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Beet and Lime Juice

26 Dec

I remember the first time I tasted this beet and lime juice.  To me, it was the closest thing possible to what I remembered how Kool-aid tasted.  And it’s super easy and economical to make…  It also helps when you need to strengthen your levels of hemoglobin.

Try it…

 beet-juice

BEET AND LIME JUICE

1 beet, chopped in small pieces
½ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
¾ cup of brown sugar
Enough water to reach 1 gallon

 

  1. You take the beet pieces and mix them with enough water to blend in a blender.  Blend as fast as your blender will go.  Pass the blended mixture thru a sieve.
  2. Take the remainder beet from the sieve and blend again with more water.  Pass thru the sieve again and try to get as much liquid as possible.  Add the lime juice.
  3. Blend the sugar with more water and pass thru the sieve also.  This will ensure there will not be any hard pieces of sugar in your juice.
  4. Mix the remainder water and mix well.

Serve well chilled.

 

This juice is super easy to make, but it’s just a bit messy.  Look at my hands how they ended up.  But don’t worry, with a few hand washings, they’ll come back to normal.  This is also a great way to introduce kids to beets. 

 

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Coconut Water – The Wonder Drink

17 Oct

I was getting ready to write a post about the wonderful cleansing effects of coconut water, based on my experience, of course.  But I also have to touch upon the fact that in NYC, coconut water is the rage…

Everywhere I went in NYC I saw coconut water – in the Chinese market in Queens, at the Food Emporium in Manhattan, at the Grand Central Market and even it was served at party I went hosted by a nutritional education program.  Apparently, it’s the hot cool drink of the moment.

It’s funny, because here in Puerto Rico, we are very familiar with coconut water.  Coconuts can be found anywhere and if you cut into one, more than likely it will have water inside.  But us, city dwellers, do not cut out own coconuts in search for their delicious, sweet water – we go to the Plaza del Mercado, the closest thing to a farmer’s market we have in PR.  At the Plaza del Mercado in Santurce, the one closest to my home, I go to the Juice stand and they sell the coconut water in ½ Gallon containers for $5, plus tax.

                                       

Coconut water is very rich in nutrients – potassium, calcium, among others.  There are many sites describing the diverse health benefits of drinking coconut water.  I have even heard that the higher the tree/plant where the fruit grows is, the more benefits it has for those who consume it… and you have seen how tall palm trees grow…

Coconut water also has a laxative effect when drank in larger quantities.  I use coconut water to cleanse my digestive system to get ready for our yoga retreats.  For these laxative properties to take effect you need to drink a ½ gallon of fresh coconut water (not the kind they sell canned or in aseptic boxes) in one sitting.  Drink it slowly, but steadily in one sitting or until you can’t drink any more.  You’ll start to feel how your intestines start moving and shaking.  I usually top it off with a Kiwi Juice to complete the cleansing effect.  Drink it when you know you’ll be able to stay home and with a bathroom nearby.  This is not the moment to decide to run errands.

If you live in NYC – I saw fresh coconut water at the Grand Central Market.  It was expensive – this little bottle was $2.99.  But I am sure that if you visit Spanish Harlem or any other neighborhood market that caters to a Latin/Hispanic community you might be able to find it cheaper and mot probably in larger containers.  Because you’ll need about 4- 5 of these little containers to get the desired cleansing effects.

I love this way of cleansing your system because you’re getting nourished while you’re cleaning.  For people with constipation problems, I would urge them to drink 16-20 ounces of coconut water on a daily basis and see what happens.  I am no doctor or medical practitioner, but I have seen the effects it has on me and believe me… you will become more regular if you drink this by the ½ gallon.

Try it… and let me know what effects it had on you.  Plus, you’ll be all the rage… how cool is that?

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My New Favorite Juice – Pomegranate Juice

9 Oct

I recently discovered pomegranate juice.  I hadn’t tried it before because the POM bottles were so outrageously expensive in my local supermarket store – almost $9 for a small bottle.  Thanks to my trusted COSTCO, now I can get delicious pomegranate juice at a more reasonable price.

I like pomegranate juice for several reasons…

  • It’s deliciously sweet and tart at the same time. It reminds me a bit of cranberry juice.
  • It’s has antioxidant properties.
  • It’s great to drink by itself or to mix into fruit smoothies.
  • It’s super refreshing in the summer heat.

But, just like yoga… this is something you need to experience.  If you have not had pomegranate juice, I urge you to try it.

My next step… doing something with the actual fruit.  They look so pretty and jewel-like…

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Kiwi Juice

3 Oct

I have often mentioned that I subscribe to the belief that our food should be our nourishment as well as our medicine.  And I know this is a COOKING blog, but our “regularity” is very much a part of cooking and eating, particularly for our well-being.  It is recommended and advisable to “go to the bathroom” as many times as you eat… meaning that if you had breakfast, lunch and dinner, at least you should have gone to the bathroom to eliminate 3 times in one day.  If you are going fewer times than the amount of meals in a day, you’re considered constipated.

A way to help keep your regularity, while ingesting healthy foods, is by drinking laxative fruit juices… juices made from scratch, preferably without any sweeteners and with as little water as possible.  If you have a juicer is even better.  My kitchen is too small, so I do it in a blender, which most of you probably have already at home.

My potion is Kiwi Juice.  Thank God, I do not have regularity issues, but when I want to “clean my digestive system”,  this is the way I do it…

 

 

 

KIWI JUICE

6-8 kiwi fruit, peeled and cut in quarters
About 1 cup of water

 

Kiwi juice usually scratches your throat so to minimize this, I try to use only seedless pulp for the juice.  If you do not mind the scratchiness, then go ahead and use the pulp whole.

  1. Place the kiwi pulp in the blender…
  2. I do it 2 ways…  if you do not mind the seeds – cut the kiwi in half and squeeze the pulp out into the blender jar.  You’ll be left with only the skin in your hand.  If you want to eliminate the seeds – cut both ends of the kiwi fruit.  Using a serrated vegetable peeler, peel away the skin.  Using now a paring knife, cut the kiwi in half and cut carefully around the seeds, trying to avoid them as much as possible.  Then dump into the blender jar.
  3. Add water and blend well.
  4. Drink it as quickly as possible in one sitting.

 

Other people I know use apple juice, pear juice or even melon juice…  I also swear by coconut water.  I’ll tell you about it some other time.  But the key here, to use this as a juice therapy is to extract the juice pure and drink it immediately.  This is not the type of juice you water down or keep in the fridge for days.  For it to work, you do it in the moment.

Good luck and I wish you a very regular day… everyday.

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Antioxidant Shake

19 Sep

Berries are the fruits with one of the highest contents of antioxidants.  Antioxidants are the substances that  help our body fight the effects of aging.  So, if you want to stay young and pretty, we need to consume foods with a high antioxidant content.

According to various sources, the foods with the most antioxidant content are:

When I looked at the list I was pleased because I eat all of these foods on a pretty constant basis.  So I am well on my way to maintain my youthful appearance – hopefully!!

I want to share with you another one of my fruit smoothies that is chock-full of berries – perfect as a breakfast drink or as a late night treat too.

 

 

ANTIOXIDANT SHAKE

5-6 strawberries
2 handfuls of blueberries
8oz pomegranate juice
¼ cup of yogurt or kefir
2 tbs agave nectar
5-6 ice cubes
  1. Mix everything in a blender and enjoy.

 

I love the berry flavor of this shake.  I also make it sometimes with pineapple juice and the taste is just as good.  I do not strain it, as the seeds tend to go to the bottom of the glass, but I would strain it if you add raspberries – their seeds are just to big and they feel grainy when drinking.

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