VELVET LEMONADE

"My all-time favorite thirst quencher is lemonade. I make it from a secret recipe given to me by Mustafa, the owner of an Egyptian restaurant in my neighborhood. Of course, he uses the traditional ingredients...lemons, ice, water and sugar. His trick is to add some of the lemon, whole, into a blender, along with freshly squeezed juice and the other ingredients, and whirling them into a creamy froth. The zest from the whole lemon adds a strong, aromatic citrus essence that makes this lemonade extraordinary."

3 lemons, well-scrubbed
1/4 cup sugar
8 ice cubes

Halve each lemon. Cut one of the resulting halves into 8 pieces and place it in a blender, straining out all of the pits.

Juice the remaining lemons by squeezing them into a bowl, making sure to get every last drop. There should be about 3/4 cup of juice. Pour it into the blender through a strainer, or through your upturned, loosely cupped hand to strain out the pits.

Add the sugar and ice cubes. Blend the mixture on high speed until the lemonade is frothy and looks creamy.

Pour the lemonade into a tall glass filled with ice cubes and serve immediately, preferably with a straw.

Each of the two (8 ounce) servings contains 122 calories and less than one gram of
fat
Source: Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research