All you need is oranges and a good squeeze.

Here in Arizona there are lots of citrus trees. One of our neighbors gave us a PILE of fresh-picked, sun-ripened, SWEET and JUICY Valencia oranges earlier this summer. Since they have seeds, they seem to have been generally passed over in preference for a seedless navel orange when someone is looking for a snack and had sat rather forlorn and forgotten sat at the back of the fridge. I decided it was time to put them to good use.

I set them out on the counter overnight to warm up, as citrus fruits are best squeezed at room temperature (or outside air temperature), when they yield the most juice. Another good trick to roll them on the counter beforehand to soften them up.

I have an OXO Good Grips Citrus Juicer that my mom got me one of the times they came to visit us. She wanted to make fresh lemonade and realized I didn’t even have a juicer in the house! I would just use a big metal spoon and twist and press it into the orange pulp while I held the orange half in my palm. The juicer is SO much easier and more efficient!

Each orange yielded about 50mL of juice, so expect it to take about 5 medium oranges to make 250mL, or about 1 cup, of juice.

The results of my orange squeezing efforts are sitting and chilling in the fridge as I type, and we all look forward to a refreshing drink later.

Chai (”Ja”) – Masala (Spice) Tea
Mom’s recipe

2 cups water
2 green cardamom pods (illaichi)
1 whole clove (laung)
small piece cinnamon bark (dal cheeni)
pinch fennel seeds (saunf) or about 1/2 tsp
1 cup milk
1 bag regular black tea (eg. Red Rose)
sugar or honey to taste

Bring water to boil with cardamom pods, clove, cinnamon and fennel seeds (and any other spices you like). Boil 10 minutes. Add milk and tea bag and bring back to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit a couple minutes. Pour through wire strainer into tea cups. Add sugar or honey to taste.
Serves 2.

Some people use these:
vanilla bean
small piece of fresh ginger (adrak)
carom (ajwain)
nutmeg (jaiphal)
whole black pepper
mace (javitre)
allspice

This is a basic recipe that you can play around with, depending on your tastes, what you have on hand, and how thick or thin you like it.

Mango Lassi

1 sweet ripe mango
1 Tbsp sugar, or to taste (optional)
1 cup, or 6 – 8oz carton plain yogurt (or flavored, if you like)
1/4 – 1/2 cup water, fruit juice or milk
3 or 4 ice cubes (or about 1 cup or a little more of crushed ice)

Slice mango lengthwise and scoop out pulp, or peel and slice pulp off of seed. Discard seed. Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Serve in glasses with more ice. Serves 2.

Idea: Try with other fruits. Or, try with buttermilk instead of yogurt.

Lemonade

2 or 3 ripe lemons (depending on size and juiciness)
1/2 cup sugar
2 quart pitcher of water
ice cubes

Juice the lemons (in other words, squeeze the juice out of them). Room temperature lemons are easier to squeeze and produce more juice.

Strain out seeds, and some of the pulp, unless you like it pulpy. Dump into a 2-quart pitcher, add sugar and water. Stir. Top with ice cubes if you like.

Hint: If you don’t have a citrus juicer, just cut the lemons in half and use a big spoon to twist into the lemon as you squeeze. A handy way to strain is through the straining slots or holes in the lid (if you’re using a plastic 2-quart pitcher with a lid that has straining slots or holes). Just put the juice in the lid, and pour out through the holes into the pitcher (you’ll need to encourage the juice to flow through the holes as it gets increasingly pulpy, using your finger or a the back of a spoon).

Bring water to a boil and add ginger root and sugar.  Simmer for 10 minutes (longer for a stronger ginger flavor).  Add tea leaves and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes, then add milk and heat again until hot, but not boiling.  Remove from heat, strain out tea leaves and ginger root and serve.  Add more sugar to taste if you like your tea sweeter.

Put ingredients in a blender.  Cover and blend until smooth. 

Sweeten with honey or sugar if you like.  You may also add supplements, such as whey or soy protein powder, or ground flax seed.  

Another option is to substitute milk or soymilk for the juice, or yogurt. Or, you can substitute a cold tea (eg. green tea) for the juice.

Frozen yogurt, sherbet, sorbet, or icecream can be substituted for the yogurt.

Peanut, or other nut butter; or cocoa or chocolate syrup are other optional additions, depending on the mix of ingredients, and what your particular tastes are.

Here are some other ideas:

Orange juice, yogurt, ice (opt)
Orange juice, peaches, optional banana, frozen yogurt and/or orange sherbet
Orange juice, strawberries, bananas, soy sorbet, ice
Orange juice, peaches, bananas, pineapple sherbet, ice
Orange juice, strawberries, peaches, banana, ice and a little honey
Orange juice, mangos, peaches, yogurt, ice
Orange juice, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple or raspberry sherbet, yogurt (opt), ice (opt)
Orange juice, strawberries, pineapples, bananas, pineapple sherbet, ice
Orange juice, raspberries, strawberries, raspberry sherbet, ice
Orange and pineapple juices, mango, strawberries, ice
Orange and pineapple juices, strawberries, banana, orange sherbet, ice (opt)
Orange juice and raspberry lemonade, peaches, orange and pineapple sherbets, ice
Orange and apple juices, strawberries, raspberries, banana, raspberry sherbet
Orange/mango/passion fruit juices, strawberries, banana, orange sherbet, honey to sweeten
Lemonade, strawberries, or strawberries and peaches, lime and/or pineapple sherbets
Lemonade, raspberries, peaches, and raspberry, orange and/or pineapple sherbets
Raspberry lemonade, pineapple sherbet
Pineapple juice, strawberries, blueberries, banana, yogurt, ice
Pineapple and orange juices, strawberries, banana, orange sherbet
Pineapple and orange juices, frozen yogurt and orange sherbet
Pineapple juice, strawberries, banana, yogurt, pineapple sherbet, ice
Pineapple juice, banana, coconut, frozen yogurt and pineapple sherbet
Pineapple and guava juices, strawberries, banana, pineapple sherbet
Raspberry juice, raspberries, blueberries, orange sherbet or frozen yogurt
Raspberry juice, strawberries, raspberries, lime sherbet or raspberry sherbet or pineapple sherbet
Raspberry juice, strawberries, banana (opt), orange sherbet, ice (opt)
Raspberry juice, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, yogurt, ice
Raspberry and orange juices, strawberries, bananas, ice
Raspberry juice, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, yogurt, ice
Raspberry juice, strawberries, pineapples, raspberry and pineapple sherbets, ice
Cranberry juice, blueberries, frozen yogurt, raspberry sherbet
Cranberry juice, blueberries, raspberries, banana, raspberry sherbet
Cranberry juice, blueberries, strawberries, raspberry sherbet, yogurt, ice
Cranberry juice, pineapples, blueberries, bananas, raspberry sherbet, whey protein (opt)
Apple juice, strawberries, banana, frozen yogurt or yogurt and ice
Apple juice, bananas, raspberry sherbet, yogurt, soy protein (opt), ice
Apple and raspberry juices, raspberries, banana, raspberry sherbet
Apple and guava juices, strawberries, banana, frozen yogurt, raspberry sherbet
Apple and strawberry juices, blueberries, banana, raspberry sherbet, yogurt, ice
Apple and guava or just guava juice, peaches, strawberries, orange sherbet or pineapple sherbet
Apple and strawberry juices, strawberries, banana, frozen yogurt and/or ice
Guava juice, mangos, strawberries, bananas, orange sherbet, ice
Mango and passionfruit or mango/passion/guava juices, peaches, strawberries, pineapple sherbet or orange sherbet, ice (optional)
Passionfruit and mango juices, mangos, pineapple sherbet, ice
Passionfruit and mango juices, mangos, peaches, orange and pineapple sherbets, ice
Passionfruit and mango juices, strawberries, peaches, pineapples sherbet, ice
Papaya juice, strawberries, peaches, bananas, orange sherbet, pineapple sherbet, ice
Papaya juice, mangos, pineapple sherbet, yogurt, ice
Papaya juice, pineapples, bananas, coconut, pineapple sherbet, yogurt, ice
Papaya juice, strawberries, pineapples, pineapple sherbet, ice
Papaya juice, peaches, yogurt, ice
Peach juice, peaches, banana, orange sherbet, ice (opt)
Peach juice, peaches, raspberries, banana, raspberry sherbet
Peach juice, strawberries, banana, pineapple sherbet
Peach and carrot juices, peaches, strawberries, banana, orange sherbet, and a little honey
Blueberry juice, blueberries, banana, yogurt, ice (opt)
Grape juice, strawberries, peaches, ice
Acai berry juice blend, strawberries, blueberries, soymilk, raspberry sherbet, ice
Acai and apple juice, raspberries, bananas, raspberry sherbet, yogurt, ice
Acai and apple juice, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple sherbet, yogurt, ice
Pomegranate juice, strawberries, yogurt, ice
Pomegranate juice, strawberries, blueberries, raspberry sherbet, yogurt, ice
Milk or soymilk, blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, ice
Milk or soymilk, strawberries, banana, yogurt, ice
Milk, chocolate, bananas, yogurt
Milk, peanut butter, bananas, yogurt
Milk or soy milk, peanut butter, bananas, chocolate, yogurt, whey protein
Green tea, orange juice and lemonade, mangos, orange sherbet, ice
Green tea, soy milk, yogurt, ice (fruit optional)
Red tea, raspberry juice and soymilk, strawberries, rasberries, frozen yogurt and/or sorbet, ice