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Texas Grapefruit Margaritas

By on February 22, 2012 in Beverages, Recipes, Slider

Have you ever heard of National Margarita Day? I hadn’t until I hopped on to Facebook this morning, where people were posting many, many pictures of margaritas. By the end of the work day, there were so many posts about tequila that I practically couldn’t see straight. Lucky for me, it was a short drive home where I have quite an acumulation of Local Box grapefruit– perfect for making margaritas after work!

This recipe is adapted from the LA Times’ Grapefruit Margarita. I skipped the salt they suggested and sweetened up the recipe even further by adding some fresh orange juice into the mix. Instead of Triple Sec, I used Paula’s Texas Orange, an orange liqueur made here in Austin. Finally, I skipped the cocktail shaker and margarita glasses in favor of mason jars. A big mason jar is so much easier to use for this recipe than a cocktail shaker because you can mix everything together at once. (Most cocktail shakers are too small.) And I find small mason jars to be a much more versatile use of cupboard space than specialty cocktail glassware.

Texas Grapefruit Margaritas (yields 4 drinks)

1 1/4 cup grapefruit juice, with pulp (about 2 medium grapefruits)
1/3 cup orange juice, with pulp (about 1 small orange)
1 ounce lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
5 ounces reposado tequila
2 ounces Paula’s Texas Orange

Combine all the ingredients over ice in a large mason jar. Put on the lid and shake until juice is well chilled. Pour into 8 oz. mason jars to serve.

 

 

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Kale Berry Smoothie

By on December 8, 2011 in Beverages, Desserts, Recipes

I used to be afraid of kale. I definitely used to be afraid of the idea of putting greens in drinks. I like green foods, but there is just something about green liquids that make me want to run in the other direction.

It’s a good thing I changed my mind about kale. It’s not just fantastically healthful; it’s extremely versatile. I eat it in everything now, from soups to pasta to simply sauteed for a side dish. And even, yes, in smoothies.

 

As you can see, these smoothies aren’t green, which helps get my entire family past the weird factor and on their way to drinking up a treat. But don’t be fooled – each smoothie has two cups of raw kale, giving you lots of potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. Plus, the sweetness comes from the fruit, not from the added sugar many smoothie businesses sneak in.

A kale berry smoothie a day keeps the doctor away? Well, it couldn’t hurt.

Kale Berry Smoothie
serves 1

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 cups torn raw kale
1 cup cold water

Layer ingredients in a blender and blitz for about 5 minutes, until smooth. Enjoy and conquer the world.

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Spicy Cantaloupe Margaritas

By on September 10, 2011 in Beverages, Gluten-free, Vegan

 

What’s orange and spicy and perfect for tailgating? Serrano cantaloupe margaritas!

These fruity drinks pack a punch of spice thanks to a red serrano pepper, and a bit of sweetness thanks to cantaloupe from Gundermann Acres farm. I served them in mason jars at our last gameday party, and rimmed the glasses with a mix of sea salt and chile powder.

If you need a kid-friendly drink, skip the serrano pepper in the recipe below and substitute ginger ale for the tequila. Rim kids’ glasses with turbinado sugar, if desired.

Spicy Cantaloupe Margaritas (serves 6)

1 medium cantaloupe, peeled and cubed (7-8 cups of cubed fruit)
1 red serrano pepper
1 cup tequila
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Garnish:
Lime wedges
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/2 tablespoon chile powder

Cut the stem off of the pepper. Combine pepper, cantaloupe, tequila, lime juice and sugar in a blender and process on high for about a minute, until mixture is smooth and no large pieces of pepper remain. Strain mixture through a sieve into a pitcher and let it rest for several minutes while you  rim the glasses.

To rim margarita glasses: mix the salt and chile powder together and put the mixture in an even layer on a small plate. Rub a lime wedge along the edge of the margarita glass, then swirl the moistened edge of the glass in the salt mixture to coat it.

Fill the prepared glasses with ice and gently pour in the cantaloupe margarita mixture. Serve immediately.

With a little help from the freezer and some mason jars, these margaritas can be made several days in advance of a party. Once you’ve blended the ingredients, pour the drinks into freezer-safe mason jars instead of glasses. Leave a half-inch of headspace at the top of each jar, screw on the lids, and store them in the freezer until ready to serve. During the party you’ll have enough time to garnish the rim of each jar with salt before the margarita inside is slushy enough to drink. (Thanks to fellow Local Box blogger Megan for this great trick!)

 

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Watermelon Agua Frescas

By on July 24, 2011 in Beverages, Gluten-free, Vegan

Are you melting? Try this recipe for super refreshing Watermelong Agua Frescas, that one of our twitter pals, @yellowdoggrl, shared with us via @foodinjars:

 

Ingredients

3 cups chopped watermelon

3 cups water

3 tablespoons cane sugar wedges of lime for serving

Combine the watermelon, water and sugar in a blender or food processor and blitz until pureed.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and pour the mixture in. Using the back of a spoon, work the juice through until all that’s left is the spent pulp.

Serve over ice and garnish with lemon or lime wedges.

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Cucumber-Basil Mojito

By on July 11, 2010 in Beverages

A few years back, Mason and I went to a Christmas party where the host served some fantastic, slightly sweet cucumber martinis. Ever since, I’ve been a big fan of cucumber in drinks. When I came up with the idea of a cucumber-basil mojito the other day, I thought I was so frickin’ brilliant. A twist on the classic rum drink, adding cucumber and using basil instead of the traditional mint? Surely no one else had come up with the same concept.

Alas, my claim to booze brilliance was short-lived. A few Google searches revealed that I was not, sadly, the first person to come up with this idea. I didn’t like any one of them in its entirety though, and some had no mojito-like qualities at all, like the one that used gin and lemon juice. What? Anyway, I adapted several recipes to come up with my own version, which Mason and I both agree is quite tasty. For a non-alcoholic drink, try using lemon-lime soda instead of the rum.

Cucumber-Basil Mojito

6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
5 1-inch pieces of peeled cucumber, one of which is finely diced*
3 tsp simple syrup (or finely granulated sugar)
2.5 oz dark rum (anyone who tells you that a mojito must contain light rum is a liar, but feel free to use it if you prefer)
Splash of lime juice
Splash of club soda
Slice of cucumber, for garnish

Put basil and syrup or sugar in the bottom of a glass. Muddle the basil with the back of a spoon or the side of a measuring cup — you just want to bruise it to release its flavor. Fill the glass with ice and add rum, lime juice, cucumber, and soda. Stir to blend, and garnish with a cucumber slice. Makes 1 drink.

*I like how the drink looks with both chunks and small pieces of cuke floating around. Also, finely dicing one of the pieces releases a little more cucumber flavor into the drink.

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