Green Smoothie Recipe - Top 5

 

Try the best green smoothie recipe ever! I drink about two full blender jars of these drinks a day. They are healthy, easy and quick to make and absolutely delicious.
Each green smoothie recipe below is chuck full of healthy minerals (e.g. calcium and iron), vitamins, co-factors, life force, fiber. And very important, they are alkalizing. Green smoothies are critical for health.
To make these recipes, all you need are the ingredients and a blender. A high speed blender such as Vitamix or Blendtec is best because they break the cell wall. This way you absorb the nutrients easily. But if you're just starting a raw vegetable diet, any other blender will do too. My first year on raw food, I just used a hand blender (Cuisine art, 700 Watt).
All recipes serve about 2-3 people and can be kept for up to 12 hours as long as you add enough water (great when traveling).

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Kale and Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

2 bananas
2 tablespoons hulled hemp seed
1 bag of frozen blue berries
2.5 cups pure water
1 teaspoon super foods of choice (optional)
5 leafs of kale

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a high speed blender.
2. Add enough water so that all ingredients are covered.
3. Blend well.
4. You may want to add a little more water if you like your smoothie thinner.

This is a great way to add (wild edible greens) to your raw food diet. You won't even notice it. My 6 year old daughter and 1 year old son absolutely love it. My not raw husband loves it.
I can easily give my daughter three of these drinks a day. Her friends love them too.
And I feel great that I give my kids a smoothie full of important minerals, vitamins, healthy omega three fats, fiber, protein, enzymes, that is hydrating and easy to digest!

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Arugula Lettuce and Pear

Ingredients

1 banana
2-3 pears
2 tablespoons hulled hemp seed
1 bag of frozen raspberries
2.5 cups pure water
1 teaspoon super foods of choice
small bunch of arugula lettuce leafs
Liquid stevia to taste

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a high speed blender.
2. Add enough water so that all ingredients are covered. Blend well.

Arugula lettuce and pear are an excellent combination. Very delicious and nutritious smoothie. You might try this combo in a salad too.

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Dandelion and Apple Smoothie

This yummy recipes is another favorite of mine. It's great with spinach too. Just replace the dandelion with spinach.

Ingredients

1 bunch dandelion greens
1 lemon (peeled)
2 large apples
1 banana
2 teaspoons flax seeds (optional)Spring or distilled water

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in the blender.
2. Add enough pure water so all ingredients are covered.
3. You can add a banana for creaminess (optional).
4. Blend well and drink.

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Carrot Ginger Smoothie

Ingredients

1 bunch of carrots with some of its greens
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
About 1/3 inch fresh ginger
Pinch of sea salt and cayenne pepperSpring or distilled water

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in your juicer.
2. Add clean water to cover all ingredients.
3. Blend.
4. Drink immediately.

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Make Your Own Green Smoothie Recipe

The best green smoothie recipe is the one you make yourself.It's very easy and the options are endless. Just have a ration of about 50% fruits and 50% vegetables (or try some wild greens such as nettles) and your smoothie will always be delicious. If not sweet enough, add some liquid. You'll hardly taste the vegetables. (Read How To Make Smoothies for more info.)

Ingredients

1 bunch green leafy vegetable of choice (50% of total)
Fruit of choice (50% of total)
1-2 Bananas or 1 avocado to emulsify (make creamy)
ginger, lemon, parsley or, stevia to taste

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in your blender.
2. Add clean water to cover all ingredients.
3. Blend.
4. Drink immediately.  http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/green-smoothie-recipe-2.html

Juicing Recipies

 

- Pineapple Juice -

Here's one of my favorite juicing recipies. It's rich, delicious and unbelievably quick and easy to prepare. It's so simple and easy to prepare. The outcome is a real surprise because this juice is so "creamy". This is my kids's and friends favorite juice.
Share this one with your guests, and they keep wanting to come over for more...! An extra bonus: drinking pineapple juice will help you lose weight, detox and become healthier!
Yeeha!

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The Yummiest Pineapple Juice

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pineapple

Directions

1. Cut the peel off the pineapple.
2. Cut the remainder into big chunks.
3. Put the chunks in a (centrifuge) juicer.

Isn't this truly the easiest and yummiest raw recipe? Juice a pineapple. It's so simple and yet so creamy and delicious.
Pineapples are very healthy. They contain bromelain, a special enzyme that is used in muscle injuries. It aids in digestion, blood thinning and rheumatoid arthritis. It thins mucus, is anti inflammatory and speeds up wound healing. This drink should be on top of your juice list!
Enjoy!  http://www.thebestofrawfood.com/juicing-recipies-pineapple-juice.html

The raw foods diet: The taste alone is worth it!

Why would a person make raw foods part of their diet? There are a number of reasons, but perhaps the most important is the health benefit of eating raw foods. There is nothing healthier for the human body than the natural foods it was designed to consume. So, what was it designed for? Was it designed to consume liquid candy in the form of soft drinks, deep fried potatoes, Big Macs and Doritos? Of course not. Those things have only existed for a very short period of time, a few decades, whereas the human body has evolved over a period of at least 500,000 years. What foods existed over all that time? Foods provided by nature -- raw, uncooked and unprocessed berries, nuts, seeds, vegetables, roots, fruits and so on. This is what was available to the body, so it only makes sense that raw foods offer perfect compatibility with the human body. That's one reason people might choose to eat raw foods, but it's not the only reason.
   You might also decide to pursue a raw foods diet because of the taste experience. Even if you don't care about health benefits, the taste experience is incredible. A raw foods diet is not about eating salads, carrots and celery sticks all day long. It's nothing of the kind. A raw foods diet is about making cuisine -- like smoothies and blended recipes -- that you have never experienced in your life.

These experiences go way beyond what cooked foods, processed foods or restaurant foods offer. If you think about snack foods, processed foods and fast foods, you will realize that all those foods taste terrible unless the manufacturer adds chemical excitotoxins to enhance their taste. That's why manufacturers add monosodium glutamate (MSG), yeast extract, sugar and salt to their foods. These ingredients are specifically used to give some kind of taste to foods that otherwise taste dead and boring because the life has been cooked out of them or because the depth of taste has been milled out of them during the grain processing. Processed foods taste nothing like real food from nature. When foods are processed, cooked or put on a shelf in a grocery store, they're little more than a shadow of the original food.
If you think you've tried all kinds of foods before and you've never tried raw foods, you have no idea what you're missing. You're missing out on a whole universe of taste experience that goes beyond anything you've ever dreamed of. The first time you put raw foods cuisine in your mouth, you begin a whole new adventure. You take a journey into a new realm of food experience that will expand your reality because it's like nothing you've ever tasted before.
You might try a raw foods diet because you want to experience tastes you've never experienced before. I always find it funny when people who are addicted to restaurant foods and junk foods say, "You eat such a clean diet, Mike, but I can't live without my Big Mac!" From my perspective, I'm thinking, a Big Mac tastes awful compared to the foods I'm eating on a daily basis. And many of the foods I consume are raw foods.

Raw foods: the most exciting foods in the world

People think that when I eat healthy, I'm somehow living on really boring, drab foods all the time. But they're completely wrong about that. I'm living on the most exciting foods in the world. I'm living on foods that make all the processed, junk foods taste like dirt. I'm not giving up anything by living a super-healthy lifestyle. In fact, I'm gaining in every area. The taste experience is more interesting and more expansive. The health benefits are phenomenal. The expanded awareness happens automatically. I'm not giving up anything at all! You might say, "Well, you're giving up a Big Mac, French fries, ice cream and pizza." So what? Once you've tried raw foods cuisine, everything else seems irrelevant.
I wonder, "Why would anybody eat junk food or restaurant food when they could have this raw foods cuisine? Why would you spend your money on a Big Mac when you could have a raw cacao smoothie made with avocadoes, real chocolate from Peru, chia seeds and stevia that tastes like the most delicious chocolate ice cream mint milkshake you've ever had in your life?" That's the level I'm living at with the raw foods diet, and, believe me, it is a whole different level that goes far beyond subsisting on junk foods, processed foods or restaurant foods.
I grew up in the Midwest, and the Midwest isn't exactly known for its cuisine. I used to think that ground beef and potatoes, with Velveeta melted on top, was a good meal. Years ago, that was the limit of my taste experience. Today, I know that that's just a tiny, little dot on the map of taste experience. Now, I'm living way out on the edge of that map, exploring new realms of taste experience with raw foods cuisine. These are foods that awaken your senses. I believe they actually enhance your intelligence, because having sensory complexity is the most effective way to create new connections in your brain. The taste experience can be an enlightening experience, and that's what you get with raw foods.
To learn more about raw foods, check out books like Raw In 10 Minutes, or Dr. Gabriel Cousens' Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine. You can find books and raw foods ingredients from RawFood.com, my top recommended source for raw foods via the internet.
By the way, my diet is currently about 50% raw foods. I make sure to eat a raw food element with every meal, and I drink at least one raw foods smoothie (blended with live sprouts that I grow myself) every day


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/019322_food_foods_raw.html#ixzz1T5mu6t00

Recipe for Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Radishes, Cucumbers, and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette

Do I dare confess that I was completely surprised by how much I enjoyed this quinoa salad with avocado, radishes, cucumber, green onions, and a spicy cumin-lime vinaigrette? I've definitely been a slow adopter when it comes to quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) but recently when I wrote about cooking with quinoa for BlogHer.com, I made a promise to myself that I would try using it. Quinoa is loaded with nutrients, as well as being gluten-free and a source of complete protein, and it has a pleasant, somewhat nutty taste and slightly crunchy texture. Now that I realize I like quinoa so well, you can bet I'll be trying other experiments with this interesting seed that's cooked as a grain; meanwhile if you're also a quinoa novice, give this tasty salad a try and see what you think.

Nearly all quinoa has to be rinsed well with cold water, because the seeds are coated with saponins, which give the quinoa a bitter taste if they aren't rinsed off. You'll need a very fine mesh strainer, or you can use a paper towel inside a strainer to catch the tiny quinoa seeds.

You can cook quinoa in a rice cooker, but I just use the stovetop method. Use 2 cups water for 1 cup rinsed quinoa, and simmer about 15 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed, keep an eye on it.)

While the quinoa is cooking, dice the avocados and toss with lime juice, thinly slice green onions, and chop radishes and cucumbers in same-size pieces. I left just a little cucumber skin for color, and scraped out the seeds so the cucumber wouldn't make the salad watery.

Here's how much the cooked quinoa expanded (about 3 times the volume.) When the water is all absorbed, let the quinoa cool a little and then fluff with a fork. I cooled it in the salad bowl for about 30 minutes before I mixed the salad together.

While the quinoa cools, whisk together the lime juice, cumin, Spike Seasoning, Vege-Sal (or salt) and olive oil to make the dressing.

When the quinoa is cool, mix in the diced radishes, diced cucumbers, and thinly sliced green onions.

Stir in enough dressing to moisten the quinoa and vegetables (you may not need all the dressing if you prefer your salads on the drier side.)

Then gently stir in the diced avocadoes, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve. This was okay after being in the refrigerator overnight, but I don't think it would keep for more than a day or two without the vegetables losing their crispness.

Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Radishes, Cucumbers, and Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

1 cup quinoa (rinsed well with cold water)
2 cups water
2 avocados, peeled and diced in 3/4 inch pieces
1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (for tossing avocado)
1 cup chopped radishes (diced in 1/2 inch pieces)
1 large cucumber (peeled with thin green stripes remaining, seeds scraped out, and diced in 1/2 inch pieces)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Dressing:
3 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use other all purpose seasoning blend of your choice)
1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal (or use 1/4 tsp. sea salt)
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Put 1 cup quinoa into a fine-mesh strainer (or put a paper towel inside your strainer if it's not fine enough to catch the quinoa seeds.) Rinse quinoa well with cold water. Bring 2 cups water to boil in a small saucepan, stir in quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it, because it may take more or less than 15 minutes, depending on exactly how high you have the heat. You can also cook the quinoa in a rice cooker if you prefer.)

Let the cooked quinoa cool for a few minutes, then place in salad bowl, fluff with a fork and cool until quinoa is room temperature, about 15-30 minutes.

While quinoa cooks and cools, peel avocado, dice into 3/4 inch pieces, place in small bowl, and toss with 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice. Peel cucumbers, leaving thin green stripes, scrape out seeds, and dice cucumbers into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut off root and stem end of radishes, wash if needed, and dice into 1/2 inch pieces. Thinly slice enough green onions to make 1/4 cup.

In a small bowl, stir together the 3 T lime juice, ground cumin, Spike Seasoning, and Vege-Sal, then whisk in the olive oil.

When quinoa has cooled to room temperature in the salad bowl, stir in the diced radishes, diced cucumbers, and thinly-sliced green onions. (Don't add avocado until the end.) Stir in enough dressing to moisten salad to your liking (you may not need all the dressing.) Gently stir in diced avocado, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and serve immediately.

This was okay when I kept it in the fridge overnight, but I don't think it would keep for longer than a day, and it was better freshly made.

Printer Friendly Recipe
South Beach Suggestions:

Even though quinoa is technically a seed and not a grain, it's considered phase two for the South Beach Diet. This low-glycemic salad would make a great side dish for any phase 2 or 3 meal.
   http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/05/recipe-for-quinoa-salad-with-avocado.html

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad

It's been unusual lately for my "to do" list to be completed by the afternoon but today it was. The list included trips to the store, helping out in Liam's classroom, and quite a bit of cooking. I made dinner for tomorrow night (prepped these meatball subs for reheating since tomorrow Adrienne has softball), banana bread for Adrienne's class' V-day party (to be posted later), and a wonderful new salad that I'm going to share with you for Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday.
About 2 weeks ago I bought a box of quinoa at Trader Joe's not really having any idea what I was going to make with it. In case you don't know, quinoa is considered a "supergrain" for it's high protein content and according to Wikipedia, "it is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest."
I knew I wanted to make something with it today and went searching the web for recipes. I didn't get much further than Food Network before choosing a recipe: Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad. It cooked up very quickly and the taste is wonderful. As an aside, If you've never had quinoa before, it's a nutty flavor with the texture of al dente pasta. Yum!

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad
(courtesy of Juan-Carlos Cruz)

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted (I used fresh that I steamed)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking until all water is absorbed.
2. In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans, walnuts, and green onions until well mixed. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.  http://polarbee.typepad.com/weblog/2007/02/productive_day.html 

Marinated Quinoa Salad

  I fell in love with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) the first time I ever tried it in Ecuador. It's a staple food of the Quechua, the indigenous people of the South American Andes. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred.

Technically, quinoa isn't a grain at all, but the seed of the Goosefoot plant. Grain. Seed. Whatever. I just love its delicate, slightly nutty flavor and the fact that it's gluten-free. It's also considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans. Grains like barley, wheat, and rice generally have less than half the protein of quinoa.

The seeds cook very quickly and always provided a nice, fluffy texture to my stews and soups. The thought of giving up my beloved little grain when I transitioned to a raw foods diet made me very sad. That is, until I discovered that quinoa seeds can be sprouted and eaten as raw, live food in salads and wraps. Turns out, it sprouts almost as quickly as it cooks. Well, not quite, but in 8-12 hours you have little baby quinoa sprouts. Hallelujah for the living mother grain!

For easy directions on sprouting quinoa, check out these Sprouting Instructions from the Sproutpeople®. And, from the basic to fancy schmancy, check out this assortment of sprouting kits.

Here's a couple of my favorite ways of enjoying quinoa in the raw.

Marinated Quinoa Salad

3 C sprouted quinoa
1/4 C olive oil
1 Tbsp tamari
juice of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of fresh mint, rough chopped
10 grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 C red bell pepper, chopped
handful of goji berries

Marinate sprouted quinoa for 20 minutes in olive oil, tamari, citrus juices and garlic. Add mint, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, goji berries and toss. Serve on a bed of red and green leaf lettuce.


Quinoa Raisin Cookies
yields two dozen

1 C quinoa, soaked overnight and rinsed well
1 C almond meal **
1/2 C local raw honey or agave nectar
1 C raisins, soaked
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Place quinoa, almond meal, honey, cinnamon and salt in a food processor and process until dough-like. Transfer dough to a large bowl and hand mix in the raisins.

Using a spoon for scooping, place small dollops on a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex sheet. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to gently flatten. Tip: Wipe the bottom of the glass between cookies to prevent sticking.

Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 4 hours. Remove the Teflex sheet. Dehydrate another 4 hours. Climate, temperature and humidity all affect dehydrating time. The cookies should be crispy on the outside and still moist inside.

**Almond meal is raw, whole almonds that have been finely ground. I like Trader Joe's brand and you can't beat the price.   http://earthmother-intheraw.blogspot.com/2009/04/sprouted-quinoa-mother-grain.html

International Quinoa Salad

Whenever my husband sees that I’m cooking quinoa, his eyes light up and he asks if I’m making “The Salad.” It’s our favorite quinoa dish, but for a while I made it only on special occasions because I couldn’t figure out how to make it without using olive oil. I was just afraid that it wouldn’t be as tasty–and who can stand to see a favorite dish diminished? But I was determined to try to lighten up the recipe so that we could enjoy this fantastic salad more often, and I’m proud to say that I’ve done it. I think that this recipe is so good that you’ll never miss the olive oil.
It’s based on a recipe by Lorna Sass called Quinoa Salpiçon, a sort of South American version of the Middle Eastern grain salad tabouli, with lots of parsley as in tabouli but using quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. I like to think of it as a blend of cultures, a little of the Old World mixed with the New, though even the “new” ingredients date back thousands of years. Quinoa was first cultivated 5000 years ago. It was a staple food of the people in the Andes Mountains in Peru and Bolivia and was considered a sacred grain of the Incas. Chickpeas were first cultivated around 7000 years ago in Turkey, but their use spread from there to western Europe, and they’ve become an important part of the diets of many cultures.
I took the original salad and added a few ingredients–the corn and chili powder to enhance its South American flavor and the chickpeas to complement its Middle Eastern roots. And, of course, I’ve made it oil-free. The result is wonderful–tiny pearls of quinoa drenched in tangy, chili-seasoned dressing, with cubes of avocado that melt in your mouth and cucumbers and chickpeas for a little bit of crunch. It’s a perfect marriage of ingredients–and cultures.

International Quinoa Salad(click for printer-friendly version)
Quinoa:
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed very well
2 1/4 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
Vegetables:
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 medium-large tomatoes, finely chopped
kernels of 2 ears of cooked corn (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup parsley — minced
1/3 cup fresh mint — minced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced (reserve a few slices for garnish)
Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (NOT lemon)
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or bean cooking liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
To cook the quinoa in a pressure cooker, place it and the water, garlic, and salt in the cooker and lock the lid. Over high heat, bring to high pressure and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Fluff the quinoa and allow it to cool.
Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and mix well. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Taste before serving, and add more lime juice as necessary (you want it to be tangy). Garnish with avocado slices and serve. Makes about 8 servings.
Nutrition (per serving): 239 calories, 55 calories from fat, 6.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 366.2mg sodium, 627.7mg potassium, 38.8g carbohydrates, 7.7g fiber, 4g sugar, 9.1g protein, 4.5 points.  http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/07/international-quinoa-salad.html

Quinoa Salad Recipe with Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Basil and Mint

 

Summer is the time for picnics and salads that are easy as pie to toss together. Make this tabbouleh inspired quinoa early in the day, before the heat zaps your cooking mojo. It only gets better the longer it chills. The Mediterranean flavors co-mingle their little hearts out.

Amounts are approximations, a template to guide you. Salad making is more of an art than science.

You'll need:

1 clove of garlic, peeled

2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked quinoa- see How To Cook Quinoa the Super Easy Way

A handful of sweet grape tomatoes- yellow is low acid, and delicious

1 carrot, grated

4 scallions, sliced (white and light green sections)

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, whole or pitted and chopped

1/3 cup slivered nuts- pecans, almonds or walnuts

Sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 1-2 lemons or limes, depending upon size

Rub the clove of raw garlic inside a glass or ceramic salad bowl.

While the cooked quinoa is still a bit warm (but not steaming hot) scoop it into a bowl and fluff with a fork.

Halve or quarter the yellow tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Add in the grated carrot, sliced scallions, Kalamata olives, and slivered nuts. Toss lightly to combine.

Season with sea salt and ground pepper. Add the chopped fresh herbs. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil- enough to moisten. Toss to distribute. Squeeze a lemon or a lime all over the salad and toss.

Taste test (this is the fun part). Adjust the seasonings. Does it need more olive oil? Salt? More citrus? Is there a good balance of quinoa and add-ins?

When the seasoning tastes right, cover and chill until serving (at least one hour, but a few is even better).

Before serving, taste again and readjust seasonings if you need to. Chilling summer salads- such as quinoa, rice or potato- dulls certain flavors a bit.

Serve as a side dish. Your gluten-free peeps and vegan friends will thank you.

Makes roughly 4 to 6 servings.

Printer-friendly recipe

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/07/quinoa-salad-with-yellow-tomatoes.html

Champagne Blush Jelly

  This is my final canning project of the 2010 season. I saved this jelly as my final project because the recipe sounded amazing. Raspberries are my favorite fruit and champagne is wonderful. I wanted this final canning project to be relaxing. No mindless chopping or peeling of vegetables. I also wanted my final project to be something sweet. I made the raspberry juice fresh from raspberries that I froze when the raspberries were in peak season since bottled raspberry juice is expensive, and I did not want any additives in my jelly.

The results were awesome. The jelly is sweet yet a little tart like a raspberry. The color of the jelly is pretty deep red color. I loved this project. It is the perfect ending to the canning season.   Ingredients for Champagne Blush Jelly modified from Blue Book Guide to Canning p 80

40 ounces frozen raspberries
1 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 package-powder pectin
4 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups Champagne

Directions

Place frozen raspberries in a large pot and heat on medium for 10 minutes or until all the raspberries have burst open and the pot contains a lot of raspberry juice. Strain the juice and raspberries through a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator. Do not push the raspberries through the strainer because your jelly will be cloudy if you do. Measure 2 cups of raspberry juice plus one cup of water in a large saucepot. Stir in powder pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in champagne. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.   http://creatingnirvanatoday.blogspot.com/2010/11/champagne-blush-jelly.html

Pineapple Jelly

 I unexpected started my canning early this year when I went to the grocery store and saw that pineapples were $0.20 a pineapple on manager’s special. I stock up on pineapple since most people were not very interested in buying very ripe pineapples. We ate a lot of them fresh, but we ended up canning some into jelly and some I canned as cut pineapple since I cannot even buy canned pineapple that cheap in the grocery store.


The pineapple jelly that I made was basic and simple since I wanted the flavor of the pineapple to shine through. The kids love this simple jelly. It is sweet and tastes like sweetened pineapple juice. For the recipe I modified a recipe that I found on-line. The recipe was for mint-pineapple jam uses canned crushed pineapple and mint. I omitted the mint and water; I took my chopped pineapple and blended it for a few seconds. I got a very fine pineapple puree that gave my jam the texture of a jelly. It was perfect. My jelly came out with the perfect texture. It is soft and spreadable and tastes great with a nice piece of rye bread. The yellow color is also a wonderful treat. This pretty jelly would make a nice gift with a loaf of homemade bread.  Ingredients for pineapple jelly (yield 9 half pint jars) modified from Canning-recipes.com

2.5 cups pineapple puree
¼ cup lemon juice
7 ½ cups sugar
3 ounces liquid pectin (1 pouch)

Directions

1. Place the pineapple puree, lemon juice, and sugar in a large stockpot. Heat on high heat while stirring constantly until the solution is at a hard boil. Boil for 1 minute.

2. Remove the pot from the heat and add the pectin. Skim off the bubbles. Pour the solution into hot, sterile canning jars. Leave ¼” headspace. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.  http://creatingnirvanatoday.blogspot.com/2011/03/pineapple-jelly.html

  Pavlova is traditionally a large meringue topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. The meringue is crispy on the outside and slightly marshmallowy (but not gooey) on the inside.

Lemon curd isn't traditional, and neither is a small individual meringue shell. Still, I thought it would be cute to have little egg shaped desserts for Easter. I like using the yolks in the same dish that I use the whites, and lemon curd is amazing stuff.

If you've never had lemon curd, try imagining that a lemon went to a luxurious spa, got a sugar scrub, was rubbed down with body butter, slipped on the silkiest, sexiest lingerie, and then proceeded to give you the best... um... dessert sauce... you've ever had. That's what lemon curd tastes like.

Meringue is crisp, very sweet, and dissolves in your mouth. It plays well with the soft whipped cream and intensely flavorful sweet-tart-buttery lemon curd.

I don't recommend serving your pavlovas with chives or parsley, but it was the only green edible stuff that I found growing in our herb garden so far. I don't have any lemon mint or I'd have used that as garnish instead.


Ingredients needed:

eggs
white sugar
butter
lemons
cream
powdered sugar
vanilla   Step 1Whip the Meringue  I used four egg whites for the meringue in the picture. I recommend using six, though. I used a swiss meringue technique here because it's more stable.


6 egg whites
1 1/2 C white sugar


Separate the eggs and save the yolks for the lemon curd. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until the egg whites are warm to the touch and all the sugar is dissolved. Gently cooking the whites slightly with the sugar as it melts keeps the whites from being over beaten later and saves the need for cream of tartar.

Once the egg whites are warm, whip the mixture with the balloon whisk until it's smooth, glossy, and holds peaks. I added a splash of (homemade) vanilla extract at the end, but you don't need to  Step 2 Pipe and Bake    Scoop the swiss meringue into a large zip top bag. Snip a VERY tiny corner from the bag; you can always make it larger later.


I tried using nonstick aluminum foil to make egg shaped molds, but it was more hassle than it's worth.

Turn your oven to 175 degrees F and pipe oval shapes on a pan lined with parchment paper. Trace the outline of the egg shape to slowly build up some walls. If you build them too high, they'll collapse. If this happens, scoop the meringue back into the bag and try again.

Bake them for a couple hours, then turn off the oven and let them sit in it overnight. They need to dry out.  Step 3Make Lemon Curd    This is the last of the steps that can and should be done ahead of time. Whipped cream shouldn't sit, even in the fridge, because it'll separate. It would also make the meringues soggy if it sat on them for awhile.


6 egg yolks
4 large lemons
1 C sugar
1 stick butter


Use a microplane grater to shave off just the zest of the lemon. Don't get any pith in there (the white stuff) or it'll taste bitter. Don't skip this step and simply use lemon juice from the store; the zest is where the spectacular lemon flavor and scent hides. Dump the zest into the bowl of a food processor with the sugar. Pulse it a few times to thoroughly mix them. The resulting sugar should be pale yellow and slightly clumpy, due to the moisture.

Dump the lemon sugar with the egg yolks into a metal bowl and whisk until the egg yolks become pale and smoother. The mixture will become more liquid as you whisk.

Take your naked lemons and roll them on a hard surface under your palm. This makes it easier to squeeze the juice out of them. Cut them in half and squeeze them into a container; use a small sieve if you don't want to fish lemon seeds out of your juice. Measure a half cup of this juice and whisk it into the yolk mixture.

Place the metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until your arm falls off. Use your other arm to keep whisking at least until the temperature reaches 170 degrees F. Once the lemon mixture sufficiently coats the back of a spoon, take the bowl off the heat.

Cut the butter into little pieces and whisk it in, a little at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, the lemon curd should've thickened more. Press plastic wrap onto the surface to keep a skin from forming, or spoon it directly into a zip top bag, squeezing out the air bubbles, so you can pipe it later. Store it in the fridge.


Okay, you can taste some, but don't eat it all. You need it for the desserts  Step 4Whip the Cream     Stop sampling the lemon curd! You still want to have some extra after the pavlovas are done; trust me.


I don't know how much whipped cream you want. I didn't measure. Let's just guess:

2 C heavy whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar


Whip the cream with the sugar until it almost forms stiff peaks. Don't overwhip or you'll have butter and whey. Taste the whipped cream to see if you like the sweetness level. Remember that the meringues are very sweet. Some people don't sweeten the whipped cream on pavlovas at all  Step 5Assemble and Serve    This should be done RIGHT before you serve these. Otherwise, the meringues will get soggy from the cream.


Spoon some whipped cream into a meringue. Squeeze a dollop of lemon curd to resemble an egg yolk. If you want to smooth the egg yolk a bit, just wet your (clean) finger first and touch up by hand.



If you have leftover whipped cream and lemon curd, for heaven's sake, DON'T TELL ANYONE. Mix them together carefully - don't deflate the whipped cream. Line a container with plastic wrap, press the lemon cream mixture into the container, and freeze it. When the guests are long gone, maybe the next day or so, pull out your frozen lemon mousse from the freezer, unmold it, peel away the plastic wrap, and eat it all by yourself.

No, I don't have pictures of the small frozen lemon mousse. Once you taste your own, you'll know why.

Thanks for reading!  http://www.instructables.com/id/Lemon-Curd-Pavlovas/

Microwave Lemon Curd

  Lemon curd is a thick, creamy mixture of lemon juice and zest, sugar, eggs, and butter that can be spooned over ice cream, added to a tart or pie, or used in a fresh fruit trifle (delicious!). Though it's not that hard to make it on the stovetop, this microwave version means you're just five minutes away from lemony goodness.

Get microwaving folks! A 3-month PRO Membership will go to the first person to try this out and post photos below!

You'll Need. . .
Software:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• zest of 4 lemons
• 1/2 cup butter

Hardware:

• A microwave
• Microwave safe bowl
• Whisk
• Zester, grater, or microplane
• Measuring cup

How To

1. Place butter in bowl and microwave for approximately 45 seconds (until melted)
2. Wash lemons and zest them into the butter
3. Juice lemons into measuring cup until you have 1 cup of juice, add to the butter and zest
4. Add eggs and sugar to butter and lemon juice and mix to combine well
5. Microwave on high for one minute
6. Remove from microwave and whisk
7. Repeat, microwaving for one minute at a time and whisking after each time until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon (depending on the microwave, this will take 3 to 5 minutes)
8. Transfer to a storage container and keep refrigerated until ready to use (lasts approximately 2 weeks)  http://www.instructables.com/id/Microwave-Lemon-Curd/

How to Make Lemon Curd

  Some of you may ask “what is lemon curd?” The best thing since sliced bread, I say. Let me explain a little about the joy of lemon curd and how delectable it is, plus entice you to want to try this wonderful creation. I first had lemon curd about 10 years ago while I was into making wedding cakes, and because I like all things lemon I fell in love with it. I need to express to you that homemade lemon curd is incredible. Lemon curd was a tradition in the the 19th and 20th century for spreading on scones and crumpets at afternoon tea (very British). Lemon curd was also used in pies, pastries and cakes. Lemon curd is similar to pie filling but the texture is smoother and the flavor more intense. Pie filling is thickened with flour or cornstarch while lemon curd uses egg yolks and natural pectin in the zest and juice of the lemon. The secret to the smooth texture in lemon curd is butter unlike the commercial pie fillings.

While researching about the origin of lemon curd, I couldn’t help but look up the different varieties of lemons and the origin of the lemon, it was so very interesting. It is undetermined what the original origin of the lemon is but scientist suggest they have been grown for over 2,500 years in northeast India. At first they were grown for ornamental use and it wasn’t until the 10th century that they became cultivated for consumption. Lemons were brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus and the Spanish conquest continued there spread but primarily as ornamental plants and for medicine. Finally, lemons began growing in California in the 1750′s and then in Florida in the 1800′s. The lemons that we buy in the store today are usually of 2 different types the Eureka and Lisbon lemon. I was surprised to learn that there are so many different varieties of lemons like the Avalon, Bearss, Buddas Hand or Citron, Bush Lemon, Dorshapo and Meyer, which is not really a true lemon, its a hybrid of lemon and mandarian orange.

Well, enough of the history lesson on lemons let’s talk about how to make the curd. I used a fellow blog friend Smithbites recipe for my curd. My friend at Bunkycooks teaches a great way to preserve lemons as well as this other great tutorial I found at Bake Cupcakes, I’m thinking of trying that next.

I know what your thinking now, what will you make with 4 jars of lemon curd? Well, you could give one jar away to a fellow foodie who will appreicate it. Another jar could be used to make my lemon cream crostata (tasty). Don’t forget to use one for spread on some yummy scones, waffles, pancakes or toast. Last but not least why not just eat the final jar. What ever you decide to do, make the most of the citrus season by using these beautiful nutrient rich fruits we are so blessed to enjoy.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

1 large bag of lemons (about 8- 10 med-large)
1 cup of juice from the lemons
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
6 T. of un-salted butter
zest of 3 lemons
4 pint jars
4 lids
water bath canner or steamer 

Step 1Directions

 

Step 1: Prepare jars by washing with hot soapy water or dish wash them and dry with clean towel. Get canner ready and lids out.

Step 2: Zest the 3 lemons and set zest aside. Cut lemons in half and juice to get one cup or 8 oz.

Step 3: In a double boiler whisk together the eggs,yolks,sugar and lemon juice. Fill the boiler pot with a few inches of water and let water come to boil then turn to simmer but let the water boil slightly.

Step 4: Put the lemon mixture over the boiler and with a whisk keep the mixture moving until a thermometor reaches 170 degrees or about 20 min. The mixture will foam and become thick too.

Step 5: Take the curd off the heat and stir in butter and zest until all is combined.

Step 6: Fill the jars using a wide mouth canning funnel to keep the curd off the lip of the jars. Using the hot water from the water bath put the lids in to soften the plastic that will end up sealing your jars. While the lids are getting soft wipe the lip of the each jar with a clean paper towel. Drain lids from the water and put on the jars. Screw on the top lid but not too tight.

Step 7: I use a steam canner which is a cinch and takes very little water to get going. Get the water boiling in either type of canner you have and process cans for 5 min. following manufactures directions on the your specific canner.

Step 8: When processing time is up lift the cans out with canning lifter and set on a kitchen towel to set for at least 24 hours. Then sit back and look at what you accomplished and smile  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Lemon-Curd/

Killer Canning, or How to Choose Safe Canning Recipes and Avoid Poisoning Anyone

 Home canning is all the rage. Eating locally is in, and doing so year-round pretty much requires some kind of food preservation. No one’s freezer space is unlimited, and home canning is a great way to preserve the harvest. It seems every food blogger is canning and offering recipes for the foods she’s canned.
Unfortunately I’m seeing a large number of unsafe canning recipes posted on various food, recipe, and local eating blogs, and we aren’t talking about just the kind of unsafe canning that gives you a few days of gastrointestinal misery. We’re talking serious neurotoxins, botulism, paralysis, and death.
Here are a few key bits of knowledge, useful whether you’re canning yourself or are the recipient of a home-canned gift.
Canning Fruits. In general, canned fruits are safe. Almost all fruits (exceptions include bananas, figs, and tomatoes) are high-acid, which means both that spoilage is less likely and that any spoilage is likely to be evident — you’ll see mold, or the jar when opened will have an off smell, or the seal will be broken. This is why so much home canning is about jams, jellies, marmalades, and other fruit spreads. HIgh-acid fruits are all safe to can in a boiling-water bath using a wide variety of recipes.
Canning Vegetables. This is where the serious food-safety issue comes in. All vegetables are low-acid foods and are unsafe to can in a boiling water bath unless sufficient high-acid ingredients, generally in the form of vinegar, bottled lemon juice, or citric acid, are added. The proportion of high-acid to low-acid ingredients must not be altered from that specified in the recipe. The problem is that often an experienced-cook-but-inexperienced-canner picks up a canning recipe and assumes her cooking experience can be used to improve and adapt the canning recipe. It can’t.
Tested Recipes for Canning Vegetables. Unlike cooking recipes, which the cook can adapt to her own tastes — increasing the proportion of one ingredient, omitting another entirely, using an unspecified technique such as sauteeing the veggies — the canning of vegetables should be done using a tested recipe (that is, a recipe that has been tested by the USDA — or the equivalent, in other countries — and found to be safe for home canning) with no changes in the proportion of high-acid to low-acid foods. To be sure the recipe you are using is a tested recipe, use a trusted resource such as the Ball Blue Book (use a new edition, as canning recommendations have changed over the years), the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving , the Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving, or the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
When you discover a delicious-sounding boiling-water bath canning recipe online and think you’d like to try it, ask the person providing the recipe where he got it. (Most foodies are happy to talk about the source of their recipes and won’t take this as an insult if you ask in a way that indicates curiosity rather than mistrust.) If he did not get the recipe from a trusted source, or if he adapted it in any way that changes the proportion of vegetables-to-acids, or if he added oils, fats, or animal products, don’t use the recipe. Find another similar recipe from a trusted source and use that instead. The same goes for gifts of home canned vegetables, including combination recipes such as salsas, sauces, chutneys, and relishes. I cannot stress this enough. When canned vegetables go bad, one likely culprit is botulinum, which is the neurotoxin that causes botulism: if it doesn’t kill you, it can leave you paralyzed. It is a seriously nasty bacteria and nothing to fool around with. Worse yet, unlike mold, you can’t see, smell, or taste botulinum. The seal on the jar may not even be broken.
With the sharp increase in canning by inexperienced canners, we are likely also to see an increase in home canning-related food poisonings. Done properly, home canning is very safe and a great way to preserve the harvest so you can eat locally all year around. But do take the necessary steps to make sure you know what you’re doing.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource for home canners, new and experienced alike. The recipes posted there are all USDA-tested and approved, and they have a ton of information for home canners — even a complete home-canning course you can download in pdf form.
Your county extension service is an excellent resource for information about canning. Many are offering canning classes geared to new canners.
Another great resource for canners is the Harvest Forum on GardenWeb. You can search the forum archives to find answers to many questions

Source: Eat Drink Better (http://s.tt/12Adt)   http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/07/29/killer-canning/

Concord Grape Jam Tart

  http://www.marthastewart.com/355342/concord-grape-jam-tart?czone=food%2Fproduce-guide-cnt%2Fproduce-guide-fall