I promise you, I didn’t try to kill my mother-in-law!!! If you ask my husband and his mother, they may have a different answer.  Seriously, our family knows I love his mom, whom we lovingly call PG!  I was unaware of a pepper allergy that PG had, that is all.

So you can imagine why the first time I cooked for my in-laws was a little dubious at first because we toasted dinner with my ginger elixir that had a dash of “pepper”, {ruh- roh}!  It was a fiery mess and not the kind you could put out with a fire extinguisher.  Thank God the fiery blaze in PG’s throat calmed and we didn’t make a visit to the ER.

If you have a pepper allergy please skip it in this recipe.  In fact, this tonic is SERIOUS business and is best when taken a few ounces at a time throughout the day while doing a cleanse or trying to fight a virus. Many years ago I studied at Deepok Chopra Center in California and learned many wonderful Ayurvedic recipes, but this one was a favorite!  It’s a go to saving-grace recipe for keeping colds at bay and boosting immunity.

This elixir is also a wonderful prelude to drink before dinner as it aids digestion, helps metabolize food and has incredible anti-inflammatory properties.  The uniqueness of this drink is a fun way to get your dinner party started, as long as their are not any pepper allergies that is.

To make shot cups out of cucumbers, cut the ends off so it will sit flat and slice in half giving you 2 cups. Careful when scooping out pulp not to get too close to the bottom as you might find a leaky cup in your hand. I suggest leaving a good inch of pulp at the bottom of cup. Remind your guests that eating the cucumber after is part of the experience. Cheers to your health!

I have a question for you……Why do mom-in-laws get such a bad rap?  I must have lucked out on mine because she is pretty steller in my book!  Any woman who gave birth or claims 6 kids as hers, I deem a hero with 3 boys {oh my} and 3 girls {triple oh my}!  Yes, I am in awe of her!  For starters she gave me such a laudable man to marry and secondly, she took care of me after our daughter was born by cooking, cleaning and just giving me time to sleep {even if it was only 2 hours before feeding time}.  PG, I am so grateful for you, and I dedicate this post to you!

This picture is to show you what 1 cup of ginger looks like in chunks and it yielded 3/4 cup of  juice. I am not a big fan of juicing as I am a whole food Vitamix kinda girl but on occasion I love juicing ginger!

Cucumber Ginger Elixir {digestion aid & immune booster}

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Dawn Rofrano with Spoonful of Health

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• equal parts of:
• freshly juiced ginger
• freshly juiced lemon
• filtered water
• honey to taste
• dash pepper
• Or to make 10 -2 oz. servings:
• ¾ cup of ginger, lemon & water
• 2 tbsp. honey
• dash of pepper

Instructions

1. Wash ginger and cut away any bad parts.
2. Place the ginger chunks in a juicer {skin on only if it's organic}.
3. I like to add ¼ cup water after the ginger is juiced to flush more through juicer.
4. Wash and juice lemons. I use a hand press lemon squeezer.
5. Blend all liquids and add raw honey to taste. The elixir should not be too sweet.
6. You can always dilute elixir with more water if you want to take baby steps.
7. Keep in mind you are shooting 2 to 3 ounces and not sipping on it.
8. Add a dash of pepper and serve in cucumber cups for a perfect combo!

Notes

Toast to your health with this pungent tonic before dinner or use as an aid to a cleanse. Equal parts of the ingredients makes for a medicinal shot and warms the belly up for dinner. However, you can dilute with water to accommodate your guests. Serving it in cucumber cut out cups is perfect so one can take a bite of the cool cucumber to balance the fiery flavors. This elixir is great for digestion, is a natural anti-inflammatory and helps metabolize food better. You can use the left over fiber in the juicer to make ginger tea. Simply boil the fiber in water, then simmer for 10 minutes and strain. You can juice the ginger in a Vitamix just add ½ cup water and ½ cup ginger chunks, puree and than using a fine strainer strain out the fibrous part. Continue with the rest of the recipe using equal parts. Please use organic when you can.

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