Basil-Infused Lemonade

This weekend starts all our summer traditions of sorts. The carousels and pools open up for the season. Our backyard is usually primed and ready for outdoor enjoyment (we’re even thinking of creating a DIY home theater out there this year using a white tarp!). And I start making lemonade on the regular.

But not just any lemonade! I love using basil from the garden to infuse the drink with extra flavor. So, if you’re looking for a last-minute beverage to serve at your cookout today, try this classic lemonade recipe with a twist!

BASIL-INFUSED LEMONADE

What you’ll need . . . 

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice*
• 1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
• 1/2 cup water
• Handful fresh basil leaves
• 3 cups water

* You can also use other citrus fruits if you don’t have enough lemons. My tip is to have at least half of the juice from lemons, though. This batch was half lemons, half some limes and oranges.

Method . . .

1. Squeeze your lemons to get your juice (I just use this old school juicer), then pour into a pitcher with the 3 cups of water. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and half cup of water. Toss in your washed basil leaves, then bring to a simmer over medium heat until all sugar has dissolved. Let cool and then take leaves out.
3. Pour the syrup into your pitcher and mix well.
4. Pour over ice to serve. Optional: Garnish with more basil leaves.

Happy Memorial Day, friends. Let us all remember the men and women who have died serving our country.

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Blackberry Lemonade for 2

Wow. It really feels like feast or famine over here on the blog with regard to recipes. One week, I'm writing about ridiculous diet claims or giving a detailed food diary, the next I'm all about making + eating food. I've just felt particularly inspired this week to make different dishes, desserts, and other tasty treats.

I am also having a blog identity crisis. But more on that another time. In the summer, I love lemonade, but I never want to make/drink an entire pitcher. This recipe isn't rocket science, but I figure if I didn't think to make a small batch until now . . . maybe it's new to you as well.

Hm?

BLACKBERRY LEMONADE for 2

What you'll need . . .

• Juice from 3 large lemons 
• 3 cups cold water
• 1+ tablespoons raw honey*
• Handful frozen blackberries**
• Ice, lots of it

* Feel free to experiment with using agave, maple syrup, or even pure cane sugar -- whatever floats your boat and customizes the sweetness to your liking.
** Would also work great with frozen raspberries, chopped strawberries, etc.


Method . . .

1. Put the lemon juice, water, and honey in a large glass and stir until raw honey is completely dissolved.
2. Put in however much ice you'd like and then toss in the frozen fruit. Shake or stir around a bit until the fruit releases some of its juices into the drink. It will happen fast.
3. Drink ASAP -- the ice melts fast. Enjoy the thawed fruit at the end of your drinking.
4. (And feel free to add a splash of your favorite booze. Or even just add tonic water for some sparkle.)

What's your favorite hot weather drink? Share your recipe in the comments! I'm thinking of posting a roundup on one of the upcoming Weekend Things posts.

Psst: Today we're mixing up batch 2 of our frozen yogurt (batch 1 was the chocolate + coconut, which is almost gone -- I can't believe it!). This time, it's going to be delightfully tart! I can't wait to share.

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So(y) What?

I don't know why we stopped eating soy in the first place, but we did -- picking up a negative vibe some articles we skimmed and reports we caught the tail ends of. What I'm saying is: We didn't form a super strong opinion either way because we were lazy. Then when I learned I was pregnant, I read in several places to avoid soy. I tend to be an extremist, so -- naturally -- I decided to take it out of my diet almost entirely.

After a while, we didn't miss it anymore.

Slowly soy has been making a comeback into our weekly food routine. Once a week, we eat a tofu-based meal. And we have several bags of edamame in the freezer from our CSA share. So, I guess I have some mixed feelings about it. When I became a vegetarian at age 12, I learned to love tofu and soy milk. I gobbled and guzzled a ton of the stuff because, at the time, there were few other substitutions for dairy/etc.

Since then, I've learned a lot. And I'm sure this information is nothing new to most of you.

• "The quality of soy protein is rated as high as milk protein and egg, and higher than beef protein. As with all plant foods, soy has no cholesterol." (iVillage.com)
• "Soy's greatest advantage may lie in it being a rich source of isoflavones - plant hormones that have been linked to several health benefits. For example, researchers believe a soy-based diet could account for Asia's low rate of heart disease." (About.com)
• However, "Soy protein inhibits absorption of iron, making soy foods a poor source of available iron even though they contain this nutrient." (Savvy Vegetarian -- great article!)
• "Too much soy is harmful to infants, interferes with thyroid function, and may cause cancer." (The Globe and Mail)

Like with most things, I imagine the real answer is that anything in moderation is OK. I think that's how we'll treat it. We have switched to almond milk and soy-free Earth Balance, etc.

Regardless, here's a tasty new baked tofu recipe that we're chowing on tonight (steamed asparagus and brown rice on the side).


BAKED SESAME GARLIC TOFU WITH LEMON

What you'll need . . .

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 cake of tofu, pressed and cut into cubes or triangles

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spritz a baking pan with olive oil. Set your tofu slices inside.
2. Whisk all ingredients together. Pour over tofu.
3. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Mixing around every 20 or so minutes until the flavors are absorbed.
4. Eat right away or chill -- works great on salads, too.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the matter. Do you avoid soy? Do you love it and eat it often? Have you ever even thought about it? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Lemon-Cardamom Oat Bars

Lately, I've been sticking with what I know best for baking. Usually peanut butter and chocolate cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. More cookies with chocolate and peanut butter. Etc. So, I challenged myself to bake outside my comfort zone last week (well that's a dramatic way to describe it) -- with tasty results. Blame it on not eating breakfast that day, but these bars were gone in no time at all.

And they're, dare I say, somewhat healthy? So, it's all good.

LEMON-CARDAMOM OAT BARS

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 egg or replacement for 1 egg Ener-G egg replacer (1-1/2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons water)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8" x 8" baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the syrup, egg replacer, lemon juice, and cardamom.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well moistened.
5. Pour into prepared baking pan. Flatten. And bake for 25 minutes. Until golden.

Stephen just got home from work, so it's time for my run! If you'd like to read what Ada's up to now that she's 9 weeks old (2 months!), check out today's post on (never home)maker, baby! One word: SHOTS.

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Roasted Artichokes for Two

Stephen loves, loves, loves roasted artichokes. I like them, but am not totally blown away like he is. So, since I do most of the cooking, we don't make them often. When we do, however, we BOTH dive right in -- slurping up every last lemony bite. You see, you can't really eat a roasted artichoke and not get completely covered in the juicy debris.

You just can't. It's part of the fun.

Keeping the preparation simple is key when roasting artichokes. Well, with roasting most vegetables. A little salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice, and olive oil can make the natural flavor blossom. Plus, it's way healthier that way. A win-win.


ROASTED ARTICHOKES FOR TWO

What you'll need . . .

• 2 large artichokes (whole)
• 1 lime, halved
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Get a rimmed baking sheet and two large pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil ready for roasting.
2. Cut off the stem of the artichoke (at its base) with a serrated knife. Also cut off one inch off the top of the artichoke, exposing the center a bit.
3. Rub each down with half of the lime. Squeeze the remaining juice over them.
4. Place each artichoke on a piece of foil -- standing on its base.
5. Push a clove of garlic into the center pocket and keep pushing until it is inside (half an inch or so).
6. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Squeeze the other half of the lime juice over the top.
7. Grab the corners of the aluminum foil and press together on top to tightly seal the artichoke. You don't want any gaps or openings. Use another piece of foil if necessary.
8. Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
9. Let rest in foil for another 15 minutes before serving (in a bowl -- we'd recommend).

Part II: HOW TO EAT A ROASTED ARTICHOKE

It's definitely a skill I had to learn. It seems easy enough -- just tear away leaves and eat. But some of those outer leaves are tough. Swallowing them is painful (and not recommended, as I doubt you can easily digest them). We tear off the outer leaves are eat only the bottom/base of them. Really, it reminds me of eating lobster. We just discard the inedible (at least in our option) part after sucking away the good stuff.

Once you get more toward the center, all the leaves will be tender. Go to town on these. They're at the heart. Many people even discard the outer stuff pre-roast and only eat the heart, like in this recipe. What you do is up to you, but we enjoy the base of those outer leaves. Otherwise, it seems wasteful!

What's your favorite vegetable (or other item) to roast? We really started roasting up a storm when we discovered grilled pizza. Toppings just didn't seem to thrill us unless we roasted them before adding them to the mix. Now, we roast EVERYTHING, or so it seems.

Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Red Zinger Lemonade

Memorial Day (and all other summer days off from work) calls for a big dose of lemonade. And in honor of the holiday yesterday, that's just what we made. Now, I grew up a fan of the from-concentrate Minute Maid frozen mix (both regular and pink varieties), which is likely more radioactive material than natural ingredients. Add water and stir are the simplest directions, too, so it's difficult to pass on. But I have done just that in an effort to eat more healthfully.

However, other adventures in making my own tasty drink have been completely steeped in sugar. So, yesterday I set myself up for a challenge: Create an amazing . . . yet relatively healthy beverage worthy of holiday celebration. After a bit of messing around in the kitchen, the mixture was done. Overall, I'd declare the try a success.

The secret's in the Red Zinger. And the best part is that you can make bigger batches if you end up liking it. Just make extra tea (the boiled water and Red Zinger) and keep in cold in the fridge. Then extra syrup (the sugar-water-ginger mixture) -- keep that cold, too. Grab a couple lemons, and that's really all you need to make this stuff on the spot.


What you'll need . . . (for 6 small glasses, 4 tall)

• 3 cups water, boiled
• 2 tea bags of Red Zinger -- or any other tea you think might work well
• 3 lemons (or enough to create 1 cup of fresh lemon juice)
• 1/2 cup natural sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• Another 1/2 to 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Frozen blueberries, cherries, and lemon slices (to garnish)

Method . . .

1. Boil the 3 cups of water and throw in the tea bags for about 10 minutes. Then remove and squeeze (to get all the tea goodness into the water). Pour into a large pitcher and refrigerate.
2. In a small saucepan, mix together the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then down to a simmer -- add the ginger -- and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add to your pitcher and continue to cool in the refrigerator.
3. After about 15 minutes has passed (and the mixture has begun to cool), squeeze your lemon juice from your lemons and add to the pitcher. Then stir in the additional water to taste. 1/2 cup yields a sweet/tart lemonade (how I like it) a full cup dilutes it so the taste is less intense (how Stephen likes it).
4. Continue to cool until cold. Then serve with the frozen fruit and lemon slices.

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