Pudding can be delicious, but it’s not always your waistline’s best friend. Packed with sugar, dairy and thickening agents, the average pudding recipe is a digestion disaster waiting to happen.

This pudding recipe is entirely vegan and packed with antioxidants, healthy fats and low-glycemic sweetener. Better yet, it takes only a few minutes to whip up.

Matcha is a fine powder green tea with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which makes up 60 percent of matcha green tea’s catechins, which are believed to fight cancer. Matcha green tea also contains L-theanine, which has been shown to reduce physiological and psychological stresses as well as improve memory.

The banana and maple syrup provide the pudding with subtle sweetness while the coconut milk balances the various flavors, adds a creamy texture and boosts your body with healthy fats. Moreover, coconut milk acts as a panacea of sorts in your body, going as far as to help you lose weight, normalize blood sugar levels, build strong bones, fight infection, lower cholesterol and treat arthritis. It can do no wrong, really, and is the perfect substitution for dairy in this matcha green tea pudding recipe. Enjoy!

Matcha Green Tea Pudding

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, peeled and frozen
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon matcha green tea
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Dash of sea salt

Directions Peel and chop the bananas. Add the pieces to a zip-lock bag and toss into the freezer for at least 2-3 hours or until frozen. Add the frozen bananas to a food processor with the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy!

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The post Vegan Matcha Green Tea Pudding Recipe with Coconut Milk and Maple appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tea time is over and you’re left with an empty cup and a wet tea bag. You might want to throw it away, but don’t! Here are benefits of green tea that extend far beyond internal health.

From getting rid of under-eye bags to cleaning pots and pans, recycling tea bags are the way to go. Applying these unusual benefits of green tea will be useful around the house and will guarantee some money and time saved!
 
Before listing the ways to recycle tea bags, let’s recap the general benefits of green tea: Some research has shown that when ingested, teas high in the antioxidants polyphenols may help to reduce certain cancer risks as well as the risk of stroke. A critical part of reducing inflammation is also hinged on increased polyphenol intake. Green teas are exceptionally high in these antioxidants. Its active polyphenol, EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), has been shown to be 25 to 100 times more potent than vitamins C and E in terms of antioxidant activity.

Here are seven unusual benefits of green tea that put that potency to work around the house. 

1. Feed Plants
 
To keep your plants moisturized and stimulate growth, add green tea bags to soil under and around the plant. The tea bags retain moisture in the soil and infuse the roots with nutrients. Commercial fertilizer can be high in chemicals and salt, ultimately destroying soil structure in the long-term. You can also empty the tea bags ground leaves into the soil and mix them together before planting flowers or trees. The effect works quite the same.
 
2. Get Rid of Eye Puffiness
 
Whether from a lack of sleep, dehydration, too much salt intake, or an allergic reaction, we’ve all suffered from under-eye puffiness. To remedy this and put our best face forward, use cool tea bags. The tannins found in green tea constrict blood vessels and tame under-eye bags. Place saturated, but not dripping wet, tea bags in the refrigerator until cool. Then, place them under over the eyes and let sit for 5 minutes. They will both cool, soothe redness, and reduce inflammation.
 
3. Prevent Odors

Tea bags are highly absorbent and will take in both liquids and odors. Place dry tea bags in your sock drawer, shoe closet, or locker to get rid of stink and odor-carrying moisture left behind from sweat or heat.
 
4. Clean Pot and Pans

Fill hard-to-remove gunked-on pots and pans to the top with water and a few green tea bags, and soak overnight. The tannins in the tea will help to remove the grease and other residues. The next day, use the tea bags to rub away the gunk. The abrasion is added help in removing the mess without harsh chemicals.
 
5. Flavor Meat
 
Infuse meat with unique flavors by adding tea bags to a marinade. The tea adds a sweet overtone to meat. You can also add it to a vegetable marinades.
 
6. Treat Acne
 
Because of green tea’s antioxidant content, it has a tannic bite and astringency that makes it a natural remedy for acne. Take a few water-saturated tea bags and rub them across skin affected by acne to reduce inflammation, tighten the pores and reveal a smoother, younger complexion.
 
7. Turn Photos Vintage
 
Tea can act as a homemade dye. If you want to give your photographs a vintage look, take a saturated, but not dripping wet, green tea bag and rub it lightly over the surface of the picture a few times. Let it dry and, voila, you have yourself a homemade vintage photo. 

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Image Credit: Selma90

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