Hello from Houston. I finally have a little moment to blog since we arrived in Texas. It has been a whirlwind of events already and I feel tired. Even though I like traveling I know that the best flights for us from Michigan to Texas always require us to leave from Grand Rapids, which is an hour away. Ryan booked us flights leaving at 6am which meant us leaving our house at 3:45am. Yes, you read that right. I debated whether I should go to bed SINCE we had finished the last movie in the Lord of the Rings series, which probably was not the best idea but we had been watching the series of movies since Saturday. Anyhoo, Ryan and I slept about 1.5 hours before our alarm woke us at 3:15am. Ryan put a pot of coffee on since we had our friend who was picking us up. What a nice friend, right? Thanks Nick! You and Michelle will be treated for dinner on our way back. :)
When we arrived at the airport, I found out Ryan was prepared for our trip on the airplane. He brought 2 blow-up neck cushions for us to use so that we could sleep. Can I tell you that it was amazingly UNCOMFORTABLE? Either way, I slept a total of 3 hours so I was so tired when we arrived in Houston.
We arrived at 9:35am, but by the time my mom picked us up we were VERY hungry since it was technically lunch time in Michigan! :) We quickly decided to try a new place called Ruggles Green where they offered vegan friendly meals.
I had a hard time making a decision between a Raw Salad and the Hemp-Nut Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. I went with the burger and was glad I did. It had a GREAT flavor and the fries were perfect and not oily at all. I enjoyed the meal with an Iced Pomegranate Green Tea. If you ever come to Houston, this is a must.
After this lovely meal, we made a stop at Whole Foods for a few groceries. As I perused the produce section I ran into some prickly pears! Remember when I went to New Mexico and I said I wanted to recreate the lemonade I had at that restaurant? Well, I bought several and made up my mind to prepare it.
After a nice nap, I waited for my sister to come home from work and we enjoyed some down time. My mother prepared a typical Mexican meal with meat (since my family is not vegan) and she made the same version but with chickpeas. She accompanied it with a purple cabbage salad with onions and cucumbers which made for a colorful meal.
I finally realized where I get my cooking skills from. Yes. My mother can take simple ingredients and bring them together for a fabulous meal. I was glad to add to this meal by making the prickly pear lemonade.
Prickly pears are a nutritious fruit. I always saw them in Mexico when I went to visit family but I never knew how to prepare it until coming back from New Mexico. Prickly Pears are high in vitamin C, fiber and high in phytonutrients or flavonoids.
I used simple ingredients to make this lemonade, which included lemons, agave nectar, water, and the prickly pears. The end product came out so beautiful with a bright NEON pink color. The flavor quite different than anything I have ever tasted but delicious with the lemon combination. There are websites that sell prickly pear syrup, but I bet alot of that is made with white sugar. This recipe uses a low glycemic sugar substitute that creates a healthy summer drink.
I scooped out the pulp from 2 prickly pears and pealed 5 lemons, discarding the rinds. I added them to a blender.
I used a sieve to remove the prickly pear's seeds and the lemons seeds. I added agave nectar and water and ice and BOOM, great with a meal.
Fresh Prickly Pear Lemonade
makes a big pitcher (serves 12)
8-ounce glasses
2 prickly pears, pulp
5 lemons, lemon rind peeled
10 glasses of water
3/4 cup agave nectar
ICE
Remove pulp from prickly pears using a spoon and scoop into a blender. Peel lemons, removing rind and white skin. Add to blender and blend well.
Place blended ingredients through a sieve until all the liquid has been removed.
Place liquid in a pitcher and add agave nectar. Mix well and add water.
Place ice on each glass and pour the prickly pear lemonade. Enjoy!
Fresh Prickly Pear Lemonade
Labels: beverages, drinks, fruit, juice, lemon, lemonade, prickly pear, summer, tuna
