Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Halloween Inspired Eco-Sips & Bites ~ Now that's the Spirit (pun intended)!

I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. I definitely do not like getting scared and I REALLY don't like scary masks! Although the scare aspect of Halloween makes me nervous, the theme part of it I love! I love to think about creative names for drinks and food for a themed party.  This year, I've made a bunch of things in advance to test out what I would be doing if I was in town this coming Halloween weekend!  Lucky for him, my husband gets to enjoy my Trrr-eco Treats :).

There are two things (besides the eco and organic side!) I like to make sure happen when making themed food and drinks:

  1. It has to have simple, easy to find ingredients.
  2. It has to be on-theme with a fun name!
The first point is always difficult. You don't know how many times I've tried looking up recipes that call for crazy ingredients. I say crazy because our local grocery stores don't have very many unique options. That's why I like to make things simple and good so everyone can make the things I make.  Then, when you mix up recipes with organic ingredients, you know you're helping make an eco-footprint and avoiding harmful pesticides!

Alright, here we go! I hope you like the recipes and names I've made.  I had a lot of fun working on this post!  

Part 1: ECO-Sips!


Bottles of "Boos"


Want your guests to make their own spirits? Fill a bucket with your favorite organic wines, beer, or champagne. Make a sign that says Bottles of Boos...I think your guests will get the picture!  For my sign, I took a compostable bamboo plate and decorated it with some old arts and crafts I had on hand (I believe since my Freshman year in college...good thing I saved them!)


"Berry"-ed Alive Martini


I'm really proud of this recipe. I made an organic and natural twist to the classic Blackberry Gimlet drink and called this one "Berry"-ed Alive to give it a Halloween theme. Be careful, they are good! Let me know what you think :)

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of organic Vodka (I used Kanon)
  • 3/4 ounce organic Agave Nectar
  • 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice
  • 3 organic blackberries
Directions:
  1. Pour Vodka, Agave Nectar, lime juice into a shaker (I add ice to the shaker too because we like our cocktails extra cold!). Muddle two of the blackberries in the shaker.  Leave third blackberry out for step 3.
  2. Shake and pour into a martini glass.
  3. Add whole blackberry (the third one) to martini glass.
  4. Garnish with a lime if you choose and drink responsibly! These are dangerously good.


Cham-"pain"

Pinned Image

Ingredients:

  • Bottle of organic champagne or sparkling white wine
  • Your favorite organic red and/or orange juice
Directions:

No need to number this because it's so easy! Just fill up champagne flutes and add as much juice as you want. Guests will love the colors...and the name! You can make a little sign near the champagne flutes that says "Cham-Pain". I think they'll get it ;)

Part 2: ECO-Eats!

Now that you have the Halloween "Spirits" together (Halloween Spirits would make a great bar sign!), it's time to make some Halloween inspired bites.  Like the cocktail recipes I listed above, these treats are super easy to make. I'm all about making the organic foodie life simple...because there are simple recipes that taste like you've spent hours in the kitchen.

"Devil"ed Eggs



Classic twist on traditional deviled eggs! There are plenty of simple recipes for deviled eggs online. You can make them as unique as you want or as simple. I usually make my deviled eggs based on what I have on hand.  This last time, I used a little mayo, a dash of pickle juice, and salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.  And as I always do, I topped each egg with paprika.  For the Devilish get-up, use organic red peppers for the devil ears and green onion for the whiskers and pointy chin. I made two versions in the picture above: one with the facial additions and one without. 


Rest in "Peas"


How cute and slightly chilling is this? The name just makes the dish all in itself.  This is great as an appetizer or side.  I made a pea salad and put crackers (homemade croutons work well too) in the salad to replicate tombstones.  Here is my pea salad recipe which makes about 3 cups (again, super easy):

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups frozen organic peas, thawed
  • 2 TBS organic mayo (or any equivalent you like to use)
  • 1/4 cup diced organic red pepper
  • 2/3 cup diced organic celery
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, diced or crumbled
  • 3 slices organic bacon, crumbled (optional)
  • 1 TBS organic green onion, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and keep in the fridge!

Here are some other simple ideas for a Halloween themed get together:
  • "Boo"-Ritos ~ have a make your own burrito bar! Beans, rice, chicken, veggies, the works
  • Sinister Salsa and Chips ~ just hot salsa and chips
  • Guaca-"Moldy" and Brains ~ simple guacamole and cauliflower for dipping (bet you never thought about how much cauliflower really looks like a brain, right?!)

Do you have any treats or eco-sips you'd like to share? I am always looking for creative recipes with an eco-twist!

Have a Happy Halloween!

~ Hannah

Friday, October 19, 2012

You call it November, we call it No-can-ber!

Challenge: Kick the can and make food from scratch this November!



On New Year's Day, my husband and I made our new year's resolution: avoid canned foods. Why? We thought this would be a fun challenge to start making more items from scratch (especially intimidating beans!) and a great way to help us avoid our exposure to BPA.  11 months later, and we've  done a great job sticking to our resolution.  It really has ended up being much easier than we ever anticipated.  The only slip ups we had was the occasional canned tuna. But, last month, I made tuna salad from scratch (pretty proud of myself!) so we are completely canned good free now!

Over the past year, we realized how easy it really is to avoid canned foods when you're determined. Once you make beans, pasta sauce, and tuna from scratch, you'll never want to go back to the canned version.  Fresh really does taste better. That's why we thought it would be a fun challenge to open up to our fans!  I feel like November is often associated with canned foods because of Thanksgiving dinner, so this was the perfect month to get going on the challenge.  Plus, I thought No-can-ber was just too catchy not to use haha.

Throughout the month I will be posting recipes I have used that don't require canned food (and yes, these recipes have their easier canned good version, but the no-can way is better!).  Do you have any no-can recipes you'd like to share with everyone?  Email me your recipe at hello@liveESP.com and I'll try to test it out and post it for others to enjoy as well.

Come take the No-Can-Ber challenge with us! Share this post with your friends so they can join in too :).

What is BPA? Find out more here!
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