Banana Coconut Smoothie

2 large bananas (or 3 medium or 4 small) - sliced into 1/8", spread on plastic wrap, and frozen into a "banana plate"
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup soymilk (vanilla, chocolate or strawberry, they are all good)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add the liquid ingredients to the blender first, then add the frozen banana chunks. Blend until smooth. Some fun changes to this recipe are to add frozen pineapple, mango, papaya, or any berries that you have. Be creative :) Another good one is to add half a shredded carrot and a couple spoons of poppyseeds to make a carrot cake smoothie! Or for an orange julius type smoothie replace the soymilk with orange juice and add another teaspoon of vanilla. The options are endless, the only parts that are mandatory to make it super creamy and good are the frozen bananas and coconut milk.

Ajvar (say it Eye-var) Roasted Red Pepper Eggplant Spread

5 large red or orange bell peppers
1 medium eggplant
4-5 seasoning peppers
4-5 scotch bonnet (hot) peppers (optional)
6-8 cloves garlic - unpeeled
3 tbsp oil (preferably olive)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar or 2 tbsp white vinegar + 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 425F. Pierce the eggplant with a fork all over. Put the eggplant, all the peppers (bell, seasoning and hot), and unpeeled garlic in the oven and roast for about 20-30 mins or until the eggplant is soft and brown on all sides and the peppers are slightly blackened and the skin is baggy. Let all the veggies cool for about 10 mins. Peel the skin off the peppers, remove the seeds and stem (leave the seeds for a hotter spread) and dice the flesh. Peel the eggplant and dice the flesh. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins. It should squirt out in a paste type consistency. Combine all the veggies and remaining ingredients in a pan and cook for about 10 mins. Transfer 3/4 of the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the puree back to the reserved veggies and mix thoroughly. Put in a metal topped jar and chill. Use as a spread for bread or a dip for crackers or veggies.

Fruity Green Tea Punch

1 1/2 cups green tea (2 tea bags combined w/ 1 1/2 cups almost boiling water for 3-5 mins.)
3/4 cup mango pulp
3/4 cup apple juice or sweetened passionfruit juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice

Combine all ingredients, pour into blender and blend for 2 minutes. Chill in the fridge (or freezer if you're in a hurry) until cold. Pour over ice and garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.