Graasi Barley Water A Good Summer Sip

 This is the time of the year for hydrating. The question is what's good to drink. Do you go for a sugary power drink or just plain boring water. There is an alternative - the refreshing Graasi Barley water. Chilled its perfection.

I found that a bottle of Graasi Barley water. It's not just a refreshing sip but it's also a boost to the immune system and the body.

These are not only tasty but good for you. They loaded with Vitamins C and D along with zinc , the last supporting cell growth and wound healing. Barley water has long been drunk over the centuries. It manages cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The Victorians used it to boost health and to drink when they were sick. Graasi updates this with such kicky flavors as  Citrus Mint, Lemongrass Ginger and my favorite Cucumber  Lime. Take chilled bottles to the beach or just to kick back in the back yard.

Graasi Barley Water is the perfect summer sip.It not only hydrates but boosts the body with vitamins and zinc. Grab a bottle to help with combating this brutal summer yheat

The Rich Vegan Legacy Of Africa

Many of america's foods come from  West Africa from yams to rice. What many don;t know is that the area also has a rich vegetarian history that can be easily incorporated into our diets. The dishes are not just good for you. They are also delicious too , with many interesting spices  to liven up the veggies.

Yewande Komolafe ,a  recipe developer  and regular contributor to the New York Times Food section wrote about this bountiful cuisine. Ms. Komolafe herself is from Lagos, Nigeria where there is a wealth of meat free recipes. She is not new to the idea of a plant based diet as is the chefs she interviews. Also a plus is West African cooks are passionate about adaptations to their recipes. Many will balk at a new method of cooking a dish however replacing meat with plant based ingredients will provide new paths to familiar pathways. Afia Amoako ,a Canadian grad student, believes that there is no standard recipe, only standard methods for layering and building flavor. Mushrooms can easily be subbed in for chicken or beef. Chef Fatmata Binta explores the plant based recipes of her F ulani tribe , based in Ghana for her project The Fulani Kitchen. Many ingredients can be foraged along with being easily transported. The foods also have to be non perishable and preserved, usually sun dried.One chef, Salimatu Amabebe feels a connection to his father and grandparents by cooking a plant based Nigerian diet.

There are also recipes that any chef can make for the holidays and beyond. One is the very interesting roasted mushrooms in a sauce called Ata Din Din. This is roasting a host of mushrooms , from shiitake to oysters with thyme on a sheet pan. At the same time the Ata Din Din sauce is created, a fiery blend of  red  pepper ginger and habanero chiles topped with a pickle of onions, salt and vinegar.  For another blood warming dish try the moin moin or steamed filled bean cakes from Nigeria.It's a mix of  dried honey beans or black eyed peas cooked with habanero peppers along with red peppers and red onions, Mushrooms or the Ata Din Din can be used as the stuffing. They're formed by filling rolled cone shaped banana leaves. Dessert is coconut lemongrass tapioca with caramelized citrus. It's made with small pearl tapioca and ginger along witht eh lemongrass  and topped with caramelized citrus slices such as blood oranges, grapefruits and tangerines. Lemongrass infused coconut milk is then ladled onto this.

West Africa has a rich culinary history. It's made even richer with plant based recipes. There may be no meat but there is a  lot of flavor.

An Indonesian Feast

Ramadan is a time of fasting yet after sundown it's a time of feasting. Muslims throughout Indonesia celebrate it with a variety of traditional foods. The holiday nights end with a mix of spicy and sweet, all filling after a day of prayers and austerity.

Tejal Rao wrote about this in Wednesday's New York Times Food section, traveling to Boston to interview chef Retno Pratiwi owner of the pop up restaurant Kaki Lima. She recreated the holiday fare her mother used to make for Eid al-Fitr , also known as Idul Fitri in Indonesia. She and her husband, Peter Geller who used to write for the Times, are passionate about the food of her native Jakarta. They obsess over the authenticity and minute details of their food at the restaurant , named for the food stalls. They traveled back to archipelago of islands located between southeastern Asia and Australia, visiting home chefs, and garnering more recipes from them. They went to the various islands to gather up a variety of different dishes. Recreating them here was difficult, namely in trying to get the exact ingredients. Fresh lemongrass and galangal,a type of ginger are hard to come by as are salam leaves,a variation of bay leaves.Sometimes the couple has to travel down to New York City to get another vital ingredient candle nut , a macadamia type nut. Sometimes they just order from Amazon.

Home chefs can create Chef's Pratiwi's dishes. The article includes opor ayam or Indonesian chicken curry. Some of the ingredients like the galanga root and kafir lime leaves can be hard to find.Again go to Amazon or your local Asian market and see if they have the ingredients there.The rest is attainable such as the chicken and coconut milk along with the coriander and ginger.  The chicken is cooked in the sauce for forty minutes before serving.It' is a labor intensive dish but worth it. The other recipe offered is shrimp and potatoes in sambal. This is a spicy sweet dish that gets its' heat from chile peppers along with Thai bird's eye chilis.. The recipe is a mix of different flavors and textures from the brininess of the seafood to the mildness of the tomatoes and lemon grass. The potatoes are roasted before hand for a nice crunchy texture,. The sambal or sauce is pureed and then sweetened with coconut sugar.The shrimp and potatoes are added to the sauce and cooked for ten minutes.It's served with rice.Again it's worth a trip to the local Asian grocery to stock up on the rarer ingredients such as lemongrass and galangal.

Ramadan is a holiday of fasting and prayer. Yet it is also is nights full of feasting. The Indonesians know how to celebrate with delicious foods, full of flavor and spice.

A Hot Cup Of Healthy

The temps are dropping . The knees are knocking. That means one thing - time for a hot  drink to warm the body and spirit. The problem is what's the best drink?Is it a hot toddy or a hot herbal tea?  The answer  -the last. Keep it healthy, while keeping it hot.

Many people reach for a hot brandy when they feel chilly. That may work in a cartoon or sitcom when a convenient Saint Bernard comes bounding through the snow with a keg of brandy around his or her neck. In actuality , it actually causes our body temps to drop. Blood vessels dilate allowing it to come closer to skin.  This dilation makes the blood flow faster so to speak, allowing us to feel that warm rush. . However this is a temporary feeling, You could mix brandy or whiskey even with steaming hot. coffee or tea.Hot cocoa is another cold weather must drink. The best kind is from scratch. Start with  powdered dark cocoa like the Dutch company Droste' or an organic cocoa powder such as Rapunzels' Sweeten it with dark organic honey instead of granulated sugar. Many will protest this, saying those marshmallow packed  packets are easier to make. That may be true but you;re also getting you a mouth full of preservatives and corn syrup. Stick with the all natural kind, especially if you're having it after dinner. Too much of any sugary drink will keep you up at night,

What about coffee and teas? Again go for healthy. Nowadays people love their coffees extra sweet ,loaded with syrups and blobs of whipped cream. That's great if you're into liquid cake. A better choice is just hot and black.or if you must skimmed milk with a sweetener such as honey(!) or agave nectar. The last can be found in the health food aisle in your local grocery store.Teas are another great way to get rid of that frosty feeling. There are some tasty herbal ones out there. Try Twinings's Nightly Calm ,a soothing spearmint and lemongrass blend. This is the perfect tea to  sip on a cold night, when you're bundled up in flannel jammies and robe. Their lemon ginger tea is a good one also , bright and citrussy to  thaw out to when the temps hit the single digits.. Add a dollop of honey to bring out the lemony flavor. Twinings also has pomegranate and raspberry ,an all natural blend , guaranteed to both warm and wake you up.  If you want a cozy night time drink, again go for the natural instead of the alcohol. A hot buttered rum may sound nice but a better choice is warmed milk with a teaspoon of honey added. This is the best way to relax and keep warm on a cold winter's night,

The temps are dropping. The knees are knocking. Conquer the chill with a hot  and healthy cup of something natural. It's good for your body on all levels.