Basil Mint Grapefruit Sorbet

my wonderfully, thoughtful, florida-living, sunbirds of an aunt and uncle sent E and i a big box of florida oranges and grapefruits for christmas. it felt like we were opening a box of sunshine every time we picked one out. cutting into one filled our kitchen with an air of citrus freshness.

however, i have a confession, as much as E and i both like citrus fruits, we are having a hard time getting through the entire 23 lb box.

thankfully, i can turn to a little invention known as the world wide web. when i came across a recipe for grapefruit sorbet, a little light bulb went off and i immediately got to juicing some grapefruits. the recipe called for a basil simple syrup to sweeten the tart grapefruit. i added some fresh mint to the simple syrup as well as fresh basil and it added such a wonderfully bright, fresh taste to the sorbet. it made for complex notes on the tongue. you immediately tasted the tart grapefruit but the subtle flavors of mint, basil, and lemon linger. it is cool and refreshing and makes me think of summer. only five more months . . .

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Basil Mint Grapefruit Sorbet
adapted from a spicy perspective


2 cups water

1 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup organic sugar

1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 grapefruit, zested

10 large basil leaves
10 mint leaves

pinch of salt

approximately 6 large grapefruits, juiced (3 cups of juice)

to make simple syrup, bring water, agave, and sugar to a boil over medium heat. stir well and remove from heat. add lemon zest, grapefruit zest, basil and mint leaves. let sit 30 minutes.

juice 1 lemon and grapefruits until you have 3 cups of juice. add juice to a large airtight container. strain simple syrup and add it to juice. refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

add to ice cream maker and follow ice cream maker directions (i let it go for 35 minutes - it should be slushy). turn off ice cream maker and put sorbet back into airtight container and freeze. when ready to serve, let sorbet sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to soften slightly before serving.

Spiced Nuts

i have found protein is the key for me to feel full and satisfied all day. i try to eat several small meals throughout the day and make sure each meal has protein in it. nuts are a wonderful snack that give you not only the coveted protein but also healthy fats.

this recipe for spiced nuts is not only super easy, but it is the perfect balance of spicy and sweet. a 1/4 cup of these spiced nuts in the afternoon is just what you need to get you through the afternoon until dinner. i eat them with a clementine for a perfectly balanced snack - a little fat, a little protein, and a little fruit. they are also perfect on the go. i have several snack bags of pre-measured nuts in my pantry so i can grab them if i am heading out. they are a great post-workout protein recovery boost for your hard worked muscles. i'll warn you though, these are crazy addictive! i find it hard to stop at the recommended 1/4 cup serving.

i usually get my whole, raw nuts from trader joes. i find they have the best selection and the best price around. i use pecans, pistachios, cashews, and almonds because they are my favorites. but, any nuts will work in the mix. peanuts would be great and next time i want to add walnuts because they are supposed to be the most heart healthy of the already traditionally heart healthy nuts.

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Spiced Nuts
makes approximately 4 cups

1 cup each of the following:
- raw pecan halves
- raw pistachios
- raw cashew halves
- raw whole almonds
(you can really use any kind of nuts here as long as they are raw since you will be roasting them - use your favorites)

roast nuts together on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until fragrant - about 10-15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. keep a close eye on them though, they burn easily.

meanwhile in a small bowl, combine the following ingredients:
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tbs agave nectar
- 1 tbs finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tbs finely minced fresh thyme
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tbs butter, melted
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

when nuts are roasted, place 1/3 of them in a large bowl. scoop 1/3 of spice and butter mixture on top of the nuts and stir really well until all nuts are covered. continue in two more batches until all the nuts and spice mixture are in the bowl. make sure all nuts are well covered with the spice mixture.

pour back onto baking sheet and spread out evenly. let the spiced nuts cool completely. store in airtight container for up to one month.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

i had the most wonderful treat last night. E came home from physical therapy and said he wanted to make dinner. um, yes please!

i had been flipping through a new cookbook called quick and easy chinese: 70 everyday recipes by nancie mcdermot. my dear friend, N, had given me another one of nancie's cookbooks entitled quick and easy thai. i loved the thai cookbook so much i ordered the chinese one. if this moo goo gai pan recipe is any indication of the rest of the chinese cookbook, i know i'm going to love it. i already want to get her third one - quick and easy vietnamese.

so E rocked the moo goo gai pan! he made a couple changes that i suggested and it was so good we gobbled it up. (bad move, E, you made a crucial mistake. you set the bar too high. now i know you can conquer a chinese recipe. i see more cooking in your future;)

when i had leftovers today for lunch, i added some bean sprouts and served it over a little brown rice to soak up that wonderful sauce. i realize that those two additions probably don't make it traditional moo goo gai pan anymore, but they were so good, i included them in the recipe.

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Moo Goo Gai Pan
adapted from quick and easy chinese
serves 3-4

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbs chicken stock
1 tbs tamari
1 tbs dry sherry
2 tsp arrowroot
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1" fresh ginger, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
8oz sliced mushrooms
8oz fresh snow peas, cut in half
1 cup bean sprouts

stir together stock, tamari, sherry, arrowroot, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

heat wok over medium-high heat. add oils, garlic, and ginger. add in chicken in single layer. cook until just opaque on one side, then flip and cook until opaque on second side. remove chicken from wok and set aside. add mushrooms and onions to wok and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. add chicken back to wok as well as snow peas. add stock mixture and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring well until sauce is bubbling and has thickened. remove from heat and stir in bean sprouts. serve over warm brown rice.