Blackcurrant Bonanza
Blackcurrants are the number one superfruit.Eating blackcurrants or drinking blackcurrant juice is a natural, easy way to improve your antioxidant intake, whilst simultaneously helping to maintain a healthy heart and ward off infections. The Blackcurrant Foundation which aims to raise awareness of the health benefits associated with British Blackcurrants has sent us the recipes below and we think you're going to love them! Fruitful Boost of Energy
This tropical luxury is packed full of natural sugars to help energise your whole body, whilst providing you with nearly 200% of the RDA of vitamin C. The coconut milk adds a little fat which helps to slow down the rate of sugar release into your system so you get a longer lasting boost. Overall result is a gorgeous taste - the perfect drink to perk you up at any time of day. Drink it half an hour before you go to the gym, for a more efficient work out.
Serves: 200ml glass
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Ingredients:
50g fresh or thawed blackcurrants
110ml pineapple juice
1/3 of a banana
3 1/2 teaspoons coconut milk
Press the blackcurrants through a sieve using a spoon, discarding the pulp that’s left behind. Add the blackcurrant juice you have made to the other ingredients and whizz them all together.
40ml of bought blackcurrant juice can be substituted in place of fresh made juice. Vitamin C Blackcurrant BoostThis simple concoction is light, fruity and a perfectly refreshing drink for summer afternoons, full of lots of protective antioxidant power from the phytochemicals in blackcurrants and apples. Alternatively for winter, why not spice things up with a fine grating of mace to taste, and serve warmed as a ‘flu-fighter’.
Serves: One 200ml glass
Ingredients:
45g fresh or thawed blackcurrants
160ml good quality cloudy apple juice
10ml elderflower cordial
Press the blackcurrants through a sieve, discarding the pulp that’s left behind. Add the blackcurrant juice you have made to the other ingredients and stir them together.
30ml bought blackcurrant juice can be substituted in place of fresh made juice. Blackcurrant BreakfastThis combination of grains, yogurt and fruit makes for a delicious drink that keeps you going all morning. Not only is it packed with calcium from the yogurt and vitamin C from the blackcurrants and mango, but the grains have a slow releasing carb effect.
Serves: One 200ml glass
Ingredients:
30g fresh or thawed blackcurrants
80ml natural whole milk yogurt
75ml cloudy apple juice
2 tspns mashed mango
10ml honey
10g mixed spelt flakes / oats (5g each type, crushed to a coarse sawdust texture)
NB: If spelt flakes are unavailable, use all oats, but only 8g.
Press the blackcurrants through a sieve, discarding the pulp that’s left behind. Add the blackcurrant juice you have made to all the other ingredients apart from the grains and whizz or stir them together. Add the grains at the end.
20ml bought blackcurrant juice can be substituted in place of fresh made juice. A Berry Boost for Anti-AgeingThis drink is crammed full of anthocyanin rich berries - very powerful antioxidants! Anthocyanins help to protect against ageing in various ways - in particular by promoting the health of blood vessels and preventing the destruction of collagen to keep your skin looking good!
Serves: One 200ml glass
Ingredients:
20g fresh or thawed blackcurrants
20g fresh blueberries
40g fresh raspberries
20g pitted fresh cherries (ideally Bing)
100ml purple grape juice.
Whizz all the ingredients together in a liquidiser, or with a hand blender.
30ml bought blackcurrant juice can be substituted in place of fresh made juice. Blackcurrants Bone BuilderThis drink contains a quarter of the RDA of calcium, so is perfect for helping to strengthen your bones. The probiotic yogurt can also help to ease minor digestive troubles whilst the vanilla is incredibly soothing too.
Serves: One 200ml glass
Ingredients:
30g fresh or thawed blackcurrants
120ml vanilla flavour probiotic low fat yoghurt
80ml apple juice
Press the blackcurrants through a sieve, discarding the pulp that’s left behind. Add the blackcurrant juice you have made to the other ingredients and stir them together.
20ml bought blackcurrant juice can be substituted in place of fresh made juice. Wind CheaterThe ideal drink to sip if you’re feeling nauseous or have excess wind. Fennel is the ingredient in baby’s gripe water that relieves flatulence. It is thought that the high level of anthocyanins and phenolic acids in blackcurrant also help to inhibit the bacterial activity of Salmonella and E. coli, and enhance the activity of friendly Lactobacilli. So this drink is perfect if you’re getting back on your feet after a bout of food poisoning or a tummy bug.
Serves: One 200ml glass
Ingredients:
30g Fresh or Thawed blackcurrants
180ml chilled fennel "tea" (made with 200ml hot water and 2 tsp fennel seeds, brewed for 10 minutes and then sieved),
2 tsp sugar
Press the blackcurrants through a sieve, discarding the pulp that’s left behind. Stir the blackcurrant juice you have made into the fennel tea, and add the sugar.
20ml bought blackcurrant juice can be substituted in place of fresh made juice.
March 2008
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