second chance smoothies

I'll be completely honest with you: up until a few days ago, I was NOT a smoothie person. The few that I had tried never impressed me and the thought of replacing a precious meal with blended anything was less than appetizing. The addition of yogurt into smoothies, popular though it may be, really did not appeal to me either as I am not big on dairy (or really, dairy is not big on me).

I recently came to find out via Joy of Cooking that -traditionally- smoothies don't include dairy products at all! (Oh, snap!) They're actually made with fruit flesh and juice, and are thickened with frozen fruits, creamy bananas or ice (rather than yogurt, milk or ice cream). In fact, dairy-based blended drinks aren't smoothies at all-- they're technically milkshakes. I'd been so mislead by popular juice bars and chain coffee shops that I claimed to dislike something that I had really never tried. For shame!

And so, I gave smoothies a second chance. My husband (also a former Smoothie Hater) and I had a lot of fun last weekend making our own personalized concoctions with frozen peaches, strawberries, and blueberries, and some sweet-tart lemonade. I can't believe I'd held out for so long, 'cause this was YUM. As in, good enough to replace your current breakfast kind of yum. Or even, good enough to replace that snack cake you've been eyeing kind of yum.

Consider this my PSA for *real* Smoothies.

Old School Smoothies

Total time: 5 minutes, if that

Serves: 1

 Ingredients:

• 1 heaping cup of frozen fruit (I used 3/4 cup strawberries with 1/4 cup peaches, and 3/4 cup blueberries with 1/4 cup strawberries)
• 1 cup of chilled lemonade (or other juice)

Add frozen fruit pieces and lemonade into a blender, and blend until smooth.

Notes: The more fruit you add, the thicker your smoothie will be. I made a thicker version and a juicier version; though I prefer thick, both were delicious. Also, the blueberries tend to be more watery than other frozen fruits and the skins look chunky when blended -- but they're still a great tasting addition to any smoothie.

Don't restrict yourself to this recipe! Have fun mixing and matching your favorite fruits, juices, and add-ins like a drizzle of honey, a scoop of sorbet or a shot of rum. There's a smoothie for any time or anyone... even picky, fruit-loathing husbands. x

edible exploits: cranberry crumb bars

In an attempt to try and use up some of the produce I've been hoarding in my itty-bitty freezer, I came upon some beautiful cranberries I'd stowed away back in October. One of the great perks of living in New England - other than being able to enjoy the vibrant autumn leaves, of course - is access to fresh, local cranberries that grow in bogs right in our "backyard" and all around the surrounding towns.

These particular cranberries came from a friend of my father's, who owns several local bogs. My Dad was kind enough to share his berry bounty with me, and they have been patiently waiting in my freezer (where they can stay for up to a year), for the perfect recipe to come along.

These cranberries were extra special to me and as such, deserved to be savored in a really great recipe. But which one? Cranberry sauce? Bor-ring! Not to mention, so predictable. Cranberry bread? Yawn. Cranberry cookies? Meh. Nothing seemed to inspire me enough to want to use my precious rouge beauties.

When I came across Tiina's cranberry crumb bars, I was intrigued. And now that I've made them, I know I held out for the right recipe. Sweet, tart and crumbly, these bars are like a fruit crumble to go. Great with a cup of tea, or perhaps as a juicy midnight snack (not that I would know *ahem*), these crumb bars are a major win. And they're Dad-approved :-)

Cranberry Crumb Bars

{Recipe from Sparkling Ink, November 2009}

Prep Time: about 20 minutes
Total Time: about an hour
Makes: ~18 bars

Ingredients:

For dough-

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled
• 1 egg
  

For berry layer-

• 3 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch

::If you're using local berries like I am -even if they're right out of the freezer- make sure to give them a good rinse, and pick over them for leaves, twigs and damaged berries. Other berries or fruit also work with this recipe so, if cranberries are out of reach, use whats available to you.::

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar and baking powder. Cut the chilled butter into cubes and work it into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Add in the egg, and mix until combined. Divide the mixture in half, and press one half into a deep greased baking dish. [Tiina recommends a 9x13" but, I used a 10x10" which also worked worked well and produced a thicker bar.] Set the rest of the dough mixture aside.

2. In another large bowl, toss the cranberries with the sugar and corn starch. Spread the berry mixture evenly over the pressed-in dough (and sprinkle any remaining sugar/corn starch evenly over the berries). Crumble the second half of dough mixture over the berry layer.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. To prevent the top from browning too much and to ensure the bottom layer bakes properly, move the dish from the middle level to the lowest level in the oven after 30 minutes of baking. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Now I'm off to New York City for a long weekend of eating, drinking and merriment -- I hope yours is equally fun! See you next week. x

edible exploits: pineapple with tequila & mint

Hello there friends. Its *Friday* ya-hoo! Some days I felt like it would never come!

Well, I've continued with my resolution to try new recipes every week to expand my culinary horizons, and I'm pretty proud of that. I'm told that many people have given up on their resolutions by now, and for once I'm not one of them.

I was looking around for some snack and dessert recipes that are on the healthy side because I'm also attempting to eat better this year. So, I thought maybe having a delicious fruit dessert recipe would be handy for those days you just need something sweet but, don't want to resort to something too sinful.

I came upon this super simple recipe in Perfect Mexican -- a little gem of a cookbook, with lots of fresh, wonderful recipes and vivid, enticing photos. Sweet, succulent pineapple combines with fresh mint and just a touch of smokey-smooth tequila for a treat that is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth (without all that sugar, of course).

Pineapple with Tequila & Mint

{Recipe from Perfect Mexican, Parragon Publishing 2006}

Prep Time: about 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe pineapple


• sugar, to taste
  
• juice of 1 lemon
  
• 2-3 tablespoons tequila (or a few drops of vanilla extract if you prefer)


• several sprigs of fresh mint, leaves removed & cut into thin strips
  
• fresh mint sprig, to garnish (optional)

::What to look for in a ripe pineapple: the flesh should be firm, somewhat golden in color and it should have a sweet aroma. Steer clear of fruits that are completely green, don't smell sweet, have brown leaves or are bronze/red in color.::

1. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut off the top and the bottom of the pineapple. Place upright on a cutting board, then slice off the skin, cutting downward. Cut the pineapple in half, remove the core, then cut the flesh into bite-sized chunks.

2. Place the pineapple chunks in a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar (only a pinch is needed as ripe pineapple is already quite sweet), lemon juice, and tequila or vanilla extract. Toss to coat well, then cover and chill until ready to serve.

3. To serve, arrange on a plate and sprinkle with the mint strips. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig if desired.

I would recommend using a good quality blanco (white) or plata (silver) tequila for this dish, as the smokey-ness does not overwhelm -- I like Don Julio or Herradura for their smoothness. As a general rule of thumb: if you wouldn't drink it straight, don't put it in your food!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend! x