Fresh Ginger and Lemongrass Ale

Whenever I feel like having a soft drink, I think of gingerale. I love the fizziness and the taste of ginger, but I didn't like the sugar content. I stumbled upon this recipe from CNN's Food Central from Jean-Georges Vongerichten. I've adjusted the sugar and left out the chilli. This will be great for the summer and the upcoming July 4th weekend BBQ!
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh ginger, cut into thin strips
3 stalks lemongrass, removed outer leaves and cut into half
1-2 cups sugar, per taste
1 quart water
soda water
ice cubes
Method:
1. Add ginger to a food processor and puree to smaller pieces. Remove and add to the puree in a heavy saucepan with sugar and water. Bring to fast boil over high heat, then lower heat to simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Remove, strain and chill for many hours in the refrigerator.
To serve: Place about 1/4 cup of the syrup in a glass full of ice. Fill with soda water; taste and add more syrup if you like. Garnish with a lime wedge, then serve.
Prntable Recipe

Tea with Spices/Chai Tea

Whenever we dine at an Indian restaurant, we would often ordered Chai tea with our meal. Then I asked them to make it strong and spicy for us, which invariably is not so as they were all pre-mixed ahead of time. It is nothing like making it at home.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
2½ cups water
2 Tbsp. black tea
5 green cardamons, slightly crushed
5 black cardamons, slightly crushed
3 whole cloves
1 star anise
3-4 peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 tsp. fennel seeds
One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
One 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 cup milk
honey to taste
nutmeg for garnishing
Method:
1. In a saucepan, combine water, tea, spices. Cook over medium heat until hot, cover and let mixture steep for about 10 minutes.  
                                  

2. Remove from heat, add milk and pour tea through a fine strainer. Serve in pre-warmed cups or teapot and honey and nutmeg on the side. Tips: I made a small bag with cheesecloth for the tea and spices or you can use a tea ball
Printable Recipe

Juice 6: T. Roosevelt

We are in juice heaven with our new Hurom juicer. It is fantastic as we use it almost every day. Here is another concoction that we made tonight.
3 medium apples, cored and sliced
1 mango, peeled and sliced in chunks
1 red pear, peeled and sliced in chunks
10 seedless grapes
You may be interested in the following:
Variation 7: 1 cup honeydew, 1 cup grapes, 1 cup watermelon with rind
Variation 8: 3 mangoes, 2 peaches, 2 apples, 1 cup blueberries
Variation 9: 3 peaches, 2 bananas
Variation 10: 2 apples, 1 cucumber, 1 stalk celery, 1/4 pineapple
Variation 11: 1 cup strawberries, 3 bananas, 1/4 cup pineapples

Juice 5: J. Buchanan

We bought a juicer online and it was awesome--the mechanism is one gigantic screw attachment! Not only that it squeezes out more juices, it is quieter and faster. Most importantly, the attachments are less bulkier and compact and it is easy to clean after juicing. All you need to do is pour some water into the reservoir. Both John and myself will be doing experimenting with different fruits and vegetables. We are now in juice heaven! Instead of making several posting of juices, I've included some of my concoctions based upon my likes and dislikes. Most importantly, I recommend fresh organic produce and buy from your local farmers.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pineapple

7-8 ripe strawberries

2 medium apples, washed and cut in chunks

2 thin slices of ginger, skin removed (optional)

Method:

1. Juice all the ingredients and serve immediately.
You might like also like these:
Variation 2:
2 medium sized apples
2 medium sized carrots
1 tomato
1 cucumber
Variation 3:
2 apples
1 small bitter gourd
1 cup milk
Variation 4:
2 oranges
2 cucumbers
3 slices ginger
Variation 5:
2 apples
1 cup pineapple
1 cup watermelon with rind

Juice 4: J. Polk

This is easy enough to make. Carrot is one of my favorite juice ingredients, its sweet and tastes good. It is rich in Vitamins and great for snacking.

Ingredients: (makes approx. 1 qtr.)
30 carrots
Method: Scrubbed carrots clean, cut into chunks and juice away.

Juice 3: W.H. Harrison

 

This is our version of a juice made with 9 types of vegetables that is packed with vitamins, iron, and fiber! The ingredients and flavor can be adjusted accordingly to your taste. Depending on the type of your juicer, some have both juicing and blending functions. Unfortunately, mine does only the juicing, so I blend some of the vegetables separately in the blender. Whatever works for you would be fine.
Ingredients: (makes approx. 8 1/2 cups)

Ingredients for juicer:

9-10 celery stalks, cut in chunks

12 carrots, unskinned and cut chunks

1 small beet, tops removed, scrub and cut in small pieces

Ingredients for blender:

8 tomatoes, cut in chunks

1/2 cup watercress, chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

4 leaves lettuce, chopped

4 sprigs parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Washed and prepare vegetables. Juice and blend all the vegetables together to a fine and smooth texture.

2. Season to taste with a few grains of salt or perhaps a dash of horse radish.

Juice 2: G. Cleveland

 

Here's another version of my juice regime. I used the same ingredients as Juice J. Madison. This time I've added 2 pieces of red cabbage and I didn't blend in the yogurt and protein powder.

Juice 1: J. Madison

According to "The Food Pyramid" developed by the USDA, we should eat at least 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Here's my own simple and holistic method to this approach--Juicing! It's nourishing and tastes wonderful and refreshing. The ingredients are readily available in supermarkets and farmers market. You can start off with a combination of any of the following: celery; carrots; apples; tomatoes; oranges; pineapples, mangoes, watermelons, and any other fresh fruits and vegetables that you may find. Yogurt or ice-cream can be added to make a smoothie. You can be creative and let your tastebuds be the judge! I will try to create at least one juice recipe a day and name it after a U.S President.
Ingredients: (makes approx. 3 and 1/2 cups)
5 stalks celery, cleaned

2 medium apples, cored

4-5 carrots, scrubbed clean
1/4 cup of blueberries
3 Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 scoop Whey protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. freshly grind flax seeds (optional)
1/2 tsp. honey or Agave Nectar (optional)
Method:

1. Cut fruits and vegetables into chunks. Put all the ingredients into machine to extract the juice. Drain and pour into a container. If you wish to add any of the following: yogurt; flax seeds, protein powder-- then pour the juice into a blender or whisk in the ingredients.
2. Add the yogurt, protein powder and flax seeds and blend to mix. Serve immediately. Give it a stir if juice settles at the bottom. Note: I suggest using fresh produce and making in small bathes, its best consumed within 24 hours after preparation.