Tag Archives: orange juice

Avocado Banana Smoothie

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We love avocado smoothies and the natural sugars from the banana and orange juice taste fantastic juxtaposed with the rich creaminess of the avocado.

Adapted from Marcus Samuelsson from New Amerian Table

2 servings

  • 1/2 avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, from 1 medium orange
  • 1 frozen banana
  • Juice of 1 lime

Combine the avocado, orange juice, banana in a blender and puree until smooth.  Blend until well combined, then mix in the lime juice.  Divide the puree among glasses and serve immediately.

Bebidas: Don Q and Gasolina, San Juan

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This post is legal drinking age eyes only. Americans, please stop reading if you are under 21 and Puerto Ricans under age 18!

Our numero uno favorite cocktail in Puerto Rico is Serralles Don Q Cristal rum and jugo de china (orange juice).

The mixture of orange juice with a smooth rum was a great combination.

My second favorite Puerto Rican beverage was Pan American Grain’s Gasolina Sangriiia. The triple I sangria is packaged in a purple and convenient, Capri Sun-like pack. The 7.5% alcohol by volume sangria blend was easy to consume with the nice combination of Caribbean Rum, acai and fruit juices.

Pan American Grain is sold exclusively in Puerto Rico and was recently given permission to export into Florida. Several friends wanted to take cases home in their check-in bags. We tried Sea Breeze, Original and Mojito, but Sangriiia was our favorite. The Sea Breeze has five times filtered and vodka with pink grapefruit and cranberry juice.

The Mojito had Caribbean Rum, Lemon Juice and other juices and the 11% alcohol by volume.Original flavor had Caribbean Rum, agave tequila and passion fruit.

Union Bar and Grille, South End, Boston

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One of my former bosses is a well-heeled, world traveler and he mentioned one of his favorite restaurants in the South End is Union Bar and Grille. I concur.

Located near the now defunct Ginger Park and The Gallows, Union Bar and Grille has black leather booths which are luxurious and have high backs, which makes the dining experience semi private. In fact, on our most recent visit, we thought we spotted Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar and the Office of Public Engagement) enjoying brunch.

Union Bar and Grille is part of the Aquitaine Restaurant group and has the same fantastic coffee at all their restaurants. I look forward to it every time.  In fact, the coffee and coffee cake are my favorite aspects of Union Bar and Grille’s brunch. The coffee cake used to be a Cinnamon Swirl Sour Cream Coffee Cake, but now the cake is topped with a granola crumble.

We all had a brunch cocktails including the special blood orange mimosa for $11, UNION Eye Opener chilled espresso, Svedka Vanilla, Kahlua, Bailey’s, Godiva chocolate for $11 and Sunrise Sidecar brandy, St. Germain and orange juice for $10.

The Early Riser All-Inclusive Brunch for $9.99 from 10am to 3pm Saturday and 10 to 11am Sunday is a great incentive to brunch early. The all-inclusive brunch includes freshly squeezed juice (orange or grapefruit juice), coffee cake and unlimited coffee.

The house-made granola dried fruit was laden with sesame seeds and fresh raspberries for $9. The crisp New England Cod Cakes, 2 poached eggs, “old bay” hollandaise looked decadent and the eggs looked like they were cooked perfectly for $10.

I had the Smoked Salmon Scramble, house cured salmon, crème fraiche, scallions. The juxtaposition of the smoky flavor with the creaminess is a classic combination. The potato skin of the home fries were well-seasoned and crisp.

At a previous visit, I tried the chorizo omelet, cheddar cheese & asparagus served with home-fries and toast for $8 and Union’s huevos rancheros, which are better than those at Toro and South End Buttery.

Overall, the ambiance of Union is very cozy and lush, but not pretentious. The service is very conscientious, constantly refilling coffee, and the food was spot on. Really look forward to trying Union Bar and Grille for dinner.

Special thanks to one of my brunch companion who lent her Iphone for my temporary usage! No camera = blog crises.

Union Bar and Grille on Urbanspoon

Cookbooks: Dairy-Free Almond-Orange Cake from Vegetarian Planet

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Several years ago, one of my high school friends got hitched and both she and her husband are gluten-free. At her storybook wedding, she had a moist, gluten-free cake, which made me rethink the possibilities of cake. Didi Emmons, founder of Pho Republique and Haley House Bakery Café and Veggie Planet restaurant in Central Square, Cambridge, created this almond-orange cake for a vegan wedding.

The reason I gravitated towards Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons at the Harvard Common Press Boston Brunchers event is because yearned for inspiration and motivation to incorporate more vegetarian dishes in the new year. I chose to make the almond-orange cake because I love the aromatic combination of almond and orange, but omitted the chocolate frosting to make it more like a tea cake. This almond-orange cake is not overly sweet and perfect with tea.

My great-aunt would make this lovely orange cake that had a whole orange (without the rind). She would food process the entire thing, zest, juice, segments, fiber and all. As a result, the cake was full of orange flavor and aroma.

Adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

  • 1 cup whole almonds, lightly toasted (I used almond flour)
  • 2 cups unbleached white flour (or gluten-free flour)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 c canola oil
  • 3/4 cup soy or almond milk
  • 1/4 cup juice from orange (I used 1 medium blended orange with pulp and juice)
  • 2/3 c honey (I used 2/3 cup granulated sugar)
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 2 tsp finely grated orange rind

Chocolate icing

  • 5 ounces semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate (my favorite brand is Sweet River), broken into small pieces, or 5 ounces chocolate chips
  • 4 T soy margarine
  • 2 T honey (or 2 T confectioners sugar)
  • 3 drops vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9- or 10-inch cake pan (I used a loaf pan) by rubbing or spraying it with a bit of oil or non-stick spray. Grind the almonds in a food processor or blender (you’ll need to grind them in two batches if you use a blender). Transfer the almonds to a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

In a smaller bowl, combine the canola oil, soy milk, honey, vanilla, almond  extract, and the orange rind. Pour about half of this mixture into the flour mixture, and stir briefly. Add the remaining liquid, and stir until the batter is smooth. pour it into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then loosen the cake with a sharp knife. Place a plate on top of the pan, and invert the cake onto the plate. Let the cake cool completely.

Make the icing: Melt the chocolate in the top of a double broiler or in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, add the margarine 1 T at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk in the honey and vanilla or liqueur.

Ice the cake, using a cake spatula or butter knife. If the cake won’t be eaten within 5 hours, store it in the refrigerator.