Tag Archives: pineapple

Piña Colada – Puerto Rico’s National Drink…

24 Sep

This is a post originally published as a guest post on Flanboyant Eats…   Here is the link to the Original.   Thanks Bren for the opportunity!!!

 

I have to thank Bren for always extending me an invitation to get featured in her awesome blog…

She asked us to bring forth something that would represent my Hispanic roots to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. I could not think of a more iconic drink than the Piña Colada. The Piña Colada has become the signature drink of the Caribbean, vacations and the beach.

According to the plaque, it was born on the streets of Old San Juan, on Calle Fortaleza. But there are stories the Piña Colada was invented by a barman in the Caribe Hilton Hotel. What I do like about both these stories – they both agree the Piña Colada is Puerto Rican. No doubts about that… one of our many, many contributions to the world.

I’ve seen many versions of this typical creamy beverage, but an authentic Piña Colada has merely 3 ingredients – Cream of Coconut, Pineapple Juice and Ice. You could add a little rum if you want, but the alcohol does not make the drink. A virgin, karma-free version is equally as satisfying, if not more, in my humble opinion.

This is a Piña Colada version that adults and kids alike can enjoy and feel as if they’re swept away into a beachy retreat… if at least for a few sips at a time.

VIRGIN PIÑA COLADA

1 cup of cream of coconut – I like Coco López
1 cup of pineapple juice – I like Lotus
6-8 ice cubes
Pineapple chunks and cherries for garnish

 

  1. Blend all the ingredients well in a blender. The coconut cream will make the mixture frothy and creamy. It will also provide all the sweetness you’ll need.

This recipe makes 4 drinks… or 2 very large ones.

 

Mango Strawberry Smoothie

12 Nov

We had a great season for mango’s this year and we froze a lot of it for out-of-season enjoyment.

Mangos and strawberries pair very well together… and ripe mangos provide a touch of tropical goodness to any breakfast smoothie. This has been my smoothie of choice for the last few weeks.

Hope you enjoy it as well…

 

MANGO STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 cup of mango pieces
½ cup of strawberries
½ cup pineapple or orange juice
½ cup water
2 tbs plain yogurt
1 tbs agave nectar
4-5 ice cubes – I use these if the fruits are fresh and not frozen
  1. In a blender mix together all ingredients…

Enjoy all its deliciousness. It’s tangy and sweet all at the same time… you don’t taste the pineapple at all, but if in a pinch, you can use only water.

Pineapple Celery Juice

4 May

I am into natural remedies and treatments… and lately I have not been feeling like my usual self and I have sought the help of my natural doctor. He’s an iridologist and as part of his latest treatment, he recommended me to drink 8oz of Pineapple Celery Juice daily…

I know it sounds weird… I know!! But do not shoot it down until you try it. Really…

PINEAPPLE CELERY JUICE

1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into long pieces
1 bunch of organic celery stalks
16oz of water
  1. Using a juicer… (my mom lent me her Jack Lalane’s Juicer) just process the pieces of pineapple and celery.
  2. Mix in the water to dilute the mixture.
  3. Place in a bottle and chill well in the refrigerator before serving.

I usually get 16oz of pineapple and 16oz of celery for a total 32oz of extract/concentrated juice.  Add the water to dilute a bit… 

What is this juice good for?? Good question… I do not question my natural doctor on what his treatments recommendations are for specifically as natural medicine has a very holistic/total wellness approach. But the flavors are certainly delicious and unique… Drink up!!

Guava-Piña Cranberry Jam

3 Dec

I wanted to try a few different variations on cranberry sauce… I have relied on my true and tried recipe here for quite some time. It’s been a staple of Xmas for a few years and I’ve had friends and family request it for Thanksgiving and Xmas pretty often.

But I wanted to see if I could give it a more Caribbean twist… something I could put my Latin stamp on. Inspiration comes from many places and Guava-Piña is a fruit combination very popular in Puerto Rico. We happened to have frozen pulp in the freezer, left over from our Guava Fizzy Drink creation earlier and the fresh pineapples from The Boys are extremely sweet and juicy.

Would the flavors the Caribbean go well with the tart northern American cranberry flavors? Check it out for yourself…

 

GUAVA-PIÑA CRANBERRY JAM

1 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup water
¼ cup guava pulp, defrosted
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into small pieces about ¼” thick

 

  1.  Wash the cranberries.  Go thru them and throw away all the ones that have gone soft.
  2. Place the cranberries, water, guava pulp and sugar in a large heavy saucepan.
  3. Bring mixture to a boil.  I cover it so it comes to a boil faster, but watch it, because it can boil over.  After it starts boiling, uncover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  The cranberries will begin to pop on their own.  Stir it every few minutes, and as you stir, pop the cranberries that might be still whole.  It’s the pectin inside the cranberries that helps the sauce thicken.
  4. After the cranberries are cooked, remove from heat and mix in the pieces of pineapple.  Let cool.  Be careful, the mixture is VERY HOT and could burn you.
  5. Transfer to smaller jars or plastic bowls.

 

It’s nice because you can actually taste the guava and the pineapple pieces in the sauce.  The flavors do not get masked with the tartness of the cranberries.  This is awesome to serve over pancakes, over vanilla ice cream or to just eat over crackers…

Citrus Punch

1 Aug

This was a non-alcoholic drink I did for the Les Francophones get-together.  I wanted to have something light and refreshing if someone needed a break from the French wine they brought over…

 

 

CITRUS PUNCH

1 container of frozen passion fruit juice, thawed
2  12oz bottles of pineapple juice
1 cup of orange juice
1 bottle of Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider
1 cup of lime-flavored Perrier

 

 

  1. Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher and chill in the refrigerator until your guests arrive.
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