Summertime is the perfect time to celebrate family by bringing them together with great eats, which is something chef Sunny Anderson, who has partnered with Dollar General and Lipton Iced Tea, does best during the warmer months.
Talking with ESSENCE, the former Airforce radio broadcaster and journalist turned traveling DJ turned food personality dropped gems on how to use tea (yes, tea!) to make great recipes that the whole family will enjoy.
With the new Mango flavored Lipton Iced Tea now sold nation wide, Anderson says you can not only prepare the drink traditionally but incorporate it into your favorite recipes, like her Mango and Honey Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes (recipe below).
“The mango flavor is there. It’s perfection when you really think about flavoring a tea. What I love about tea is you can do so many things, right? You don’t just have to drink it, you can cook with it. I’ve brined with it to make fried chicken before. It really does impart a nice flavor. I use it to make sauces. There is just so much that you can do when you’re incorporating it into your cooking. As a cook, I always tell people if a recipe says add water, think of a flavorful way to substitute. For me, tea is a really good way to add flavor especially with the mango flavor and I put together some recipes that pair with it and use it as well.”
Infused with mango flavors, the iced tea also has the makings for a great cocktail!
“There’s already great tea and a mango flavor, so I love an Arnold Palmer moment by mixing lemonade with tea or just a nice squeeze of lemon juice and then hitting it off with something like a sparkling water or if you’re into it, your rum or vodka of choice. I think also something to do are to make punches, especially if you’re doing something for the summertime that’s refreshing. Try adding seltzer, fresh fruits like mangoes, oranges and lemons and then lots of mango-flavored Lipton Iced Tea and you can make yourself kind of like a summer sangria without the wine.”
We like the sound of that!
To learn more about how to save with Dollar General this summer and get exclusively recipes from Sunny Anderson, click here.
Sunny’s Mango and Honey Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson, 2017
Serves 4
For the glaze
¼ cup honey
½ cup Lipton Tea, Mango
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
For the potatoes
4 large (about 2 pounds) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and pepper
½ cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat. Preheat to oven to 425° F.
2. Make the glaze. In a small pot on medium heat whisk together the honey, tea and vinegar. Cook until slightly reduced.
3. Toss. In a big bowl, toss the sweet potatoes and onions with oil. Pour the glaze over the potatoes and toss to coat. Season with plenty of salt and pepper. Place onto a parchment-lined sheet tray.
4. Bake. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking process. Remove from the oven and place into a serving bowl, sprinkle the pecans over top. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.
“I grew up on Lipton so that’s me in my mind just reminds me of family gatherings, so when I think of tea, I think of family,” Anderson shared. “When you’re thinking about getting together and saving money, Dollar General is the way to go. It has a lot great ingredients and I’ve put together some recipes that kind of not only use Lipton Tea in the recipes but also are paired with Lipton Tea using lots of items that you can get at Dollar General so it’s a real cool way to marry both of them and come out a winner.”
Thanks Chef Sunny!