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 

Medjool Date Syrup ~ An All Natural Sweetener

I had never had dates up until a few months ago when my aunt made a date cake that I fell in love with.    Since then, I've been trying to find a way to use dates in a recipe; and because I had never used dates before, I wanted to make sure it was a VERY SIMPLE recipe. That's when I found out about Date Syrup.  Just 3 main ingredients: medjool dates, filtered water, and lemon juice.  That's it, but I had to put my own twist on it--cinnamon!  Pretty easy for a first-time date recipe, and I can't wait to see what I can do with the date syrup.  Recipe below...

Ingredients:
*makes about 1-1/3 cups of syrup

• 8-9 whole, organic medjool dates
• 1-1/4 cups filtered water
• 1-1/2 tsp lemon juice (this helps the syrup last longer)
• a pinch of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Place the whole dates in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let them sit for about 30 minutes. Once the have soaked, drain the water and remove the pits.
2. Add the soaked dates to a high-speed blender (we use a Vitamix).  Add filtered water, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Blend on high for 45-60 seconds, or until smooth.
3. Transfer mixture to an airtight container. 

Lasts for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

As a plain syrup, I have used it as a sweetener for my plain greek yogurt and granola in the mornings, but I have heard it would be great as a pancake syrup!

What to make, what to make!?
Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Pork Medallions into Pork Fried Rice

Earlier this week we had oven baked pork medallions and black beans and rice for dinner.  The pork medallions were simply seasoned with a little salt and pepper and baked in the oven till cooked through--a much healthier way to cook pork and it still came out juicy!  We had one pork medallion leftover (cut up into chunks it came out to 1 cup), so two days later I decided to make pork fried rice instead of re-heating the pork for dinner.  The best thing about fried rice is you can really put into it anything you have leftover and on-hand, just make sure you have soy sauce, ground ginger, and brown rice (leftover brown rice would be great too).

In the picture below, you'll notice the sushi rolls, which were leftover from going out to dinner the night before! Talk about a serious leftover meal! And, of course, our reusable bamboo chopsticks...part of the To-Go Ware bamboo utensil set.

Below is the very adaptable recipe for pork fried rice. Makes about 2 servings.

Ingredients:
*use organic and local where possible

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked if you don't have leftovers)
• 1 cup leftover pork medallions, cut into chunks
• 1-1/2 cup leftover veggies (I had onions, celery, and mushrooms on hand)
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tbs green onion, chopped (optional, but I had a little frozen)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbs + 1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Cook rice if you don't have any leftover.
2. While rice is cooking, saute minced garlic and veggies on a skillet with olive oil. Once the veggies are cooked through, set them aside in a bowl.
3. In the same skillet, coat the pan with a little olive oil.  Whisk your egg, add it to the heated pan, and scramble. Once cooked, add to the bowl of veggies.
4. When the rice is ready, add veggies, egg, green onion, ginger, and soy sauce to the pot of rice. Stir to combine.  For extra moisture, add a little more olive oil to the rice!

Looking forward to the next makeover,

Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Steamed Broccoli turned Broccoli Cheddar Bites

Another great leftover steamed broccoli recipe! The same day I made my Broccoli Parmesan Fritters, I made another batch of these Broccoli Cheddar Bites.  We had A LOT of leftover broccoli at my parent's house from the previous week. And by giving leftover steamed broccoli a makeover, all the broccoli was gone in one meal (it was a little over a pound of broccoli).  It would have likely gone to waste had I not come to the rescue!  These bites look almost the same as the fritters, but they are baked in the oven and taste completely different.  Again, ingredients are most likely in your pantry already--except for the cheddar cheese.

Fresh out of the oven!

Ready to devour...

As mentioned with previous Makeover recipes, the ingredients can be adjusted and changed based on how many leftovers you have and what you have on hand!

Ingredients:
*choose organic and local where possible

• 2 cups steamed leftover steamed broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used a mild white cheddar)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs (I didn't have Italian breadcrumbs on hand, but I had a little bit of plain breadcrumbs available. I did a slight mixture of breadcrumbs and unbleached all-purpose flour to reach 1/3 cup...the bites came out more than fine.  I also added Italian seasoning for the "Italian" part)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. 
4. With your hand, form small patties and line them on the parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven (depending on how crispy you want these bites). After 15 minutes of baking, flip the bites and continue baking.

Looking forward to the next leftovers makeover,

Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Cooked Chicken Breast turned Fruity Curry Chicken Salad

Growing up, weeknight dinners usually consisted of some sort of chicken variation, so leftover chicken was always sitting in the fridge. The great thing about chicken leftovers is that it makes for great chicken salads! Below is my recipe for Fruity Curry Chicken Salad. My mom drools over a great chicken salad, and this is by far her favorite!  It's easy to modify based on the ingredients you have on hand...and yes, you will likely have almost all the ingredients this recipe calls for.  The key is to at least have leftover chicken and curry powder.  I've also made this so many times and used all types of seasoned leftover chicken. It's all good :)

The quantities below can be modified, of course!

Ingredients:
*choose organic and local where possible

• About a pound of leftover chicken, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 golden delicious apple, peeled, cored, and diced (I've used other varieties and it's just as good)
• 1/2 cup raisins or craisins (or both! I used both in my last batch)
• 1/2 cup seedless grames, halved (didn't have them last time and it was still delicious)
• black pepper and salt to taste (this depends on the chicken...if it's already salty enough, definitely skip this step)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder (I always guesstimate on this amount and just taste as I go)
• 3/4 cup light mayo or less depending on the consistency you like (I've never tried plain yogurt, but I can imagine it's great!)
• handful of swiss cheese (optional, but added it this last go around and it was a hit)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. For best flavor, let the chicken salad sit over night, but if you're hungry, DIG IN!

Looking forward to the next makeover,

Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Steamed Broccoli turned Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

Leftover steamed broccoli always brings about the makeover maniac in me! The first time you cook broccoli it's great, but steaming it again is a makeover-faux-pas in my book.  Tends to overcook and smell up the house, right?

Instead, broccoli can be made into so many great new recipes, and simple ones at that (I like to keep it simple, ALWAYS).  Today, I am sharing with you  my Broccoli Parmesan Fritters recipe.  It calls for ingredients found in everyone's kitchen....all the time!  All you need is leftover broccoli, but I'm assuming that's why you stopped by this post.

Ingredients:
*choose organic and local where possible of course!

• 3 cups leftover steamed broccoli, chopped
• 1 large organic egg
• 1/2 cup un-bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped (this may be the one ingredient you need to go out and get, but if you don't have an onion on hand, it won't ruin the fritters!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
• A pinch of red pepper flakes (I like it spicy, so my pinch is usually a mini-grab)
• Black pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Place chopped broccoli in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. Then add all the rest of the ingredients and combine.
3. Add the mixture in #2 to the big bowl of broccoli.  Stir to combine and mash the broccoli, but not too much! You still want some chunks of broccoli in there, but the mashing allows the fritters to stick a little better.
4. Heat a stainless steel skillet over low/medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add heaping tablespoons of the broccoli mixture to the pan and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Fry fritters on 2-3 minutes on each side (or at least until browned and a tad bit crispy). Repeat with the rest of the mixture!

These were so delicious, and if you have fussy-broccoli eaters, I think these may do the trick!

Looking forward to the next makeover,

Hannah

Guest Post: Reusable Bamboo Utensils Review

I'm really excited to share this next guest post with you! Thank you to Sonja who reviewed the ToGo Ware bamboo utensils and Bambu sporks for us!  Her review along with some great photos is below. Have you used reusable bamboo utensils before? If not, I think Sonja will convert you!

Bamboo Utensils Review from Sonja

            Like many people, I’ve used plastic utensils for years at fast food restaurants and never thought much about it. However, the more I learn about plastic and its detrimental effects on human health and on the health of the planet, I am hit with a twinge of guilt each time I use plastic ware. I am very much a creature of convenience, but because I also value using products that won’t harm me, my family, or the environment, I was thrilled to be asked to review two kinds of bamboo cutlery that were designed to be used by people on the go. 

The To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensils fit nicely into an attractive carrying case with a small carabiner that easily attaches to the handle of my purse to make taking the utensils everywhere with me a no-brainer.  My carrying case is agave, but the cases, made with recycled PET, also come in a variety of other understated colors.  While the Bambu Sporks did not come with their own holder, I kept them in a LunchSkins bag and was able to pack them in my preschooler’s lunch box.  We have each used the utensils almost daily for three weeks in a variety of foods, including green chili burritos, sushi with soy sauce and wasabi, and numerous tomato-based dishes, and the bamboo did not stain nor did it absorb the strong flavors of the foods.  The To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensil Set and Bambu Sporks are easy to clean with warm water and dish soap and have held up beautifully after repeated washings. 

At first, I thought I would use the utensils only for lunches while at work, but having them in them in my purse made it convenient to use them in a variety of other circumstances, as well.  For example, when my family was on the road to visit family for Thanksgiving, we didn’t have time to stop so that I could nurse our infant daughter, so I had to make a bottle of formula in the car to calm her cries. I give her formula so infrequently that although I remembered the bottle, the formula, and the water, I completely forgot about bringing something to stir the formula. Shaking it would cause too many air bubbles, so I was in bind until I remembered the To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo chopsticks.  Perfect!  I pulled one out, stirred the formula, wiped the chopstick with a baby wipe, and put it back in the carrying case to be fully washed later.  Additionally, I found myself using them at the Costco food court, at restaurants when I forgot a spoon for the baby’s food, at work when we had special treats, and in the car after grocery shopping when my daughter just had to have her yogurt. I felt comfortable using both the To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensils and the Bambu Sporks with my young children because the bamboo comes from safe sources and is finished with natural, vegan, food-grade oils.

The To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensils and Bambu Sporks were a hit with me and with my preschooler, but I was curious to see what my pre-teen students thought of them.  Reviewing the utensils came at a perfect time in my 6th grade lesson planning as we were in the middle of a unit on writing about natural resources and how people use them. My students were impressed with the strength of both the Bambu Sporks and the To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensils.  Although bamboo is technically a grass, products made from it are incredibly durable, which makes bamboo products a great alternative to easily-broken plastic ware.  One 12-year-old boy even tested the strength of the Bambu Spork by attempting (unsuccessfully) to snap it in half.  Additionally, the To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensils and Bambu Sporks have an even, smooth texture. We’ve become a culture that is so accustomed to plastic ware on the go that using any other material seemed strange to my students when I first told them about bamboo.  They were concerned that bamboo would cause splinters, making it an unreasonable choice as an eating utensil, but they were shocked to feel just how smooth each piece was.    Given the choice between the two different sets, however, most of my students said they liked how “cute” the Bambu Sporks were.

While I prefered the To-Go Ware RePEat Bamboo Utensil set for myself, the Bambu Sporks were definitely the more popular choice for the children.  With the holidays upon us, I can’t help but think that these useful, environmentally friendly utensils would make a great stocking stuffer for just about anyone.  

~ Sonja