Eco-Sips ~ Valentine's Day Cocktail

I hate to get too punny (okay, I lied, I love puns!) but if you're looking for a great "date"-night cocktail, this "Be My Clementine" Martini is for you!  It's sweetened naturally with organic and homemade date syrup and bit of agave. It's a refreshing cocktail that will definitely sweeten up your Valentine's day date!  Of course, I served them to me and the hubby in our awesome stainless steel martini glasses from ESP. They kept the martinis nice and chilled :)

"Be My Clementine" Martini

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 oz tequila (we used silver)
• 1-1/2 oz medjool date syrup
• 2 oz clementine juice
• 1 oz fresh squeeze red grapefruit juice
• 1/2 tsp agave
• drop of lemon juice plus slice for garnish

Directions:  Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake, pour over ice, enjoy!

Cheers,

Hannah 

Cranberries ~ Holiday Eco-Sips & Granola Tarts

How many of you have leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving taking up room in your freezer? I know we did! We 1-1/2 cups of frozen organic cranberries (I know that doesn't seem like a lot but, every square inch in our freezer counts, and it IS FULL haha) leftover from making cranberry sauce and a cranberry-apple pie from Thanksgiving to be exact, and I was determined to incorporate them into December recipes because:

(A) December and cranberries just make sense to me,

(B) I needed to make room in our freezer...and I just wanted to make something fun with cranberries,

(C) I love the color of cranberries and they make any dish/drink look gorgeous (see below), and

(D) I really wanted to make festive eco-sips for a potential Christmas Cocktail hour!

So for those of you also looking for a way to use your leftover cranberries, I think you'll like what this post has in store, especially because I made sure not to waste any of the cranberries. You'll see what I mean below.

Part 1 ~ Making Cranberry Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is a common ingredient in a lot of cocktails, but make a cranberry simple syrup and you have a glorified simple syrup that adds a little bit of sweetness and tart and a lot a bit of color!  As I mentioned above, I have 1-1/2 cups of frozen organic cranberries, perfect for making a decent amount of simple syrup for holiday cocktails.  Here is what I did:

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup organic cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a low simmer until the cranberries start to fall apart (about 15 minutes).
3. Strain cranberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Once you've strained the cranberry mixture, let the strainer sit over the bowl and cool for about an hour to make sure you get all the delicious juice!
4. After the cranberry syrup has cooled, store it in a mason jar.

What about the leftover cranberry skins and solids? Keep them! I put mine in a glass food storage container and used them in a granola tart recipe at the end of this post.

Part 2 ~ Holiday Eco-Sips with Cranberry Simple Syrup

"Scrooge"-Driver

No, I didn't make a spelling mistake! This is a cranberry twist to the classic Screw Driver, and because it's the holidays, I thought the name Scrooge-Driver fit :).  The recipe below makes one beverage.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce organic vodka
• 1 ounce cranberry simple syrup (or more to taste)
• Fresh squeezed orange juice
• Fresh cranberries for garnish.

Directions:

1. Fill a glass with ice. Add vodka and cranberry simple syrup.
2. Top with orange juice. (About 6 ounces or more depending on your tastes)
3. Garnish with fresh cranberries.

Cran-"Merry" Mojito

Of course, another set of play-on-words I couldn't help but use!  When I think of winter, Mojitos are not the first thing that comes to mind, but when you add cranberries, I think it changes everything.  From a cool summer cocktail to a refreshing winter drink!  The recipe below makes one Mojito.

Ingredients:

• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice (from an organic lime)
• 2 ounces white rum
• 2 ounces cranberry simple syrup
• soda water
• fresh cranberries for garnish

Directions:

1. Put mint leaves and lime juice into a glass. Mash the mint leaves with a wooden spoon.
2. Fill each glass with ice and add rum and syrup.
3. Top glass with soda water and add fresh cranberries for garnish.

Part 3 ~ Granola Tarts with Cranberry Centers

Not sure what to call the cranberry leftover filling, so if you have a good name, let me know!  The recipe below is amazing (just the right amount of sweet and tart) and perfect for breakfast or dessert!

Ingredients:

• leftover cranberry solids from simple syrup
• 2 cups old-fashioned organic rolled oats
• 6 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• dash of cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons Kelapo organic coconut oil (or whatever brand you like to use)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Combine everything but the cranberry solids in a large bowl.  Spread the mixture evenly on a baking dish (or tart pan, whatever you like to use to make granola).
3. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
4. Allow granola to cool.  Here I tried lifting the granola in even squares but it broke...which is fine! Because I was able to mold the granola and make my cranberry tarts.
5. Place one layer (or spoonful as shown in the picture) of granola in a glass storage container. Spread a cranberry solids over granola. Top with a second layer of granola and store in the fridge.
6. Top with organic greek yogurt and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

~ Hannah

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"

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