Joining some of the nations top chefs at the Palm Desert Food & Wine Festival…serving up Crazy for Citrus

Margarita Grilled Shrimp
This summer favorite is bursting with flavor from our La Vida Buena Style Guide.

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp tequila

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lime (for zest and juice)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined

In a large bowl, combine cilantro, garlic, tequila, oil, lime zest, lime juice, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Add the shrimp, tossing to coat. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat grill. Grill the shrimp 6 inches from the heat, turning once, for 3 minutes, or until just opaque.

Serves 4

Citrus Sparkle

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 oz Cointreau or other orange liqueur

Sparkling wine, chilled

Lemon twist, to garnish

In a Champagne flute, gently stir together the lime juice, lemon juice and orange liqueur. Top with sparkling wine, then garnish with a lemon twist.

Lemon Rosemary Granita

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the water, sugar and rosemary, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Let cool, then add the remaining 2 cups of water and the lemon juice.

Pour the lemon syrup into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish and freeze until slushy, about 2 hours. Using a fork, scrape the ice crystals into the center and freeze again. Repeat the scraping every 30 minutes or so until the entire mixture has turned into ice flakes. Spoon into small glasses and serve.

Make Ahead

The granita can be frozen for up to 5 days. Stir before serving.

Notes

Mint or basil would be terrific additions to this recipe. Add 1/2 cup of herb leaves to the water and sugar and bring to a boil. Strain out the herbs once the syrup cools, and proceed with the recipe.

You can also freeze this mixture in an ice cream machine to make smooth, creamy lemon sorbet.

From our friends at the California Almond Board…this is a delicious, healthy way to start your day.

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons honey

1 ¼ teaspoons sesame oil

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon almond extract

2 cups rolled oats

⅓ cup sesame seeds

½ cup whole natural almonds

⅓ cup sliced almonds

⅓ cup dried cranberries

⅓ cup golden raisins

4 ½ cups nonfat vanilla yogurt

4 ½ bananas

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°.  Coat baking sheet with sides with vegetable cooking spray.  In heavy, 3-quart saucepan over low heat, mix sugar, honey, sesame oil, cinnamon, vanilla and almond extract.  Stir and cook just until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Mix in oats and sesame seeds to coat completely.  Spread evenly on baking sheet.  Bake in center of oven 10 minutes.  Stir, then sprinkle whole and sliced almonds on top.  Continue to bake 10 minutes to toast almonds.  Cool completely in pan, then pour into large bowl and mix with cranberries and raisins blend thoroughly.  Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks.  For each serving, spoon ½ cup yogurt into bowl; top with ½ cup granola and ½ banana, sliced.

Servings: 9 (½ cup)

Makes about 4 ½ cups granola

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

“The recipe, article, image and or/ information is provided to you through the courtesy of  © 2005 Almond Board of California. All rights reserved.
http://www.almondboard.com

We invite you to watch Chef Andre cooking it up on the Today Show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko0UhVj0Joo

From the book True You,  get this book >

protein rich, and fuel filling for the entire day
recipe by chef andre 

1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (I used dried)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup water

Sauce:
1/2 cup salsa
1/8 – 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp non-dairy mayo (Vegenaise)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp chili powder blend
Also:
4 tortillas
Avocado, chopped (for garnish)
Add dry, unwashed quinoa to a large dry skillet. Toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Add veggie broth and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer until tender (about 15 minutes). Add remaining ingredients (except sauce ingredients), cover, and heat over low heat until beans are warmed through. Add more water if needed to keep the quinoa from sticking.
Sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to a blender and process until sauce is smooth.
In an oven or toaster oven, lightly toast tortillas until warm and slightly crispy. Plate. Place about 2 tbsp quinoa/bean mixture in each tortilla. Roll up or fold tortillas in half. Serve with sauce and garnish with chopped avocado.

Serves 4