Lychee Gingerale

All natural gingerales like Red Rock, or Ginger Beers like these come with lots of gingery bite, which is wonderful in a cold beverage on a hot summer day. Pair these gingery beverages with some wonderful lychee nectar, available at most natural foods markets, and you have a fast, fabulous base for a cocktail, or a lovely refreshing drink all by itself.

Personally I find both ginger beer and lychee nectar kind of sweet so I throw some sparkling water in the mix to "cut it" if you will.

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

Lychee Gingerale

12 oz of ginger beer
12 oz lychee nectar
12 oz of sparkling water

Combine, stir and serve over ice!

Pomegranate Mint Spritzer

This is so easy and so refreshing. Get the best ingredients you can find because the quality of the fruit juice, water and herbs will shine through. Keep the ingredients on hand and chilled in the refrigerator and you can make as much or as little as you like: by the glass or by the gallon any time!

Pomegranate Mint Spritzer

Pomegranate Juice
Sparkling Water (Spring, Seltzer, whatever floats your boat)
Fresh Mint sprigs
Light Agave Nectar (or honey) -- optional
Lime, thinly sliced into rounds for garnish

In a pitcher with at least 1 cup of ice cubes (not crushed) combine equal parts of sparkling water and pomegranate juice. Bruise a few sprigs of mint (save a couple for garnish) to release the volatile oils and add them to the pitcher. Pour over individual glasses with ice, and garnish with mint leaves and lime. If you like a sweeter drink, stir in agave nectar to sweeten the spritzer to your liking. Enjoy!

Fit for a ... Teen!

Last Tuesday I had the honor of participating in the Lovejoy High School Health Fair as an exhibitor. Days before the health fair I learned that nearly 2,100 students were expected and I was perplexed as to what food to prepare because not only can teens be picky eaters, but I wanted to do something even someone with NO cooking skills could prepare that was healthy and tasty. And with 2,100 mouths to feed and only my two hands to work with, I was at a loss.

Then in the wee hours of the morning inspirations struck. SMOOTHIES! Who doesn't love smoothies? Anyone can operate a blender. Using frozen fruit means there's no cutting involved. What better way to put a bunch of healthful and nutritious ingredients together? And you won't even need a spoon to eat it.

The response was overwhelming! I couldn't make smoothies fast enough. What was really encouraging was the positive response from the young men, because many of them were leery of smoothies, thinking of it as "girly food." I guess berries, yogurt and fruit juice could sound kind of "girly" but I was also encouraged by the number of young people who may have been skepticle of something new, but stepped up to the plate and tried it anyway. I'd say 9 out of 10 liked the smoothies and I hope those who took the recipe home will try to make them again.

This recipe is great because it's SO simple and you can switch up the types of fruit you use, the flavor of juice and yogurt and continue to create new flavors! I used frozen fruit because it eliminates the need for ice, which can make for more of a slushy than a smoothie, but almost any fruit -- fresh or frozen -- you like will do: bananas*, grapes, berries, mango, peaches. Fruit lends fiber, vitamins and antioxidants to the smoothie.

When you make smoothies, experiment with different juices like mango, strawberry, apple and cranberry. Fruit juice adds enough liquid to get the ingredients incorporated, a touch of sweetness, and in most cases more vitamin C. Also, use whatever flavor of low fat or non fat yogurt you like. I used the ubiquitous vanilla, but any flavor will do. The addition of yogurt gives the smoothies calcium and protein without adding fat. If you like some additional sweetness, try using bananas* and pineapple juice, or drizzle in some honey or a touch of agave nectar, or sprinkle turbinado sugar on tope if you have it on hand.

Lots of adults enjoy smoothies, but they're perfect for teens (See Note to Teens at the end) because smooties are easy to make, and are a great snack or a fast and portable breakfast. They are also a good source of nutrients as part of a 2,000 calorie a day diet. So break out your blender and make some smoothies today!

A special thanks goes out to Carol Hunter and the Lovejoy High School PTSA!
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Life Chef's Berry Yogurt Smoothie
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
1/3 cup pineapple juice

Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Divide between two glasses and enjoy!

*Note: Adding bananas and certain other fruits will make for a thicker smoothie and you may need to add more juice to thin it out in order for the ingredients to blend properly.

Note to Teens: Before you sit down to enjoy your smoothie, or grab it and run out of the door, make sure you clean up behind yourself and RINSE OUT THE BLENDER CANISTER (or possibly leave the canister soaking with water in it) because it will make clean up a snap later on and it will keep Mom or Dad from forbidding you to ever use the blender again.

Easy Eggnog (non-alcoholic) ... and A Few Words About Eggs

This eggnog is so easy my two-year-old made it (with some help from Mommy, of course). Now it's one of his favorite things to make, and we'll probably be drinking eggnog well into the spring (Oy!). It isn't the uber sweet super goopy stuff from the supermarket, instead it has a thinner viscosity and tastes so good my son drinks it up enthusiastically. I recommend using the highest quality ingredients you have because the recipe is very simple and every ingredient will shine -- especially the quality of eggs, vanilla and cinnamon used. If you are concerned about ingesting raw eggs, see my note about eggs at the end. Happy holidays and enjoy!

Easy Eggnog
2-3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
3 TBS sugar (I used confectioners)
pinch of allspice & cinnamon (more or less to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract (more or less to taste, use the real deal)

1. In a blender, or with a mixer, beat eggs and heavy cream with 1 TBS sugar until thick and foamy. Add spices, remaining sugar and milk and mix until incorporated.

2. Serve chilled, spoon foam over the top (or whipped cream) and sprinkle with cinnamon (or something fun like colored sprinkles).

3. Cover and refrigerate leftovers and use for French Toast later! MMMMMMM.

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A Few Words About Eggs

Disclaimer: This recipe uses raw eggs, so it does increase the risk of food borne contaminants being consumed and probably shouldn't be eaten by people with weakened or compromised immune systems, just to be safe.

However, with that disclaimer out of the way, I want you to know that I deliberately used cage free eggs because the chance of contamination is dramatically decreased compared hen house battery cage collected eggs. I support and encourage you to use cage free eggs (versus free range which can mean virtually nothing more than an open door at a commercial hen house), and to seek locally harvested, cage free eggs in your area markets or just in your neck of the woods.

You might be surprised how common and close your chicken neighbors are! Chicks in the City is a wildly popular class held quarterly at Oakhurst Community Garden here in Atlanta, smack in the middle of the city. People with inner-city chickens usually have more eggs than they know what to do with!

Fresh eggs taste better, have lab proven higher nutritional value, and make baking with eggs a sheer delight (also make for some CRAZY yellow scrambled eggs). For studies that show why grass-fed eggs, meat and dairy are more nutritious visit www.eatwild.com, a site that posts lots of easily "digestable" charts and statistics. EatWild states:

Meat, eggs, and dairy products from pastured animals are ideal for your health. Compared with commercial products, they offer you more "good" fats, and fewer "bad" fats. They are richer in antioxidants; including vitamins E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Furthermore, they do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs.

In a recent study, one group of chickens was confined indoors (the conventional system) and another was allowed to free-range. Both groups were fed the same commercial mixed diet. The chickens that were able to add grass to the menu produced eggs that that were higher in omega-3s and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E.) Both omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E have been linked with lower rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease in humans. (Lopez-Bote et al, "Effect of free-range feeding on omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs." Animal Feed Science and Technology, 1998. 72:33-40.)

...And for more good reading about that stuff we put in our mouths which we casually call "food" read The Omnivoire's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (or anything he's written actually.) Pollan's style makes for an easy read through what could be labourious and technical territory, and his first person research into the industries of foodstuffs allows the layperson to go where they could not tread otherwise. Intelligent and witty, Pollan's writing simultaneously provides the shocking education of a researcher and journalist with the subtle techniques of an artist and gourmand. His love of food is apparent. My kind of guy.