Blood Orange Vanilla Lemonade

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Let's make some lemonade, you guys! Yes, I know it's still basically winter, but hear me out. This IS winter lemonade. Since blood orange season is only December through May, you can only make this in winter or spring soooooo I'm not crazy! Or at least, I'm not crazy because of this idea.

I love, love, love blood orange so much more than regular oranges. I think they're sweeter and have an almost berry-citrus flavor. Does that make sense? Yes? No? Maybe? Maybe the color is playing with my brain!? I buy them as often as I can get my hands on them. This lemonade is a must, a cocktail often occurs, maybe toppings for a salad, glaze for salmon, a pound cake with champagne, oh the possibilities! 

I made this a few years ago on a whim, for a family game night and we drank almost all of it that night. My sister took the rest home and has become a hardcore fan of it. Which reminds me, I set some aside for her. I need to take it to her ASAP. There is a good chance if I don't hurry it won't last long enough. 

Blood Orange Lemonade

Makes approximately 1/2 gallon

1 1/2 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)

3-4 lemons to equal 1/2 cup lemon juice

4-6 blood oranges to equal 1 1/2 cup blood orange juice

3-4 cups cold water * to taste

2 vanilla beans

Juice and strain lemons and oranges until you reach the needed measurements, add to drink container or pitcher. Stir in water and simple syrup. Split vanilla beans and add to lemonade and stir. Remove the vanilla bean after about an hour if you don't want a strong vanilla flavor. Store in refrigerator up to a week.

Simple Syrup 

makes about 1 1/2 cups simple syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

In a sauce pan, combine and heat water and sugar, stirring until all sugar dissolves. Allow to cool to room temp before refrigerating. 

Cheers!
XO,
Ashley

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie

Hiiiii-eeeeeeee! Want something nice a frozen and fruity here in the middle of winter? Good me too! 

   I've got some Christmasyness up my sleeve headed your way buuuuuttt.... it's not quite ready. I'm having one of those days, you know the kind, I mean, I feel like I have 2.7439 million things going through my head. So, I made a smoothie instead of cookies. I needed brain food. Brain beverage, I suppose, is more accurate. Now, I'm going to sip on this and contemplate whether I'll be doing laundry, dishes, picking up, making apple butter and jelly or DIYing a few photo ornaments. Maybe, I'll just pretend all of that is done and binge watch some Netflix. 

     Full disclosure, I may have used photos I took of this smoothie earlier this year, I swear it is the same smoothie recipe and looks identical.  Some serious slacking on my part! But, trust me, make it, put on some reggae and pretend it's not freezing outside! It will take you to the beach.

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie
serves 2-3 people
(Click to print)

2 tablespoons flaxseed

1 large or two medium carrots

1 1/2 cups coconut water

2 cups frozen mango

1 cup orange juice 

1 tablespoon honey

In a blender pulse the flax seeds until pulverized. Add carrots and pulse until broken into smaller chunks. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and make adjustments as needed. Enjoy!

Cheers!

xoxo,
Ashley

Mango Honey Chicken Stir Fry

Yowza! This chicken is the new best thing I've ever made. 

(That may change tomorrow but whatever...)

Chicken + Mango + Honey +OJ + Sriracha = DELICIOUSNESS at it's best!

   This started how most of my best stir frys do, I had some chicken that had to be cooked right at that moment, because it was teetering on becoming vile and a fridge full of random ingredients. I'm terrible about laying chicken out to thaw and forgetting it. I have ruined more than my share of meat that way. It is one of my greatest flaws. I'm working on that. Anyway, back to the stir fry... I often find that I don't have anything planned for dinner and I have three males whining, one of them is an adult but that doesn't stop him. These guys get HANGRY! I do my best work then. I pull out what sauce ingredients speak to me and load it full of veggies and try to make magic. This one isn't loaded full of veggies but with fruit this time. I can't believe I hadn't thought this combination before. 

Mango Honey Chicken Stir Fry

serves 6-8

(click to print)

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken

2 mangoes

2 red bell peppers

1 tablespoon oil, for frying

1 cup orange juice + 2 tablespoons reserved

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon sriracha

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

steamed white rice

Start by cutting your chicken into chunks. Next, cut the mango and bell peppers into pieces about half the size of the chicken. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the chicken until golden brown. Once the chicken has started browning, add the mango and pepper, stirring often. While that cooks, make your sauces, in a bowl whisk together juice, honey, sriracha and soy sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through and the mango and pepper are tender crisp, add the sauce. Bring to a bubble stirring often. Once the sauce has cooked down and everything is cooked through, this usually takes 3-4 minutes, stir together the remaining OJ and cornstarch, making sure there are NO lumps. Stir into sauce, allowing to cook 1-2 more minutes. The sauce will thicken and you are ready to serve!

xoxo,
Ashley

Almond Fig Muffins

These are my new favorite things. 

Fig + Almond + Cardamom + Orange + Honey + Muffins = deliciousness to infinity

I'm not kidding, the are amazing.

Fig are hard to find here in Tennessee. 

I love them but dang, those bad boys are expensive, and they go bad so quickly!

You're going to want to buy them no more than a day before you're ready to use them.

My youngest child, feeling super important, being that his birthday was the next day, took two bites out of half of these as soon as I put my camera down.

Then he found his perfect muffin and trotted off to watch Barney.

I hate that stupid dinosaur! 

Why are children's shows so mind numbly annoying!?!?

I think it's time to force him to watch more Sesame Street. 

Now that is good tv!

I know these almost look burnt, but they'e not. 

Ok, some may be on the extra done side, but I did that on purpose, I swear.

Mr. Buttercup, or the Dred Pirate, whatever you want to call him, likes his baked good with a slight char.

Plus, the honey I drizzled on top caramelized, leaving some of these with burnt bits on the top. 

Those were his favorites.  

I usually make a couple dozen muffins every Sunday to last through the week. 

These will not make it past Wednesday, I guarantee it. 

Luckily I made some chocolate chip oatmeal muffins too.

Not being super healthy this week. Oops.

If you want to make them slightly better for you, change out your sweetener, and add some flax meal. 

Or don't and be rebellious like me.  

Almond Fig Muffins
Makes: 1 dozen
(click to print)

for muffins:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil*
1 tablespoon orange extract
zest of one orange
8 figs cut into quarters
crumb topping (recipes follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt, make a well in the center and set aside. In another bowl whisk together, egg, milk, oil and extract. Add liquid ingredients to the cent of the dry and stir until just combined. D not over mix. Stir in zest at the very end. Fill muffin tin 2/3 of the way full. Top with crumb topping and a drizzle of honey and a few slices of fig. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

for crumb topping:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/4 cup almonds

In a small bowl add all ingredients and use your fingers or a fork to work the ingredients together.


*Use whatever your prefrence is for baking, I used vegtable oil this time but have used olive oil and coconut oil in the past.

Have one of these with a cup off coffee and start your day of right. :)

xoxo,
Ashley