Written by Hilary on March 10th, 2010
Organic, Shaken and Stirred: Hip Highballs, Modern Martinis and Other Totally Green Cocktails is an awesome new collection of recipes by Paul Abercrombie, published by Harvard Common Press.
I had the pleasure of being asked to look at a copy of the book and give my take here on Smorgasbite- thanks Paul!
I enjoyed sampling several of the cocktail recipes -delicious- and I enjoyed drooling over the rest. The photography is exquisite and the ingredients- muddled blackberries, fresh mint, crystalized ginger- are, shall we say, top shelf. That said, not too many of the recipes can be made with ingredients just lying around the house (save you tropical island dwellers, perhaps) so it pays to plan and shop accordingly. Meanwhile, while the book calls for organic spirits (rum, tequila, etc) – regular will do.
I’m happy to be able to share with you a recipe.
Coming in Hot!
2 organic strawberries, hulled
4 slivers peeled and seeded organic jalapeno chile
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
1.5 ounces organic repasado tequila
1/2 ounce organic agave nectar
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the strawberries, 3 of the jalapeno slivers, and the lemon juice until well mashed. Add the tequila and agave nectar, and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously, then strain the mixture into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the remaining jalapeno sliver.
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Lastly, Paul writes a great blog about all things cocktail at, you guessed it, organicshakenandstirred.com
Posted in Beverages, Book Club, Happy Hour, Recipes | 1 Response »
Tags: agave nectar, alcohol, blackberries, cocktails, ginger, jalapeno, mint, tequila
Written by Hilary on March 6th, 2010
Living Fuel makes a line of products that have a crazy amount of nutritious things in them.
Living Fuel products contain the most potent, bioavailable, and highest quality nutritional ingredients including freeze-dried organic fruits and vegetables that are rich, natural sources of antioxidants. The harmonious blend of these active ingredients provides diverse and balanced antioxidant protection – more so than other popular antioxidants.
I had a chance to try two of them (thanks to a nice offer from Beth) and I’m feeling all of the healthier for it.
SuperBerry Ultimate is a purplish powder that can be combined with water, juice, or milk, or mixed into a smoothie. I tried mine two ways: with water and mixed into a smoothie with banana and blueberries. I liked it both ways (the fruit compounds make the powder relatively sweet itself) but I would say that the smoothie was my preference.
CocoChia Snack Bars are sweet bars combined mostly of coconut, chia seeds and almond butter. I thought it was really tasty and definitely different than most other bars. This bar reminded me of an Almond Joy candy bar.
Check out the Living Fuel website for more information on their products including ingredient lists, nutrition facts and recipe videos.
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Tags: almond butter, almonds, antioxidants, chia seeds, coconut, fruits, powder, smoothies, Vegetables
Written by Hilary on March 3rd, 2010
From the makers of the ever-popular Sugar in the Raw (above right) comes a new product: Stevia in the Raw. Stevia is a sweetening agent that is not an artificial sweetener but also not sugar. More specifically,
Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is an herb in the compositae family that grows as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. The glycosides in its leaves make it incredibly sweet, a property that is unique among the nearly 300 species of stevia plants. Stevia has been used to sweeten beverages and medicines for over 400 years.
In addition to single-serving packets (above left), Stevia in the Raw is available in Cup for Cup Bakers’ Bags. Terri was kind enough to send me a Bakers’ Bag to try. It’s in a large, plastic bag with a resealable zip top. Looking at it, you’d think it weighed five pounds (which is its sweetening power equivalent to sugar). But, it only weighs 9.7 ounces. The powder feels nearly weightless and it quite dusty.
I tried it in several different foods and drinks and it seems that experimentation according to your own likes and dislikes is key. I did not enjoy it in hot coffee while I did enjoy it in hot tea. I did not enjoy it in plain yogurt but I did enjoy it in baked cornbread and refrigerator pickles. I am still planning to try the cheesecake recipe from the back of the bag which sounds promising.
Stevia in the Raw’s website has a plethora of recipes, including the cheesecake. It also has a section of tips which, um, I should read now since it may explain why some of my experimental uses were less successful than others.
Posted in Products | 1 Response »
Tags: baking, Stevia, sugar, sweetener
Written by Hilary on March 1st, 2010
Peeled Snacks is known for dried fruit with cute names and pretty packaging – and for its real food philosophy.
Now, Peeled Snacks is partnering with American Farmland Trust, a national organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting healthy farming practices and supporting farms and farmers.
Peeled Snacks is currently featuring an American Farms Sampler: 6 pouches of dried organic apples (Apple-2-the-core) and 6 pouches of dried cherries (Cherry-go-round) for $22.99. Both fruits are grown in North America and 10% of sales will benefit American Farmland Trust.
Thanks to Darrah, Jennifer and Jill (team effort!) I was sent a sampler and I really enjoyed both the apples and cherries. Both were very fresh tasting- not overly dry, hard or otherwise “over the hill” like some dried fruits can taste.
How apeeling.
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Tags: American Farmland Trust, apples, cherries, dried apples, dried cherries, dried fruit, farmers, organic, Peeled Snacks
Written by Hilary on February 24th, 2010
Longtime fans of Smorgasbite may recall a post I wrote about Tostitos Baked! SCOOPS! “Exclamation theirs, not mine” I clarified in the subtitle.
In the case of popchips!, graciously sent to me by Emma, a different subtitle is in order: “Exclamation deserved!”
Within a week of receiving them in the mail, my dear friend Alison happened to be at my apartment several times. Each time, popchips! were offered as snackage; she accepted. Each time, additional popchips! were offered for her to take with her; she accepted. My popchips! were gone. (!) (Exclamation deserved!)
Alison emailed me yesterday to let me know she was eating her final popchips! bag as an afternoon snack and to thank me (again. Alison is a very generous thank-er.)
I replied, “Maybe you should write my smorgasbite post about them since you ate most of them 
What do you have to say about pop chips?”
She replied, “Hahaha—right. (no regrets about cleaning you out of your chips . . . ): ”
Then she got on to her review: “Crisp, savory flying saucers of delight in my mouth! Immensely satisfying in the morning, the afternoon, or at night (yes—I’m living alone without a “meal routine.”) And such cool branding/typography. The next great POP in an impressive family that already includes Pop Art, Popeye, Popples, and that term midwestern people use for soda.”
Brilliant, Alison, you are now an official Smorgasbite author! Exclamation for you! And for popchips!
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Written by Hilary on February 23rd, 2010
Back in December I posted about a book called The Whole-Food Guide to Strong Bones. As the name implies, the book explores how whole foods, not supplements, can restore and maintain bone health. I was pretty convinced….
But not fully. My great-grandma Delphine, who lived into her nineties as her height slipped below 5 feet, warned me and my sister about osteoporosis and how it should be avoided. That always kind of haunts me. Which is why I took up Bailey’s offer when she offered to send me a new product by Country Life: Bone Solid.
Not your regular calcium pill (or even your calcium-magnesium-Vitamin D pill), Bone Solid has some fancy-sounding Triple Action.
The Bone Solid trifecta:
- Increasing Utilization – by using the MCHA form of calcium that is identical to the body’s natural bone composition.
- Strengthening Bones – by providing vital bone supporting nutrients such as Boron, vitamins K1, K2 and D3, plus calcium for stronger bone structure.
- Supporting Bone Metabolism – by including nutrients such as vitamin K1, K2, and D3 that support the management of specific metabolic processes for better bone support.
So, I’ve been popping a couple of these each day. In conjunction with the whole-food approach, I think my great-grandma Delphine would be proud.
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Tags: bone health, calcium, minerals, supplements, vitamin k, vitamins
Written by Hilary on February 22nd, 2010
Isn’t this tea kettle beautiful? It’s electric, but unlike most I’ve seen it’s clear so you can see the water come to a boil.
Made by Chef’s Choice and ranked #1 of 25 by Good Housekeeping.
$79.99
Posted in Gadgets, Gifts, Kitchenware, Products | No Responses »
Tags: boiling, electric, pretty, tea kettle, water
Written by Hilary on February 21st, 2010
Ann Clark Ltd. is one of the leading cookie cutter companies in the United States with an impressive line of cookie cutters that are made in Vermont and sold around the world. Their charming motto is “Make More Cookies.” Okay!
They seem to have thought of everything: from acorns and airplanes to the state of Texas and a watering can, Ann Clark probably has whatever hobby or inside joke you aim to shape your cookies into.
I tried out a few of her cutters (thanks, Elizabeth!) and found them to be high quality. The metal is well manufactured, staying solid and level as you push it into the dough. The edges are sharp enough to aid you but not too sharp to use with children.
Reasonably priced at about $3.99, each cutter comes nicely packaged with a recipe attached. It makes a very nice gift for children and adults alike, for any holiday or “just because.”
The company also has a blog- check it out!
Posted in Products, art | No Responses »
Tags: acorn, airplane, cookie cutter, cookies, moose, Texas, Vermont, watering can
Written by Hilary on February 20th, 2010
So many bars have granola in them I tend to think of them all as “granola bars.”
KIND bars, however, are non-granola bars. They’re fruit and nut (and sometimes frosting!) bars.
Charlie was KIND enough to send me some to sample (sorry, couldn’t help it). I’ll rank my top three flavorites [...] Continue Reading…
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Tags: bars, dates, fruits, KIND, macadamia, nuts, passion fruit, raisins, walnuts
Written by Hilary on February 17th, 2010
We’ve all (likely) heard of The Moosewood Cookbook from the people at The Moosewood Restaurant, but how about The Moosewood Recipe Deck?
Moosewood Restaurant Farm Fresh Meals Deck: 5- Delicious Recipes for Every Season is a collection of 50 recipe cards that fit into the box. They are divided by [...] Continue Reading…
Posted in Book Club | No Responses »
Tags: cookbook, fall, Moosewood, Recipes, seasonal, spring, summer, winter
