Blood Orange Seltzer

This post is 99% about showing off pretty photos and 1% about recipe sharing.  You’ve been warned.

Blood oranges.

Are.

GORGEOUS.

Usually after I take my food photos, I up the color saturation in iPhoto a bit.

No color saturation upping necessary here.  Blood oranges + blood orange juice really just look like that.

Additionally, in the wake of the diabetes-inducing, cholesterol-spiking, biggest hit on my blog EVER Oreo Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes, I figured it was juuuust about time for my kitchen to pump out something healthy.

And healthy this beautiful seltzer is.  No added sugar, just 2 cups sparkling water mixed with the juice from 1 blood orange.  Simple and refreshing.

Chia Tea

No, not chai tea. Chia.

I’m here today to talk to you about chia seeds.  Those weird little tiny nuggets that turn into magic gel when you put them in a liquid.

Chia seeds…like chia pets, but not.

A one-ounce serving of chia seeds has 4g of protein, 11g of dietary fiber, and all kinds of omega-3 fatty acids and minerals (you can usually find them in the bulk foods section of your grocery store).  Chia seeds absorb 10x their weight in water, forming a “gel ball” around each seed.

Sooo… why am I telling you this?

Basically I have this problem where every time I go to Whole Foods, the refrigerated drink section calls my name and I end up spending $1358325 on Odwalla and Kombucha and Mamma Chia because I am unable to resist novelty.

Until one day when I realized I could TOTALLY make my own chia concoction for like $0.03 and a zillion health benefits.  Win, win.

All you have to do is pick a favorite tea…

Brew it, add some honey if you’d like, and throw in ~a tablespoon of chia seeds.  I stuck mine in the fridge to cool it down, but you could drink it hot if you’d like.

Bada-bing, bada-boom.  Healthy, yummy, strangely satisfying chia tea.  Enjoy!

Homemade Raspberry Seltzer

Raspberries. Lemon Juice. Sugar. Water. Seltzer.

 

Well aren’t you puuurty!

I cannot tell a lie. I totally copied this idea from Flour.

You see, there are three things that happen each and every time I walk into Flour Bakery + Cafe:

1. I proudly tell the story about how Flour’s sticky buns beat out Bobby Flay’s on Throwdown to anyone within earshot (at this point I’ve pretty much convinced myself I was there and said “In yo FACE, B.Flay!”) and I die about how good they are and inevitably order four and eat them all and then die again.

2. I pretend to be able to resist the multitude of other delicious nummies on display  while I wait for my sticky buns but end up desperately yelling at the person behind the counter:

BITTERSWEET!CHOCOLATE!CHUNK!COOKIES!FIVEPLEASE.

ANDABROWNIE.MAKEITADOUBLE. STAT! like this is life or death. Which it is.

3. And always, always, always: a homemade raspberry seltzer to wash it all down.

Please don’t tell my doctor how much sugar I consume per day.

Anywho, back to the seltzer: it is PERFECT. Just bubbly water + real raspberry syrup. Refreshing and simple, none of that too-sweet fake stuff. I knew I wanted to recreate it and it just so happened that that very day I found raspberries for $1/pint. What a steal!! Here’s the recipe.

Raspberry Syrup (adapted from the NY Times Sept 2007)

Ingredients

• 2 cups raspberries
• 1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine berries, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until berries begin to break down and release their juices, about 4 minutes.

2. Add 1 1/2 cups cold water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to a simmer and skim off any foam that bubbles to top. Cook for 15 minutes.

3. Strain into bowl through cheesecloth-lined or fine mesh strainer, pressing on fruit to squeeze out juices. Return the liquid to the pan and add 1 cup sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Then, just add a tablespoon or two of syrup to a glass of ice and your favorite seltzer or sparkling water, depending on your taste.