Papaya Juice April 11, 2008

I learned once you should try not to drink any liquids when eating.  In an ideal world, one should wait about 15-20 minutes AFTER having eaten to drink any type of liquid, especially water.  The thing is that when we drink while eating we dilute the stomach’s gastric juices and make it harder for our stomach to do its job.    Drinking while eating might very well be the reason why some of us feel full and bloated after eating, even after eating something light and healthy.

But there is hope for those of us how sometimes find it hard to eat without a drink besides our plate… we could drink fruit juices that contain enzymes and will actually help us digest the food more easily rather than slow our stomach in its tracks… these juices are:

• Apple Juice
• Pinneaple Juice
• Papaya Juice

And the way to ensure we are indeed taking in these enzymes is by making the juices from scratch.  And it’s easier than you might think…

 

PAPAYA JUICE

½ of a medium-sized papaya - peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

About 3 cups of water

¼ cup brown sugar - more or less depending how sweet your papaya is

 

1. Place the papaya pieces, sugar and water in a blender.  Blend until all is well combined and smooth.  The juice should be light in texture.  If you feel it’s like a fruit puree, feel free to add more water little by little.
2. Pass the juice through a sieve to make sure you get rid of any grittiness in the brown sugar.
3. Refrigerate well.   Drink the juice chilled, within 1-2 days. 

If the juice remains longer than 1-2 days in the fridge, it will still be good, but it could gel on you… just blend again with a bit extra water to thin out again.

Aniette’s Bull April 3, 2008

 Aniette has been my friend for many years now… since high school, now that I think about it.  We might not be in contact very frequently, but when we get together is like time has not passed by.  We have been with each other thru many good and not so good times and I am very grateful and fortunate to call her my friend…  Aniette is the original creator of the Sweet Red Pepper Dip - she was the one who showed me how to make it after a long guessing session trying to decipher what was the dip made off.  Aniette is also fluent in French… ever since high school she was reading full novels in French.  I invited her to our little French-speaking soiree, but she was planning a romantic weekend with her husband, so I could not really coax her into coming to my house to just speak French… no contest there.

But even though she was not here in person, she was with us in spirit… because the signature drink I served up at our French get-together was also inspired by Aniette - I had a version of this “bull” at a get-together we had at Chez Aniette a few months back.  I almost drank the whole pitcher by myself…  I was blown away by how delicious it tasted.

Why call it a “bull”??  I don’t know… Don’t shoot the messenger here, but in Puerto Rico we call a punch, like the kind served at the high school parties you see in the movies, a “bull”, pronounced “bul” - short U and short L.  And a punch bowl is called a “bulera”.  Hey… I don’t make this stuff up.  Besides, this will be a fun anecdote to tell around the “bulera” the next time you’re invited to a party, no??

This is an adaptation of Aniette’s original recipe, because I could not find all the ingredients I wanted for the original version… but the alternate was a hit as well, and so, I still give Aniette full credit.

ANIETTE’S BULL

1 can frozen passion fruit juice concentrate

16oz of guava juice

8oz of grape juice

8 oz of orange juice

1 bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider - non-alcoholic

1. Allow the frozen concentrate to thaw out a bit in the fridge.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher.
3. Serve chilled over ice.

Frutabomba Milkshake February 1, 2008

Until I was in high school, the I knew the fruit you know as papaya only by its Cuban name - Frutabomba.  

 My dad taught me how to make frutabomba milkshakes, a true Cuban drink delicacy.  It’s smooth, creamy and the perfect accompaniment to a Cuban sandwich (made the vegetarian way, of course) or even a TuNo Salad Sandwich.   I had it this morning for breakfast.

 

FRUTABOMBA MILKSHAKE

1/4 medium-sized frutabomba (papaya), peeled and seeded

1 cup milk or soy-milk

1 1/2 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder

pinch of salt

3-4 ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately.

Do not omit the salt… it’s the secret ingredient that makes the milkshake taste awesome.  You could substitute the milk for yogurt or kefir, but the taste will not be the same.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie January 7, 2008

As part of my New Year’s resolutions I have to eat more fruits and vegetables…

I wish I had the time to make myself a huge fruit salad every morning, but I don’t.  So my alternative is to make myself a fruit smoothie every morning.  I try to mix up the fruits to use what’s in season, but also to suit my cravings.  I also try to add ingredients that will increase my protein and fiber content in the smoothie, such as soy protein powder or oatmeal.

This is the smoothie I made this morning…  strawberry banana with passion fruit juice.  It’s yummy…

 

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

1 banana

3 medium strawberries

1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

3/4 cup fruit juice - orange, passion fruit, pineapple would all work

2 tablespoons of oatmeal

squirt of honey, optional

a few ice cubes

1. Mix all ingredients well in a blender.
2. Add a little water if it’s too thick.

Other fruit combinations I like:

papaya and mango

papaya and banana

strawberry and orange juice

strawberry and kiwi fruit

mango with passion fruit juice

mango and orange juice

blueberries and banana

raspberries and pineapple juice

Sangría December 20, 2007

When I host parties, I try to offer a variety of refreshments for people to choose. My Sangría is always the hit of the party… I even stopped buying other stuff because this is what people drink the whole night.

I do not drink alcohol much now that I am vegetarian, so I will give you the basic recipe and you can adapt it to your preference either using real wine or a non-alcoholic wine, such as Welch’s or Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider.

SANGRIA

1 bottle of red wine or Welch’s Sparkling Grape Wine
1/2 bottle of Lime flavored Perrier
3 cups orange juice, freshly squeezed preferably, but Tropicana works fine
the juice of 3 limes
1 Granny Smith apple - cored and sliced
1 Valencia orange - sliced
1 lime - sliced
ice cubes

1. In a large pitcher throw in the fruit slices.
2. Mix in the wine, sparkling water, orange juice and lime juice. Add ice.

Salud!!!

Coquito - The Perfect Holiday Drink December 14, 2007

Coquito is the Puerto Rican ultimate holiday drink.

It’s served in a small glass, like a shot glass or jigger, but it’s sipped slowly. It’s never meant to be a shot. This is the Puerto Rican version of an eggnog. There are many versions out there - with raw eggs, with rum, with “cañita rum”, however, my version is the Vegetarian way - the spice and warmth comes from the ginger, anise seeds, star anise and cinnamon. The only way to know this does not contain alcohol is because you’ll not get drunk… because it still has a nice kick. And the nice thing, you don’t need to do a kiddie version.

 

COQUITO

1 can condensed milk
1 carton evaporated milk
1 can coconut milk
3 cups of water
4 inch piece of fresh ginger
5 sticks of cinnamon
4 tablespoons anise seeds
4 tablespoons star anise
2 tablespoons whole cloves

2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
1 vanilla pod
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or alcohol-free vanilla extract

ground cinnamon to taste

1. In a medium saucepan create a “spiced tea” - pour the 3 cups of water, ginger, cinnamon sticks, anise seeds, star anise, nutmeg and cloves. Scrape the seeds inside the vanilla pod and add to “tea water”. Throw in the vanilla pod too.

2. 

3. Steep for about 15-20 minutes to create a strong spiced tea. This will give the coquito most of its spiciness. Let cool a bit.
4. In a blender, mix together all the milks with 2 ”cans-worth” of the “spiced tea” and the vanilla powder.
5. Pour into a clean bottle and chill in the refrigerator.
6. Serve chilled in small shot glasses.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Salud, Dinero y Amor!!!!!

I try to avoid buying anything canned, but unfortunately condensed milk is something that ONLY comes in a can. The same happens with coconut milk. If you can make your own coconut milk, I highly recommend it. But, I am a working vegetarian woman and I do not have the time to do it.