I bought two things at the farmers’ market: Squash and beets. When I bought the beets, the woman asked if I’d ever cooked the greens. No, I had not. She recommended cooking them with olive oil and garlic (two of my favorites).

I grew up on beets; they are one of the few vegetables that I vividly recall eating as a child. I believe that we ate so many that I avoided them when I grew up. Until recently. A friend and I were talking about pickled beets (which she loves) and our conversation reminded me of my childhood. So, I bought a bunch of the dark red beets from my grocery store a couple months ago and pickled them. They tasted better than I remembered when I was younger.

The new bunch I purchased a week ago were colorful: orange or yellowish, and deep red, all covered in soil. I knew that I did not want pickled beets so I search for a different way to prepare them. My local newspaper ran a story earlier this month about how chefs were finding new ways to serve fresh beets, but the recipes accompanying the story were so unappetizing.

Through Google, I came across two recipes that I liked and chose the one that incorporated the greens. The recipe was from the New York Times, and can be served either hot or cold. The story mentioned that beets were good and fresh this time of year, and even better, they contained such nutrients as potassium, magnesium and folic acid. The dish was delicious.

To top it off, I decided to make some lavender lemonade. Fatimah Ali, who writes the Healthy Southern Living blog, and I had had some when we went to see a perfume bottle exhibit a month ago at Longwood Gardens just outside Philadelphia. During the exhibit, Longwood was holding “Fragrant Friday,” which focused on a particular scent. That Friday was lavendar, and we both loved the lemonade so much that we went back for seconds. 

When I came across dried lavender at another farmers’ market recently, I decided to buy some. I shared the small packet with Fatimah, and made a pitcher-full to go with my meal of beets, lima beans with crumbled sage turkey sausage, squash and chicken.

I found a recipe for lavender lemonade from wholeliving.com. It was bit tart for me; next time I’d cut back on the lemon zest.

- Sherry Howard, who writes the Auction Finds blog.

Recipes:

This beet recipe called for Gruyere cheese, but I used what I had on hand: mozzarella, cheddar and feta (what can I say, I love cheese).  I also used Mrs. Dash instead of salt, and left out the chives because I didn’t have any. But I used plenty of garlic.

Beet and Beet Green Gratin (serves 6)

2 bunches beets, both red and golden. You should have about 2 pounds beets and 3/4 pound greens.

Salt to taste

3 eggs

3/4 cup low-fat milk

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup chopped chives (1 bunch)

2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Roast the beets. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then cut the ends off, slip off the skins and slice across the equator.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the greens in two changes of water. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the pot of water comes to a boil, salt generously and blanch the greens for about one minute. (You can also steam the greens until they wilt, one to two minutes). Transfer the greens to the ice water, then drain and squeeze out the water. Chop coarsely.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet, and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Stir in the greens. Stir together for a minute, season the greens with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Beat together eggs, salt (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, milk, chives and the Gruyère. Gently stir in the greens and beets. Scrape into the gratin dish. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until set and lightly browned on the top. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Lavendar Lemonade

 4 lemons

1/2 cup dried lavender

1/2 cup raw honey

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from two lemons, leaving white pith behind. Squeeze all of the lemons for 2/3 cup juice and set aside. In a large pot bring 5 1/2 cups of water and zest to a boil over high heat. Stir in the lavender. Partially cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place a large strainer lined with cheesecloth or a damp paper towel over another pot or heat-proof bowl. Strain tea, pressing on herbs to extract all liquid. Stir in honey until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice. Let cool completely, about 45 minutes. Fill four tall glasses with ice. Pour tea over ice and serve immediately.

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And that’s just what 7-year-old Elijah Brockington did this summer at an agency in Philadelphia that aids people with homelessness, addiction, health and other problems. I’m working there now (I’ll tell you about the job another time), because the purpose of this post is to tell you about an enterprising little boy whose mom brought him to work for part of the summer and wanted to keep him from being bored.

Elijah wanted to make some money, so what better way than to sell delicious lemonade to her colleagues. The first time I saw Elijah, he was fussing with his mother Deneene over money. She wanted him to charge a dollar, and he wanted to charge two. Eventually, they compromised at $1.50, but I paid the two bucks anyway because it was worth it.

It was the best lemonade I’ve ever had, and that includes my own. Elijah, smart young man that he is, refused to give me his recipe to share with you, so I was forced to observe him. Here’s what I saw:

He made his basic lemonade stock (a syrup) at home, and offered two flavors – plain and strawberry. Then, at his stand, he added water, sugar and more fresh lemons, and poured it over ice and sold it to his line of customers.

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I come from a background where everything was fried in lard or pork fat. Years ago, I eliminated all of that from my diet. I eat no pork. I rarely eat beef and mostly eat turkey. I know that I should increase my intake of fish.

I drink a lot of water and recently learned from a friend a cool way to add pep to it. I served the drink to another friend who gave it the name ”fruit water.”

This is how it evolved:

I was having lunch at a friend’s house and she served water with strawberries floating in it. It was a bit tart for me and I asked her, “Where’s the sugar?” It was a joke because I no longer add white or processed sugar to anything. I sweeten with honey or raw sugar – and I even do that sparingly.

She said that this was a drink that she served to her son and daughter when they were growing up, and they loved it. Surprisingly, I adapted pretty quickly to her “strawberry” water.

About a month later, I was going on a long drive with a friend to pick up her daughter from college, and I wanted a refreshing drink to take along. I found a recipe in Ebony magazine for red Sangria, and kept all the ingredients except the vodka and wine.

It called for a lemon, orange and lime cut in wedges; 1 cup of cherries, blackberries and chopped pineapples and 3 cups of ginger ale.

It was delicious.

But since I don’t imbibe soft drinks that often, I knew that I had to find a healthy substitute. I love bottled water, so I now add fruit to my water (I’m sure you can also use tap water). This isn’t sweetened water (I never add sugar); in fact, it can be a bit tart. For me, it was an acquired taste, but one that I’ve learned to enjoy.

Sometimes, I add different fruits, but strawberries are always the base. As the seasons change, I’ll try other fruits.

This fruit water is my new choice of drink with dinner. I also have added peaches (and left out the blackberries) because they are so plentiful this time of year. I have found that pineapples sweetened the water a bit. When the color has drained from the strawberries, I dump the fruits and start anew.

I’ve served this water to friends, and they, too, find it very refreshing.

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Up front Ted Allen, the host of several Food Network TV shows, was mumbling into a microphone. I think he was urging us diners at Buddakan’s midday brunch in Atlantic City to join him at his event that night.

We could barely hear what Allen was saying. The three of us – my friends Kristin and Valorie, and I – were drinking sake, Sunrises and Green Mountains, and thoroughly enjoying our dim-sum dishes too much to pay much attention to him. (Dish above is Char Sui Spare Ribs.) 

Then we heard Allen invite the chef to join him. And up stepped a young African American man with thick locks flowing down his back. It blew our minds. This delicious meal – which we had oohed and aahed over since the first shrimp dish (minced shrimp encased in dumpling) was placed on our table – came from the kitchen of a brother? We were clapping as much for him as we were for the meal. (Dish below is Shrimp Sui Mei.)  

Here’s what we had, served unadorned in simple white elongated plates. If each of us had had a star to give, he would’ve gotten our 3 stars:

Chicken and Ginger Dumplings (with sesame soy sauce)

Vegetable Fire Cracker Rolls (with ginger mustard)

Crispy Mushroom Dumplings

Roast Duck and Chanterelle Bao Buns

Shrimp Sui Mei (with pickled watermelon relish)

Vegetable Fried Rice 

Char Sui Spare Ribs  

Before Chef Darrell Raymond was introduced, I don’t believe it ever occurred to either of us that he would be African American (Valorie had already said that she wanted to send compliments to the chef). It’s not often that we come across a black chef; restaurants just don’t hire them that often. And one whose specialty was Asian fusion? Highly unlikely. We were very happy that Buddakan AC was daring enough to choose the best chef it could find and that he just happened to be black. (Dish above is Vegetable Fire Cracker Rolls.)

Buddakan was one of several restaurants participating in the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival last weekend. Several big-name Food Network chefs were hosting events from Thursday through Sunday at $75 to $100 a pop. Chef Marcus Samuelsson hosted a wine pairing dinner for $1,000 per person.

Guy Fieri of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives“ – I just love his show; he seems to be having so much fun – oversaw a Cheesesteak Battle ($75) and a Big Bite Brunch (seafood, $100). Pat and Gina Neely of “Down Home with the Neelys” held a Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues ($50), and joined bluesman Robert Cray – who was added to the festival after we bought our tickets (Sigh!) – for Blues, Brews & BBQ ($75). Other hosts included Sandra Lee, Paula Deen and Sunny Anderson. The festival benefits the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization that fights and seeks a cure for breast cancer.

Harrah’s held the first festival in 2007, a two-day event called Toast to the Coast in Atlantic City, with several chefs conducting small events. Two years later, it was recast as the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival, and this year was the first year it was co-sponsored by the Food Network. This year was also the first year that Buddakhan has participated, according to one of the managers at the restaurant. (Dish above is Chicken and Ginger Dumplings.)

It was a good thing for us that it did. From the festival’s offerings, we chose brunch at Buddakan at the Pier (I’ve had meals at the flagship spot in Philadelphia and the food was superb) and the Grand Market later that day in two of Bally’s ballrooms. (We gave the market a thumbs-down: For me, there was too much wine and not enough food samples.).

At Buddakan, we got a chance to meet chef Raymond and I took his picture. At first, I thought it would be a bit dark: Buddakan is a cozy restaurant with a gigantic golden Buddha stationed against a center wall and a twilight ceiling. It gives you the feeling of night-time dining even though, outside, it was the middle of the day. Raymond was low-key (shy, perhaps), modest and very accommodating.

He has been at Buddakan since it opened in AC in 2007. He became enamored with Asian cooking after watching Martin Yan’s “Yan Can Cook” on public television as a boy growing up in Brooklyn. At age 17, he studied culinary arts at the Art Institutes of New York in 1997, according to a bio on the Atlantic City Restaurant Week website. He has been a sous chef at the Grand Havana Room, Ruby Foo’s and Zoe in New York, and the executive chef at the Tribeca Grand Hotel. He left New York to come to AC and Buddakan’s.

“My cooking philosophy is very simple,” Raymond said in one interview I found on the web. “Food should never be masked; the natural flavor of a dish should speak for itself.”

In a note on the back of the menu, he mentioned that dim sum (which means “touch the heart”) had evolved from a tea-house snack to a global dining experience. It originated in tea houses among the Cantonese in southern China, and is very much a part of the Chinese dining culture today. I liken the idea of it to Spanish tapas.

At the brunch, our waiter – who appeared a bit unfriendly to start – brought us a Sunrise (Van Gogh vodka, lychee, domaine de canton liquer and kalamanski) before even asking us our choices. Valorie and I didn’t like the drink (I don’t like vodka). He brought us a menu and my eyes settled on the Hou Hou Shu Sparkling Sake. Soon, Valorie and I were gulping it down, and I asked the waiter to leave the bottle (he kept walking away with it). Valorie also liked the Green Mountain (Van Gogh citron, green tea and lemon). Kristin stuck with the Sunrise. (Dish above is Roast Duck and Chanterelle Bao Buns.)

The experience ended much better than it started: We got stuck in traffic on the Atlantic City Expressway (like us, the manager said, several of his staffers called in about the traffic backup), so we were about 40 to 50 minutes late. First, we were told that we’d have to be separated: each of us would be placed at communal tables where people were on their third or fourth dishes (we later wondered how that would’ve worked).

We mulled that for a minute – neither of us liked the idea – until Kristin had the presence of mind to ask for our money back (tickets were $65 each). We waited, the hostesses talked among themselves, and finally we were seated at a booth. It was in the back (I never like sitting in the back of a restaurant) but we didn’t complain. Also on the menu was Pork Pot Stickers with a red vinegar dipping sauce, which never made it to our table. But we didn’t mind though – me, especially, since I don’t eat pork – because we got doubles of mushrooms and shrimp.

It was good friends, good conversation and great food. What a fun way to spend a Saturday in AC without sitting in front of a slot machine. (Dish below is  Crispy Mushroom Dumplings.)

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So, when I compare our circumstances to those of our ancestors, I realize that beating this unbelievable heat wave in this day and age should be a snap for most of us. I dislike intense, suffocating heat just as much as the next person, but when I think of them, my whining subsides immediately! Imagine what it must have been like to work in hot southern fields picking cotton, tobacco or vegetables, or cooking in hot kitchens while being malnourished, mistreated and most likely very thirsty.

We’re at least two generations past slavery, but circumstances are still really tough for some folks. And just in case you aren’t fortunate enough to have air conditioning throughout your house (or any at all), here are some tips that folks used  just a generation ago on hot summer days.

My mom says that she would visit my great Aunt Louise at her house in North Philadelphia back in the 1940s. There was no air conditioning and most likely only one fan in the house. 

“There were just the two of us ladies, so we often walked around in cotton slips (remember slips?) all over the house,” my mom tells me. Aunt Louise, who made a twice-daily ritual of opening and closing her blinds and curtains, would always keep them closed in the summer to keep the sunlight out. And there was always a fresh pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade to quench their thirst.

One of the best things we can do for ourselves in the heat is drink water, water, water. Infuse the water with any type of citrus (lemons, grapefruit, oranges or limes), because they are all loaded with vitamin C.

So keep an abundance of citrus fruits around to  squeeze in the water. Citrus drinks are always worthy hot or cold, but on sweltering 100-degree days like we’ve been having for the past few weeks, a nice cool citrus drink is  essential.

For that one special drink, the following will tickle your fancy.

Burst of sunshine blender drink

Blend the following on high for five minutes in a very large blender:

1 quart of orange juice with some pulp

1 cup vanilla yogurt

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh strawberries, raspberries or blackberries (or a mixture)

2 ripe bananas

1/2 cup ice

Garnish with sprigs of fresh peppermint.

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When Sherry, the co-owner of the We Are Back Women’s blog site, asked me to compete in Oprah’s national search for her next TV host, I leaped at the opportunity. I went on the O’ website to find out more about the contest and immediately set about writing a script.

I had planned to compete as a cooking show host, and aimed to hook her by making a unique version of one of her favorite foods – Mac ‘n cheese. We happen to share a passion for Delilah Winder’s dish, only mine is much healthier than the one Oprah crowned with one of her “best of” awards a few years ago.

Healthy enough to actually have your “Cake and Eat It Too” (the name of the segment I’d like to produce), the hook to my Mac ‘n cheese is that unlike Delilah’s dish - or our grandmother’s versions – mine is only about half the calories.

Not that I’m knocking Delilah. I’ve been loving her soul food for more than two decades, and it reminds me a lot of my grandmother’s, which was always delicious but fattening. And if most of us ate that type of food every day, we’d be worse off than we already are. As it stands now ladies, black women are some of the heftiest gals on the planet and for real, for real?

Who really wants to weigh a ton?

Since so many of us need to become more health-conscious, my show would have the same focus as this blog “Healthy Southern Comforts,” which is about  making soul food healthier.

I love soul food, and Philadelphia features several restaurants that specialize in southern-inspired cuisine. Each spot’s a gem in its own right and each has its own specialties. The Bynum  Brothers, who own Relish in the city’s West Oak Lane section, make seafood Mac ‘n cheese that’ll  knock your socks off, while Ms. Tootsie’s in South Philadelphia really hooks up fish. Down at Delilah’s in the Reading Terminal Market in Center City, just about anything they make is great. I love all of these restaurants, but the key to eating their food is moderation. I’m also equally as committed to finding ways to make healthier versions of soul food at home!

In the end, I wasn’t able to compete for Oprah. After a day of shooting, we decided the lighting still wasn’t quite up to par. But I’m still committed to the idea of creating some type of healthy cooking show.  Next time.

 Healthy Mac ‘N Cheese

Note: This dish tastes nothing like your grandmother’s, but it’s just as satisfying, twice as healthy and has only half the calories.

Ingredients

6 cups boiling water

1 tsp butter

1 box of penne  or bowtie pasta

1 ½ cups of shaved Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

2 bags baby spinach, rinsed and washed

1 box grape tomatoes, rinsed and halved

½ cup heirloom tomatoes, rinsed and halved

1 tsp finely grated chili pepper or ½ tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want more fire)

1/8 cup fresh cilantro, rinsed washed and finely chopped (save a few sprigs for garnish)

¼  cup fresh parsley, rinsed and densely chopped (save a few sprigs for garnish)

3 cloves fresh garlic, skinned, rinsed and chopped

Directions

Bring water to a rolling boil and add butter.

Boil pasta until cooked al dente (6-8 minutes or until slightly firm. Do not over cook!).

Add spinach atop the pasta in a colander during the last 15 seconds of cooking (just enough to wilt), thoroughly drain both and rinse with hot water.

Toss pasta with half the olive oil, mix in the spinach and set aside

Take the remaining olive oil and heat on low.

Toss in garlic and when slightly brown, add cilantro and chili pepper, and toss for another minute.

Add parsley and toss, but as soon as it wilts, remove the pan from the heat.

Toss with pasta and add remaining ingredients, plus 2/3 of the cheese, making sure that everything is mixed all the way through.

Garnish with remaining cheese and sprigs of cilantro and parsley.

Serve at any temperature.

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On another front, Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter is making sure that neighborhood pools open up on time. Last summer, the mayor threatened to shut down more than half of the city’s 72 swimming pools and scale back library hours because of budget woes.  Philadelphians were outraged,  and Mayor Nutter and Recreation Commissioner Sue  Slawson responded by launching the Splash and Summer Fund campaign, a corporate and community fund raising partnership designed to keep 69 of the city’s swimming pools opened this season. According to the Recreation Department’s website, there are also plenty of other interesting activities to keep our children engaged, including summer camps and outdoor activities, free or for nominal fees. That’s a very good thing, because on a national scale young people face tougher challenges than they have in decades.

The 2010 Child Well-Being Index recently released by the Foundation for Child Development, reports especially troubling news for parents on the lower economic spectrum and paints a grim picture for this generation of children. In short, the report says poverty, obesity and violence will affect this generation with numerous social and health challenges, wiping out all of the social progress made on behalf of children since 1975.

The Recreation Department’s website lists 150 free recreational activities, ranging from chess tournaments to concerts. But there’s nothing better than a spark of imagination in our homes to compliment those programs. I refuse to tolerate the words “I’m bored” from my two teenagers, so I’ve been web surfing to find simple, low costs things for them to do. Here are some of their projects.

In  Facebook, I  found one of the best safe driving campaign slogans I’ve ever seen. No matter what your religious beliefs, this one drives home a serious point. It reads,  “Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him.” I’ve challenged my children to create a safety campaign equal to or better than this one.

Scrapbooking is a fun, creative way to get children to document their activities.

Also found on Facebook : Camp CAYA sponsored by Karima “Life Coach K” Roepel. It’s a self-esteem building workshop for teen girls that helps them create their own personal Dream Boards, also known as Vision Boards. If you find Roepel’s class is full, encourage your girls to create their own dream boards. Kids love to dream and getting them to create a vision board gets them thinking about and preparing for their future.

Most public high schools have summer reading lists. Go a step further and choose a book for the entire family to encourage healthy discussions around the dinner table.

Philabundance  is launching the Sharing Your Garden project that encourages people to plant an extra row of vegetables to share. Kids love to watch things grow. Even just a pot on the windowsill can house vegetables to put on the table and to share with neighbors. Since obesity is such a big problem, we can keep our kids interested in helping with family meals by getting them into growing our own healthy food.

These activities encourage communication with our children, which also helps us parents to keep better tabs on their whereabouts.

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My Pesto Pasta is really simple to make, and it’s a real filler for vegetarians. When I’m making a small amount,  and don’t feel like hauling out the food processor to make fresh pesto, I buy a good brand of pesto sauce from Weavers’ Way Co-op, which recently opened up a third state-of-the-art market near me.  (Photo above shows fresh basil and baby spinach from photographer satakiele.)

Pesto is basically made from garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese and pine nuts, and blended in the food processor. Pesto can be used on any type of pasta, but I also like to serve it with rice, chicken or slices of mozzarella cheese with vine-ripe tomato slices.

Bowtie Pasta with Pesto for 6

Ingredients

One bag of bowtie pasta cooked al dente (slightly firm)

½ cup of fresh pesto sauce

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup grape tomatoes, washed and halved

½ cup shaved parmesan cheese

6 cups of boiling water

Directions

Bring water to a rapid boil and cook pasta for 6-8 minutes (until al dente).

Turn off heat and add spinach to wilt it.

Drain pasta while it’s still hot, and add pesto and tomatoes.

Garnish with parmesan cheese.

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This peppermint  will take over my yard if I let it
but it’s great for making iced tea.

I don’t normally buy too much meat for my family, especially in the summer. We eat a mostly vegetarian diet with a little bit of flesh thrown in. I always buy my chicken from the farmer’s market because the animals are raised on local farms where they receive more humane treatment. Chickens fed on the ground are much healthier than those from commercial farmers because they are nourished outside and in the sunlight rather than being fed  from a feeder in a factory with thousands of others. Plus, factory-grown animals are always shot up with hormones to make them grow abnormally faster.

Also at the farmer’s market, the butcher is willing to custom-pound the meat, which helps to tenderize it before you cook it.

In the summer, I prefer mostly fish, and am starting to eat less and less of it - especially in light of the Gulf oil spill (and who knows how far that will travel).  I’m moving away from seafood as well. Farm-raised seafood, although it might not have the same pollutants found in the ocean, have  other problems such as bacteria. Plus farm-raised fish just isn’t authentic enough for my tastebuds and it doesn’t really taste enough like the ocean.

Which brings me to this: I love vegetables, especially in the springtime. There’s nothing better than a stir-fried or steamed medley of fresh veggies. I love buying my vegetables from the co-op or from local farmer’s markets for pretty much the same reason as for meat. They are much fresher and organic, and those farmers don’t use chemically laced pesticides. In fact, some vegetables are so fresh they still have dirt on their roots.

Every summer I try to grow a few more herbs. Last year I started with peppermint and rosemary, which are both great for seasoning many foods. Peppermint is a weed and it has taken over my garden. This year I added lemongrass and I’m also trying to grow tomatoes. With a small yard I can’t grow too much. But many people are turning their roofs  into roof-top vegetable gardens. I’m not there yet , but still I find that concept fascinating.

I’m at the beginning of growing tomatoes and the experts say I should grow something for them to climb up. Any suggestions?

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Ask anyone who has southern roots what they used to drink on a hot summer day and they’ll most likely tell you a tall glass of ice cold lemonade. It quenches the thirst like no other drink on the planet, and it has many health benefits as well.

What I love most about lemonade is that you can drink it hot or cold, and blend it with many other fruits, like strawberries, blueberries, peaches or oranges. It’s delicious, helps to cleanse the palate and is great for our insides, too. It’s also my favorite drink, with or without …

Lemons can also be used medicinally to treat many ailments, like colds and infections. And they can be utilized as a natural disinfectant or a deodorizer on the body and in the house.

The other day, I ran out of hand soap and had garlic on my hands. I wanted to get rid of the smell fast to take a letter from the postman. I remembered my grandmothers telling me to use fresh lemon juice to get rid of the garlic smell, and it worked like magic.

Another drink I make is ginger tea, which is good for upset stomachs. Whenever my children have upset stomachs, I make them tea from fresh ginger root. I also use it to enhance my voice if I’m broadcasting on the radio or I mix it with Turbinado sugar, shea butter and olive oil as a foot scrub (but that’s another blog). The only time I didn’t use ginger was during my pregnancies (those days are long past), because it can be dangerous to the mother.

But both ginger and peppermint can also be used as natural remedies both internally and externally.

So in the midst of a heat wave,  a cold glass of natural lemonade is both soothing and refreshing. Just imagine how wonderful it tastes with both ginger and fresh peppermint.

Fatimah’s Peppermint-Ginger-Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 handful of fresh peppermint leaves washed and pulled from the stems

1/3 cup of ginger root, skinned and sliced lengthwise

Juice from 8 lemons (no seeds)

1 cup boiling hot spring or filtered water

½ gallon of cold spring or filtered water

2 cups of ice

½  cup of  raw honey or Turbninado sugar (or more to taste)

Directions:

Dissolve honey or sugar in hot water, add the ginger and boil for one minute.

Allow mixture to cool. Mix with lemon juice, cold water and peppermint.

Pour in tall glasses over ice. Garnish with peppermint leaves.

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