{Recipe Redux} Blueberry Hibiscus Slushie

It’s time for another Recipe Redux post!

This month was a very interesting and challenging theme:

“Floral Flavors – Nothing brightens up a dish like a real flower! Whether you live in the northern or the southern hemisphere, edible flowers can add flavor and aroma to salads, breads, spreads, desserts or dips. Make your recipe bloom with rose water, flowering herbs, floral teas, dried lavender blossoms or even fresh flowers like nasturtiums, violets, borage, squash, sunflowers or pretty much any blossom in a vegetable garden.”

I went to at least three different grocery stores in the area, and none of them had any sort of edible flowers. I was about to give up, when I happened to walk down the tea isle and saw this Hibiscus Superflower Tea by The Republic of Tea!

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My grandparents on my Dad’s side of the family, who we call Oma and Opa (my Oma is from Germany, she still speaks German!), have always been super health conscious. My Oma brews hibiscus tea for my Opa to drink in the morning with his oatmeal. They both love it. When we come to visit, I like to have a cup of hibiscus tea and add a little sugar. It’s sweet with a nice floral note.

Benefits of Hibiscus

The hibiscus plant has a unique flavor and quite a few health benefits. The type of hibiscus in this tea is from Nigeria, where hibiscus tea is known for cooling the body in hot temperatures. Much needed here in Texas!

Hibiscus tea is also known for lowering blood pressure. In a recent study, drinking hibiscus tea lowered blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes,pre-hypertension, or mild hypertension. However, there was no reliable evidence to support that this tea will prevent primary hypertension (high blood pressure NOT caused by diabetes, kidney disease, or other problems).

Another study showed that drinking hibiscus tea is comparable to taking lisinopril (a commonly prescribed blood pressure medication). Note: if you’ve been taking lisinopril for high blood pressure, stick to what your doctor has prescribed you before trying any alternative treatments.

It’s also known for being a diuretic, helping to relieve bloating due to water retention.

 

For my recipe, I made a Blueberry Hibiscus Slushie!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz of boiling water + 1 Hibiscus Blueberry Tea Bag (steep for 7 minutes, let cool to room temperature before blending)
• 1 handful of frozen blueberries
• 4 oz lemon-lime Zevia
• handful of ice cubes
• 1 packet of Stevia

 Place all ingredients into a blender and puree until nice and smooth!

Check out more recipes in this month’s Recipe Redux Link Up!

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