Elizabeth Carrion: Linaza Juice Recipe

Yummy & Healthy: Linaza Juice

It is one of the most popular juices in Bolivia – and it’s healthy too!

Linaza juice is a mild-flavored refreshing drink containing flax seeds as its main ingredient. It is one of the most popular juices in Bolivia and it’s healthy, too! Flaxseeds are rich in alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fat that is a precursor to the form of omega-3 found in fish oils. It has anti-inflammatory benefits, promotes bone health and is rich in fiber, which lowers cholesterol.

Ingredients

• ½ cup of whole flax seeds
• 2 liters of water
• Sugar to taste

Directions

1. Place the linaza in the blender along with one cup of water and blend until the seeds are very broken. Then add another cup of water and blend a bit more.
2. Strain the seeds through a strainer (preserving the liquid in a pitcher).
3. Add another one or two cups of water to your blender and return the already broken seeds to the blender. Blend again. Strain again.
4. To the liquid you've preserved after straining the seeds, add the remaining water and sugar to taste.
5. Serve cold over ice.

To use flax seeds in other recipes such as muffins, homemade breads, smoothies or simply over salads and cereals, it’s best to grind the seeds using a coffee grinder. This enhances their digestibility as well as their nutritional value. Because flax seeds thicken liquids, be sure to add towards the end of any recipe such as soups and stews.

Makes about 8 servings.

Elizabeth Carrion, a Dominican, co-founded Mi Cocina, a New Jersey-based catering service that also offers cooking classes, with her sister, Ana Martinez.

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