Ten things to love: #5 Hibiscus

As someone who struggles with both weight and blood sugar issues, juice is a rare indulgence.

For the most part, I drink water. OK, water and coffee. It used to be water, coffee and Diet Coke, but those days are over.

Last fall after a week at Kripalu, I gave up artificial sweeteners for good. And that meant the end to my longtime love affair with Diet Coke. Given the option of a piece of chocolate cake or a Diet Coke, I would choose the Diet Coke every time. But I quit cold turkey and feel much better for it.

Still, there are days when I crave flavor in a drink, after a workout, say, or when I want to cut through the flavors of a meal. A squeeze of lemon in water is nice, but it doesn't fool me into thinking I'm drinking juice.

Well, about a month ago I was wandering through Sabah Market on Central Avenue in Albany looking for sumac and chatting with Yasir, the man behind the counter. I like to walk the aisles of his store with him. I usually learn something about food, cooking and my community, often in one long breath. One day when standing next to the fufu flour, he explained the nuances of cassava, several different types of couscous, and how the ingredients are used in Senegalese cooking. (He is from Sudan, but many of his customers are from Senegal.) He then told me that should my Senegalese sister-in-law visit and want to find fellow countrymen, she could meet them at a certain machine shop across town that employees mostly Senegalese people.

Anyway, on this visit a bag of dried red flowers caught my eye.

Hibiscus, he said. Whenever he gets a cold or feels ill in any way, a cup of hibiscus tea with a little grated ginger makes him feel better, he said. And for a refreshing cold drink, you could just put a handful of the dried flowers in a pitcher of water and let it stand for a few hours. Then add sugar to taste, he said. In his cooler is a pre-made version of this hibiscus "juice" that is quite sweet.

I bought a bag of the dried flowers and took it home to experiment. Before bed, I threw a handful of the flowers in a pitcher of water and put it in the fridge. Then next morning, I pulled it out and poured myself a glass of the deep red liquid. Alone, it was very tart. I added a small amount of agave nectar, a natural liquid sweetener with a low glycemic index. It didn't need much. The flavor was like a rich, round cranberry juice. I drank a glass and then another.

Juice, or something close it. I finished the pitcher in two days. When it was gone, I craved more. I started thinking about icy summer drinks with hibiscus, mint and lemon. It is too cold for that now, but I've found that if I'm having a snack attack or a strong craving for a sweet pick me up, a big glass of hibiscus with just a little squeeze of agave nectar satisfies.

It isn't a Diet-Coke-like addiction yet, but I have gone back twice and cleaned out Yasir's supply.