Yerba Matte Frozen Latte

Latin foods and flavors come along with interesting herbs, spices and even tasting "tools" like this stainless steel straw with its own strainer built in - for drinking yerba matte. I found it at a brand new store Ultramarinos that has a nice collection of Latin products and delectable pastries filled with dulce de leche and topped with powdered sugar. Yerba mate, that tastes like strong green tea, is a plant that grows in South America -- and well known for its caffeine charged power to revive, much like coffee.

Touted as a health elixir, studies are far from being conclusive. However, yerba mate does pack a punch when it comes to antioxidants, containing both polyphenols and saponins, chemicals believed to be anticarcinogenic. And making your caffeinated beverages at home with real ingredients like teas, coffee, and low fat milk can be cheaper and lighten the load when it comes to additives and preservatives like high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorings. So here's a frozen treat that you can sip at home to delight the taste buds and perk yourself up for long warm summer nights.

Get the Skinny Chef's Yerba Matte Frozen Latte recipe.

Nutritional stats per serving (1 ½ cups):
202 calories, 10 g protein, 39 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat (0g saturated), 72 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 145 mg sodium