This hot drink, originally from South America, is an infusion made from the dried leaves of a plant called yerba mate. The beverage produced by these leaves is beloved in countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, and has started to grow in popularity worldwide.

It can be tough to learn to make a mate the correct way, but it really isn’t that hard! So let’s go for it.

Ingredients

Mate gourd
A “bombilla” (a silver straw that filters)
Yerba mate
Cold water
Hot water (around 180 F), in a thermos

Instructions

Start off by filling your mate cup about 2/3rds of the way full with the yerba mate leaves.

Once you’ve done this, place your palm on top of the mate gourd and begin to gently shake the leaves back and forth a few times. This will help arrange the mate leaves into a “little mountain” that will form an incline inside of the cup once upright.

When you’ve set the cup down and the “little mountain” has formed, filling one half of the cup on an incline, add the silver “bombilla” to the empty side of the gourd, leaning against the “little mountain.”

Fill about half of the empty space with cold water. This will prevent hot water from burning the leaves and producing a bitter mate.

Next, fill the rest of the mate gourd with hot water.

Allow to steep for a couple minutes, and you’re ready to start sipping!

You can keep adding hot water until the beverage loses its flavor.

Enjoy!

The post Here’s How to Prepare a Perfect Mate appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

So, if you want a slightly healthier version of your favorite startchy foods, check out yucca.

Mashed Yucca

To make a version of mashed potato with yucca it couldn’t be easier. First of all, peel the yucca and cut it into squares. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the yucca. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the yucca is soft, and then go in with a fork and mash away! The yucca will be really soft and all you have to do is add some salt and pepper and you have an awesome mash!

Yucca Fries

Start the fries out the same as the mashed yucca, but instead of cutting into squares chop the yucca in long fry shapes. Add them to boiling water for just 5-7 minutes and then drain them and put them on a sheet pan. Cover in oil and salt and bake at 425 F for about 25 minutes or until golden on the outside and tender on the inside.

The post Change Up Your Starches with Yucca! appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

This hot drink, originally from South America, is an infusion made from the dried leaves of a plant called yerba mate. The beverage produced by these leaves is beloved in countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, and has started to grow in popularity worldwide.

It can be tough to learn to make a mate the correct way, but it really isn’t that hard! So let’s go for it.

Ingredients

Mate gourd
A “bombilla” (a silver straw that filters)
Yerba mate
Cold water
Hot water (around 180 F), in a thermos

Instructions

Start off by filling your mate cup about 2/3rds of the way full with the yerba mate leaves.

Once you’ve done this, place your palm on top of the mate gourd and begin to gently shake the leaves back and forth a few times. This will help arrange the mate leaves into a “little mountain” that will form an incline inside of the cup once upright.

When you’ve set the cup down and the “little mountain” has formed, filling one half of the cup on an incline, add the silver “bombilla” to the empty side of the gourd, leaning against the “little mountain.”

Fill about half of the empty space with cold water. This will prevent hot water from burning the leaves and producing a bitter mate.

Next, fill the rest of the mate gourd with hot water.

Allow to steep for a couple minutes, and you’re ready to start sipping!

You can keep adding hot water until the beverage loses its flavor.

Enjoy!

The post Here’s How to Prepare a Perfect Mate appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

So, if you want a slightly healthier version of your favorite startchy foods, check out yucca.

Mashed Yucca

To make a version of mashed potato with yucca it couldn’t be easier. First of all, peel the yucca and cut it into squares. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the yucca. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the yucca is soft, and then go in with a fork and mash away! The yucca will be really soft and all you have to do is add some salt and pepper and you have an awesome mash!

Yucca Fries

Start the fries out the same as the mashed yucca, but instead of cutting into squares chop the yucca in long fry shapes. Add them to boiling water for just 5-7 minutes and then drain them and put them on a sheet pan. Cover in oil and salt and bake at 425 F for about 25 minutes or until golden on the outside and tender on the inside.

The post Change Up Your Starches with Yucca! appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.