Apple Sour Tonic

A refreshing absolutely delicious drink appropriate to enjoy anytime.

Juice the ingredients
Juice the apple in a juicer. Pour the apple juice in a blender and add the water and the limejuice blend until combined.

Serving suggestion
Serve in a chilled glass garnished with a slice of apple.

Serves 1

On the heels of my last post Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit, I’ve learned a little more about this desert fruit. Its outer skin range in color from light green to purple-red, and its flesh ranges from a light yellow-green, to deep golden, to red.

A few days ago I posted a link Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit on Raw Epicurean’s Facebook page. Between then and now, I updated the site. Unfortunately there were a few glitches and I lost that post along with comments [apologies]. I’ve re-posted Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit. On the initial posted link on Facebook, some of our reader’s share their experience, tips, suggestions, and a recipe, which I would like to share with you here:

I was surprised to learn from Agatha that prickly pear grow abundant in the Southern region of Italy! I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for this cactus fruit next time I travel to The Boot area.

Prickly pear grows in South Africa too, as Laura shared with us that she ate her fill of it as a kid growing up there.

Katie tempted my curiousity with the thought of a Prickly Pear Margarita! I know, I know that wouldn’t fall under the category of raw, but …. and Marcie had one in Sedona and raves it was the best margarita she’s ever had! [Now I must try it, just once. ;-)]

Viviana reminds us the prickly pear is also known as “tunas”.

Lori’s aunt made a wonderful jelly from it.

Pat and Sam share with us that it controls blood sugar levels. Good to know.

I wish I could visit Justina’s Tiki Farm where she grows them.

I agree with Delicia, using gloves is another option to avoid getting pricked by the pear and when handling it.

John suggests “burning the prickers off as an the easiest way using a lighter, they burn quickly, and it doesn’t damage the fruit.” Ok, that sound fisible. Don’t try this a home, alone, if you are a minor!

Also, I’d like to share a tip from Naomi, a Raw Epicurean readers, whom suggests an ease way peel prickly cactus pear safely. Thanks for the tip!

Cut off ends a little less than a centimeter in. Then make a slice from one end to the other only going through the top layer/peel as if you were going through the skin of an orange. Now dig your fingers between the slice and peel down around the fruit. The fruit will separate pretty easily from the peel. Once you get the hang of this it’s pretty easy to avoid the clusters of globins (we call em “picas” cause it picas your hands like spicy jalapenos).

Prickly Pear Cactus Cooler

Just look at that gorgeous color. The recipe is simple to make, has an absolutely beautiful color, is subtle in taste, and refreshing. The inside of a prickly pear is scattered with black seeds. When making this drink, I peeled the pear cactus and roughly cut it into big chunks, then added the chunks, seeds included, to the blender. However, you could de-seed it first, otherwise blend and strain the juice through a strainer to catch all the seeds and seed particles.

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour the juice through a strainer to remove any seeds.

Serve at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Serves 2

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I’m sitting here indian style comfy on the couch with laptop on my lap, my cat curled up in a pillow of blanket next to me, and my mind is wondering back searching to remember the first time I tasted carrot juice. I’ve tried in vain but don’t recall exactly when I had my first taste of it. What I do remember is my aunt Jewel, who is no longer with us, and her talking about drinking carrots juice. She loved carrots, loved juicing them, and as I remember being told she juiced a lot.

Though my initial sip of carrot juice [whenever that was] evidently didn’t leave me with any grand impression, my fondness for the humble earthy root veggie exists. When I was a kid, my mother never had a problem getting me to eat my vegetables. I always eat my plate full and I loved eating my cooked to death carrots. I love carrots and I love my carrot juice.

In the past, when I didn’t own a juicers and didn’t bother to use the juicer my mother owned but loved to drink fresh made juice, I relied on Jamba Juice, Ewewhons, and Wild Oats were I would grab a juice to go. I still pick up a juice from time to time but these days I much prefer juicing at home.

Sometimes a glass of pure sweet carrot juice hits the spot, and other times a blend with other veggies or fruits is wonderfully good, like the combination of fresh ingredients that make this yummy drink, The Carlotta.

The Carlotta

I like to buy all my produce organic. But sometimes we can’t always buy organic, or every item organic. This is when the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides comes in handy. I have the app loaded on my iphone so I can refer to it if I need to.

Juice carrot, celery, and apple. Pour into a glass. Add fresh lemon juice, stir. Top with a fresh parsley leaf for garnish.

Serves 1

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I love all types of citrus – lemon, lime, pomelo, kumquats, … -, I love their refreshing tart and sweet range of citrus flavors. Grapefruit, whether it’s pink, red, golden, or white, is the star ingredient in this drink, and happens to be one of my favorites from the citrus family. I like that grapefruits usually have few seeds and are high in dietary fiber.

A splash of tart tangy lime juice adds a little more citrus and vitamin C, and the color of pomegranate juice makes this juice a pretty shade of pink. This drink is loaded with many beneficial nutrients, has antioxidants and substance that fight free radicals. Grapefruit juice cocktail is a great drink to enjoy anytime. I really love making it as a refresh cleansing breakfast juice.

I’m not into pulp in my juice so I strain it out. How about you? Do you like your fresh squeezed citrus juice with or without pulp?

Grapefruit Juice Cocktail

Combine the ingredients
Juice the grapefruit and strain, if desired. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.

Serving suggestion
Serve immediately or chill the drink in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to serve. Garnish the glass with a lime wedge.

Serves 1

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This morning I decided to take stock of the fruits and vegetables we have one hand. I glanced at the dining room table and took a mental snap shot of the apples, oranges, and plums in a bowl looking like a pretty still-life.

Walking over to the refrigerator, I opened the door and taking a good look inside, I spotted two bags of recently forgotten carrots. We just bought them last week with a plan to make fresh carrot juice every other day. Our intentions were good, but somehow we plain forgot about those carrots. [I blame it on our busy schedules].

I gave a considerable amount of thought about our forgotten root vegetable. It is a common staple in most kitchens and I think they might get taken for granted in most cases. Well, one of those bags of carrots got prepped for juicing just as intended. But, I wanted to do something extra special with the juice so I looked to a recipe I created last year. The humble carrot gets juiced and jazzed up in a delicious drink called Carrot Cake Smoothie. What a treat. It’s like liquid carrot cake in a glass.

Carrot Cake Smoothie

To make larger servings, double, triple, etc., the ingredients as needed.

Prepare the walnut milk by blending 1 cup of walnuts with 2 cups filtered water. Strain the walnut milk through a nut bag or fine sieve. Run the carrots through a juicer. Add the walnut milk, carrot juice, and the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Cheers and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions
Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to serve.

Serves 1

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I haven’t enjoyed Aloe On The Rock [a drink recipe I created for Raw Epicurean Beverages - 101 Fresh Organic Drinks] for some time now. Was I waiting for the perfect day to make this healthy drink again? I got my perfect day in multiples last week and over the weekend. In hindsight, I wish I had thought to take a big bottle of it on the road with me when I was driving back and forth, in and around the Los Angeles area. With temperatures reaching beyond 90 degrees, and the car A/C not working [we need to get that fix pronto], it would have made the sweltering ride just a tad bit more pleasant.

Just thinking about the aloe vera plant makes me thirsty. It is made up of 99% water and contains amino acids, various essential minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. It’s nature’s smart healing succulent juice with loads of benefits that provides us with nutrients, and in small part, helps us to meet our daily water quota. Also consuming aloe replenishes your dietary fiber without over burdening your body.

Aloe On The Rocks is light and refreshing, and tastes like a subtle lemonade. This morning when I made this drink, I used Meyer Lemons, a sweeter variety of lemon that is a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin or sweet orange. Oh and be sure to purchase premium-quality aloe vera juice for best taste and results.

On an experimental note: I plan to try hand filleting an aloe vera leaf and blending it [the inside gel only] along with the other ingredients. I’m not sure if it will become frothy or not [I suspect it might], and I’m not exactly sure how much of the filleted aloe to use to equivalent 2 tablespoons of aloe vera juice. I will report back with the outcome. If you try this or have done this, I would love to here your outcome.

The heat wave that will continue on this week has inspired me to add Aloe On The Rocks to my daily thirst-quenching beverage repertoire, and seek shaded havens.

Aloe On The Rocks

Multiply this recipe – double, triple, … – to make the amount needed. Adjust the amount of the ingredients – more or less – to suit your taste.

Pour the water, aloe vera juice, lemon juice and agave into a glass and stir well. Add ice and enjoy. Alternatively, you can use a cocktail shaker. Shake to combine the liquids, and pour it over ice.

Serves 1

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I have a confession to make that may not be too surprising since our Herb of the Month for July is hibiscus. I have been drinking lots and lots of hibiscus tisane. I think I’ve got a case of Hibiscus fever, and I believe I’ve passed it on to our neighbor Sophia.

One morning I left, at her doorstep, samples of dried and powdered Hibiscus for her to try. When she found her surprise gift, she didn’t waste any time and sun-brewed the dried petals the very next day, and has since turned into quiet a Hibiscus tisane connoisseur.

All the enjoyment of brewing and drinking hibiscus tisane has left behind a lot of the used pedals. While looking at all those used brewed petals, Sophia came up with an idea. She shared this great idea with me and I want to pass it on to you. These petals retain their deep rich red color even after they have been used, so why not reuse the petals as potpourri! How clever is that! Reuse and recycle ~ love it!

The Hibiscus fever continued on as I set my sights on experimenting with the powdered form of this gorgeous showy flower — three smoothie recipes later. Each is totally different and quiet delicious, and today I want to share with you one of these recipes called Flower Power Hibiscus Smoothie.

So what do we have in this smoothie mix? Hibiscus powder of course, and hemp seed milk, which offers an alternative to dairy and soy milk, provides a source of protein, and adds a nutty flavor to the mix [Sources: Manitoba Harvest and Nutiva]. We also have orange, lemon, banana, lucuma, and a bit of coconut oil – blended together these ingredients create a pretty shade of liquid pink, and a big burst of luscious flavor. This is my fourth time making this particular smoothie and I know it won’t be my last.

Flower Power Hibiscus Smoothie

Lucuma powder is a natural alternative sweetener that I choose to use this time around. You can also use one large pitted dates or agave for added sweetness. Some like it more tart than sweet, so feel free to omit these suggested sweetener. Besides the fresh squeezed orange juice on its own adds a good amount of sweetness to this smoothie.

If you don’t have hibiscus powder on hand, substitute the 1 cup of pure water with 1 1/2 – 2 cups of hibiscus tisane. If you don’t have hemp seeds on hand, feel free to use a nut of seed milk of your choice, and keep in mind each has it own flavor and texture and end result of this recipe will be slightly different.

First place the hemp seeds in a high-speed blender and the water and blend until liquified. Strain the hemp seed milk through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, set aside. Rinse out the blender container and place on its base. Pour the hemp milk into the blend and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Serves 2

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I am quick to take advantage of summer’s bounty of berries. I adore each variety, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, but this wasn’t always the case with blackberries. I’m not quiet sure when my liking for blackberries blossomed. There is no defining moment, no particular meal containing this fruit that stands out in my mind. I suspect it just happened naturally. However my fondness of blackberries came to be, I have the feeling I will grow to adore these lovely berries more and more each season.

Some familiar name varieties of blackberries are marionberries, boysenberries, and loganberries, each of these berries are loaded with high levels of antioxidants, rich in fiber, and low in calories, carbohydrates and have no fat.

Which ever variety of blackberry you have on hand, from marionberries, boysenberries, to loganberries – will make this a delicious drink, blackberry breeze.

This drink is one refreshing way to savor the sweet taste of juicy blackberries. Whiz the ingredients in a blender and serve as an alternative breakfast drink, to accompany a Sunday brunch, or simply to get a dose of powerful antioxidants any time.

Blackberry Breeze

The stunning jeweled-toned color of this drink looks lovely in pretty stemware garnished with a slice of lemon or a single blackberry. To make more then 2 serving, double or triple this recipe to accommodate the number of serving needed.

Add all the ingredients in a blender container and blend until liquefied. Strain the blackberry juice through a fine mesh strainer, once or twice if necessary, to remove any seeds.

Note: This drink will separate, if it does just give it a stir.

Serves 2

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