Benefits of Oranges

Yum

There is still plenty of citrus in the markets, so before it goes away until next year I wanted to talk a little about Oranges.

Oranges are one of the greatest members of the citrus family.  Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in fiber.

Oranges, like other citrus fruits, are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidants.  They also contain minerals like potassium and calcium.  Oranges are in season  from October to February/March, (depending on the variety) although I am still seeing these delicious beauties everywhere.  Some varieties of sweet oranges are Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, blood orange, and Cara Cara.

I'm IN LOVE with Cara Cara oranges right now!

Oranges can be kept at room temperature for a week or so. They will also stay fresh for a few weeks in the refrigerator.  

Celebrate the goodness of oranges while they are still around!  Here are some of my favorite orange recipes:




Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach






Simple Asian Salad







Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette






California Salad

Orange Iced Tea

Pork Chops in an Orange-Cumin Sauce

Caribbean Chicken Salad


Enjoy!

Summer Drinks: Tropical Green Tea Cooler

 

Yum

I've found my drink love for the summer. 

I was wandering around the mall parched from all the shopping, when I stopped in a random coffee house to get something to quench my thirst.  They had a wonderful array of cold drinks.  Typically I gravitate to iced tea.  That's my main stay.

But today something came over me and I decided to try their Green Tea Specialty Drink.  I was blown over by the light refreshing taste.  So much so that I new I had to try and recreate this at home.  After several tries I got it down.  I dare say, mine is even better!

You don't need a fancy blender for this recipe.  Nope!  Just a couple ingredients, a tall glass and some ice and you are set.  This will become your drink of the summer as well.  Just one taste and you'll be hooked.  Promise.

This is the perfect non-alcoholic drink, so it's kid-friendly.  Serve this at a BBQ, picnic, or a potluck.  It's versatile and oh so tasty!

Kitchen Note:  This recipe is based upon a ratio of liquids instead of exact measurements.  This will allow you to use this ratio for a glass or a pitcher of drinks.  Also, I used a sweetened ice tea.  If you use one that is unsweetened you may need to add 1 tsp of sugar to the drink.  Try it first unsweetened and then add to taste.

Enjoy!



Tropical Green Tea Cooler

serves 1

Ice cubes
Green Iced Tea ( I used Gold Peak Green Iced Tea)
Mango Puree ( such as Kern's)
1 tsp lime juice
optional:  sugar to taste, if not using sweetened tea

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.  Pour in 2/3 of the glass with Green Iced Tea.  Fill in the last 1/3 of the glass with Mango puree.  Add the lime juice and stir to combine.  Serve immediately.

Fall Flavor Profile: Apples

It's apple season and I'm in heaven!

Always one of my favorite foods, apples are wonderful ingredients to many of our fall favorites.  I usually try to pick several new apples each year to try.  This year I've been eating a lot of Envy apples.  Nice, crisp, and sweet/tart.  I've also devoured my share of Jazz apples, and just recently bought several Honeycrisps.

Have you been apple picking?  This is something I want to do this year!  I've found a town outside of Los Angeles, that has many different farms that produce an array of apples. I'm on my way!

I've gathered some of my favorite apple recipes to share with you today to get you in the mood.  The mood for cooking with apples that is.  Or, the mood for fall...your pick!  (oops a pun, 'pick' apples...get it?)
Anyway, I hope you try a recipe or two and let me know what your favorite apple dish is.

Apple Cider Quick Bread - so moist an delicious.  One of my favorite fall breakfast dishes...or dessert...or with tea!

Crispy Chicken, Apple, and Spinach Salad - oh my this is a good salad.  A must try!

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad- another great salad that's very, very popular.  My version of Panera's salad by the same name (copycat recipe)

Apple Cider Iced Tea - boy do I love this tea.  Just a hint of apples makes this tea extra special.

Honey Apple Pancakes - one of the best comfort foods for breakfast!

Verna's Apple Crisp - a down home country favorite.  YUM YUM!

Happy picking!

Spring Time is Tea Time!

It's spring and it's time to break out the tea...

The Iced Tea, that is!

Southern Iced Tea just has to be the best thing there is!  If you prefer sweet tea or 'un'sweet tea it doesn't matter.  One sip of this grand drink will have you singing with the birds and so glad the sun's out!  (Click the link above to learn how to make Southern Iced Tea)


Orange Iced Tea - A variation to try this year is Orange Iced Tea.  I been making this for years and years and years (ok I'm dating myself!).  Let's just say a long time.  This is one of my favorites as it give a nice citrus flavor which I prefer to lemon.  Just muddling oranges in your tea give you a hint of flavor, enough to make the spring air just a little fresher!  (click above for the recipe)

Apple Cider Iced Tea - This one is just as wonderful, but feels a little more like a fall flavor.  If you prefer use Apple juice instead of cider for a nice spring tea which will be crisp and wonderful!  (click above for the recipe)

So get ready to try some new Iced Tea Flavors this spring, or come up with your own combination.  I'm going to try mint tea and peach tea next, so look for new recipes soon!

Happy Spring!

Iced Tea Please!

Let's talk tea...

Iced tea to be specific.  A southern staple.  Certainly the most popular drink by far in my household.  There's nothing better than sitting down with a nice glass of iced tea.  Taking time to slow down and enjoy the flavor!

We serve iced tea with everything...and it's perfect for summer parties, grilling, or entertaining friends.  Right now everyone is just starting grilling season with Memorial Day tomorrow and this would be a perfect drink to make for a crowd.  Would you like a tall glass of iced tea?  Yes please!!

Today' I'm going to share the traditional iced tea with a few variations.  So let's talk a little about tea.

Brewing Tea:  There are several methods to making brewed iced tea.  My mom came from the school that took a small amount of water and boiled it, adding loose leaf black tea to it and let it steep to make a concentrate.  Then it was strained and divided among the jars and more water was added to finish the process.  You can tell the strength of the tea that way by the color of the tea.

I still make tea that way but I use tea bags instead of loose tea.  It's just easier, and you don't have to strain the tea.

What tea to use?  There are many types of tea out there.  We use a black tea.  I grew up on Lipton tea, so that's what I like, and still use.  It makes a nice strong black tea.  A lot of southerners swear by Lusianne Tea, but I never cared for it being a Lipton girl!  Use what you prefer, that's what counts!  I even experiment with peach teas or other fruit infused teas, and they work well, but black tea is the standard.

Sweetened or un-sweetened?  I make mine un-sweetened.  That way I can add Splenda to it if I like or leave it plain.  You can add a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar boiled to form a syrup) to your finished tea all at once or by the glass as you please.  There are no strict rules! This is YOUR tea, do as you please.

Storing iced tea:  This is important.  If you don't want cloudy tea you must allow your finished tea to cool to room temperature before putting it in the refrigerator.  Otherwise your tea will turn cloudy.  I usually leave mine out for an hour or so before storing it.  



Southern Iced Tea

Makes 1/2 gallon

1 cup boiling water
3 regular sized tea bags
7 cups of water
ice

Boil one cup of water on the stove or microwave.  Add tea bags and let them steep for about 15 min.  You want to get a dark concentrate.  The darker the concentrate the more tea you will end up with.  Pour your concentrate in to a 1/2 gallon jug or pitcher and add approx 7 cups of water.  You can tell the strength of the tea by the color.  Very light colored tea is a more weak tea.  Dark will be strong.  Adjust your tea strength to your liking by adding more water, or more concentrate.

Add ice to your glasses and pour tea over.  If you add ice to your container with the tea, it will dilute it.  

Variations of Iced Tea:

Orange Ice Tea

Makes 1/2 gallon


1/2 gallon of iced tea (see Southern Iced Tea recipe)
1 orange, cut in to slices

To the brewed iced tea add 2 orange slices to the container.  Take the handle end of a wooden spoon and muddle the orange slices on the bottom of the container to release the orange juices.  Add more slices to the tea for flavor.  Add an orange slice to the individual glasses as well for garnish.

 

Apple Iced Tea

1/2 gallon of iced tea (see Southern Iced Tea recipe)
1 cup apple juice, at room temperature or cold.

To the brewed iced tea add the apple juice, stirring to combine.  Serve over ice. 



Peach Iced Tea

1/2 gallon of iced tea (see Southern Iced Tea recipe)
3/4 cup peach nectar (such as Kern's) at room temperature or cold.

To the brewed iced tea add the peach nectar, stirring to combine.  Serve over ice.