This is a very simple, refreshing salad made mainly with apple, fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh mint. This salad is a great side dish for any occasion, especially with grilled meat or poultry…the refreshing and crisp apples with a hint of mint is very invigorating with fatty meal, giving the meal a nice balance.

I learned this recipe with my little sister when she brought a large bowl of this apple salad and we all loved it…I could not believe that such a simple recipe with only a few ingredients could be so good. The combination of the crispy apples with orange and a hint of mint is so pleasant for the palate. I meant to share this recipe a while ago but somehow never got to it…and now with July 4^th approaching it is a perfect occasion to do so.

Mint…I love growing all kind of herbs, as a matter of fact I have a bunch of different herbs, more than I can ever use…it is so nice to be able to just pick what I need and use…anyway, let’s move to the recipe, which is not much of a recipe…just adjust to your taste…

Ingredients:

• Apple as many as you need, preferably Fuji, Honeycrisp, Jazz or any crispy type.
• Freshly squeezed orange to coat the apple
• Fresh mint, to your taste
• Salt, just a pinch
• Olive oil, drizzled

Method:

Peel and core the apples, slice then thinly and cut into matchstick. Use a vegetable slicer or mandolin. Place them into a bowl.

Squeeze the orange juice over the apples and toss gently until the apples are coated with the juice.

Add a bit of salt and olive oil.

Toss in the thinly cut mint, mix gently. Serve cold.

I hope you enjoy this simple and healthy recipe using apple, you might want to take a look at Zucchini Ribbons Salad recipe.

Did you know that apples are high in fiber and loaded with antioxidants. Therefore apples may help your heart health and reduce risk of developing cancer.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

I want to share today some of our favorite Summer drinks…although I prefer a glass of a good red wine, my husband likes cocktail drinks, therefore I try to mix and match drinks using fresh fruits and herbs from my garden. These two drinks are very simple to make, tasty and so refreshing. The infused strawberry martini is very fruity and has a beautiful color. The low-carb mojito with gin is very refreshing…the addition of diet 7-up and agave nectar instead of regular 7-up and sugar is to balance the calories since alcohol contains “empty” calories :-), maybe this way I can have two drinks…
Lately I’ve been making drinks with fresh strawberries with basil and cucumber juice with mint which I’ll post later.

Infused Strawberry Martini

12 strawberries, washed and cut in half
3 tablespoon sugar or 2 tablespoon agave nectar
6 shots of vodka
1 shot of tequila
Strawberries for garnish

Macerate the strawberries with the sugar, add the vodka and tequila. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (I usually leave overnight). Place ice in the shaker, add the infused strawberries mix in the shaker. Shake vigorously and pour in the martini glasses. Garnish with strawberry.

Low-Carb Mojito with Gin

8 to 10 fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 shot of gin
½ shot of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Diet 7-up
Crushed ice

Break the mint leaves and place them at the bottom of the glass, add the agave nectar, gin and lemon juice. Mix well, add the ice and top it with 7-up.

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