Makeshift Margarita

Posted on September 20, 2018 by melsmosaic

Recently I just really wanted a margarita (ok, I can’t say I only seek them out every once in awhile, they are a staple, next to wine). So went to make one and what did I (not) have:

-pre-mixed stuff (love Jose Cuervo Ready to Drink Lite Margaritas)
-non-alcoholic margarita mix
-lime juice
-any limes, period

While I did have the basics of tequila and triple sec, I was finding myself between a rock and a hard place. What to do? While staring at my fridge (luckily with the door open), I realized I had several grapefruit and some lime seltzer…time to concoct.

So, I basically just squeezed the grapefruit for some fresh citrus juice, poured some tequila and some triple sec in the glass then topped it off some La Croix Sparkling Lime water. That water would give me some thought of margarita lime, right? Shook it then poured it over ice. Dang, this makeshift margarita was pretty dang good. Will definitely have to make it again.

Cheers!

Wheat, grapefruit…and beer

Posted on June 21, 2015 by melsmosaic

I love wheat beer, I love grapefruit. But putting them together, I wasn’t sure about. I am also never sure about low ABV stuff. So while roaming around Rodman’s last week I came across a tasting that changed my mind about all of these. There was a sampling of Schofferhofer Grapefruit. On these hot summer days that have hit us, this could not be a more perfect brew. It has that hefe background with that refreshing grapefruit taste. And, it’s only 3.2% ABV. The guy doing the demo says he uses it to refuel after a workout. Hey, each one to their own right? Would be perfect after yard work, for picnics, basically for anything on a hot summer day!

Grapefruit and Hearts of Palm Salad

Posted on January 18, 2015 by melsmosaic

Found this recipe in Cooking Light and it just sounded so good. Many of my favorite ingredients. It just doesn’t seem like something that would be published in a winter issue (Jan/Feb) but I’m happy it was.

Grapefruit and Hearts of Palm Salad

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise (nixed that)
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups baby kale (I chopped it)
1 1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit sections (about 2 large grapefruit)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 (14-ounce) cans hearts of palm, rinsed, drained, and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
1 small red chile, seeded and thinly sliced (I just used pepper flakes)
1 ripe peeled avocado, cut into thin wedges

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.

2. Place 2/3 cup kale on each of 6 plates. Arrange grapefruit sections, onion, hearts of palm, chile, and avocado evenly over kale. Drizzle with dressing. (ok, I didn’t make it that fancy — tossed all that stuff in a bowl and dressed it).

So good! Served it with some pan-seared scallops. I could eat this every night.

Arugula, Green Beans and Oranges…oh my!

Posted on June 24, 2014 by melsmosaic

Quick, easy, and tasty…that’s what I want, not only during the summer, but a lot of the time. Cooking Light had a bunch of great, quick & simple recipes in one of their recent issues and I have been trying several of them. They are good! One that I made recently had my favorite lettuce — ARUGULA! Then, green beans and oranges. I also threw some grapefruit in there. The official name of the recipe is Green Bean, Arugula, and Clementine Toss.

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages ready-to-cook fresh haricot verts (aka green beans)
3 cups arugula
2 clementines (I couldn’t find them loose — vs buying a whole box, which is why I used a ‘regular’ orange and then a grapefruit)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
(I added pepper, too)

Directions

Steam haricot verts in the microwave according to package directions; halve beans crosswise. Or, steam them on the stove. I also forgot to cut them afterwards.

Cool 5 minutes; toss with arugula, clementine segments, olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

So good and perfect for summer weather! And, gluten and dairy free.

No Recipe Green Sunday Dinner

Posted on March 17, 2014 by melsmosaic

Last night I wanted to make a pre-St. Patrick’s Day dinner, color-wise. I had done an Irish brunch so needed something lighter but wanted a green theme. I assessed what I had in my kitchen and off I went.

Started with some green olives to nibble on while prepping. Then went for some scallops with ginger, garlic and green onions, some Brussels sprouts (with pistachios) and arugula with grapefruit.

The key to the taste of this was some sesame oil!

Put some of that in a pan then added the green onions, garlic and ginger. My kitchen smelled SO good.

Then, I purposely used a big pan to (1) save time and (2) get some of those amazing, drool inducing flavors/tastes into both the scallops and Brussels sprouts.

Wanted to add some (more) tang to my arugula salad so added some grapefruit.

While all this was happening, had some kale chips going — just tore some kale, tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and baked at 400 for 10 minutes. I put the kale on a rack so I don’t have to flip it.

Opened up a red from Italy that I’d had for awhile to serve with dinner — amazing! Osel Ruche.

Final product all around was AMAZING. Plenty of green on the plate — green kale, green arugula, green Brussels sprouts, green pistachios (tossed with them), green onions, green olives for apps. Love just throwing stuff together!