Papaya Promise: Papaya-Carrots-Beets-Yellow Pepper Smoothie

 What makes this a stand-out smoothie is that perfect bonding between the papaya and the ginger: the fruit's smooth taste seamlessly picking up on where the tuber's sharper notes start to fade off.
As a fruit, I am never really fond of papayas, except when you pair it up with mint or, like in this recipe, sync them up with veggies with a stronger character. However, what I truly admire about the papaya is its vibrant color and the way those little seeds nestle against each other in the fruit's flesh. A visual stunner, no less. Which is one of the reason why papayas make for such good table decor. More of that later.

 Serves 2-3
Preparation Time: 7 minutes.

Ingredients:

 2 cups peeled and chopped papaya
2 large carrots
1 medium beetroot
2 large yellow peppers (if yellow is unavailable, red peppers would do just as well)
1 cup almond milk or soy milk
1 generous length of ginger (vary according to your taste, I like more of my ginger)

Instructions:

1) If you are using a juicer, juice the peppers first, followed by the carrots, beets and ginger. In a blender, run the chopped papaya with the almond or soymillk for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the vegetable juice and blend till smooth.

2) If you are using just a blender, peel and chop carrots and beets, chop the pepper and mince the ginger. Run the peppers with soymilk or almond milk at low speed till well blended, then add the papaya, followed by the other chopped vegetables

Vitamins Plus: Celery, Green Apple and Red Pepper Juice

Celery-Green Apple-Red Pepper Juice

Once done, this juice is almost transparent that you can see right through the glass to the other side. Loaded with vitamins, this  is perfect for those days when you don't have too much time for juicing and want to juice on the go. Also perfect for an early morning drink to cut out those caffeine cravings. Works like a dream if you are migraine-prone (which I am), for it gets the blood pumping to weed out the ache. Migraines, at least for me, are signals that I am not drinking enough water, so you cannot do better than this juice bursting with hydration potential.

Serves 2-3 people
Preparation Time: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

4 stalks of celery

3 large green apples or granny smiths

2 large red peppers

Juice of one lemon (optional)

Instructions:

1) Start with the red pepper, follow up with the celery.

2) The apples go in last and then the lemon. You may substitute one pear for one of the apples.

3) Drink as soon as possible. Refrigeration robs those precious vitamins.

All Purpose Herb and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

 I am not normally hooked to cookery shows on TV, but when I do come across a show that seems interesting enough, I like to take notes. The operative words for me, when taking such notes, are that the recipes are simple and the chef makes it seem simpler. I really do like Australian chef Curtis Stone's  ratings-busting show Take Home Chef, though I mostly catch re-runs on Netflix. Which is how I saw him demonstrate this amazingly simple recipe for herb-infused olive oil that I simply had to try for two reasons: 1) I do a lot of grilling and toasting of breads and 2) I thought this could also do really well as a salad dressing, along with, say, a little dijon mustard. I am yet to try this on salads, so will update once I get there.
But for now, this recipe is a keeper.

Note:  1) You can make and store this in larger batches, however there may be a little loss of freshness. It is so easy, takes just about five minutes to make, so if you like your herbs fresh, use it up the same day.
2) Curtis Stone demonstrated this recipe with fresh rosemary, which I did not have with me, but there was a jar of dried rosemary and fresh basil. And it turned out to be truly delectable. The message: experiment with different combinations of  fresh herbs and dried herbs until you get your desired flavor and strength of infusion.

Serves: 2-3 people
Preparation Time: 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
 2 stalks of fresh basil
3 cloves garlic/.
1 tsp dried herb (I used rosemary, but you could mix and match)
A pinch of sea salt.

Instructions:

1) Start with the garlic and herbs. Peel and mince the garlic, chop the basil. Use the flat blade of the knife to crush the garlic.

2) Crush the already crushed garlic along with the salt in a mortar and pestle, till the juices are released. Add the chopped basil and dried rosemary and crush and mix some more.

3) Warm the olive oil in a pan on low-medium heat. Remember to never, ever let any olive oil smoke, leave alone the extra virgin variety. The oil should be just warm enough for you to safely dip in a finger without getting scalded. Throw in the garlic-herb mixture and let warm together for a minute more.

4) Transfer to a bottle and close for about 20-30 minutes, the longer the better. Do not refrigerate. The oil is ready to use when you can sniff the dazzling aroma if you open the bottle to catch a whiff. Let stand longer or lesser according to your desired infusion strength. Just before using, add a pinch of black pepper and/or paprika and shake well.

5) Spread liberally along with the herbs on bread/baguette slices before toasting on an open griddle.

Other uses:

1) Add a pinch of black pepper and/or paprika and some grated parmesan cheese for a great tasting bread dip.

2) Use as barbeque oil for grilling.

3) Mix with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and/or dijon mustard, a pinch of black pepper and some salt and use as salad dressing.

Very Berry Smoothie with Beets and Carrots

Ever tried drinking your breakfast? You can, with this one. The beets and berries make for an instant energy boost, while the carrots and apples hydrate. And if you still hesitate to throw in the beets with the berries, just look at that electric color.

You would want to WEAR this juice, it is so velvety smooth!

Serves 3-4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries or blackberries or raspberries or a combo of all three
2 large red apples
1 medium sized beetroot
4 large California carrots
1 cup soy milk or 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt

Instructions:

1) If you are using a juicer, juice the apples first, followed by the beets and carrots

2) Run the blender with the soy milk or yogurt at low speed, add the berries and smoothen. You may need to add a cube of ice or two to make it smooth enough. Add the juice and blend. Serve.

3) If you are using just the blender, chop the vegetables into small pieces, then run in a blender with the soymilk or yogurt till smooth. Add the apples and berries, one after the other and blend. Add ice cubes if it is too thick to drink out of a glass. Serve.

Note: Add 3-4 mint leaves along with the berries for extra punch.