitchen routine, and releasing your inner healthbitch or eco warrior. (Both if I’m lucky).
On to this week’s recipes, which feel like a form of sorcery on a hot day. I love those surprise days in May, where the shade is cold but the warmth of the sun is almost overwhelmingly exciting.
Two recipes for you … one anti-inflammatory elixir you’ll want to sip all summer long, and one batch-prepped creamy cold breakfast recipe to fuel you all week long.
First up, chilled tea with iced cubes of hot honey. Possibly the most perfect summer’s day drink.
Rooibos is a gorgeous caffeine-free tea from South Africa that can be used in place of black tea. Its natural swag of quercetin can modestly help regulate the production of histamine, so allergy sufferers might prefer this option.
Then there’s lemon peel, so easily discarded in favour of using the juice. But lemon peel is pumped with antioxidants and healthful comrades such as limonene, limonin and vitamin C. Together, they form a conga line behind the body’s first-line defenses. We like.
There’s also turmeric, lemon’s helpful backup squad to help decommission the inflammatory mob. Inside turmeric’s bright glow, a snazzy compound called curcumin has shown to help modulate mild inflammation in the body. Bonus!
I’ve dropped the recipe below, alongside a helpful printable PDF so you can have the full recipe to hand in your kitchen instead of racing to your laptop.
Next up is a creamy, chilled, matcha-infused breakfast perfect for batch-prepping or impressing your yoga teacher.
It contains at least 60g of protein - not bad for a plant powered fix! I found an excellent plain natural kefir (500ml) for €1.85 in Aldi. It is made in Cork, and has a whopping 16g of protein. Add your favourite protein powder, whole chia seeds plus a drizzle of nutbutter, and suddenly it’s short-listed for a Laureate.
If you’re a nut butter fiend, then let me introduce you to some of my very favourites (especially the pistachio cashew one).
Chia seeds are the star, but ceremonial-grade Matcha is the hook. This hip, Japanese green tea powder is home to a series of polyphenols. You’ve probably noticed that health scientists get comically excited about this buzzword, like an ornithologist sighting a new species of bird. Polyphenols behave like powerful antioxidants in the body. Catechins, a specific subset of this hallowed polyphenol family, are believed to be responsible for the smug status unique to green tea.
Then there’s L-theanine, shown to highjump the blood-brain barrier and hotwire our mood. Theanine also tickles a neurotransmitter called GABA, which can help calm mental and physical stress. That’s quite the accolade for a morning pudding!
For years, I wasn’t crazy about matcha. But then I found a fabulous young Dubliner importing the best of the best. You can order it here (Mafia Matcha) if you fancy tasting it. Mafia Matcha is made from shade-grown green tea leaves to enhance chlorophyll (that’s why it’s luminous green!) After harvesting, the leaves are steamed to preserve their vibrant glow and nutrients, then carefully ground into a fine powder using traditional stone mills, and not machinery.
This recipe is also a good option for summer picnics. Packed into jars, it travels really well for road trips and makes traffic jams to the beach almost enjoyable.
Want more matcha? Here’s an energy ball recipe with matcha and coconut.
Until next time! I love welcoming you into my home and my kitchen. Making the leap to Substack has been so nourishing as a cook and writer. I get to connect with you, my most valued readers right here. No annoying ads spraying in our eyes, no controlling algorithms dictating what we see, no spambots; just unadulterated kitchen talk from my space to yours. I’m so grateful.
As always, these healthyassed recipes are the preserve of my paid community, whose subscriptions allow me to continue to write this newsletter, buy ingredients, test and film recipes, style as well as shoot photos. If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter in its free form, please consider upgrading to become a fancy full member, which will mean you get access to my entire recipe archive as well as livestreams every month.
Love, light, and fireworks,
Susan Jane
x
// Lemon & Sorcery Iced Tea//
These citrus cubes can be dropped into a pitcher of water for a hot day, if iced tea is not your thang.
2 teabags (black tea or rooibos)
1.5 litres water
3 whole, unwaxed lemons
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder or 1 fresh chilli
4 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon ground turmeric or freshly grated (replace with fresh ginger, if preferred)
A few twists of black pepper
Step 1
Overnight, pop your two chosen teabags into 2 litres of cold water. This is called cold brewing, and requires time in place of heat. In the morning, remove the tea bags and refrigerate your tea in a jug until required.
Step 2
To make the citrus ice cubes, scrub your lemons with salted water or vinegar, to clean well. Cut into quarters, and remove any pips. Pop into a high-speed blender with a approx 60ml of water, and the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. You may need a splash more water.
Step 3
Pour this citrussy elixir into an ice cube tray, and freeze until set. You can then bag them up once solid, and label clearly. Marie Kondo, eat your heart out!
To serve, pop an ice cube into your cold brew tea. Or straight into chilled water.
// Batch-Prep Matcha Pud//
The Matcha you choose needs to be of “ceremonial grade” which is code for high quality, as otherwise your pudding will taste like it was stored underneath a lawn mower. There is also much more nutrition preserved in higher grade Matcha (such as Mafia Matcha here in Dublin). A little goes a long way.
Gym bunnies might like to sneak in flavourless creatine too. Let me know in the comment section what your favourite combos are. The toppings photographed are my favourites;
Passionfruit, raw honey and Greek yoghurt
Roasted cinnamon apple, smashed pecans, plain live yoghurt
Coyo coconut milk yoghurt, pistachios & raw honey (or pistachio nutbutter)
Almond butter, live kefir and toasted buckwheat
Sliced strawberries and fried banana in ghee, Greek yoghurt (I ate this one before I could photograph it. Soz!)
Serves 4 or more
50g whole chia seed
1 teaspoon high quality matcha powder
4 tablespoons of your favourite ultra-fine protein powder (go for flavourless)
250ml fullfat natural kefir
250ml-300ml unsweetened soya milk
Zest of 1 lemon, and a little squeeze too
Flaky sea salt, to stir through before serving
Step 1
Using a fork, stir together your whole chia, Matcha and protein powder. Then whisk through the kefir and milk. Leave for 5 minutes, then whisk again to prevent the chia from clumping. Do this a few times, until it’s nice and thick.
Step 2
Mix in your lemon. Cover the dish with a plate so that your chia pud does not absorb any renegade flavours loitering in your fridge. Chill overnight.
Step 3
The next morning, stir through a flurry of flaky sea salt. Then divide into 4 or 5 jars, top with fresh fruit or Greek yoghurt, and drizzly nutbutter if you have some.
