SPICY SWEET & SOUR GREEN TEA MINT SAUCE

Spicy Sweet & Sour Green Tea Mint Sauce/ kombucha vinaigrette.

Here is a delicious recipe where the  spicy green tea & mint flavor enhance this sauce/ vinaigrette.  This goes very well with samosas, lumpia, eggrolls, fish, lamb or salad. This is great for someone who do not drink herbal teas, but they get to get the nutritional benefits from eating it in a big way.

It's also a great way to disguise these herbs in mouth watering recipes.  They don't have to  know how healthy it is.  haha I did that with my dad (onions) and my son (carrots).  My poor daughter had to eat it straight, because I did't know how to disguise healthy foods back in the 70's  So to her.  Sorry about all that vegetarian food especially that alfalfa.   lol  Not really:))

Herbs are one of the worlds greatest spices of life.  Loaded with antioxidants, and fiber and it gives food  a boost of nutrition, as well as flavor and fiber.

Here I created a mouth watering spicy sweet and sour green tea mint sauce or vinaigrette using a few herbs and tea I had on hand.  Note, If for some reason you don't have a certain ingredient.  Don't sweat it.  It's all still good. So, let's get busy...
                                                                   Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup  mint leaves and stems (fresh) 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar ( you can use 1/2 the brown sugar and substitute it for sweetener or honey)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced
• 1  green tea teabag
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper (you can always add more or less)
• 1/2 tbsp. parsley dried
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp.  pepper
• 1/4 tsp garam masala or curry
• 1/4 tsp citric acid or juice of one lemon
• 2 cups kombucha vinegar  (I have a lot on hand because I brew it, but if you don't have it you might want to use apple cider vinegar starting with 1/4 cup and add to taste).  Never use white vinegar, except for cleaning, because it is so unhealthy.

Heat water in a saucepan on low to almost a boil, and put fire on low.  Add all the ingredients except for the kombucha vinegar.  Cook on low for 30 minutes, and drain.Cool to room temperature and add kombucha vinegar.  Now I bottle 1/2 of is and store it in the refrigerator.  Let me continue to thicken the rest of the sauce...

• 1/2 of the above sauce
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water

Heat the sauce again in a sauce pan.  Mix the cornstarch in cold water and add to the green tea mint sauce.  Stir constantly for a couple of minutes till thickened.  Add kombucha vinegar when warm to preserve the probiotics of the kombucha, mixing well.  Yummy now you have this Spicy Sweet & Sour Green Tea Mint Sauce.

So here you have it.  It's really easy, delicious and nutritious too. Oh and two of my favorite words, it's also, homemade, and cheap.  You get a great sauce that costs a couple of dollars homemade.  Yet, with it you can turn a simple dish into a dish that will be remembered for a long time.  Priceless! Surely you will get a thumbs up!  I hope you like it.  Here's to your health and theirs. Get ready for more green tea recipes and other herb recipes coming real soon.

Many blessings,

Mary Helen