It has been really cold lately and I was craving a warm drink from my childhood that my mom used to make- it’s called Api Morado, it’s a drink made from purple corn.  The taste of this drink is nostalgic for me and takes me back to being 5 years old; it is a nice healthy treat for a winter day. I realized while as I going to the grocery store to get the ingredients to make this drink that it is probably healthy so I did some research and I was right!

Well they say fruits and vegetables that are bright and brilliant in color are really good for you because they are high in antioxidants.  This drink has its roots from South America; specifically Bolivia and Peru. Purple corn is an amazing powerhouse food filled with antioxidants that are found in blueberries -anthocyanins. These antioxidants are potent and have anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, and anti-angiogenesis properties. Also these antioxidants are known to help with addressing preventable lifestyle related diseases – obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases.

To make the drink you need ground purple corn which is sold at most latino markets – I go to the one in Falls Church off of Rt.7 called Plaza Latina. Go to the store and get a couple pouches of Api Morado (of the photo you see below) if you want to make a full pot of this drink to last you several days. I like to serve this drink as a non-alcoholic beverage option for holiday dinner parties in addition to just having a cup during a super cold day curled up on the couch in a warm blanket.

Below is the recipe to make Api Morado – try it! And let me know what you think!

Ingredients:  Yield= 1 large pot; about 8 cups

• 2 pouches of Api Morado (see pic above)
• 1 organic orange
• orange zest of 1 organic orange
• Juice of 1 organic lemon
• 3 cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• Sugar or honey (add as much as you like to sweeten your drink; the less the better!)

Directions: Open the 2 Api Morado pouches into a bowl and add enough water so that the purple corn mixture dissolves. Whisk the purple corn mixture. Boil 3 quarts of water in a pot. Add the dissolved purple mixture to the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes; whisk several times to prevent clumping of the purple mixture. Add orange zest of one orange, add juice of one orange, and 1 lemon. Add the rest of the ingredients and let everything simmer in low heat for about 10 more minutes and whisk every now and then to prevent the drink from clumping up. Then wah-lah- serve yourself a cup and enjoy! Tip: If the consistency of the drink is too thick for you just add more water and whisk.

Salud!