Cucumber Gin Rickey

Summertime calls for outdoor cocktails. Light, yummy, delicious cocktails and boy does this Cucumber Gin Rickey have you covered! It's refreshing and with the cooling effect of cucumber it's a great drink for these hot summer days. And it has been HOT lately! Find shade and these ingredients and get on it. 

Cucumber Gin Rickey

Fridge:

6 quarter inch thick slices of cucumber, extra sliced for garnish 

6 mint leaves, extra for garnish 

Freezer:

Ice for cups (enough to fill two lowball glasses) 

Counter:

Juice of 1 lime (about 3 tbs) 

Pantry:

3/8 cup gin (I measured 1/4 cup and then 1/8 of a cup) 

3/4 can of ginger beer 

Tools:

Muddler or potato masher 

Pitcher or large bowl 

Strainer 

Mixing spoon 

2 lowball glasses 

In the pitcher add cucumber slices, mint leaves and lime juice. Using your muddler (or potato masher) smash the cucumber and mint leaves until well bruised. Add your gin and mix well. At this point you can strain out the mashed pulp or keep it as is- whatever you prefer. 

Fill your lowball glasses with ice. Equally divide the gin & lime mixture into the two glasses. It should be about 1/3 cup of liquid per cup. Top glasses with ginger beer. Add mint and cucumber for garnish and serve. 

Enjoy this drink!! It's perfect for summer! Xo

Tom Kha Kai aka Coconut Chicken Soup

It is about the time when I have to pack up my flip flops and break out my sweaters, which is seriously depressing for me but the yogi in me is trying to stay positive so on the flipside it's soup, stew and casserole season- yay! There are a lot of feel good, heart warming meals ahead of me and this soup is a super simple and flavorful way to start the season. 

Tom kha kai (also spelled tom kha gai) is a Thai soup traditionally made with lime juice, coconut milk, mushrooms and chicken. It's one of those soups that seems complicated but once you make it and realize how simple it is- you'll make it all the time. And all the delicious ingredients have such a complex flavor profile- it's a very impressive soup to serve at a dinner party. My version strays from the traditional slightly- with my addition of bok choy and corn- but I like the added textures. Play around with this soup base and see where you land. It's a fall and winter winner for sure! 

Tom Kha Kai 

Fridge:

1lb of boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced 

2 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced (your choice of mushrooms- I used cremini and shiitake) 

2 1/2 cups bok choy, roughly chopped

1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced 

1 tbs deseeded jalapeño, minced 

2 tbs fresh ginger, roughly chopped 

2 lemongrass stems

1 1/2 tbs cilantro, minced

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn (optional) 

Counter:

1 cup water 

1/3 cup yellow onion, minced (about half a small onion) 

1 garlic clove, smashed 

Zest of 2 limes 

Juice of 1 lime (about 3 tbs) 

Pantry: 

4 cups chicken stock 

2 cans (14 oz) coconut milk 

2 tsp fish sauce 

1 tbs coconut oil 

1/4 tsp salt plus a little extra pinch 

Fresh pepper to taste

1/2 tsp sriracha sauce (optional) 

Tools:

Two medium pots 

Sieve

Cutting board 

Chopping knife 

Measuring cups spoons 

Wooden spoon

Ladle 

Place the lemongrass on your cutting board and using the backside of your chopping knife, repeatedly hit up and down the length of the lemongrass. This is essentially bruising the root and allowing the oils to be freed. Add the entire stalks, chicken stock, water, garlic, ginger, lime zest and lime juice to one pot. Place on the stove over medium to low heat and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering for 20 minutes and then remove from the heat. Set this pot aside until ready to use. 

In separate medium pot, add the coconut oil and heat over medium to high heat. Once hot- add the minced onions and jalapeños. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions become translucent. Sprinkle the chicken slices with salt and pepper (to your taste) and then add to the pot. Sauté until the chicken is completely white. Add the mushrooms, bok choy and corn if you're using it. Sauté for another few minutes or until the mushrooms are al-dente. 

Place the sieve over the pot with the chicken and mushrooms. Pour the flavored stock pot into the chicken and mushrooms pot, straining out the lemongrass and other flavorings. Bring the soup pot to a simmer. Then add the scallions and cilantro. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes before adding the two cans of coconut milk and fish sauce. Add 1/4 tsp of salt, sriracha if you're using it and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and then turn off. You can serve this now or allow it to cool and refrigerate it to serve the next day. 

I like to allow my Thai flavors to meld but sometimes I'm too impatient to wait. Hopefully this soup makes up for the cold weather ahead of us!! Enjoy! Xo

My Asian grocer had run out of bok choy so she gave me "emperor lettuce" as a substitute. I usually use bok choy though.

Tequila and Lime Grilled Shrimp

Do you ever go through phases where you just crave one thing constantly? And no it's not called pregnancy. For the past month or so I crave and think about shrimp a lot. Like too much. But I've especially been wanting to try these margarita-esque grilled shrimp for a while. On top of the fact that it was National Tequila Day last week- why not add a little kick to your marinade? Plus the alcohol in the tequila cooks off so it's completely safe for kids to eat- just ask my seven-year-old niece- she devoured them! 

So last night I finally got the chance to make these. I ate them taco-style but I'll blog about that one later. Today is just for highlighting this delicious simple grilled shrimp. 

Tequila and Lime Grilled Shrimp

Fridge: 

1 lb of peeled, deveined shrimp, whatever size you prefer 

2 tbs cilantro, minced 

Counter:

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 2 1/2 limes 

1/4 cup tequila 

Pantry: 

3 tbs olive oil 

1 tsp cumin 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper 

Tools:

Grill

Mixing bowl

Whisk

Gallon ziplock bag 

Tongs 

In the bowl, whisk together all the ingredients minus the shrimp. Place the shrimp in the ziplock bag and pour the marinade over it. Put the ziplock bag in the fridge and marinate for 2-4 hours. 

Preheat your grill on medium to high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and place on the hot grill. Grill the shrimp for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, using tongs to flip them over. You don't want the shrimp to curl up tight- just a loose curled tail (see photo above). 

Eat this shrimp as is- or better yet check back tomorrow for our delicious tequila and lime shrimp tacos with a pineapple, corn and avocado relish!! Pura vida. Xo