Author Archives: ebchr

Horchata

Last week I published the Honeydew-Lemongrass Agua Fresca. Another Agua Fresca is the traditional Horchata. You may know it from Mexican restaurants and food stands – it’s the delicious white cinnamon drink served chilled! Made with rice, almonds, sugar and cinnamon, it’s a refreshing drink in a totally different way than the fruit frescas.

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup sliced almonds
4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar, or to taste (I used about 1 Tbsp agave syrup)
Ice, for serving

Preparation

In a food processor, blend rice and cinnamon until it resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl and add almonds. Cover with water and refrigerate overnight. (I could not get the rice to break down, and soaked it for about 48 hours.)
Transfer mixture to a blender, add sugar and blend until finely pureed. Strain mixture through cheesecloth or mesh strainer; discard pulp. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir and serve over ice.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

Return of the Moscow Mule

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What’s all the fuss about anyway? Apparently old fashioned drinks are back in style.. including the Old Fashioned, the Mint Julep, and Moscow Mule.. the latter served in a copper mug filled with ice and topped with fresh mint. Totally refreshing on a hot summer day!

Ingredients

Fill mug with ice and add
2 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. lime juice
5 oz. ginger beer (ginger ale was fine!)
sprig of mint

Cheers!

Honeydew-Lemongrass Agua Fresca

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Aguas frescas (or Spanish “cool waters”) are made by combining fruits, flavors, sometimes seeds and flowers with a bit of sugar and water to make a light non-alcoholic beverages. They are popular in Latin American countries – and I’ve been trying some recipes since Seattle is back in the close to 90 degree range. This Honeydew-Lemongrass version is totally refreshing!

Don’t have lemongrass? No problem, try a tablespoon chopped basil, mint or tarragon!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups water, divided
1/8 – 1/4 cup sugar (I used 1 Tbsp agave syrup instead, but I like less sweet)
1 stalk lemongrass, lightly smashed
2 pounds honeydew – peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
Ice, for serving

Preparation

Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar or agave and lemongrass in a saucepan; simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Remove lemongrass.
Blend together honeydew, lime juice and remaining water. Add sugar syrup, to taste. Strain and serve over ice.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets

Strawberry Margarita

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Like a classic margarita? Here you take the best of the Classic Margarita, add some Strawberry Granita, and there you go – a wonderful summer drink! Perfect combo when strawberries are ripe and in season.

Ingredients

2 oz. Tequila (Patron Silver. It’s worth it!)
1 oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz. Strawberry Granita
Lime wedges for garnish
Ice

Directions

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice
Shake up and strain into a glass filled with ice
Garnish with lime wedge

Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella and Watermelon Skewers

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We’re having another “heat wave” (Seattle doesn’t really know what to do when it’s 80+ degrees (except celebrate perhaps). Get to 90+ though and we start melting). With no air conditioning, we try not to cook and bake much, instead we head to the lake for picnic dinners or grill on our deck. These skewers require no grilling or cooking however and are totally summer, totally simple, and totally delicious.

We had these at a wedding few weeks ago in California. It was the perfect appetizer.

You skewer cherry tomatoes, cubed mozzarella, cubed watermelon and fresh basil leaves. Then drizzle with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette and serve! So easy!

Ingredients

Cherry tomatoes
Watermelon, slice into 1″ cubes
Mozzarella, cubed
Fresh basil leaves
Balsamic vinaigrette
Skewers (look for bamboo knot cocktail / Hors’ D’oeuvre picks)

Directions

Skewer tomatoes, watermelon and cheese with basil layered in
Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve
Enjoy!

Orange Cake

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This is a totally delicious cake! Eat it for breakfast or dress it up for high tea or dessert! You can enjoy this as is for paleo goodness, or add an optional sweet and citrusy glaze to make it even more amazing!

Though I haven’t tried it, Elana (from Elanaspantry.com) says there’s a Starbucks version out there that tastes just like this one.

The one tricky part of this recipe is that you have to boil oranges for 90 minutes. So plan ahead. The oranges are low maintenance while cooking, but keep an eye so you don’t run out of water. As an extra bonus, your house will be filled with a refreshing and natural citrusy aroma! 🙂

Ingredients

2 oranges
4 large eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey (original recipe says 3/4 cup)
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp baking soda

Glaze (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 orange, thinly sliced for decoration

Instructions

Wash the oranges and boil them whole (peel and all) for 1 ½ hours, or until soft
Place whole oranges (peel and all) in a food processor and blend until smooth
Process in eggs, agave, almond flour, salt and baking soda until well blended
Pour batter into a greased 9 inch cake pan
Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean
Cool in the pan for 2 hours
Make glaze by working orange juice into powdered sugar. You can add more/less liquid to get desired consistency. Pour onto cake and even out with spatula. Decorate with optional orange slices.
Enjoy or refrigerate for a few days (if you can keep from eating it up)! 🙂

Thanks for the inspiration Elanaspantry.com!

Red, White and Blueberry Popsicles

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These popsicles were inspired by our favorite summer ingredients – strawberries, blueberries, coconut milk! This is a great project for kids to help with. Getting molds ready, selecting ingredients, sampling the flavors! Have fun! 🙂

Ingredients

Red

1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
add some water if too thick

White

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream

Blue

1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup coconut milk
add some water if too thick

Directions

Blend individual popsicle batches and pour into molds in layers. And yes, layers may bleed a little (but this is the quickest way to do this!) and hey, give a pretty marbled effect! 🙂

There is another version using berries/water/honey on Elana’s Pantry that is worth checking out also! http://elanaspantry.com/red-white-and-blueberry-popsicles/

Lemon Basil Cookies

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My basil plant has been loving the heat wave in Seattle and growing like crazy! These lemon basil cookies are great for breakfast or as a quick snack – keep in the freezer for a yummy cold paleo cookie treat! Grain free, dairy free, soy free, egg free! Ingredients

2 cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut butter
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

Combine almond flour and baking soda in a food processor
Pulse in coconut butter, honey, basil, and lemon zest
Scoop dough one level tablespoon at a time onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
Press balls of dough down to flatten
Bake at 350° for 6-10 minutes
Cool for 2 hours
Serve or freeze for an easy protein rich snack!

Inspired and modified. Thanks Elanaspantry.com

Strawberry Balsamic Granita

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It’s been so hot in Seattle that all I can think of making is frozen treats! Granita is an Italian dessert made of sugar, water and flavor or juice and is very easy to make.

Also check out Lemon Granita and Cranberry Jalapeno Granita!

Ingredients

10 ounces fresh strawberries (about 2½ cups), hulled
1/4 cup coconut sugar, or to taste
1 cup water
1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
More balsamic vinegar for topping (optional)

Preparation

Combine berries and sugar in a food processor until smooth. Stir in water and vinegar. Transfer to a glass baking dish and freeze for 30 minutes.
Thoroughly scrape the entire pan with a fork, breaking up ice crystals. Repeat freezing and scraping process every 30 minutes, until granita is firm but not frozen solid, 2 to 4 hours.
Spoon into small glasses and serve.
Garnish with a fresh strawberry and a few drops of balsamic vinegar (optional)

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for the inspiration!

Cranberry Jalapeno Granita

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A deliciously refreshing icy dessert for hot summer days (or Christmas holiday season). The Jalapeno adds a bit of heat (you can remove the seeds for a milder taste), so this is not really a kid dessert. Someone mentioned topping oysters on the half shell with this spicy-sweet ice, but I have not been that brave yet. 🙂

Ingredients

2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/3 cup sugar
4 mint sprigs
1 jalapeno pepper, slices
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to boil
Cover and remove from het, let stand for 15 minutes
Strain cranberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a baking dish, discard solids
Cool to room temperature, stir in lime juice
Cover and freeze.
Once frozen, remove mixture from freezer and scrape with a fork until fluffy
Serve and enjoy with a mint sprig for garnish

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