Category Archives: Beverage

Mistletoe Mimosas

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Cranberry Grenade Mimosa.jpgMimosas are astonishingly, ridiculously, exceedingly, embarrassingly easy to make. Not that simple doesn’t taste yummy and easy won’t add the sparkle you’re looking for:) The flavors are splendid! I promise you a cool drink that will deliberately take care of the mood.

Merry Mimosas everyone!

Ingredients

Serves 6

  • 6 tablespoons grenadine syrup
  • 1 cup cranberry juice, chilled
  • 1 (750ml) bottle champagne, chilled
  • Rosemary sprigs, to garnish
  • Fresh cranberries (optional)

Directions

  1. Add 1 tablespoon of grenadine syrup in each flute.
  2. Combine cranberry juice and champagne together and fill up the flutes almost right to the top. Garnish with rosemary and drop the berries right before serving.

 

 

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Spicy Hot Chocolate

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SpicyHotChocolateIMG_9585.JPG

After skiing in the wind for five hours straight, I was chilled to the marrow and all I could think of was my special spicy version of hot chocolate.

This chocolaty monster will make you swoon! Think of the cocoa and all the spices that contains this drink that promote cardiovascular health and boost the immunity. It is rich, I know, but absolutely marvelous!

Feel free to play with the amounts of the ingredients to suit your own taste:)

Stay warm!

Spicy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

•2 cups milk (preferably almond milk)
•½ tsp ground cinnamon
•¼ tsp nutmeg
•¼ tsp chili powder
•2 tbsp brown sugar
•2 mini chili peppers
•3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
•¼ cup 70% dark chocolate, chopped
•Pinch of salt

Preparation
1. In a medium saucepan, bring milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder and sugar to a boil.
2. Slit the chili pepper lengthwise and stir in.
3. Whisk in cocoa powder, chocolate and salt, let simmer until mixture is frothy.
4. Discard the chili peppers and divide drink among 2 cups and garnish with mini marshmallows or cinnamon sticks if desired.

Orange Pineapple Punch

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maya-oryan-img_0461Hello beautiful people! Is it summer where you are? I spent my day running from one air-conditioned room to the other, trying to avoid the heat and humidity.

My kiddos spent the day at the pool with the cousins swimming and playing in the sun all afternoon, when they got back I couldn’t but surprise them with this cool refreshing orange pineapple punch.

Add some vodka inside and turn it into an adult party-wide hit punch!!

Decorate with strawberry slices and orange wedges, and serve.

Ingredients

  • 2 parts orange juice
  • 2 parts pineapple juice
  • ½ part lime juice
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 parts 7up or Sprite
  • Fresh strawberries and orange wedges, to decorate.

Preparation

Combine well the orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice and honey in a pitcher. Taste and adjust sweetness.

Add 7up or Sprite, right before serving and garnish with fresh fruits and paper straw.

P.S Substitute the sprite with rum or vodka for an adults party version

Pomegranate Moscow Mule

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Moscow Mule

Photography Serge Oryan

When I think of a refreshing and light drink to sip while watching the clock countdown to midnight, I make myself a red Moscow Mule.

Pomegranate juice is a brilliant addition to the classic recipe. It’s a fantastic compliment to ginger beer while pomegranate arils make it pop up with Christmas colors. Holiday heaven!

Mules has definitely been my favorite cocktail during 2015, it’s traditionally served in copper mugs, but apparently customers can’t stop snatching them from bars, that a lot of places are replacing their attractive cups with glasses.

Still cool for me:) I love the ginger-spicy and pomegranate-sweet mixture and here I am celebrating tonight in style. Cheers everyone to a fresh beginning!

And this is what to mix
Makes 2 drinks
Ingredients
• ½ cup vodka
• 1½ cup ginger beer
• ½ cup pomegranate juice
• Juice of 1 fresh lime
• Pomegranate arils, to taste
• Fresh mint, for garnish

Directions
Combine vodka, ginger beer, pomegranate and lime juice. Stir. Top with ice cubes or crushed ice if desired. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and mint and enjoy.

Maya’s Ingredients 4th Anniversary

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MocchaDrinkbyMayaOryan Four years ago I started a blog thinking that this will be a great idea to document all my favorite recipes and have them all in one location. This idea developed since tremendously and instead of a cooking book, I ended up with an address book filled with contacts of friends from all over the world. I’m blessed to have so many followers and so many clients interested in my cooking and work as a food stylist. It’s this Blog that took me this far! I had people assisting me on shoots just because they know “Maya’s Ingredients”, I met fresh graduated photography students who knows my name because I was introduced to them as part of their course at college and I was invited to speak about Food Styling and Food Blogging at several events and TV shows because my Blog and website made it so easy for every one to find me and view my work. I’m thrilled, …no overwhelmed:) I’m happy and I will have a toast to you, thank you for passing by and hope to see you often. This elegant drink can be put together in 3 quick steps. Serve it in martini glasses or shot glasses and say CHEERS!

Vanilla Vodka – Espresso Drink Ingredients

  • 1 cup Vanilla Vodka
  • ½ cup Cold espresso
  • ¼ cup Tia Maria
  • Wedge of Orange
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • Pinch of cayenne

Preparation Combine vodka, espresso and Tia Maria liquor into a shaker filled with ice and shake well. To serve, rub the rim of a martini glass with an orange wedge and dip into the cocoa cayenne mixture. Pour drink inside and enjoy. Cheers!

Creamy Hot Chocolate With Cinnamon

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Hot Chocolate by Maya Oryan

My Christmas shopping started in Paris, I was there just 2 weeks before Christmas, it was the perfect time of the year to visit the city and enjoy its chic boutiques, festive decorations and fairy lights.

I stayed in the 16th arrondissement, not too far from Trocadero and Eiffel tower, despite the cold weather I made sure to walk every day outside and take a hot chocolate break in one of the Parisian gourmet cafés to warm my hands and satisfy my taste buds.

Paris is where the best hot chocolate is found! Enriched with a little cream or milk, Parisian hot chocolate is served thick, velvety and rich. The luxury comes from the excellent quality chocolate concoctions they add.

Cocoa contains flavonoids, antioxidant-rich pigments that relax blood vessels and promote cardiovascular health, but also if consumed in large quantities it can expand my waistline, therefore I like to flavor my drink with cinnamon or vanilla and drink it in an espresso-size cup.

Traveling with my lifetime friend Nidal!!

Time for a selfie with my lifetime friend Nidal!!

Creamy Hot Chocolate With Cinnamon 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or cow milk)
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (or more)
  • 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ cup 70% dark chocolate, chopped
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • Pinch of salt (preferably fleur de sel)

Preparation

  1. Bring milk and cinnamon to a boil. Let simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk in vigorously cocoa powder, chocolate, sugar and salt, until mixture is frothy.
  3. Divide among 2 mugs and garnish with mini marshmallows or cinnamon sticks if desired.

Passion Fruit Lemonade

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LemonadePassionFruit-BlogWhen I was living in Dubai, I never ran out of passion fruit. It used to be available all year round and at a very reasonable price. During the decade I lived in the UAE, I tried passion fruits in baking, in desserts, in juices, in smoothies and it has quickly became one of my favorite exotic fruits.

Until I moved to Lebanon, I never found nice, purple, juicy passion fruits, and if I do find in the imported fruits section, it will not be for less than 25$/per kilo!! Yesterday I got lucky with some local, organic passion fruits, smelling like heaven. Finally we started to grow them locally and the price dropped to 2$/per kilo.

I hurried home to make my most refreshing passion fruit lemonade recipe. Summer is here and it’s very hot! Freshly squeezed lemon juice and passion fruit pulp, came to my rescue in this hot climate, tasting like an exotic vacation in a martini glass.

For a lazy version, buy fresh lemonade and scoop out pulp of passion fruits inside your glass. I’m sure this soon will become a hit at your parties. Smile and cheers!

Ingredients

  • 1½ cup fresh lemon juice (2 to 4 lemons)
  •  3 cups cold water
  •  ½ cup sugar
  • 6 passion fruits, cut in two

Preparation

In a jug, combine water and lemon juice and stir in sugar until dissolved. Scoop out pulp of the passion fruits with a teaspoon and stir it in. Add ice cubes if desired and serve.

5 Reasons to Summer Detox

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3 x detox juices

 

Aloha from the beach!

Here I am, lying in the sun having the time of my life while a breeze blows gently my hair.

I had a hectic month! Loads of photo-shoots and sleepless nights! I can’t believe that I’m spending this day being lazy without my phone ringing with reminders.

In the middle of this mayhem some parts of my life went off-track including my healthy eating habits. It was time to decide to give my body a break and start a cleansing diet. What could be more convenient than having a neighbor who owns the leading cleansing juicing business in Lebanon under the name of 5 a day☺!

Five bottles of juice were home delivered every morning. The juices were as fresh as a daisy. At the beginning, I asked for the 3 days plan, thinking that it’s way far than I can handle, but it turned out to be no MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and extended my program to 5 days. This scheme is designed to eliminate craving, remove toxins from the body and kick-start a healthy eating plan.

Here you go top 5 reasons to start a summer detox:

  •      Weight Loss
  •      Increase Energy
  •      Boost Metabolism
  •      Improve sleep
  •      Glowing Skin

Today is day 5! I can feel both my metabolism and immune system giving me a pat on the back, saying Way to go Maya!

If you want your system to give you the same pat on the back, it’s now the time to start a detox. Alternatively if you live in Lebanon I recommend you try 5 a day juices, your body skin and overall health will benefit and it will help you feel and look your sexiest!

Nourish your body with below healthy drinks recipes or try my Green Power Juice recipe posted earlier.

Carrot-Pineapple-Orange Juice

  • 1 cup pineapple cut into pieces
  • 4 carrots
  • Juice of 2 oranges
  • 1 thumb-size piece of ginger (optional)

Romaine-Apple-Spinach Juice

  • 2 cups romaine hearts
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 green apple

 Strawberry-Pomegranate Juice

  • 1 cup strawberry
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • Juice of 1 lime

Green Power Juice

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GreenJuicebyMayaOryan

Might be choking for some people, but I don’t drink coffee. No black coffee, Turkish coffee, Espresso, Cappuccino, NOTHING!

But I do drink a lot of healthy juices. It’s an excellent way to get my daily serving of fruits and vegetables. I almost juice vegetables every day and keep the juice fruits as a treat (because without the fibers fruit juices are high in sugar).

A green juice is part of many detox diet and can cleanse your digestive system. Vegetables are easy to digest. This juice is a valuable factor in helping your body so energetic.

When we eat, our energy is focused on our digestive system to break down the food in our stomach. When we are not digesting our energy is doing other jobs like trying to heal and rejuvenate our body. No one wants an exhausted body all day long. It’s good to give your body a break and feed him light snacks:)

Green juices are really yummy and easy to prepare. I read somewhere Green Juice Recipes for Beginners. Well how difficult it can be to throw few pieces of vegetables in the chute of your juicer!!

You can make any combination you like. Peas, pepper, kale, cabbage, lettuce, carrot, beetroot, celery, fennel, …

All green plants have Vitamins A and C, which are important co-factors for calcium absorption. Vegetables contain many nutrients and among my favorites, are:

Cucumbers: Mildly diuretic. Great source of B vitamins and can lower blood cholesterol.

Spinach: Oxalic acid contents of leaves hinders absorption of iron and calcium. Contains large amounts of antioxidants and beta-carotene. High in folate.

Broccoli: High in fibre, antioxidant vitamins beta-carotene and C, which help against heart disease. Its phytochemicals have important properties, especially against cancer.

Parsley: High source of antioxidants, folic acid, Vitamins A and C, which help control blood-cholesterol, prevents constipation, protects the human body from free radicals mediated injury and from cancers.

Ginger: A well-known anti-nausea remedy; ideal for travel and morning sickness. Also stimulates circulation and aids digestion.

GreenJuiceNotebook-WhiteTo make my juice sweeter I sometimes add an apple, and here is one of my favorite combinations.

  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers
  • 2 cups of fresh spinach
  • 1 green apple, peeled
  • A handful of parsley (optional)
  • 1 thumb size piece of ginger, peeled
  • ½ lime

Put all ingredients through your juicer. Spice it up with ginger and squeeze lime into juice, if desired. Have straight away and enjoy.

Minted Frozen Lemonade or Limonada

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Every Lebanese knows that the best lemonade recipes are made the old-fashioned way; where lemon wedges are soaked with sugar and then kneaded instead of squeezed. But on this hot sweltering day, I opted for an easier way that is as refreshing and thirst quenching!

The Lebanese favorite lemonade has orange blossom water and served chilled. I love this frozen version, where the fresh lemon juice and the fresh mint leaves are paired to give a beautiful tangy and refreshing taste!

I’m totally into lemonade and love a strong mixture, when I prepare it for me I double the quantity of the lemon juice. It is perfect for hot weather when they are sipped as the crushed ice melts!

It is so addictive!

Ingredients

  • 1/2cup fresh lemon juice (2 to 4 lemons)
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 8 mint leaves, minced
  • 1cup ice cubes

Preparation

Blend all ingredients together until ice cubes are finely crushed and mixture looks like a frozen slush. If you like a sweeter taste add sugar. If you like it semi-frozen add water.