Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Citrus Season ~ citrus drinks


Here in Sacramento, the sidewalks are lined with large orange trees that litter the ground with ripe fruit. It's overly abundant. For the past month we have received a several-pound bag of oranges in our CSA box ~ many tiny mandarins, and a few larger navels each week. Our good friends down the street have a lemon tree that is equally generous with its bounty. So we have lots of citrus to gratefully utilize!
What have we done with all this? Fresh-squeezed orange juice for Sunday brunch (so luxurious), orange juice-infused black bean chili (yum), frozen "Sunshine Squares", warm tea, and my own rendition of a rejuvenating natural electrolyte drink!

Today I'd like to share the last two with you ~ simple and nourishing ways to use citrus in beverages. Orange juice is much too sweet to drink every day ~ especially for breakfast. Talk about a way to spike out your blood sugar! And pasteurized juices lack so much of what makes oranges good for us ~ all the enzymes and much of the vitamins. So here are a couple ideas for enjoying the flavor and sweetness of oranges in a milder and whole way. Water and juice ~ it's how you dress them up that they serve different purposes equally well.

Orange Spice Tea
Fill your cup most of the way with close-to-boiling filtered water. Keep it cool enough that you can almost-comfortably stick your finger in it ~ to preserve the raw goodness of the citrus.

Squeeze the juice of 1 orange,
and 1 slice of lemon into your cup.
Add 2 tsp ginger powder, and
1/4 tsp cinnamon.
Sweeten with honey if you like.
Wrap your hands around the mug, snuggle up in a blanket, and thank Mother Nature that she had the intriguing creativity to make citrus season in the middle of winter. :)

All-Natural, All-Good Electrolyte Drink
I came up with this drink in the heat of Baja. I used limon, which is ubiquitous and delicious there, but I substitute lemon up here in Northern California. In Baja, it was just what the intense sun directed. In rainy season Sacramento, it's a satisfying post-work out drink.

1 glass of room-temperature filtered water
The juice of half an orange
The juice of one limon, or 1 slice of lemon
a generous pinch of quality sea salt.

2 comments:

Kara said...

Tiffanie--love what you're doing here! I love a woman who isn't afraid of cooking with fat (from someone who loves her butter and full-fat yogurt:-) That part about the toddler loving every meal... I've been aspiring to that for a long time, so I definitely need to return! Love this post workout drink--I may need to link back to this in a future post! Sounds perfect for a Hot (Sweaty) Mama! Thanks for reading Mama Sweat!

Tiffanie said...

Hey, Kara -
Thanks for visiting! :-)
Yay for full-fat yogurt and butter! That's exciting to hear from someone so fit, as many activity-enthusiasts are still afraid of fat these days. and a great model for your daughters, too. :-)
I'm glad you like the drink idea; I have one coming that uses hibiscus! Just in time for warmer weather.
I'd be honored to be linked by you.