Carrot Juice

The carrot and lemon combine very well.

The carrot has great antioxidant properties that protect our body from premature aging and helps to maintain a good visual acuity (because of its high content of pro-vitamin A).

The lemon strengthens our immune system and also possesses potent antioxidant properties that help to keep our body younger.

Cook the carrots in plenty of water and a dash of salt to taste, since the raw carrot is more difficult to digest.           

Beat with a blender until you get carrot concentrate. Put it in the refrigerator to keep the concentrate cool.

Prepare a lemonade (lemon, water and sugar to taste) and add the carrot concentrate (quantity to taste).

>> Lemon properties

                    

Lemon, a fruit available all year

Citrus fruits are those that contain citric acid, hence their characteristic sour taste, and ascorbic acid or vitamin C.

Studies carried on the concentrations present of these two acids in the juice of these fruits have discovered that the sweeter it is a citrus fruit, the lower the concentration of citric acid present in its juice is but, on the contrary, the concentration of vitamin C or ascorbic acid is higher.

That´s why we say that oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, tangerines are rich in vitamin C because the ones we eat are sweet. And when we prepare lemonade, we generally add some sugar or honey.

The occasions on which we prepare lemonade or a lemon -based infusion more often is when we usually have a cold, or go through a flu process. We do this because citric acid present in lemon juice is a potent anti-viral and a natural bactericide.

In Portugal it is very typical the consumption of “Carioca de limão”, an infusion made only with a small piece of lemon peel and served in a coffee cup. People order the “Carioca de limão” when they feel the symptoms of a cold or discomfort arisen from flu processes. And it is that the high concentration of vitamin C in lemon is found, precisely, in its peel. And, they also drink a “Carioca de limão” when they feel heartburn or other problems arisen from poor digestion. Citric acid among its multiple properties stands out for the one of alkalizing.

In summer, when preparing a salad with fresh vegetables, it is very typical to dress it with lemon juice or vinegar among other ingredients. Citric acid, in addition to being a powerful germicide, makes easy the absorption of the minerals present in the vegetables.

Popular wisdom brings us remedies, which we call home ones. Science, nowadays, demonstrates why these remedies or food combinations provide us with great therapeutic benefits. And the lemon is a fruit that is available all year.

                    

Fruit juices

◼ Orange juice is part of my lifelong breakfast; sometimes I prepare it only with oranges, others with orange and grapefruit and other times with orange and half a lemon.

With any of the combinations, the natural orange juice is an important source of vitamin C and quick absorption sugars to start the day. And then I prepare whole-grain cereals with nuts or dehydrated fruits and a vegetable drink with oats or rice.

I prepare orange juice from winter till the end of the spring, since during the summer season I add fresh seasonal fruits like strawberries, bilberries … to combine them with the whole-grain cereals.

                  

Mediterranean Savor: Hummus

◼  Cook the  chickpeas  with an onion, some  bay leaves  and salt to taste. I always use the same quantity of chickpeas, 200 grams.

◼  In a mixing bowl (with capacity for 1 liter) put the drained chickpeas, 4 or 5 sliced cloves garlic, a drizzle of  extra virgin olive oil  and salt (quantity to taste), the juice of a large  lemon  and a tablespoon of ready-made  Tahini  paste.

◼  Beat the mixture with an electric mixer until you get a paste with creamy texture; in case more liquid is needed, add a little of the stock from cooking the chickpeas or else lemon juice; this will depend on the taste of the one who is preparing the hummus.

◼  Place the paste in the refrigerator for a few hours; when you are going to use it, you can serve it a serving platter garnished with sweet paprika and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

◼  I like to make salads, with beetroot, zucchini, cucumber or radishes, cut into very thin slices to prepare some toast with Hummus, especially for dinner time.

>> see recipes made with chickpeas broth 

                   

Recipe made with tradition, Sephardi rice.

Sephardi rice is a recipe created by my brother, based on an ancient Sephardi recipe. It is a carrot stew served with rice and very spicy savor; well, as my brother comments, if you catch a cold, you eliminate all the viruses and become new.                        

I was surprised by the idea, so I adapted his recipe to my taste, with less spicy. As I use whole grain rice, it is the first thing I prepare, so while the rice is on the boil, I prepare the stew.                                       

In a saucepan sauté finely chopped onion in extra virgin olive oil over a low heat; when the onion is softened, add a few finely chopped cloves garlic, stir and sauté for a few minutes; add a wooden spoon of Provence herbs (the measure to aromatize is always to taste), sauté for a few minutes and add some tomatoes, peeled and diced; stir and cover the saucepan to make the sauce.      

When the sauce is ready, add the diced carrots, stir and add a dried chili pepper (or to taste), a pinch of sea salt to taste and cover with water to cook, cover and simmer. My brother also adds a splash of white wine, but it is optional.

And for the rice, I use a blend of wholegrain, basmati and wild black rice. When I serve the dish, pour a few drops of lemon directly over the rice, it gives a really special touch.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

 


800 g  carrots , 3 medium  tomatoes , 1 large onion,4 cloves garlic,  Provence herbs , 1 dried chili  pepper (or more, if desired), 1  lemon ,   extra virgin olive oi l , 1 teacup  whole grain rice , sea salt (to taste).

>> see more rice recipes

                   

Quince

Autumn is quince dessert´s season. It brings me good memories of my grandmother, she wanted to keep the tradition as her mother did when Autumn arrived.

It is a traditional dessert in Portuguese and Galicia cuisine (Galicia is a region in the North of Spain).