Spotlight on Local Plant-Based Business: Organic Gemini

I had the pleasure recently of reviewing some amazing products from Organic Gemini, a company that makes delicious food and drinks from Tigernuts, root veggies that are sweet and fibrous. The company sent me different flavors of their horchata drinks, cold pressed drinks that are similar to milk but come in various flavors. I urge you to try all of them but my favorite was the coffee flavored drink! Head over to organicgemini.com to learn more about tigernuts and to hear the story of how Miriam and George founded the company in 2013.

Along with the horchata drinks, Organic Gemini sent me tigernut flour, tigernut raw granola and a bag of tigernuts to snack on. I made some awesome, AMAZING recipes that I can't wait to share with you. To see the cupcake recipe I posted previously, click here

The horchata drinks are incredibly delicious as an on-the-go drink but I used a few of the drinks in recipes. My coffee drink recipe was incredibly energizing and tasty. Remember to shake the drinks well before drinking; they settle into a powder on the bottom of the bottle so they definitely need some shaking. Also, shaking them will help bring the flavors out.

Coffee smoothie:

6 oz of Organic Gemini coffee horchata

2 frozen bananas

1 spoonful of coconut cream, optional

Blend well until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. You can add 3 medjool dates for extra sweetness. If you would like iced coffee instead of a smoothie, add the entire bottle (12 oz) of coffee horchata. Add coconut cream to top your coffee.

I'm a huge fan of pancakes so when I discovered tigernut flour was in the package OG sent me, I was so excited. I made pancakes with the flour and also a sweet crumble for my nana ice cream. Tigernut flour is wonderful for baking but you can also add a tablespoon or 2 to your morning smoothie for energy and added nutrients. 

Tigernut Pancakes:

1 cup of tigernut flour

1 tbsp of flaxseed meal

3/4 cup of banana flavored OG horchata drink

1 ripe mashed banana

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of cinnamon

Mix everything well until the batter is as smooth as possible. Spray a pan with coconut oil and turn the heat on medium. When the pan is hot, pour the batter into the pan; it should sizzle immediately. When the pancake begins to form bubbles, flip them over. Once the pancake is done on both sides, serve, top with maple syrup and enjoy!

So, I set out to make cookies next but then I had the idea to make this recipe more of a cookie crumble to make as a topping for my oatmeal or nana ice cream. This is a cookie recipe but you can also make this batter into energy bars or crumble into an ice cream topping. 

Tigernut Cookie Crumble:

1 cup of tigernut flour

1 cup of oat flour (rolled oats in a food processor)

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 cup of coconut sugar

1/4 cup of unsweetened OG horchata drink

1 mashed banana

1 tbsp of cinnamon

Mix your dry ingredients (flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon) then add in the wet ingredients including the banana. Mix well until the batter is thick. Spray a cookie sheet with coconut oil and scoop the batter into cookie shapes on the cookie sheet. For energy bars, spray a square, glass dish with oil and scoop the batter into the dish, smoothing it out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the cookies/bars are done in the middle. Let cool before consuming. Crumble the cookie on top of oatmeal, chia seed pudding or nana ice cream.

If you just want to enjoy your OG goodies as-is, grab them and go! The horchata makes a great take away drink so grab your favorite flavor and head out the door. I took the chai flavored drink along with some raw granola and tigernuts with me when I had to wake up early one morning. When it's too early to eat breakfast, these products make a fabulous breakfast on the go. Grab the coffee flavored drink or even the yummy and energizing banana or strawberry flavors to help you get your day started.

I'm incredibly grateful to Organic Gemini for sending me all of their amazing products! I want to thank them for their generosity and, if you're in the NYC area, check out their products at The Gansevoort Market, Whole Foods and Fairway. Visit www.organicgemini.com for more information as well as their social media, organicgemini on Twitter, Instagram and facebook.

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