Raspberry lemonade.
Since moving to America, I've become aware of just how much crap is crammed into foods, the main offenders being hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Anyone who knows me is aware of my love of Mountain Dew. It's one of the things I joke about being what brought Garrett and I together, after all! Though Garrett is a "purist" and refuses all Mtn Dew that's not original, I prefer "throwback" Mountain Dew, simply because it doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup. Granted, it's still full of other crap, but I don't drink 'doo on a daily basis (err... not any more, at least), and I do what I can within my budget limitations. I will absolutely not claim to have cracked into the idea of an ideal diet, but I am constantly trying to reflect on my choices and improve them. Back home in the UK, I never used to give too much thought to additives and frankenfoods, (and besides, the government, some businesses and certain supermarkets had begun to do that for me) but now they're starting to bother me.
I'm clearly not a health freak vegan (not that there's anything wrong with that!), and I eat more than my fair share of sugar and other things that are bad for me, but alien food that's been created in a lab somewhere is beginning to be a step too far for me. I'm becoming more and more concerned when I look at ingredients listings and have no idea what they are or what effect they will have on my body. For me, one of the joys of baking is having a better idea of exactly what it is I'm eating, even when I'm consuming junk food. Some day when I have my own vegan bakery, I don't want to be selling stuff to people when I don't know about its origins. I have already made the decision never to use high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils in my products. I will not be claiming my bakery is "healthy", because it will be indulgent, rich food, but I want to be able to stand behind my products, and at least know if they were grown or processed into something not resembling their original form at all, or straight up "created".
On this note, here is a recipe for homemade lemonade. It's extremely sweet, but you can adjust it to your tastes, switch the sugar for a more natural sweetener, whatever. There are only 4 ingredients and it is absolutely delicious!
Raspberry lemonade.
1 cup water,
1 cup sugar,
1 cup freshly squeezed lemons,
Raspberries (fresh or frozen) as desired.
In a medium pan, boil the water and stir in the sugar until dissolved.
Leave to cool.
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. You now have the syrup mixture with which to make lemonade. Refrigerate until needed.
In a large pitcher, add 4-5 cups of cold water, loads of ice, and a cup or two of raspberries, and serve.