The lime season in Israel is a short one- especially in comparison to the other citrus fruits. My husband and I keep an eye out for the first signs of the lovely, tasty green orbs and then we buy as many as we can afford throughout the time they are available. Once home, we squeeze all the zesty juice and freeze it in ice cube trays. We end up with enough zip-lock baggies full of the cubes to last us the year.
What do we need so much lime juice for you might ask… other than to liven up our drinking water; limes are an important ingredient in Mexican, Indian, Latin American and South-East Asian cookery. The uses are limited only by your imagination!
Below are just a couple suggestions.
Preparation:
To extract the maximum amount of juice, make sure the limes are at room temperature, and firmly roll them back and forth under your palm a couple of times – that helps to break down some of the flesh’s fibers. Alternatively, microwave them for around 30 seconds, depending on the size of the lime – warming them up also helps them give up more juice.
Lime Cilantro Rice
2 cups water
1 1/4 cup rice
1 Tbsp butter
½ tsp salt
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp fresh lime zest
To Prepare:
- Place water, rice, butter, and salt in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer; cook about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime juice, and zest. Let the flavors meld together for a few minutes, covered, before serving
Creamy Avocado Spread
3 ripe avocados
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, that’s about 2 juicy limes
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp sea salt
To prepare:
- Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the stones and peel. Put the avocado in a food processor with the lime juice, Tabasco, garlic and sea salt. Blend until you have a light, elegantly pale green cream.
- Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or rice crackers.
Lime Smoothie
1cup low fat yogurt
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar-to taste (or stevia or honey to taste)
1 tray ice cubes
Place the yogurt, mangoes, lime juice, confectioners’ sugar, and ice cubes in a blender. Blend until slushy.
