Under the weather?  Jet lagged?  Just need an energy boost?  When I am any or all of these, I turn to The Juicery.  Packed with fresh local (mostly organic) goodness and spring water, this tiny spot hits the spot every time and I swear by it. My personal pick-me-up at least once per month – The Juicery is essential for my good health and well-being, and now I share my secret with you.  We all strive for clear soft skin, good nails, and healthy hair.  Although exercise can help, you are what you eat, don’t forget.  And I can’t forget this place or how I feel after I’ve had just one concoction.

Learning what to mix is actually fun.  Your taste buds are your friend, so trust them.  Start with something sweet and then add on.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  I create my own juice from time to time, starting always with a lemon and then sneaking the sometimes bitter various veggie choices in, topping off with another fruit such as an orange. 

This menu works for me.  Juicing is an art, with some potent formulas known to cleanse acidity from the blood and maintain proper pH, while maintaining a healthy weight and protecting against disease.  When I’m looking to cleanse my system, I drink the Omega-3 sensational smoothie.  If I need a quick jolt of energy, I drink a shot of wheat grass or add a natural supplement like cacao to a juice.  It only takes a minute for them to whip it together and then I can enjoy it over the next hour slowly.  Heaven.  Hungry for something more than a liquid lunch?  The Juicery also boasts a great menu of organic food including wraps, tempeh, tofu, salads and more.  My favorite has to be the Middle Eastern – scattered veggies and hummus drizzled with a very tasty homemade dill dressing, tightly blanketed in a wheat tortilla. 

Fitness expert and world renowned juicer Jack LaLanne had it right when he proclaimed, "I drink 6 or seven glasses of water a day.  I also drink vegetable juice.  And I have at least 5 or 6 pieces of fresh fruit everyday and 10 raw vegetables."   The man turns 95 next month and is in better shape than I.  Frightening statistic.  He is definitely what he eats.  In fact, he’s also living proof that natural sugar is a good thing, and that makes me ecstatic!  Don’t mess with my sugar!

Can’t chew your greens?  You’re the perfect customer…Drink em’!  Try (Kittery’s own) Dr. Lebro’s recommended supplement shot which includes barley grass, spirulina, wheat, bee pollen, and a few other things that I trust are also good for you and me.  The taste you ask?  Well, that’s what the juice is for!  Use that as a ‘chaser’ to your veggie drink. 

Ever since The Juicery opened, juicing at home has stopped.  I just can’t compete with their fantastic formulas or reach their refreshingly frothy goodness.  I just left my juicer with my daughter in Connecticut with hope she’ll use it there and stay healthy with her busy schedule in college.  That is, if she can afford the oranges and carrots.

The Juicery

Serving the freshest juice and vegetarian food in Portsmouth

Located at 51 Hanover Street, across from the main entrance to the town multilevel parking garage

http://www.portsmouthjuicery.com/come-visit/

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One of the best things about eating a great meal out is thinking about how to recreate the essence of the dish at home.  Not one to fuss too much with laborious steps and fancy technique, I usually end up simplifying things by swapping out ingredients and altering a few steps.

Recently, we enjoyed a fabulous date at Cava. The fourth rainy day of our vacation in early July found us tucked inside the cozy restaurant, drinking wine and savoring a  lengthy Spanish lunch.  Where does one find white anchovies?  That is still a mystery to me, but I have managed to recreate Cava’s cheese plate combination; a gorgeous Manchego and apricot plate served with a drizzled jam, crispy home made biscuits and garnished with delicate rosemary leaves.  These simple and fresh ingredients pair so well; the creamy and slightly salty cheese, the sweet and juicy apricots, the crispy biscuit and the drizzle of jam come to life with a sprinkle of rosemary to remind you that you’re eating a Mediterranean inspired dish. It reminds me so much of my trips to Spain and Italy, it is easily among my favorite desserts in Portsmouth.  At home, swap out whatever cheese and fruit you have on hand and arrange on a plate.  Drizzle with a store bought jam (my favorite is a fig and orange jam from Spain) add a bread stick or biscotti, sprinkle with some pine nuts or hazelnuts and fresh rosemary leaves.   Heaven!

Last week we had a GREAT meal at Brazo.  We ordered, among other things, the Fire Grilled Churrasco, which is skirt steak topped with Argentine chimichurri. After the first bite, I knew I would be making a chimichurri at home very soon. It has all the elements I look for in a good knock-off; fresh and identifiable flavor, healthy ingredients and a bit of a kick.  Plus, the versatility and uses for a chimichurri are endless.  Meat, poultry, even a nice firm white fish would be great paired with this condiment, and honestly, who doesn’t love to say “chimichurri?”

So, if you're a food freak like me and pay close attention to what's on your plate, you can open up your culinary repertoire considerably by eating out and trying a variety things, which is of course, the spice of life.

Chow,

Nancy Pearson

Nancy lives in Seacoast New Hampshire and enjoys food, fashion and all things Mediterranean.

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I know you’ve been there.  We all have.  You come home from work tired, starving and a little fried.  From here, the rest of the day can go into a few different directions. I really do try and avoid going down the take-out route.  The food is never very good (I live in NH not NYC), always too salty or fatty and usually more expensive than it should have been.  There is another route, though, that depending on how you look at it can be an opportunity for creativity.

In my house, it’s called, “What’s in the fridge?” Sometimes I have the foresight to take a piece of meat or fish out of the freezer before leaving for work, but more often, I arrive home with nothing waiting for me.  Usually I take this opportunity to pour a glass of crisp rose or a nice, buttery chardonnay, open the fridge and take inventory. It’s a little bit Zen for me. A decompression, of sorts.

With my obsession for Mediterranean and Asian food, I usually have a lot of fresh ingredients on hand, but also have a pantry stocked with beans, grains, condiments and spices.  Sometimes the most creative and tastiest meals have been created in my kitchen because I was forced to use what I had on hand. 

I usually start by making a salad.  Salad greens are like pasta.  They can be topped with anything and are mainly a blank canvas for other ingredients.  One of the best go-to salads in my house has only five ingredients.  Greens, fresh fennel, sliced oranges, olive oil and lemon juice. I also usually have the makings for a Greek salad, which instead of lettuce, uses cucumber, tomato, feta, olives and zesty oregano vinaigrette.

With salad out of the way, I can focus on something more substantial.  One of my favorite, cheapest and all around dependable dinnertime saviors is the humble egg.   Uovo. Huevo. Oeuf. They all sound similar. An Italian frittata, a Spanish tortilla or a velvety French omelet, when paired with some roasted rosemary potatoes or crusty baguette and a green salad, is an easy, healthy, affordable and totally convenient meal in any season.  In summer, I usually have an obscene amount of fresh herbs on hand.  In winter I am always stocked with cheese and pancetta or chorizo, in spring there is asparagus and spinach in the veggie drawers, and in the fall, brie cheese and apples or mushrooms are ever present—and make an elegant and hearty main course.  PS, egg dishes are a great cold lunch the next day, too!

Chow,

Nancy Pearson

Nancy lives in Seacoast NH and enjoys food, fashion and anything Mediterranean.

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