Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

It was super hot and I was hungry. It was mid-afternoon and a few hours away from dinner. I wanted to eat something healthy but couldn’t think of anything. Of course the usual choices were right in front of me- fruit, yogurt, GG crackers, cheese or some junk food. Actually I try not to keep any junk food at home so at such moments I am not tempted to eat something I will regret later.

I thought of the mangoes I had in the fridge and a huge pack of strawberries I had purchased that morning. I of course have non-fat Greek yogurt always.

I decided to make a smoothie with the yogurt, low-fat milk, some mango and of course the juicy strawberries. To sweeten the drink, I added some delicious honey. All the ingredients used are good for you- so you can’t go wrong with this delicious drink. I added some ice and whipped it up in two minutes in my trustee blender.

My daughter and I enjoyed a glass each. It was delicious- not too sweet but just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. It had enough protein to fill me up.

It was a perfect snack that is tasty, healthy and easy to make. The mango strawberry smoothie is delicious!
Click here for the recipe… »

Here is another delicious drink recipe courtesy of my dear husband. As I have mentioned before he is a great mixologist and our friends and family are very grateful recipients of his creative talent.

He made this drink for the barbecue we were having. I was making the lamb burgers paired with the carrot and potato salads.

The delicious drink is made with the usual white rum but in this one citrus white rum is used- it imparts a great lemony flavor. The other important flavor of course is the pomegranate liquor- the star ingredient. The tangy pomegranate flavor goes perfectly well in this delicious drink. It provides the right amount of sweetness.

Some ice and lots of fresh mint make this drink perfect. It is ideal for the summer months- especially for the upcoming long weekend.

Make this delicious drink and your guests may never leave the backyard…

• 1 oz pomegranate liquor
• 1 oz citrus white rum
• ½ oz limejuice
• ¾ oz simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint
• 2 oz club soda
• Ice

In a drink mixer, add the fresh mint and simple syrup. Muddle the mint with the back of a spatula. Add the pomegranate liquor, rum and limejuice. Shake well and pour into a glass full of ice. Add the club soda on top and serve.

This drink is courtesy of my dearest husband who is a great mixologist.

Whenever we have people over, I cook and he makes fabulous drinks- it is a great combination. He loves coming up with different, delicious concoctions.

Recently some friends went to Mexico city and got us a very nice tequila. My husband was super happy to get a great quality tequila and couldn’t wait to give it a test run.

The same friends invited us over for a cook out and my hubby decided to make a pomegranate  margarita concoction and take it to their house to serve right before dinner.

The pomegranate margaritas were delicious- perfectly mixed with the right amount of alcohol, lime juice and sweetness.

This drink will be ideal to serve for Cinco de Mayo. Years ago while I was still working outside the home, we would go out as a group to a local bar and celebrate this Mexican holiday with lots of margaritas and yummy food. Now that I have my daughter, and the holiday falls through the week- I think we will stay home and eat a fabulous Mexican meal and wash it down with some delicious pomegranate margaritas!
Click here for the recipe… »

A close friend from college is taking a hiatus from work and so I have been spending a lot of time with her. She and I are both into food so we try out lots of restaurants in the area or go to our favorites. We have been meeting for lunch almost daily if not a few times a week. Our favorite places are mostly in Edison- the Indian area- we tend to eat the street foods we miss so much that tend to assault the palette- spicy, sweet and savory, all at once. Recently we went to an Ethiopian restaurant in the area and had a fabulous lunch! We ordered some vegetables and a spicy salmon dish- it was really good. It was a warm day and we saw something called spice tea on the menu- served hot or cold. The person taking our order recommended the cold version. I was a little skeptical especially because I make the hot version at home all the time! Well, I was pleasantly surprised! It was absolutely delicious- very refreshing indeed. It was sweet yet extremely flavorful- the aroma of cinnamon came through very clear without being overpowering. I asked the gentlemen for the recipe and he gave it to us- well he gave us the ingredients. I decided to replicate the drink and serve as a refreshment for the cooking class I had a few days ago. I think I was able to duplicate the flavor successfully. I foresee enjoying the spice tea this summer- well, when I am not indulging in the sangria!!!

   
• 3 cups water
• 2 black tea bags
• 1 4-5 inches cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves, crushed
• 3 cardamom pods, crushed
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 cup ice

In a small saucepan bring the water, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom pods to a boil. Add the tea bags and steep for a minute. Take the bags out and turn the heat off. Let the spices steep in the tea for an hour. Strain the liquid and pour into pitcher. Add the honey and mix till dissolved. Add ice and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

When I think of summer,  Sangria comes to mind- so when Memorial Day quickly came our way, it was time to make some! I have been thinking/talking about Sangria for a few weeks now. During a street fair in our town, a local wine store was having a Sangria tasting. A new product was being launched- I was quite skeptical about what was about to come out of the red wine like bottle. I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised! It was very good- the nice man told me about the mixed drink and how it only had red wine and fruit puree. I wanted to buy it thinking how easy it would be to open a bottle of sangria in a moments notice but of course the mixologist in our family- my husband wouldn’t hear of it! He wanted to make his own, even though he admitted the bottled one was pretty good. I had looked up several recipes including one with passion fruit puree- which jumped out at me immediately since passion fruit is my all time favorite fruit. I don’t get to eat it too often around here and when I do, it’s very expensive but it is SO worth every penny- if you have never tasted a real passion fruit you have to try it- it is kind of a mix between a mango, guava and a peach but a lot better and intense! Anyway, I suggested the recipes to my husband but he refused and wanted to do research himself and come up with his own concoction. We went out to the ironbound section of Newark for a fabulous Portuguese/Spanish meal on Saturday and had a great tasting sangria there- it was not very intense in alcohol but was delicious. It reminded me of the sangria we had in Barcelona- it was our first day there and we had just unpacked and settled into our apartment. To keep awake we decided to walk to the popular area of Las Rambla. After a while we sat down in the median at a cafe and indulged in the biggest glasses of sangria I had ever seen! It was the most delicious sangria I have ever had. While in the Newark restaurant, I asked the waiter for the ingredients and they were quite standard- wine, simple syrup and fruit- quite easy to replicate at home.

My husband’s concoction was extremely delicious- it was tangy and sweet and the alcohol was apparent as well. A very well balanced drink that went really well with salsa and guacamole and chorizo burgers- recipes to come in the next week or so. I predict a lot of sangria in our future this summer!

Click here for the recipe… »