I chose their flank steak (you could do this with skirt steak), and the key is knowing how to marinate carne asada.

When you marinate carne asada, you will be breaking down the meat with a combination of fat, salt and acid. The acid is mostly citrus in the form of orange and lime juice.

The spices include cumin and heat. I realized I didn’t have cumin. What I did have, however was some Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, which has cumin and other spices.

What is carne asada?

Carne asada means grilled meats, and is found in Mexican restaurants, often in tacos and burritos. Most often strips of meat cut on the bias against the grain and have been previously marinated or rubbed with spices.

What meat do you use for Carne Asada?

Typically, carne asada is made with flank steak or skirt steak, which does well marinated. I could have trimmed some of the fat off, but decided to leave it for more flavor.

How to Marinate Carne Asada

Most of the carne asada marinades include oil, lime, orange, garlic, cumin and cilantro. You will want to marinate carne asada for a minimum of four hours up to overnight.

I used the following ingredients for the marinade. I saved 1/3 of the marinade separately to pour over the carne asada once it is grilled.

• Olive Oil
• Lime Juice
• Coconut Aminos (can use soy sauce or Tamari)
• Orange Juice
• Orange Zest
• Garlic Cloves
• Taco Seasoning (can use cumin and chili powder)
• Cilantro
• Salt
• Pepper

This marinade proved to be simply wonderful.

How do you cook Carne Asada?

I marinated the flank steak for about 6 hours, and then put it on a very hot grill of 500 degrees F.

It took about 15 minutes, ten on the first side, and five on the second side. The internal temperature at the thickest part was 115 degrees f. and I knew that Doug would want it rare. A flank steak is thinner on the ends and that’s the part I would eat. After pouring on the reserved marinade, I allowed the steak to rest for 10 minutes. The steak was then cut across the grain in thin strips.

How do you eat Carne Asada?

The meat was so tasty, we ate it solo, but the leftovers will become tacos tomorrow, using my grain free tortillas and homemade guacamole.

Other Similar Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Pork Carnitas
• Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
• How to Cook a Perfect New York Strip Steak
• How to Grill a Rib Eye Steak
• Ropa Viejo (Cuban Shredded Beef)
• Seven Ways to Grill Corn

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How to Marinate Carne Asada

Marinade Carne Asada for Tacos and More

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword carne asada

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Marinate Time 6 hours hours

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lime juiced
• 4 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 4 tablespoons taco seasoning see notes
• handful chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt hold if in taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Mix together all ingredients except flank steak.
• Reserve 1/3 of the marinade for the steak once its cooked.
• Put flank steak in baking dish or dish big enough to hold steak and marinade.
• Marinate at least four hours up to overnight.
• Heat grill to HOT. 500 degrees F.
• Sear on one side about ten minutes. Turn over for about five minutes, until steak reaches 115 degrees F. at the thickest part.
• Rest steak for ten minutes.
• Slice against the grain on the diagonal. Pour reserved marinade.

Notes

I used taco seasoning as it was convenient.

You can add cumin and chili powder instead.

The post How to Marinate Carne Asada appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Well that changes now. I’m going to give you two methods to make steak tips, and I’ll tell you my preference. 

What are steaks tips?

Steak tips are usually cut from the sirloin or round muscle. They are tasty but not tender like filet. Sometimes they are known as sirloin tips. They do well marinated and then cooked on hot grill, quickly.  

Sirloin tips are very versatile. Here they are coupled with caramelized peppers. You could make them with this mushroom sauce or sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and various marinades or barbecue sauces. You could even serve them with this chimichurri. 

Do you have to marinate steak tips?

I recommend at least a one-hour marinade that has fat, acid and salt. Be careful not to over-marinate with fruits that can break down the meat too much like pineapple, which can turn the meat to mush.

What is the best marinade for steak tips?

You can do the marinade in this recipe which has sesame oil, coconut aminos and lime juice. Or you can use your favorite marinade.  For example, you could simply do some oil, vinegar, and worcestershire. Your acid could be red wine or balsamic. Acid and salt helps to tenderize the meat. 

Can you cook steak tips in the oven?

You can quickly cook steak tips in the oven under the broiler. The oven should be hot and the steak tips only cooked about three minutes on each side. 

Which method works best to cook steak tips?

I did a test. I marinated the steak tips for one hour. Half of them went on to a very hot grill. Half of them went in the oven under the broiler. 

I made sure to dry the marinade off so they wouldn’t steam. Steamed meat is gray and not good. 

The result: The steak tips cooked on a hot grill were much better, more tender than those under the broiler.

Where I buy my Steak Tips

I’m proud to say I love meat and I especially love steak. I have found a new place to buy the best steak I’ve ever eaten. 

Last year, we subscribed to Butcher Box and have been over the moon with the quality of the meat, and I asked to become an affiliate, which earns commissions on sales, because I was so impressed. We heard so much about Butcher Box and the only thing I can say is I wish we would have subscribed sooner. 

Benefits of ButcherBox

• • High-Quality Meat: Delicious 100% grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, heritage-breed pork, and wild-caught seafood.
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Go Here to find out more about Butcher Box

More Steak Recipes from Spinach Tiger

The Perfect New York Strip Steak (my most popular post of all time)

How to Cook a Ribeye Steak

How to Make Teres Major (a cheap, tasty cut of steak)

 How to Make a Skirt Steak with Chimichurri

How to Make a Flank Steak

Ropa Viaja (braised flank steak)

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Grilled Steak Tips

Two ways to make steak tips, grill or broil

Course entrees

Cuisine American

Keyword steak tips

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Marinating Time 1 hour hour

Servings 2 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound steak tips
• salt, pepper for seasoning

Marinade

• 1/3 cup sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos or tamari sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 serrano pepper seeded, siced
• 1/4 orange juiced
• 1/2 lime juiced with zest

Fried Peppers

• 8 small sweet peppers or 3 bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

• Season steak tips with salt and pepper. If they are extra large cut in half. Set aside.

Marinade

• Mix all ingredients for marinade. Taste and adjust as you see fit. You may want more or less ginger, etc.
• Marinate meat in half of marinade, reserving the rest for later. Marinate for one hour on the counter. This takes the chill off the meat and it will cook quickly.

Steak Tips on the Grill

• Heat all burners on grill for 15 minutes until grill is very hot. You will be cooking the steak tips fast.
• Put on the grill for 5 minutes. Turn over for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Steak Tips in the Broiler

• Heat broiler for 15 minutes and adjust rack at the top. You want a high heat to hit the tips.
• Broil for five minutes. Check at 3 minutes to make sure tips don't burn. Turn over for 2 minutes.

Fried Peppers

• The key is low and slow to caramelize peppers.
• Trim off ends, take out seeds and make thin slices.
• Heat pan, add oil and once oil is hot, turn to low. Add peppers and allow to cook for at least twenty minutes. You can do this while the meat is marinating. Turn every few minutes. You don't want charred peppers. You want these too cook slowly.
• Season everything again with salt and pepper. Serve with reserved marinade.

The post How to Make Steak Tips on the Grill and the Broiler appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

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We were out of tequila for the longest time, and that’s about to happen again. We bought this tequila and ventured out to make the best margarita we could find. We bought mixers, even expensive ones, and, while they weren’t bad, we decided we needed to make our own.

What’s the secret to a good margarita? Is it the tequila? Yes. Is it the orange liquor? Yes. Is it the salt? A little bit. Is it the lemon lime mix? Of course.

Best Margarita Recipe starts with good tequila and an orange liqueur.

Tequila: We love Còa de Jima Reposado, good enough to be a sipping tequila, priced low enough to make several batches for parties.

Orange Liqueur: We love Gran Gala, an Italian brandy based triple orange liqueur, which I wrote about here.

We have a friend who hosts the wine tastings at our neighborhood wine and liquor store, and he said “if you want to make the very best margarita, use fresh citrus only, lemons, lime, and orange.

We couldn’t agree more.

I most recently had a very orange-centric margarita at a place called Fisher’s in Orange Beach, Alabama.
It was the best margarita I ever had in a restaurant, as it was topped with a saltwater foam.
They used homemade orange bitters, another ingredient making its way into margaritas lately.

This recipe is very similar (minus the bitters) and sea salt foam. We used fresh squeezes of orange; you could use a splash of orange juice.

The Best Margarita has fresh Citrus and is served on the rocks

We think the best margarita recipe is served on the rocks with big piece of ice, which melts slowly and is poured into a salt rimmed glass.



Below you’ll find the best margarita recipe for one, but in the notes, I’ve made a batch for eight.

You will need a citrus squeezer and  a cocktail shaker.

Taste your margarita and make adjustments. You may want it less sweet, so add sweetener a little at a time. You may want more or less orange, as different orange liqueurs have their own flavor.

I just discovered this citrus peeler which gives you a big sweeping piece of citrus with no pith.

You may also want to try this avocado margarita, and soon I’ll be bringing you a strawberry margarita with homemade strawberry simple syrup.

These would go so well with Doug’s famous guacamole, or our pork carnitas.

So tell me, how do you like your margarita? Do you have a favorite tequila? Follow me on instagram where all my kitchen and dining out pictures appear. I’d love to connect with you.

All Mexican Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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The Best Margarita Recipe

The best margarita recipe made with Gran Gala liqueur and lots of fresh citrus in addition to a good sipping resposado tequila.

Course Cocktails

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Tequila
• 1 ounce Orange Liqueur
• 1 teaspoon simple syrup or agave nectar
• juice of one lime
• juice of half lemon
• 1 squeeze fresh orange or splash orange juice
• salt for rim
• lime for garnish
• 
  Kitchen Tools for this Recipe
• Cocktail Shaker
• Citrus Squeezer
• Citrus Peeler
• Square Ice Cube Tray

Instructions

• Makes one margarita. See notes for making a batch.
• Mix all liquids together in cocktail shaker with ice.
• Use lime wedge to wet rim of glass.
• Salt Glass.
• Pour into glass

Notes

Batch of Margaritas to serve 8

16 ounces tequila (2 cups)
8 ounces orange liqueur (1 cup)
juice of 8 limes
juice of 4 lemons
juice of two oranges (or 1/2 glass orange juice, or more to taste)
3 tablespoons agave nectar or simple syrup

The post The Best Margarita Recipe with Fresh Citrus appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Homemade Pico de Gallo is a fresh, tomato salsa that is so much better than anything you buy at the store, where it’s usually too water, or too something. It’s nice to make it your way, so take these directions with a grain of salt, and balance it out according to your own taste.

The only thing I advise is that unless you can get very fresh summer tomatoes, use Roma tomatoes, which dice well and are less watery.

You can make pico do gallo up to an hour in advance to let the flavors meld together, but keep it at cool room temperature.

Tomatoes, once refrigerated, loses flavor, freshness, brightness, all the things that make a homemade pico de gallo wonderful to top any taco, protein dish or tortilla chip.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

I use red onions, first soaked in ice cold water, so they don’t overpower the tomatoes, but you can use white onions, and at times I’ve even used shallots. The homemade pico de gallo is finished with fresh cilantro, serrano peppers, salt and lots of fresh lime. You could use habañero or jalapeño peppers also. The serrano is hotter than the jalapeño, but I don’t choose it for its heat; I like it’s brighter flavor.

Sometimes, depending on what I’m making, I’ll add in fresh pineapple, especially if the rest of the dish is very spicy, like  ahot chicken or fish taco. Sometimes I’ll add fresh avocado, especially if I’m serving this with shrimp.

No matter what I’m serving if we’re having Mexican food at home, we always have pico de gallo, and here are a few of the ways we’ve eaten it

Steak Tacos made with Teres Major, a steak cut of value, often compared to filet mignon.

Carnitas, slow cooked pork braised with orange and lime for classic pork taco.

Avocado Margarita if you like something different and fresh.

Homemade Margarita with Fresh Citrus beats using a mix any day.

So tell me, do you make your own pico de gallo? Do you have a special recipe? I’d love to hear about it in the comment below or at my facebook page.

I would love to connect with you at instagram and you can find all my recipes in one place on my pinterest board.

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Homemade Pico de Gallo

Freshly made pico de gallo with serrano peppers, fresh lime juice, cilantro, onions to perk up any dish or use as a dip.

Course Salsa

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 6 roma tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons red onion finely chopped (can use white onion or shallots)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper seeded, minced
• heavy dash of salt
• 1/2 lime

Instructions

• Cut off end of tomato. Slice in half cross wise. Make four cut lengthwise and dice.
• Finely dice red onion. If onion is very strong, reduce amount.
• Seed serrano pepper and finely dice.
• Add everything together.
• Squeeze lime.
• Season with salt.
• Gently toss.
• Taste for balance. You can add in more onion, lime juice, cilantro, peppers to taste.

The post Homemade Pico de Gallo appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Until I had to make an Asian salad dressing for a client, I didn’t realize all the options.

I’ve seen Asian salad dressings based with peanuts, sesame oil, ginger or even cilantro. They are all appealing for different reasons. Thus, this Asian-inspired salad dressing series was born. I plan to bring you all three, but today, I’m featuring the Thai Peanut Salad dressing.

Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

In this recipe, I’ve used peanut butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, honey and olive oil.

I’m still devoted to olive oil and think a nice peppery extra virgin olive oil that doesn’t have a heavy taste is still best. I’ve also used grapeseed oil (which as no flavor) and avocado oil.

If you are allergic to peanuts, almond butter is a great substitute, and a little sesame oil will go a long way and ought to be a staple in your pantry.

If you want to transform this Thai peanut salad dressing into a peanut dipping sauce, add one more tablespoon of peanut butter and reduce oil by half. This makes a great appetizer and would be great for crudités (or grilled skewers of meat).

I’ll bring you the salad separately. Like Asian dressing there are so many options. Remember the days of frying up ramen noodles for a crunchy topping, and adding mandarin oranges. I still like that, but hope to bring you some fresh options, using grilled pineapple. mango or fresh oranges.

I always like to hear from you, so please let me know about your favorite Asian-inspired salad dressing, and stay tuned for at least two more salad dressing options.

Let’s connect. Find me on instagram, and all of my recipes are in one place on my Pinterest board.

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Thai Peanut Salad Dressing

Thai peanut salad dressing with honey, sesame oil and Tamari sauce tops your favorite Asian Salad or makes for a great dipping sauce.

Course Salad Dressing

Cuisine Asian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari Sauce
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red chile flakes ground red pepper or 1/2 teaspoon chili oil

Instructions

• Mix vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, garlic.
• Add in honey. Mix well.
• Add in peanut butter.
• Add olive oil, stirring in slowly
• Add in sesame oil, chili flakes.
• You can use ground red pepper or dash of sriracha as a substitute.

The post Thai Peanut Salad Dressing appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I have a thing for strong fruit-centric drinks (but not sweet drinks) and there’s a difference. The blueberry old fashioned packs its own punch as does the strawberry martini.

 Now you might not realize that the avocado is a fruit.

According to this article, they fit the botanical criteria for a berry, which surprised me.

As is true in many of the recipes here at Spinach Tiger, the avocado margarita was not on my white board or in any of my plans until just a few days ago.

My fitness instructor asked me on Monday if I was going to make a margarita for National Margarita Day. Since the whole class was watching, I said sure, and then in my head, thought, probably not. That is  until my friend who works out with me started raving about an avocado margarita  she recently had at this new restaurant aptly named Avo. She even gave me some black sea salt for the drink.

I left inspired to create an avocado margarita and somehow put my own spin to it.

After a quick trip to buy some limes, I went home got out the tequila, avocados, cilantro and celery leaves. Instead of  typical triple sec, I used Gran Gala, a brandy based orange liquor from Trieste, Italy, and quickly I had my margarita up in time for instagram on the national margarita day amongst the other 84,000 posts.

Did you know that when you go to instagram, if you search with a hashtag, you can find all the ways people spend their day eating and drinking.

The Avocado Margarita Showcases My Love for Healthy Food

The avocado margarita combines my love for healthy green food, but don’t be fooled. There’s a good amount of tequila in each drink.  It’s creamy, yet tart, and maybe even a little too easy to drink. It’s not too sweet, but it needs the salt to balance it, so please don’t leave that out.

The Avocado Margarita Process and Gran Gala

I found the recipe at Bon Appetit, which was inspired by an avocado margarita made famous at Curra’s Grill in Austin. I added in the celery salt and instead of triple sec, I used Gran Gala, a VSOP Italian brandy based orange liquor.

Gran Gala has a velvety feel, and an intense flavor and can be used in any cocktail that uses triple sec or Gran Marnier.

I used half avocado for two drinks, and it was the right amount to get that lovely creaminess. I used a touch of cilantro and celery leaves (because I had them and I like that celery flavor). I could even see a dash of celery salt and a dash of cayenne if you want to take the drink to a zestier level.

You Can Freeze this Batch of Avocado Margaritas Ahead of  Your Party

I made these on Monday, but not ready to drink, so I froze the batch in a plastic ziplock. This is truly the secret to a nice iced cold cocktail that you can make in big batches and have ready for your party.

Simply take out until the freeze wears off and the liquid is still cold, or run again in your Vitamix frozen.

The avocado margarita is a good start to my dreams of weekly cocktails. Come back next time for a classic manhattan, as I love retro drinks. If you have a good recipe for something, please send it my way.

A Few of the  Cocktails featured here at Spinach Tiger

Best  Margarita with Fresh Citrus

Blueberry Old Fashioned

Bloody Mary

Strawberry Martini

More Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

Mexican Food from Spinach Tiger

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Avocado Margarita

Avocado Margarita, healthy, smooth, creamy and delicious, adapted from Curra’s Grill in Austin, via Bon Appetite Magazine.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt or gourmet salt of your choice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime or 1 teaspoon finely minced green herb
• 1/2 avocado pitted, peeled
• 4 ounces tequila
• 3 ounces gran gala a triple orange liquor (or triple sec)
• 3 ounces fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon agave or simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon orange juice or squeeze fresh orange
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and optional celery leaves combined
• 4 lime wheels

Instructions

• Rim 4 medium sized glasses with a lime wedge and dip into crushed salt. Salt should be moderately course. You can mix the salt with some lime zest or finely chopped parsley (or cilantro)for added color.
• Combine all ingredients into a blender.
• Pour into glasses.
• Garnish with lime wheel.
• This makes 2 to 4 margaritas.

Notes

You Can Freeze Ahead

I froze the batch in a plastic ziplock. This is truly the secret to a nice iced cold cocktail that you can make in big batches and have ready for your party. Simply take out until the freeze wears off and the liquid is still cold, or run again in your Vitamix frozen.

This recipe makes 2-4 margaritas, depending on size of glass.
To make the drink a little greener, I added in some parsley on the second batch, which you don't really taste much of and cilantro would be too overpowering. Mix up a little with the sea salt and rim the glass.

The post Avocado Margarita with Gran Gala Liquor appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you love avocados and if you love runny eggs, this may be your perfect breakfast. You will see this on a lot of blogs so I had to make it just a little more special. I added some lime hollandaise, which is just an option for a weekend brunch, but this is also good all bit itself.

Loaded with nutrition in the form of the good fat, the avocado is everything the body loves. Put an egg inside and bake and it’s dreamy, creamy and protein loaded goodness. Honestly after my first bite, I wondered why this isn’t normal breakfast fare everywhere.

For about 310 calories (without that lovely hollandaise), you can go several hours without feeling a pinch of hunger and your body is happy. The fat in the avocado and the protein in the egg will keep your body running all the way to lunch time.

You can scoop up the creaminess with some fried tortilla triangles, if you want to add in some carbs.

To put my own twist on it I topped the avocado baked eggs with some lime Hollandaise sauce. Wow this was so good. I grilled some Tortilla Land tortillas and cut them into triangles to use to spread all this wonderful creaminess on. I love the Tortilla Land tortillas, as they are sold raw and are made in 30 seconds on top of the stove.

Lime Hollandaise Sauce

This was my first time making hollandaise sauce, and I was quite surprised how perfect it came out, thanks to my Vitamix. I was unsure if lime would work as well as lemon, but it was an amazing pairing with the avocado. If you’re afraid to make Hollandaise, try this blender method. It works so well in avoiding the dreaded separation. The sauce was smooth, rich and zesty.

If you like healthy eggs, you might also like my oven fried sunny side up eggs. Perfect eggs every time.

So next weekend, bake some eggs in your avocados, and have a  Bloody Mary. Happy Brunch.

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Baked Avocado Egg with Lime Hollandaise

Egg baked inside avocado for a good fat great protein breakfast with an option of lime hollandaise sauce.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 avocado
• 4 small eggs
• fresh herbs such as dill thyme, cilantro
• salt and pepper

Lime Hollandaise Sauce

• 4 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• juice of one lime

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Slice avocado lengthwise.
• Remove seed.
• Scoop out enough of the inside to fit the egg in. This could be tricky. I used very small eggs. Set aside the avocado for another use.
• Place egg inside avocado. Place in baking sheet or pan.
• Bake anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes until the egg is done. I had to bake extra long as my eggs were very cold. It’s a good idea to use room temperature eggs.
• Make hollandaise sauce while eggs are in oven.

Lime Hollandaise Sauce

• Blend egg yolks, salt, lime juice in blender or Vitamix.
• In a double boiler or a stainless steel bowl over simmering water, slowly melt butter.
• Trickle the butter into the egg mixture while on very low speed. Return the mixture to the double boiler and whisk over low simmering water until the sauce is the consistency you want.

The post Baked Avocado Egg with Lime Hollandaise Sauce appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

An Autumn Cocktail made with butternut squash-infused vodka is just the thing to help us gleefully put the summer sandals away, get out our warm sweaters and turn on our ovens to roast butternut squash. The squash is not for soup which warms the tummy; it’s for vodka which warms the spirit.

While this might sound a little bit out of the ordinary, I have two sets of party guests to tell you that the Winter Squash Cocktail from the Savory Cocktails cookbook is such a charmer for all types of drinkers, and will become our Fall tradition, and our Thanksgiving signature cocktail.

When asked to review a copy of Savory Cocktails, I jumped on it, not because I needed a free cookbook, but because, the author, Greg Henry, is my friend and a fellow food blogger. I’ve eaten his food and his cocktails.

The book, Savory Cocktails, follows his success with his first book, Savory Pies, but I think this is so much more him.

While I know he’s good at what he does, he’s even better at what he writes. He’s whimsical, sophisticated, understands that it’s 2013, but has a great respect for retro food, vintage cocktails and where his good taste comes from. He’s also a food and beverage geek, passionately researching ingredients, recipes and culinary history. He not only knows how a cocktail should taste, he knows how it should look, which is presented through his exquisite photography.

Savory Cocktails is right in step with the cocktail movement of the last few years which has resurrected many old time cocktails and has found new uses for  various bitters in combination with fresh ingredients and artisan salts. Greg will walk you through the basics of bar tools and proper glassware, and then will stroll you through cocktails by his chosen savory categories. Take your pick.

SAVORY COCKTAILS:   Sour. Spicy. Herbal. Umami. Bitter. Smoky. Rich. Strong.

He pays attention to what people are drinking, but he also nudges us all along in the book by introducing us to some very unique cocktails, and the Winter Squash was one such drink.

I needed something fun for a party and this was a much bigger hit than I had expected.  While Greg doesn’t include a sweet category, this particular cocktail has some sweetness from simple syrup, but not so much that the vodka and spices can’t be enjoyed for what they are.

The vodka is infused with roasted squash for five days, and then mixed with lemon, lime, simple syrup.  and the Autumn spices we love….cinnamon and nutmeg. Even the non-cocktail lovers loved this drink, and several people asked for the recipe.  I used Putinka vodka, which is a very decent Russian vodka at a good price. Go ahead and infuse the whole bottle. Maybe two bottles. Halloween and Thanksgiving are perfect opportunities to treat your guests to a special cocktail.

Greg used a sage leaf as a garnish.  It’s a nice touch for an Autumn Cocktail made with butternut squash-infused vodka.

The next cocktail I want to try is the Beetle Juice, which uses beet-infused vodka or gin, and the Smoke Jumper, if I find some lampsang souchgong tea, which will be mixed with some Chartreuse that I already have on hand. The tea is a black tea (smoked) as it dries over a burning pinewood. That recipe tells you just how interesting the cocktails are.

So tell me, do you like to serve cocktails during the Fall holidays and have you ever infused your own vodka?

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Autumn Cocktail with Roasted Butternut Squash and Book Review for Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry

Roasted butternut squash-infused vodka creates the Winter Squash Cocktail adapted from Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry, where it was adapted from Phoebe Wilson of the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin.

Course Cocktail

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka

• 1 small butternut squash about 1 pound
• 1 750 ml bottle vodka

Autumn Cocktail

• 1/2 cup squash-infused vodka
• 2 tablespoons/ 1 fl. ounce simple syrup
• 1 tablespoon / 1/2 fl. ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon / 1/2 fl. ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 big pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 big pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 sage leaf as garnish

Instructions

Simple Syrup

• Bring sugar and water to boil together in saucepan, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low until a syrup is reached, about 4 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
• Store in a airtight container in refrigerator, up to 30 days.

Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka

• Roast squash at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the skin blisters.
• Allow to cool. Peel skin off, remove seeds, cut into chunks.
• Place in a mason jar or glass container with a bottle of vodka.
• Set in a cool place for five days.
• Remove the squash from the vodka. Strain with mesh strainer into a clean jar.

Autumn Cocktail

• In a cocktail shaker combine vodka, simple syrup, ice cubes, lemon juice, lime juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Shake vigorously until well chilled.
• Strain into cocktail or martini glass.
• Garnish with more cinnamon if desired and a sage leaf.
• The original recipe calls for cinnamon and nutmeg to be used as a garnish only, but I liked mixing it all together. This makes one serving, but the entire recipe will make 8 or more.

Disclosure: An advance copy of Savory Cocktails was sent to me for review from the publisher.

The post Autumn Cocktail with Roasted Butternut Squash-Infused Vodka appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

How pretty are these purple fries? And, the best news aside from being on one of those healthy purple foods I talked about here, they are roasted, not fried and they are smacking good.

Usually, when your health is at risk, you are told to stop eating fries.

These are fries that are actually good for you. It’s that purple pigment known as anthocyanin that has been known to fight heart disease, is anti-aging and a cancer fighter.

The Process
I peeled off the skins  with a potato peeler, making sure I didn’t scoop away any good potato part. Once peeled, you can julienne or slice the potatoes in many different ways, taking care to practice safe knife techniques. Use a sharp chef’s knife on a stable end grained wooden cutting board like a Florence Adams Boos Block, and since the sweet potatoes are round and tend to roll, make sure you first cut one side so that the sweet potato can sit on a flat surface and not roll. I flavored sea salt with lime zest and flavored the olive oil with a squeeze of lime. I roasted until near crisp (watch your oven, because sweet potatoes can go from crisp to burned very quickly).

Print

Purple Lime-Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Purple sweet potato fries with lime and why purple food is good for you.

Course Side

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 purple sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• zest of 1/2 lime
• juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions

• Peel potatoes. Slice into strips.
• Add lime zest to olive oil
• Toss with olive oil and salt
• Roast on shallow baking dish at 350.

I’m happy with simple lime and salt, but I spotted some options for dipping prepared by other food bloggers which you may enjoy:

Lime Aioli (with Cauliflower Croquettes) from Not Eating Out in New York
Basil Aioli from The Fresh Dish
Lime Chipotle Aioli from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
Lime Habanero Mayonnaise from Lisa is Cooking

The post Purple Lime-Roasted Sweet Potato Fries appeared first on Spinach Tiger.