Rich and Sweet by Bia Rich: Guest Blogger - The Foodie Physician's Sonali Ruder

I just love The Foodie Physician's page... So well managed by the wonderful Sonali... All the recipes are healthy and nutritious... I hope y'all check out her page on facebook and her blog by clicking on the links. And wanted to thank Sonali to sharing a wonderful and refreshing recipe with us today.

The idea for my Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade came about when I was trying to figure out what to do with the leftover strawberries. Inspired by the beautiful warm, summery weather that we had in New York City this weekend, I decided to make a pitcher of fresh lemonade. Lemonade with strawberries? Yes! And why stop there- I also had some ripe pineapple that I decided to throw into the mix. Homemade lemonade is a great canvas to add lots of interesting ingredients including fresh fruits and herbs. All you have to do is combine your favorite seasonal ingredients in a pitcher, mash them together with a sweetener and then stir in fresh lemon juice and water.

The best tool to use is a muddler, a wooden bartender’s tool used to mash or muddle fruits and herbs together in the bottom of a glass to release their flavors. If you've ever ordered a mojito, you've probably seen one being used to muddle the mint leaves. If you don’t have a muddler, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon or anything with a flat surface. To sweeten the naturally tart lemonade, I use agave nectar but you can use honey, simple syrup or any type of sweetener that you like.

But don’t limit yourself to strawberries and pineapple- there are an endless variety of flavor combinations you can try out to create your own perfect lemonade. Need some ideas? Here are just a few suggestions:

Strawberry, watermelon and mint
Blackberry habanero
Cucumber basil
Peach mango

So the next time you’re looking to quench your thirst with a fun and refreshing drink that both adults and kids will love, try my Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade . Enjoy!

Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade

Makes 6 servings

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 cup chopped pineapple

1/3 cup agave nectar

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 cups cold water

Place the strawberries, pineapple and agave nectar in a pitcher. Mash them together using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon. Add the lemon juice and water and stir to combine. Serve lemonade over ice.