Infused tequila and vodka (yeep!)

Back in March I spent a few days in the wonderful city of San Antonio.  I love that city, and man do they love their food.  While there, I learned how to make infused spirits from the good folks at The Fruteria.  Although I am still working out the spirits-to-mixers ratio, I thought I would share what I've learned so far, so that you can get a jump on your summer cocktail planning.

Alcohol: Vodka or tequila, a full bottle.  Now, I was afraid to use the super cheap stuff, so I went mid-range and chose Sky Vodka and Sauza Silver Tequila.  Sky has a simple clean flavor, and I've always trusted Sauza.

Fruit: You can use any fruit combination you want, or single fruits.  Following the recommendations from The Fruteria and my own concoctions so far, here's a few to start you off with:

• 1 pint strawberries/ 2 bananas/ 2 cinnamon sticks (tequila)
• 1/2 pint strawberries/4 plums (vodka or tequila)
• 1 english cucumber (vodka)
• 1/2 cantaloupe/ 1/2 honeydew melon (tequila)

(I've got a lemon infused vodka infusing away in my kitchen right now.  I'll let you know how it turns out)
Make sure your fruit is washed, scrubbed, chopped, and peeled/pitted/stems removed.  Also, you will need a large jar (I use a 1/2 gallon mason jar) that has either been run through the dishwasher or sanitized with boiling water.  Put your fruit in the jar, then fill it up with the alcohol--making sure you add enough alcohol to completely cover the fruit so it's swimming around a bit.  Some will float to the top, but that's ok.  Put a tight fitting lid on the jar, and put it in a corner in the kitchen--away from heat or kids.

After 4-5 days, strain the liquid into another jar and discard the fruit.  Well, you could eat the fruit, but just be sure you are staying in for the night and don't have to drive or do anything responsible.
At this point, you can repeat the whole process and let steep for another 4-5 days if you want the alcohol to have a nice strong flavor.  I usually am too lazy to do that, so my alcohol has a light flavor.  It will keep beautifully in the fridge for a long time.

You really need to put some thought into the drink you are going to mix with this stuff.  The Fruteria told me they only use fresh squeezed fruit juices, tons of ice, and NO syrups, added sugars, or anything artificial.  I think they are right, it would ruin the flavor.  Usually, you can just fill a margarita glass with a lot of ice, squeeze a few oranges and a lime or 2 in, and then add your shot.  If you have a juicer, fresh pineapple juice adds a nice balance to the orange and lime.

For the cucumber vodka--mix it with seltzer water, fresh mint leaves, and a small squeeze of lime.
I think when my lemon vodka is done, I am either going to mix it with pineapple juice, or break some rules: seltzer and (gasp!) raw agave nectar.

Smoothies and Green Drinks

That's right, I said "Green Drinks."

I'm hooked on green drinks! Ever since I got my Vita Mix blender, I just can't stop making them. I am now up to 2 a day, which equals over 1 pound of raw leafy greens + 1 pound of fruit. Leafy greens are the most nutritious foods in the world. But I won't get into that, you can read all about it here or even better, here. I make a green drink for breakfast, and one about an hour before dinner.

After many many mistakes, I have come up with a couple of yummy, basic green smoothie recipes. Many of the ones I find online are (in my opinion) too sweet, or have too many things added to them (also adding in the calorie count). I want to keep it simple, so here are my top recipes:

2 cups water + 2 romaine hearts (or 1 head) + 1 apple (cored and sliced) + 1 lb frozen pineapple

2 cups water + 2 romaine hearts (or 1 head) + 1 lb frozen mango

1 cup soymilk + 1 cup water + 10 oz baby spinach (one Ready Pac bag) + 1 banana + 1 lb frozen blueberries

1 cup soymilk + 1 cup water + 6 oz greens (I mix 2 of the following: kale, mustard, turnip, & beet) + 1 banana + 1 lb frozen strawberres + 1 pitted date

Put in the blender in the order given above. I usually put my liquid and greens in first, blend, then add my frozen fruit slowly. The above recipes are enough to fill 2 big glasses (about 16 oz each).

I chose the above greens because they are the most affordable. My WFM sells a 6 pack of romaine hearts for $5. Ready Pac baby spinach is $1.99, and a 12 oz bag of mixed greens is $4. But when something else is on sale, hey--I buy it. In the summer, I can buy fresh fruit and greens from the farmer's market as well. Also, it's easy to grow spinach and chard in your garden!

Frozen fruit is great. It is picked when the fruit is at it ripest, and even if you choose not to buy organic, the fruit is not sprayed with fungisides (like fresh conventional fruit might be). It is so much cheaper than fresh, and it eliminates the need to add ice. Remember that if you have fresh fruit laying around that is getting over ripe, just throw it in a baggie in the freezer and use it for smoothies (bananas too!)

I know it sounds expensive, but remember that when you eat this stuff regularly, you are less hungry and don't need to snack as much. I was sure that my grocery bill was going to go up when I started drinking these twice daily, but it has not at all. I just replaced some of the other food I was eating with this stuff.

Summer 2009

I don't have time to do all the recipes for this summer yet, so I will just make some notes and try to come back later. Favorites this summer include: cucumber yogurt soup, pickled cabbage, frozen strawberry pops, cucumber avacado soup, and pork fried brown rice.

I have also been having 2 teaspoons of Bragg's Cider Vinegar + 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or honey or maple syrup) in a glass of water 3 times a day. This is basically an all natural gatorade. It takes a minute to get use to it, but you will find that your body craves it soon! Also aids in digestion and is a bit of an appetite supressant. Have one first thing when you wake up, mid morning, and mid afternoon. Yum.

Fried Rice
The pork fried brown rice is simple. I usually make a big pot of brown rice at the beginning of the week and store it in the fridge. It helps to sprinkle a bit of water to the rice daily so it doesn't dry out. As we go through the week creating little scraps of leftover veggies: the end of an onion, a few baby carrots left in a bag, a small handful of baby spinach from a leftover salad...I just dice them up finely and put them in zip lock bags. You can use your leftover meat scraps (or tofu) as well: the bit of a leftover chicken breast, a few slices of bacon, the end of a pork roast, etc. Basically what you do is sautee the diced veggies in a bit of olive oil (or the bacon fat if you aren't counting calories!) and add the cooked meat. Stir for a minute, then add some rice (I use one cup per serving). Again, you will probably need to add a tablespoon of water here for the rice. Let it get all heated up then start seasoning it. I use Bragg's Amino Acids as a replacement to soy sauce (doesn't have all the sodium, but has the same flavor), a dash of toasted sesame oil, and a bit of seasoned rice vinegar. That's it! If you prefer a different flavor, you could season by shredding some jack cheese over it instead of the asian seasonings.

Frozen Strawberry Pops
I started off by making these as baby food for Josie (just reheat and add to rice cereal), but they ended up being a frozen treat for Noah. Noah is the pickiest eater on earth, and this is the only way I can get fruit in him.
Take as much of your favorite fruit as will fit in your blender. Obviously wash & cut off any green tops, pits, etc first. Throw them in the blender and puree. Add water if it gets too thick. Then push it through a fine mesh seive. It's a bit time consuming, but it's important if you are making baby food (or have a picky eater). Freeze in ice cube trays or those plastic popsicle makers. Turn out of ice cube trays after a day and transfer to a zip lock bag (in the freezer). Will keep for 6 months in the freezer.