As many of my friends and family know, I have a serious case of baby fever. I am surrounded by the most adorable children on the planet, and they keep coming (9 nieces and nephews so far!). As my big sis was preparing for her latest bundle of joy, I was in charge of preparing Telba for her, a traditional Ethiopian drink that strengthens the reproductive organs and helps the body prepare for the delivery process. The primary ingredient in Telba are flax seeds that are roasted and then ground into a fine meal.
As I began making this drink for my sister, I started drinking it regularly and am officially hooked. Today I came home after an amazing dance class (taught by the lovely Tatiana Zamir who the recipe is named after), was pretty hungry, and decided to be adventurous and try a new twist on Telba.
Click here to read about some of the health benefits of adding flax seeds to your diet (especially important for vegetarians and vegans who need plant based Omega 3 fatty acids).
I hope you enjoy it…and that my mother approves of all this creativity in the kitchen.
Tati’s Telba and Plantain Smoothie
- 2 cups vanilla almond milk (I prefer unsweetened)
- 1 large ripe plantain (the peel should be almost completely black)
- 3 tablespoons roasted flax meal
- agave to taste
- dash of cinnamon, cardamom, or clove powder (or all three!)
- ice (optional)
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and enjoy.
*To make roasted flax meal…simply roast flax seeds on the oven for a minute or two. Turn off the heat once they start popping (especially cause you might get knocked in the forehead by a few of those jokers 8-). Take the roasted flax seeds and place them in a spice grinder, or mortar and pestle if you are old school, and you will get a nice flax seed meal.
