Tuesday, February 9, 2010

When Life Throws You Lemons...

...make more than just lemonade! Try a couple tablespoons of lemon juice in your pate or marinara sauce. Squeeze a little in your smoothie or green drink! I guarantee it'll taste 10x better and feel more alive!!!

Lemons are a funny thing. It's so sour and it makes your lips pucker (though Meyer lemons are more sweet). How often do you sit around the couch eating one anyway? Exactly! But, the juice that a lemon can produce is pretty amazing! Just one ounce gives you about 25% of your daily Vitamin C. I typically add at least 1oz (about 2T) to any recipe that either calls for or deserves lemon juice.

Why don't chef's add lemon juice to marinara? Does the lemon not deserve to be added? Is the marinara too good for lemon juice? They are a perfect marriage!!!!! Lemon brings out the best in the sauce. It makes it sing!!!! Try it sometime.

Tips
Choose a lemon that is fully yellow. Ones that have a hint of green are not fully ripe and are more acidic. Look for ones with thin skin. They are more juicy than the ones with the thicker flesh. You want to store them away from light but you can also keep them in the fridge for about a month. If you do use one out of the fridge, dip it in warm water to soften or let it sit out for a bit. Roll them around to soften...or massage. It'll extract more juice. If you're going to use the lemon itself, not just the juice, and are looking to eliminate some of the bitterness, remove the white pith.

Simple salad dressing: lemon juice, oil (olive or flax), garlic and pepper.

The point is, when you get dealt a lemon, it's a blessing because now you have the one ingredient that can change good to GREAT!

Enjoy the lemons that life throws you!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Rawrrrr!!!! life threw me lemons this week i will roll them around and use them. i can hear you saying "lemons, lemons" under your breath every time they were overlooked in class. who loves lemons? WE DO!!!!

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