The physics of leaf, water volume, timing, and temperature are affected by brewing utensils

The art of wine

Just 10 years ago, most consumers ordered wine by the type (red, white, etc.). Today, consumers are more likely to order wine based on varietal, style, vintage, and origin. Wine consumers have become very sophisticated.

Within the last five years, consumers have begun to pay attention to the temperature at which their wine is stored and served as well as the shape and volume of the glass they savor their wine in.

The third wave of coffee

Espresso and coffee also have blossomed from a simple beverage to a gourmet experience. Coffee bars are now using 2-3 times the amount of coffee grounds to make an average coffee drink. Coffee drinks have become stronger with richer body and a wider range of flavor profiles.

Single origin coffees, varietals, and complicated yet rewarding brewing methods, coupled with consumer education about coffee, have led this age-old beverage into a renaissance period.

A new wave of tea?

People have come to expect more from coffee and wine, but what about tea? Can we cultivate an elevation in the understanding and appreciation of tea similar to that for wine and coffee? Yes, we can!

First, we must understand that our brewing methods and our concepts of tea are stuck in the 19th Century, when much of the tea consumed in the US was Congou black or broken leaf teas. Much of the premium tea we offer today was not even available in the US 10 years ago. Many of these teas can’t be measured with a teaspoon and have simple yet unique brewing methods that render the best flavors.

Ms. Yumiko-san measuring the proper amount of Gyokuro for brewing in a Ho-hin.

More teas = more to learn and love

Modern consumers have an unprecedented abundance of superb tea available to them, but rarely do they taste the full potential greatness of the leaf. People still make their tea too dilute, using a small amount of leaf in a large volume of water with teapots better suited for Victorian-era tea service. Many of the teas we appreciate today should be brewed using more leaf, controlling the infusion temperature and time to yield a strong, aromatic, rich bodied and stronger infusion.

A Ho-hin is a traditional brewing vessel or small type of teapot used for fine green teas like Gyokuro.

It’s so important for people to understand the traditional and delicious flavors that remain locked within the potential of their tea leaves. The key is to grow the awareness and educate tea lovers about various brewing methods so they can fully enjoy the teas available to them.

Really getting to know your tea

Once the true taste and energy of tea is revealed through better brewing, I believe tea will enjoy a renaissance period like wine and coffee. The nuance of varietal, origin, vintage, season, and style will become apparent and appreciated only when we stop serving tea in an antiquated manner.

Learning from a tea master

Sencha green tea from Japan is an example of a very popular tea that very few people brew to the tea’s full potential. This year, at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, Rishi Tea invited our friend, Mr. Tadao Yasukura-san, a 70-year-old tea master from the Obaku Kofu Ryo school of Sencha-do, to lead tea ceremonies and brewing workshops in our booth.

The Sencha-do ceremonies educated our customers about improved brewing methods and helped nurture a better understanding of the wonderful flavor and energy of Sencha green tea. The workshops were a great success, informing tea lovers about the history and tradition of Japanese green tea as well as the improved brewing methods of using more tea and shorter brewing times.

A rich, flavorful brew of roasted Bancha expertly decanted by Mr. Yasukura-san.

From tradition to today

It’s important that we learn about various traditional brewing methods used in the tea origin and producing countries. Each tea has a specific brewing method best suited to its leaf style. Even if we don’t use the same meticulous methods or rare ceramics as a tea master, we can taste the way tea should taste and implement our own techniques to improve the way we serve and enjoy tea.

I hope tea lovers will be inspired to adapt certain core principles from traditional tea brewing methods in order to create their own unique style.

I’m not talking about healthy green food like kale, tea, Brussels sprouts, and shelled raw peas. That’s all great. I’m talking fake green food — stuff that has blue and yellow whatevers in it to make it appealing to the masses.

Yet all of my Yankee stick-to-itiveness about the purity of what I ingest goes out the window when I return to my college days of early alcohol exploration, which gleefully included Intro to Midori 101.

Mad about Midori

Bright green and Japanese aren’t adjectives normally in the same description. But if something smells like nectar and is colored vaguely like a “Go” light, chances are we’re talking about Midori.

Midori is a melon liqueur with so distinct a color it’s spot-able across a room. Back in the day, it was produced by Japan’s Suntory company (if the name rings a bell, you probably saw Lost In Translation). Today, Midori is mostly produced in Mexico, and its presence in a glass is a dead giveaway that you drink what naysayers call girly drinks. Arguably the most recognizable of them all is a Midori Sour.

Midori Sour gets a makeover

Midori Sours generally combine two ingredients: Midori, and a pre-made sweet-and-sour concoction so sugary it’s hard to tell the liqueur from the mixer. But for folks with a sweet tooth, it’s that fact that makes Midori Sours a great segue into the world of drinking.

However, some people simply like the taste of melon. And as opposed to a Cosmopolitan or Apple Martini, Midori Sours make a nice change of pace. For those drinkers, Food Thinkers offers up this very grown-up approach to the Midori Sour, using fresh pineapple and lemon juices from your juicer … entirely avoiding any extra sugar and relying instead on the Midori itself to sweeten the deal. A top-off of soda water adds a little extra somethin’ somethin’.

I’m a bourbon and club soda girl at heart, but there are those random summer days when something good and green is just darn tasty. But if you’re against the green, remember: Suntory makes other things for relaxing times …

Midori Sour

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Midori liqueur
• 1 ounce vodka
• ¼ pineapple
• 1 lemon, peeled
• 1½ ounces soda water

Instructions

Juice the pineapple and lemon. Mix the Midori, vodka, and juices together. Pour mixture into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with soda water, gently stir, and serve.

Using the pulp from my juicer not only ensures that I get all the nutrients from my produce, the juicer also does most of the chopping and mincing work for me. This renders pulp that is more or less ready to be thrown into a recipe, as is.

Get to know your pulp

Of course, it’s easier to use pulp from some fruits and vegetables (apples, cucumbers, leafy greens, peppers, carrots, parsley) than pulp from pithy citrus (oranges and grapefruits), or the seedy pulp from certain small berries.

But once you figure out what produce yields usable pulp, it’s very easy to find recipes that, with a minor adaptation here and there, will allow you to turn your juicing “waste” into delicious meals and desserts.

From juice to main dish

I had a pile of leafy green pulp from a batch of chard and dandelion juice that I sweetened slightly with a few Bartlett pears. I was lucky to find some very vibrant-looking red chard for this recipe, but you can use green chard (as pictured) or rainbow chard as well.

The chard and dandelion juice left me with more than four cups of shredded greens. I gently sautéed the pulp with sweet onions and spices and then blended the mixture into a creamy tofu filling for these stuffed peppers.

Adding nuts or seeds as a topping gives the finished product a nice textural contrast. Topping the peppers with breadcrumbs and shredded cheese is also a nice touch. I recommend serving these with a side of rice pilaf.

Tofu-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients for Red Chard and Dandelion Juice

• 1 large bunch red, green, or rainbow chard
• 1 small bunch dandelion greens
• 3 ripe Bartlett pears

Ingredients for peppers

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced Vidalia onion, or other sweet onion
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth, divided
• 1½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• chard, dandelion, and pear pulp (see below recipe)
• 1 pound firm tofu, drained and patted dry
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 to 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 to 4 large bell peppers
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• mild sheep’s milk cheese (optional)
• pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions for juice

Wash the greens well to remove dirt and debris. Using your juicer, juice everything and collect the pulp in a bag (you may need to change bags halfway through — there will be a lot of pulp). Mix juice and enjoy.

Instructions for stuffed peppers

1. In a wide sauté pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes and cook until the onion has begun to caramelize (adjust the heat if the onion is burning or browning too quickly).
2. When onion is golden, deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of the wine, and add the minced garlic. Cook over medium low heat for a few minutes more.
3. Add the pulp to the onion mixture along with the second tablespoon of wine. Cover until greens have had a chance to wilt. Remove pan from heat and cool slightly.
4. Scrape the sauté mixture into the bowl of a food processor and crumble the tofu in. Add the lemon juice, mustard, tamari, and remaining teaspoon of salt and purée until smooth.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and grease a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.
6. Halve the bell peppers lengthwise through the stem and remove the stem and seeds.
7. Scoop the filling into the bell pepper halves and smooth the tops. Sprinkle bread crumbs and seeds or nuts over the stuffed peppers. Top with grated cheese, if using.
8. Arrange peppers in the prepared pan and pour half a cup of water into the bottom. Drizzle a little olive oil over the peppers. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, checking halfway through to see if peppers are browning too quickly. Cover with foil for remaining time, if needed.

Somehow these little guys contain the very essence of the sea, and thanks to the ease with which they can be cultured, they can be enjoyed year-round almost anywhere.

The secret’s out

Probably the most famous dish incorporating oysters is Oysters Rockefeller — literally named for the richness of its sauce when John D. Rockefeller was the wealthiest man in America. In 1899, Jules Alciatore, the founder of Antoine’s in New Orleans, Louisiana, created the dish.

The original recipe remains a secret to this day: even former employees of Antoine’s won’t talk about how it’s made. But food scientists have made a decent stab at deconstructing the recipe, and, by all accounts, they’ve come pretty close.

A balanced pairing

So, what can you pair with a dish so rich that it’s named for one of the wealthiest men in history? Sometimes, a partnership works best when one of the two parties is a little more … understated.

That’s why UFO Pale Ale is the choice for this pairing. It’s crisp and mild, but flavorful, with a definite dry-hop presence, and a light caramel flavor that ends with a clean herbal, mint note. It won’t try to compete with the richness of the Rockefeller; it will just keep it balanced.

Oysters Rockefeller

adapted from variations on Antoine’s Oysters Rockefeller

Ingredients

• 2-dozen fresh oysters on the half shell, oyster liquor reserved
• 4 sprigs flat-leaf Italian parsley, very finely minced
• 4 green onions (including the green part), very finely minced
• a handful of fresh celery leaves, very finely minced
• 6 fresh chervil leaves
• 6 to 12 fresh tarragon leaves, very finely minced
• ¾ cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese (or any hard Italian cheese)
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Tabasco sauce, to taste
• 2 tablespoons Pernod (optional)
• rock salt

Instructions

1. Put finely minced herbs, softened butter, and grated cheese in your blender. Pulse to combine.
2. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl and season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco, and for a little extra kick, Pernod.
3. Preheat the broiler of your oven. Place the rack in the middle.
4. Spread the rock salt over the baking sheet; this will keep the oysters level under the broiler so they won’t tip over. Moisten the salt very slightly. Plant the shells in the salt, making sure they’re level.
5. Place one oyster in each shell, plus a tablespoon or so of the oyster liquor. Spoon an equal amount of the prepared herb butter mixture over each oyster.
6. Place the baking sheet on the rack and broil until the edges of the oysters have curled and the herb butter is bubbling, about five minutes. Serve immediately.

Arguably an occasion unto itself, indulging in baklava is an exotic treat equally fantastic for entertaining a group, or for a special night at home. Its flavors logically pair well with the cuisine of its countries of origin, and its markedly rich sweetness is usually best prefaced by light yet flavorfully spiced foods. These Parsley-Orange Chicken Sticks with Tzatziki Dipping Sauce are a fantastic complement, offering just enough savory freshness for a delicious and diverse meal.

Because baklava is composed of only a few key ingredients, each has a very important role in creating its unique, sweet-and-spiced flavor. The main structure of the dessert is made up of phyllo, which provides a crispy yet moist bounty of thinly layered dough.

Though the fragile sheets of phyllo can be a bit tricky to handle, the dessert itself is forgiving. With so many layers, imperfections melt away between their honeyed, sweet glaze.

Baklava’s origin is impossible to pin down to one location, and consequently, ingredients and recipes vary. I’ve included walnuts and almonds here, but almost any nut, from pistachio to pecans, can be used. Go with what you like, but be sure to remember to cut the baklava prior to baking — it will be nearly impossible to cut through all those crispy layers after the fact.

For a larger crowd, baklava is great cut into smaller, petit-four-sized bites, and its intense sweetness makes it great for nibbling. But that’s not to dismiss its indulgent nature. Extravagantly large, diamond-shaped wedges are the classic and, in my opinion, best and most inspired way to consume this rich, wonderful treat.

Baklava

Baklava Ingredients

• 10 to 12 sheets of phyllo dough
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup chopped almonds
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Syrup Ingredients

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).  Butter an 8 × 8 inch pan and set aside.
2. Thaw the phyllo dough sheets and them roll out. Cut into 8 × 8 inch squares and cover with damp cloth until ready to use.
3. Toss the chopped walnuts and almonds with the sugar and cinnamon until evenly coated.
4. Place 2 sheets of phyllo in the pan and butter thoroughly. This can be done with a pastry brush if you have one. Repeat until you have 8 layers of buttered phyllo sheets.
5. Sprinkle a thin layer of nut mixture on top of sheets.
6. Cover nut layer with another 2 sheets of phyllo.  Butter the sheets and again sprinkle a thin layer of nuts.
7. Repeat this process until you have 6 sheets of phyllo left.
8. Butter the remaining phyllo sheets individually and use them to create the top layer of the baklava.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into desired portions prior to baking.
10. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and the edges are crisped.

While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, add the water and sugar and boil over medium heat.
2. Once boiled, add honey and lemon juice and continue to cook until the honey is combined and the sauce has thickened.
3. Remove from heat. Let cool.

Once the baklava has finished baking, remove from oven and immediately spoon the cooled sauce over the hot baklava. Allow to cool completely before serving.

It’s also about walking a dusk-cool beach after a steamy day, wrapped in something cozy. It’s about having that perfect summer-weight blanket keep the chill off your legs as you enjoy a backyard fire pit. And while you’re doing all of that, summer is all about having a mug of something warm to wrap your hands around.

If you have any lingering childhood memories of drinking hot chocolate outside on a chilly night, this is the minty adult version of your memory.

Coffee + chocolate = mocha

You’d think that coffee and chocolate would make a very different word. Choffee, maybe? Cofflate? These days mocha means something that combines coffee with chocolate flavoring, but here’s something that might help you win your next trivia night: In the 16th and 17th centuries, mocha referred to a very bitter, high-quality Arabian coffee that was shipped from Yemen’s port of … you guessed it: Mocha.

You can still get Arabian mocha, though it’s lost its shine with the passage of time. Which is probably a good thing: Ordering a mint mocha would mean something very different.

Mocha + mint = marvelous

Hot and cold mint mocha beverages are popular during workweek coffee breaks, but the best time to enjoy them is really when you have the time to enjoy them. With an espresso machine you can easily whip up a batch of these as casual after-dinner drinks that can be enjoyed inside or out.

Beaches are optional.

Mint Mocha

Ingredients

• 2 ounces espresso
• 1 ounce peppermint schnapps
• 1 ounce chocolate syrup
• 9 ounces steamed milk and foam
• mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. Mix syrup and schnapps together in the bottom of an empty, preheated cup.
2. Stir in espresso and then add steamed milk and foam. Garnish with mint leaves.

Fresh off the boat

Recipes differ greatly depending on the catch of the day, but they almost always include Dungeness crab, which is abundant in the Bay area. For ease I prefer to use crab claws or legs, or sometimes none at all.

In my cioppino you’ll always find large shrimp (U-15, which just means there are about 15 shrimp to a pound), sea scallops (make sure you pick ones that don’t have any water or chemical additives), and small clams. Very often I add green-lipped mussels and some kind of white fish that is fresh, and listed here as a safe, sustainable option.

Make more than enough

I love this soup with a crusty baguette and butter on a cold day. I always make enough for 12 even though there are only two of us. It’s a great dish for leftovers and easy for hungry kids to heat up.

San Francisco Style Cioppino or Fish Stew

Ingredients

For more information on sustainable choices for fish, check Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guide.

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 quart chicken or fish stock
• 1 large can whole plum tomatoes with juice
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, crushed
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced (reserve some zest for garnish)
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound white fish, halibut, or sea bass, cut into large pieces
• 1 pound small clams, washed
• ½ pound calamari, cleaned and sliced
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound Dungeness crab, cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces, shell on
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• red pepper flakes, optional
• lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Heat oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or slow cooker insert over medium heat. When butter has melted, add onion, celery, and carrots; sauté until translucent. Add garlic and stir briefly, do not brown.
2. Add wine, stock, tomatoes with juice, herbs, half the lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes in a Dutch oven or 6 hours on low in a slow cooker.
3. Add remaining ingredients to Dutch oven 10 minutes before serving, or 30 minutes before serving if using a slow cooker. Cook and simmer, do not boil. Add parsley, reserved lemon zest, and lemon juice to taste just before serving.

Best enjoyed with a loaf of crusty San Francisco-style sourdough bread, real butter, and a glass of hearty red wine.

Serves 6.

And few summer staples fit the bill better than ratatouille.

Versatile summer stew

Ratatouille is a vegetable stew from Provence that people love for its flexibility. Once cooked, it can be transferred to a decorative bowl and served hot, cold, or at room temp as a main dish, a side dish, or even as an appetizer with toasted bread or crackers, the way the French like it.

Traditional ratatouille features a certain set of vegetables that are sautéed in garlic and olive oil (diced eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, green peppers, onions, and garlic), but part of the fun is that you can ditch the usual suspects and combine any vegetables you want.

Gratin-ize it

As terrific as it tastes, when you’re sick of eating ratatouille six ways to Sunday because you’re still using up those veggies, on the seventh day, use it as the base for a gratin.

Gratin refers to another well-known French dish that’s topped with a savory, crumbly mix of herbs, cheese, and breadcrumbs sautéed in butter, then warmed in the oven or under the broiler.

In this recipe, freshly made ratatouille (or leftovers) are transformed into a completely different meal thanks to the gratin topping. But be sure to use the right vessel: Gratin baking dishes are noticeably more shallow than others, allowing for a greater crunch-to-bite ratio. Typically, they’re pretty enough to go straight from oven to table, making this ratatouille gratin perfect for lunch, brunch, or dinner.

So the next time you have too much summer produce, either make this recipe through the ratatouille stage, or turn it into a gratin. You’ll squeeze two meals from one, which will free up time for doing more fun stuff … like picking more vegetables.

Ratatouille Gratin

Ratatouille Ingredients

• 1 pound plum tomatoes
• 3 baby eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Gratin Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• pinch black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) — with convection on if you’re using a convection oven.
2. In a roasting pan, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and diced eggplant. Toss to coat. Roast the eggplant for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, make the gratin: combine bread crumbs, cheese, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Mix together using a fork. Set aside.
4. Thinly slice two tomatoes and set aside. Chop remaining tomatoes and set aside. In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add onions, and cook for 5 minutes. Add bell peppers, sliced zucchini, garlic, herbes de Provence, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until juices are beginning to evaporate.
5. Remove from heat. Add roasted eggplant, basil, salt, and pepper. At this point, you could serve the ratatouille on its own.
6. Or you could go on to make Ratatouille Gratin: place the vegetables in a 13 × 9 × 3 inch heatproof dish. Press firmly using the back of a wooden spoon.
7. Arrange sliced tomatoes on top, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with gratin.
8. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) — with convection on if you’re using a convection oven.
9. Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is golden and crispy.

At some point, that rationale leads to a bottleneck in the bread bin, and our baked goods go bad before we can eat them. Then comes the inevitable push toward the trash.

The next time you even think that might happen, stop yourself! Wars have been fought over bread, for goodness’ sake. There has to be a better end for that bâtard … and there is: turn it into dessert.

When life gives you stale bread, make pudding

We weren’t kidding about the wars thing. As a result, many European and Mediterranean cuisines looked for ways to repurpose even stale bread so families wouldn’t go hungry. Thanks to their ingenuity, some of the best dishes have emerged from their efforts. One is panzanella. Another is bread pudding.

Bread by any other name

Bread pudding is baked dessert that can be served hot or cold and flavored in a multitude of ways. The basics require ingredients similar to custard: milk or cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices. Just tear up your bread pieces, pour over your flavor mixture, bake, and you’re done.

This version adds more richness to the dish with coconut and chocolate. Like other recipes with so few ingredients, it’s important that they’re high quality, so try to buy the best you can afford. Although an eggy French brioche is perfect, plain ol’ white would work just fine. Valrhona chocolate is extravagantly good, but so are store-brand chips.

Regardless, make this once and you’ll never complain about bread going bad again. You’ll probably end up buying more.

(Go ahead. You know you want to.)

Coconut Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 5 ounces day-old bread with crust on, torn into pieces
• ½ cup coconut shavings
• ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
  

  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 2½-quart baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in bread, coconut and chocolate. The mixture will be quite loose.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden and custard is somewhat set. Serve warm.

Serves 6 to 8.

Since his animal trials were so successful he began growing, drying and powdering the grass for family and friends to promote their health and wellness. Ten years later, cans of Schanabel’s wheatgrass juice were available on apothecary shelves.

Though wheatgrass consumption in the Western world began in 1930s, wheatgrass as a vitality drink dates back 5000 years ago to the Egyptians who drank it for its restorative properties. Modern fans have likened the energy it delivers to caffeine.

A natural energy boost

According to the Hippocrates Health Institute, the chlorophyll in wheat grass helps carry oxygen to every cell in your body. It’s that oxygen in the body’s cells that help fight disease, harmful bacteria, and cancer.

Although the health claims surrounding wheatgrass have yet to be validated in scientific literature, many people feel wheatgrass has positively impacted their overall health by improving their vitality and energy, purifying and cleansing the blood, and ridding the body of harmful toxins.

You won’t know until you try it!

Powder gives your juice a kick

While many people believe that wheatgrass is best when consumed fresh, wheatgrass powder is a great alternative for people who do not wish to purchase or grow their own wheatgrass. Wheatgrass powder can be stirred into fresh juice for a quick pick-me-up and added boost of energy.

Tropical Island Bliss Juice

Ingredients

• ½ English cucumber
• 1 kiwi
• ⅓ lime
• ½  grapefruit
• For adding in: ½ teaspoon wheatgrass powder and ½ tablespoon agave nectar

Instructions

Process the cucumber, kiwi, lime, and grapefruit in your juicer. Place the wheatgrass powder and agave in an empty glass and stir well. Pour juice into the glass and stir until incorporated. Serves one.