Healthy Beverages for the Road

Stay fresh and hydrated while on the road with these simple  refreshing beverages and smoothies. It's easy when traveling to run out of steam, but rather than spending your money on unhealthy energy drinks found at gas station continence stores,  grab your blender and whip up something healthy and delicious.

With a stop at the farm stand and few pantry ingredients you will have all the energy you need to take that detour to the world's biggest ball of string.
 

Fruit and Herb Waters Basic Recipe

 Serves 1-2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: zero

 

1 quart canning jar with lid

1 cups fresh, washed and prepared fruit

3 cups of cold water

3-4 sprigs of fresh herbs

Ice

Place fruit in jar, add water and distribute herbs. Top with ice. Close jar and refrigerate a few hours. May add water and ice to replenish as you drink it. It is best to drink it within 24 hours. If you want to save the water to drink later, you can remove the fruit and herbs (they start to break down after a day) and refrigerate the fruit and herb infused water.

Combinations that we made:

• Watermelon and Rosemary (once you have made this, you can puree the water soaked melon to make delicious watermelon juice)
• Cucumbers, Strawberries and Mint
• Lemons, Limes, Oranges and Thyme

 Ideas for combinations:

• Blackberries and Sage
• Raspberries, Lemons and Mint
• Pineapple and Basil
• Plums, Ginger and Thyme
• Cantaloupe and Basil
• Honeydew Melon, Lime and Mint

Get creative. What do you have on hand? What do you like? Have fun with making new combinations.

Hibiscus Tea

2 Tbls. Hibiscus flowers (also called Jamaica-you can find them in bulk herb departments or in Latino markets)

4 cups cold water

Combine and let sit for a half hour or so. Hibiscus has a nice tart flavor that combines well with tropical fruit, fresh herbs, ginger, honey and all types of fruit juice.  Some people enjoy it with a little sweetener. I use agave or honey because they both combine well and dissolve easily in the tea.

My favorite combination is the basic recipe with 2 slices of orange, one peppermint tea bag and a little honey to sweeten it. Let it steep a few hours, then pour over ice and enjoy. If you have fresh mint, garnish it with a sprig. I often have a pitcher of hibiscus water in my refrigerator and add water to it as I use it for up to three days.  Hibiscus is high in vitamin C and has a calming effect along with being very refreshing!

Three quick steps to a great smoothie

 

Serves 1         

Prep Time: 5 minutes    

Cooking Time: Zero

Basic Smoothie Recipe

 8-12 ounces of your favorite unsweetened liquid (milk, nut or coconut milk, coconut

   water, water, kefir or ½ yogurt plus ½ cup water)

1-4 Tbls. protein (hemp, whey or rice protein powder, nuts or nut butter)

½ to 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit

Place in Magic Bullet in order listed and blend until smooth.

Smoothies are a great on the go meal or snack. They are a great way to use over ripe fruit and add dark leafy greens to your diet. You can freeze fruit in Ziploc bags and it will be ready to go and also add a nice creamy texture to your smoothies. If you don’t have frozen fruit you can also attain a thicker texture with a few ice cubes. If you make ice cubes with coconut water or your milk of choice it will not water down your smoothies. If you do not have a freezer, no problem-your smoothies will just be a little thinner in consistency. Follow these easy steps and your smoothies will be both full of flavor and packed with nutrition! You can also make smoothies ahead and refrigerate or put them in a cooler on ice to consume later. The idea for maximum nutrition is to keep the sugar content low and the protein content high.

Step One-Liquids:

• Water
• Unsweetened almond, hazelnut or coconut milk
• Cow or goat milk
• Diluted plain yogurt or plain kefir (liquid yogurt)
• Rice milk (keep in mind rice milk contains a signifigant amount of carbs and sugar)
• Concentrated teas made into ice cubes:try green tea, fruit zingers, passion or wild sweet orange flavors

Step Two-Protein:

• Whey, rice or hemp protein powders-follow serving directions on the container
• Nuts or nut butters: almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds. ¼ cup nuts or ¼ cup nut butter

Step Three-Flavor with Fruits and Veggies

Choose fresh fruit in season or frozen fruit in the winter. You can use sweet potatoes or winter squash too. You’ll need about ½ to 1cup fruit or ½ cup cooked, cubed sweet potato or winter squash.

• Berries
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Cherries
• Mango
• Papaya
• Cantaloupe and other melons
• Cherries
• Banana
• Sweet Potato or Winter squash (cooked and cubed)
• Kale or Spinach leaves
• Sprouts-pea, broccoli, radish

Step Four-Optional Add Ins:

• Flax meal
• Hemp Seeds
• Greens Powder
• Chia Seeds
• Acidophilus (probiotic powder)
• Cacao or carob powder
• Flavored extracts: vanilla, almond
• Cinnamon
• Ginger-fresh or ground

 

Mussels in Apple Curry Cream

This week on Rollin' On TV Britta teaches us how to make a quick and delicious meal from fresh Washington mussels.     




Prep time: 10 minutes 





  


                                
2 lbs. rinsed and de-bearded fresh mussels

2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

1 bulb fennel, diced  (fronds saved and chopped for garnish)

1 apple, cored and diced

1 Tbls. Indian curry powder

½ cup dry white wine or Hard Cider

1 cup heavy cream

salt & pepper

 Optional:

1 leek, light green end sliced

1 Tbls. chopped ginger root

 

Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and sauté onion and fennel for 2-5 minutes or until soft. If using leeks or ginger, add and sauté along with the onions. Add apple and curry powder and continue to cook about 2 minutes. Add wine or cider and bring to a simmer. Add mussels until open 5 to 7 minutes. Dispose of any mussels that do not open. Ladle cooked mussels to serving bowls, crank heat to high and add the cream.  Boil 2 minutes to reduce the sauce, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.Ladle sauce over the mussels. Garnish with the chopped fennel fronds.

 

They are best served with good crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

This is also delicious served over pasta, my favorite being linguini. Add a simple salad and you have the perfect meal!

 

Moroccan Poached Eggs

Moroccan Eggs, fabulous anytime, anyplace.

This week we've invited ourselves abaord the Alcyone and created a fabulouse brunch in a very tiny galley with our host Arleen!

Rembember, you can watch full epesodes son Rollin' On TV.

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Eggs Poached in Moroccan Style Pepper and Tomato Sauce

Serves 4-8                  

Prep Time: 10 minutes      

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

This recipe makes a nice meal paired with a green salad for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, sliced

1 Pasilla chili pepper, seeded and sliced*

2 Anaheim or Poblano chili peppers, seeded and sliced*

2 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 28-oz. can crushed fire roasted tomatoes or 4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 - 2 Tsp. Harissa (dry spice mix)  Frontier Ethnic Seasoning or 1 Tbls. Harissa paste

Kosher salt to taste

8  free-range eggs

olive oil

4-8 thick slices of artisan bread

4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped parsley, cilantro or mint (or a mixture)

 * You can substitute chilies with what are available. Inquire to see what kind of heat they have. Pasilla, Anaheim and Poblanos are usually mild to medium heat. Removing the seeds takes away a considerable amount of heat. When handling chilies, it is wise to wear gloves or thoroughly wash hands, knives and cutting boards so as to not spread the chili oil. Do not touch your eyes after preparing chilies.

Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan on medium high heat and add olive oil. Add onions and peppers with 1 tsp of salt and sauté until onions begin to turn golden and the peppers become very soft. Add tomatoes, water and Harissa. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes or until it begins to turn into a sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and Harissa. While sauce is cooking use a cast iron pan to grill bread in olive oil. Alternately, you can toast the bread and drizzle each piece with a little olive oil afterwards. Place toast on individual plates. Crack each egg into a small bowl before gently sliding it into the simmering sauce. You may need to cook the eggs in two batches, depending on the size of your pan. Place a cover on the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to simmer and spoon sauce over the eggs to cook evenly. If you prefer runny yolks, you will want to only cook your eggs until the whites are set, for harder yolks, cook until the yolk is firm when gently pressed with the spoon. Scoop eggs and sauce onto grilled bread and garnish with feta and chopped herbs.

 Encores:

When tomatoes and peppers are in season, make a double batch and use it on pasta, with meatballs, shrimp or sausages. You could also pair it with polenta or use it on a sausage sandwich. It freezes well and you can change it up by using different seasonings. Instead of Harissa, try 1 Tbls. dried oregano, 1/2 tsp chili flakes and 1 tsp. cumin for a Mexican flavor. Substitute a handful of torn fresh basil leaves and a few cloves of sliced garlic for an Italian twist. Get creative and experiment with flavors you enjoy. The combinations are endless!