If You Like Piña Coladas

In my neck of the woods, there has been a steady Summer rain falling for the entirety of this balmy National Piña Colada Day, and I can't help but think, somewhere, Rupert Holmes is very pleased.  With that, I give you my personal piña colada smoothie recipe —

Here's what you need:

4 Cups frozen pineapple chunks

3-6 bananas chunked & frozen

1 Cup full-fat canned coconut milk

1 Cup filtered water

1/4 Cup pure, organic maple syrup

1/2 lime juiced

1" knob grated ginger root

1Tablespoon unsweetened organic shredded coconut

Here's what you do:
In a 72 oz sturdy blender place pineapple chunks around the bottom, and fill the pitcher the rest of the way with pieces of frozen banana (Tip: when you freeze bananas you'll want to peel them, and chunk or cut them up first, then bag and freeze).  Throw in the rest of your ingredients, and blend the hell out of it (you may need to stop a few times in order to scrape the sides of your blender's pitcher).  That's it!  If you'd like to enjoy this as a dairy-free "nice cream" option, transfer your mixture to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for 2-4 hours before serving.

This is an incredibly easy, but delicious, and festive concoction to have at Summer gatherings, and is a perfect alcohol-free option that can accommodate a good swath of guests, and their needs without singling folks out, and excluding them from the fare.

Happy sipping!

Virgin Glögg

Here's what you need:
4 Cups water
6 Cardamom pods
6 Whole cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks
1" Knob fresh ginger (grated)

4 Cups POM juice
3-4 Tbsp pure organic maple syrup
1 Star anise
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of Allspice

1/4 Cup almonds (blanched)
1/4 Cup walnuts
1/2 Cup raisins or craisins
1 Orange (sliced)

Here's what you do:
Day One-
Boil water, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and cloves for 15 minutes.  Store it in a glass container in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Two-
Combine decoction with fruit juice, star anise, nutmeg, and allspice, and boil for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat, and add your chosen sweetener if desired.  Pour liquid through a strainer into a new container (large glass measuring cups are handy for this!) in order to clear out any large spice debris, and that's it!  Serve warm with any combination of the following: cinnamon sticks, chopped nuts, raisins, and orange pieces.

How to blanch almonds

This beverage is basically just a warm punch, but I love to have it around during the cold winter months because, well, it's delicious, free of weird additives, and a good option for anyone needing to avoid refined white sugar.  It's also nice to have something festive to offer pregnant, sober, or underage guests so no one is left out of any Yuletide merrymaking.

Cheers!