Juliana's World

At my age, I have not started to read up on hair loss prevention yet. Thank God! With all the million other things that I have to think of right now, it is the least of my worries.

Anyway, at my usual stop in my favorite fruits and vegetables store last Monday, I chanced upon blood oranges and even with the very steep price I grabbed several of them just to try.

Yes, that is $1.39 per piece. Was it all worth it? It was juicy and sweet. I heard that this variety of orange is typically grown in Italy and Spain although there are already fruits coming from California.

Wiki says that :

“Blood Orange is a variety of orange :Citrus sinensis with crimson, blood-colored flesh. The fruit is smaller than an average orange; its skin is usually pitted, but can be smooth. The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanin, a pigment common to many flowers and fruit, but uncommon in citrus fruits. Sometimes there is dark coloring on the exterior of the rind as well, depending on the variety of blood orange. The degree of coloration depends on light, temperature and variety.The blood orange is often described as a hybrid between the pomelo and the tangerine, but it is actually just a mutation of a sweet orange.

The three most common types of blood oranges are: the Tarocco (native to Italy), the Sanguinello (native to Spain), and the Moro, the newest variety of the three. The other less common types include Khanpur, Washington Sanguine, Ruby Blood, Sanguina Doble Fina, Delfino, Red Valencia, Burris blood Valencia orange, Vaccaro blood orange, Sanguine grosse ronde, Entre Fina blood orange and Sanguinello a pignu. Vainiglia Sanguigno and Cara Cara can be considered in the same category when these are all grouped together as pigmented oranges. Cara Cara or Pink Navel and the Vainiglia Sanguigno’s pigmentations are based on lycopene instead of anthocyanins of the true blood oranges.”

As mentioned in my preceding post, we’re off for a week on the more healthy dishes. It’s been pretty much anything goes for as far as food is concerned since Sunday. And NO, COOKING IS AN ABSOLUTE no, no. I’m simply spent and tired, and putting a dish together is just too much for now.

At the rate I’m going, and if I don’t put a halt on my binge eating, taking diet supplements can be my next course of action. I’m very well aware that even a week’s worth of eating too much can create a big dent on that trim belly.

Somehow pretending, that I can immediately cleanse my gut, today I kept sipping my new fave Japanese green tea with roasted rice (Genmaicha) to compensate for an all day soda drink yesterday.

What is Genmaicha? Wiki says:

“It is green tea combined with roasted brown rice. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as “popcorn tea” because a few grains of the rice pop during the roasting process and resemble popcorn. This type of tea was originally drunk by poor Japanese, as the rice served as a filler and reduced the price of the tea; which is why it is also known as the “people’s tea”. Today it is consumed by all segments of society.

Tea steeped from these tea leaves has a light yellow hue. Its flavor is mild and combines the fresh grassy flavor of green tea with the aroma of the roasted rice. The water to steep this tea should typically be about 80–85 °C (176–185 °F). A steeping time of 3–5 minutes is recommended, depending on desired strength and the source of the tea – some sources recommend as little as one minute of brewing time.

Genmaicha is also sold with matcha (powdered green tea) added to it. This product is called Matcha-iri genmaicha (lit. Genmaicha with added powdered tea). Matcha-iri genmaicha has a similar flavor to plain genmaicha but the flavor is often stronger and the color more green than light yellow.”