Ode to the Tropical Cream Supreme July 24, 2008

When I was in high school, there was an Orange Julius in Isla Verde…  we would go every Sunday afternoon, after going to the beach the whole day, to cool off with a Tropical Cream Supreme.  This was THE BEST drink over at the Orange Julius.  It tasted like summer, sand and sun all rolled up into a delicious shake.   

I liked these shakes so much that my then boyfriend would buy and bring them to me almost every night when I was home-bound with the chicken pox.  I even bought once a Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil because it smelled just like a Tropical Cream Supreme.  It was almost an obsession… I know.

But that was then…  and suddenly, without even looking for it, I once again reunited with one of my high school loves – The Tropical Cream Supreme.  Let me show you how…

 

ODE TO THE TROPICAL CREAM SUPREME

1 banana

3 strawberries

1 cup orange juice

½ cup plain soymilk

3 tbs agave nectar

1 tbs bee pollen

3 ice cubes

 

1. Mix everything in a blender and enjoy it watching the sunset after a hot day at the beach. (sigh!)

 

The bee pollen is something I added on my own.  It was not included in the original shake, however it added certain sweetness and energy-boosting qualities very much in tune with my current lifestyle.  Try it… it’s available at most natural food stores.

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.

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!!!