Sunday, August 17, 2008

Taco Time

Summer vacation is in it's last leg for this year, the back-to-school ads have been out for ages and the last time I was at the grocery I saw HALLOWEEN candy on the shelves! Good Lord - if they begin the Christmas carols before November I swear I'll go off the deep end! It's still AUGUST, people!

Yes, August is still with us, and that means picnic and BBQ fare is still fair game. I'm including something in this post today that's fairly odd for this teetotaler's blog - an alcoholic punch - because when I read about it in August's Toronto Life it looked too good to keep all to myself. It's the invention of a restaurant in Toronto known as Spice Route, and would probably be a perfect pairing to some Summer rolls or a light Asian-style slaw salad. Definitely pop over to the article and read the take on the drink by the author, though... it's too funny to pass up!

Zen-Gria
Serves 4
1 1/2 cups papaya juice
1 1/4 oz Asian pear sake
1 1/4 oz plum wine
1 1/2 oz of mandarin vodka
1 cup frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1 lime, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1/2 blood orange, sliced

  1. In a pitcher, stir together juice, sake, wine and vodka.
  2. Stir in berries.
  3. Float citrus slices on top and serve.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 97.7
Total Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 4.9 mg
Total Carbs: 14.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
Protein: 0.2 g

Looking for a side dish for the fruity drink that isn't Asian? Well, I made these cornmeal tortillas a while back and think they'd be excellent as grilled pizza shells. Of course, you could go completely Mexican and make tacos or burritos too...

Cornmeal Tortillas
Makes 10
2 cups flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons non-fat dry milk
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup warm water

  1. In a medium-sized, mix together all of the dry ingredients, then cut in the shortening.
  2. Gradually mix in the water and knead briefly, just until the dough is smooth.
  3. Divide the dough into 10 pieces, weighing about 2 ounces each.
  4. Round them into balls, flatten slightly, and allow them to rest, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat a heavy frying pan over medium heat.
  6. Working with one piece of dough at a time (keep the remaining dough balls covered), roll balls out until they're about 8 inches in diameter.
  7. Fry in the ungreased pan for about 45 seconds on each side
  8. Stack wraps on top of one another as you fry them to keep them soft and pliable.
  9. Store, tightly wrapped, in a plastic bag at room temperature. For storing wraps longer than a couple of days, freeze them.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 162.3
Total Fat: 3.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.3 mg
Sodium: 11.3 mg
Total Carbs: 29.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
Protein: 4.1 g

2 comments :

  1. Your tortillas looks scrumptious and very inviting :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum! Fresh tortillas. Nothing better.

    BTW, I found Spice Route a crowded, annoying scene with bad service so do make this punch at home instead of going there for it.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the feedback!