Citrus Punch August 1, 2008

This was a non-alcoholic drink I did for the Les Francophones get-together.  I wanted to have something light and refreshing if someone needed a break from the French wine they brought over…

 

 

CITRUS PUNCH

1 container of frozen passion fruit juice, thawed

2  12oz bottles of pineapple juice

1 cup of orange juice

1 bottle of Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider

1 cup of lime-flavored Perrier

 

 

1. Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher and chill in the refrigerator until your guests arrive.

Clementines - My favorite winter citrus January 20, 2008

Citrus are mainly in season during winter-time. I read somewhere the season starts in November.  I know we have lemons here all year round… but when I visit Costco, it’s near the December/January time-frame where I see and can purchase one of my favorite citrus fruits… CLEMENTINES!!!!!!!

 

I learned about these delicious and cute Clementines about 10 years ago, but was not able to get them here in PR… and when Costco opened their doors about 6 years ago, they started bringing them.  I love them because they’re petite, mostly seedless, super sweet and their membranes are really thin, so they’re easy to eat in segments.

I regularly do not eat regular oranges in segments… I learned this when I was in school in Chicago and we had to do a project about the introduction to market of an Orange.  People would talk about eating them without a knife and I was - hello!!! speak for yourself!!!  I have to peel an orange with a knife and cut them in half … just like you would if you were using a juicer to make fresh squeezed juice.  I eat oranges like this because i can’t stand the bitterness of the membranes around the segments.

So for those of us who do not like orange membranes, Clementines are the perfect orange for you… as they are for me.  And the cute wooden crate is just an added plus.

Try some soon and tell me all about it…

 http://www.producepete.com/shows/clementines.html

Acid Fruit Salad January 19, 2008

Fruit salad come in different varieties - those made with what we call “sweet” fruits - like bananas, papayas, mangoes, red apples, etc.  And my favorite, “acid” fruit salads, made with fruits that are more tart, like oranges, kiwi fruit, grapes, strawberries, pineapples, etc.

At work, we planned a breakfast to celebrate a co-worker’s birthday.  I was somewhat surprised thta no one had offered to bring any fresh fruits.  The ”pot luck” menu was full of baked goods, greasy foods and not a fruit in sight.  So I offered to bring a fruit salad.  This is one of my favorite combinations…

 

ACID FRUIT SALAD

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut in small pieces

5 kiwi fruit, peeled and cut in small pieces

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in small pieces

1 medium bunch of green or red grapes, cut in half and seeded, if not seedless

2 navel oranges, peeled and supremed

4 red plums, peeled and cut into small pieces

the juice of 1 lemon

honey to taste

1. Mix in a large bowl the pineapple, kiwi fruit, grapes and plums. 
2. When you peel and cut the apple, drizzle some of the lemon juice to prevent browning.  Add to salad.
3. To supreme the oranges, peel all the orange until you reach the flesh.  With a paring knife, cut in between each membrane so you get clean segments of orange without the membrane.  This way it’s easier to eat.  Add to the salad.  Squeeze the membrane over the salad to capture any remaining juice.
4. Drizzle with some honey to sweeten if the fruits are too tart.  This will also help “juice” the fruits a bit.

This is the best way to start your day… Enjoy!!!

Sangría December 20, 2007

When I host parties, I try to offer a variety of refreshments for people to choose. My Sangría is always the hit of the party… I even stopped buying other stuff because this is what people drink the whole night.

I do not drink alcohol much now that I am vegetarian, so I will give you the basic recipe and you can adapt it to your preference either using real wine or a non-alcoholic wine, such as Welch’s or Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider.

SANGRIA

1 bottle of red wine or Welch’s Sparkling Grape Wine
1/2 bottle of Lime flavored Perrier
3 cups orange juice, freshly squeezed preferably, but Tropicana works fine
the juice of 3 limes
1 Granny Smith apple - cored and sliced
1 Valencia orange - sliced
1 lime - sliced
ice cubes

1. In a large pitcher throw in the fruit slices.
2. Mix in the wine, sparkling water, orange juice and lime juice. Add ice.

Salud!!!

Arugula-Red Onion and Orange Salad November 24, 2007

This is a recipe I learned while I was at a cooking seminar this past April called the Conscious Gourmet.  This was a wonderful 5 day vegetarian cooking course in Jupiter, FL.  It was lead by Diane Carlson and I learned to work with new ingredients and new flavor combinations.

I chose this salad for my Thanksgiving menu because it has curry and that gave me a Autumn feel to it.  My apologies for forgetting to take a picture of this…  I will make it again a do a whole photo shoot for you.

ARUGULA-RED ONION AND ORANGE SALAD

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 tablespoon light sesame oil or canola oil

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced crosswise

4 cups arugula leaves

2 navel oranges

1. Pour the orange juice into a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce, uncovered until you have 1/3 cup, about 15 minutes.

1. Combine the reduced juice in a small bowl with the garlic, salt and vinegar.  Whisk in the curry powder and oil.  Cut the top and bottom of the oranges.  Peel them with a knife, removing all the white pith exposing the flesh.  Cut segments of the orange following the line of each orange division.  or you can  just cut them crosswise, making discs of orange.
2. Heat 1″ of water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and add onions. Blanch for 30 seconds.  Drain and plunge in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again.
3. Place the arugula in a bowl along with the onions and orange segments.  Just before serving, toss with the dressing and serve.

My mom loved the salad.  Even though we normally do not mix vegetable salads with fruits, she admitted the orange helps cool off your palate from the heat of the curry dressing.  This is a very tasty salad. 

Try it and tell me your impressions.

Romaine Salad with Citrus Ceasar Dressing November 17, 2007

This is a great recipe for a very tasting dressing.  The dressing is an adaptation from a Bobby Flay recipe.  This yields a nice amount of dressing.  I choose to toss the salads individually and save any left-over dressing.  I make the croutons from scratch because I have not been able to find whole wheat croutons yet.

 

Romaine Salad with Citrus Ceasar Dressing

1 -2 Romaine lettuce hearts

Whole Wheat croutons - recipe follows

Citrus Ceasar Dressing:

1/4 cup of orange juice with the juice of 1/2 a lemon

4 cloves of roasted garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon egg-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Place the orange/lemon juice mixture, garlic, mustard, mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified.  Add the Parmesan and pulse a few times until incorporated.
2. Wash the Romaine lettuce and cut into slices.
3. Place in a mixing bowl, toss with dressing, croutons and additional Parmesan cheese.  Shaved or Shredded Parmesan looks really good here.

Whole-Wheat Croutons

1. Cut a whole wheat bagguette in squares.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Toast in a 350 degree oven until crispy and golden, for about 15 min.
4. While still warm, toss with parsley flakes.