Like most people in today’s busy world, I love my coffee. I have my regular coffee pot, an espresso machine for making homemade lattes (which my wise boyfriend bought me last year), and am saving up for a Keurig. While I sometimes drink lattes (the Starbucks Seasonal Lattes are a weakness of mine), I actually prefer slightly sweetened black iced coffee to anything else. However, it’s a huge pain to make at home. Most iced coffee recipes I found suggested making ice cubes with coffee and adding those to lukewarm cups of brew. But, the end result was still bitter tasting and I ended up with stained ice cube trays too. One day, bored on the internet, I decided to find the best way to make iced coffee.

Site after site recommended learning How To Make Cold Brewed Iced Coffee as the best way to get better tasting iced coffee. This form of brewing doesn’t even require you to turn on the coffee pot. You mix coffee grounds with cold water and let sit for hours to create a concentrated brew. I tried making it for the first time last night and am quite pleased with the results. Here’s the combination that worked best for me.

Ingredients :
1 cup coffee grinds
4 1/2 cups cold water

Mix the grinds into the water in a large glass container. Cover with a lid or foil, and let sit for at least 12 hours. Some recipes suggested putting it in the fridge, but I left mine on the counter since I’m a bit accident prone when it comes to open containers in the fridge. After it’s been allowed to sit, strain the mixture. I took the filter basket out of my coffee pot, set it over a large cup, tossed in a filter, and let that do it’s thing. The end result is a very dark and rich concentrated brew.

Mine turned out a bit bitter, but only because I used espresso beans instead of a medium roast coffee like I probably should have. This brewing method brings out the richer and sweeter undertones in the coffee. I mixed 1 cup of the concentrated brew with 1/2 cup soy creamer and a spoonful of sugar and ended up with a great tasting coffee treat. It would be great black as well, with a little ice to tone it down.

Salads are one of the best ways to get a wide variety of vegetables and fruits in your diet. However, it’s easy to fall into a rut of eating the same types of salad over and over again. To give yourself a little variety, try new things. This Spinach & Orange Salad is quick, easy, healthy and isn’t boring. If you make a salad ahead of time you can easily skip conventional salad dressings. A mixture of olive oil and vinegar will absorb the natural flavors in the salad. This creates a dressing that enhances the flavors and doesn’t cover them up.

Ingredients :
+ 3/4 lb fresh spinach, torn into bite-size pieces
+ 3 medium orange, peeled, sectioned, and seeded
+ 1 medium red onion, sliced and separated into rings
+ Cold Pressed Olive Oil
+ Red Wine Vinegar
+ Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions :
1. Combine spinach, orange, and onion in a bowl.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Refrigerate and let the flavors meld.

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After my post that highlighted the healthiest foods for you that also happen to be green, Go Green On Your Plate, I decided that it would be a good idea to start featuring recipes that include those foods as a main ingredient. For this post, I decided to feature an avocado recipe. This recipe for Avocado & Mango Salsa is as fresh and delicious as it sounds.

Ingredients :
+ 1 mango – peeled, seeded and diced
+ 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
+ 3/4 cup chopped red onion
+ 1 tablespoon white sugar
+ 1 tablespoon olive oil
+ 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
+ 1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced
+ 1 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Combine mango, bell pepper, onion, sugar, olive oil, and vinegar in a bowl. Gently fold in diced avocado, and season.

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My favorite alcoholic drink for the warm months (or when I am just wishing for summer) are Mojitos. They are a light and refreshing drink, which makes them perfect for summer. Plus, they are surprisingly easy to make.

Ingredients :
+ 1/2 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
+ 1/2 lime, juiced
+ 1 sprig fresh mint, crushed
+ 1/2 cup crushed ice
+ 2 fluid ounces white rum
+ 4 fluid ounces carbonated water
+ 1 sprig fresh mint, garnish

Directions :
In a highball glass, stir together the confectioners’ sugar and lime juice. Bruise the mint leaves and drop into glass. Fill glass with crushed ice and pour in rum. Pour in carbonated water to fill the glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

There are two food items that I am a total sucker for. Any breakfast food, and anything with pumpkin. This recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Pancakes combines those two perfectly. Substitute the milk with soy creamer if you want to make these non-dairy.

Ingredients :
+ 2 cups all-purpose flour
+ 2 tablespoons sugar
+ 2 teaspoons baking powder
+ 1 teaspoons baking soda
+ 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
+ 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
+ 1/4 teaspoons salt
+ 1 3/4 cups nonfat milk
+ 1 cup canned pumpkin
+ 2 large eggs
+ 2 tablespoons salad oil
+ butter or margarine
+ warm maple syrup

Directions :
1. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In another bowl, beat the milk, pumpkin, eggs, and oil.
2. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir until just moistened. Don’t worry if there are clumps.
3. On a lightly oiled or nonstick griddle over medium heat, pour batter in 1/4-cup portions at least 1 inch apart. Cook until bubbles form on the tops of the pancakes and the bottoms are browned, about 1 minute. Turn with a spatula and cook until brown on bottoms, about 1 min longer. To serve, accompany with butter and syrup.

I love fresh spring rolls. Especially in the spring and summer when it’s warm outside. The combination of the rice vermicelli and fresh herbs is great. The shrimp are, of course, optional. You could use some marinated tofu strips that have been grilled and then cooled, or some grilled chicken instead.

Ingredients :
+ 2 ounces rice vermicelli
+ 8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)
+ 8 large cooked shrimp – peeled, deveined and cut in half
+ 1 1/3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil
+ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
+ 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
+ 2 leaves lettuce, chopped
+ 4 teaspoons fish sauce
+ 1/4 cup water
+ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
+ 1 clove garlic, minced
+ 2 tablespoons white sugar
+ 1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
+ 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
+ 1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

Directions :
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.

2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place 2 shrimp halves, a handful of vermicelli, basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

3. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce.

4. In another small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce and peanuts.

5. Serve rolled spring rolls with the fish sauce and hoisin sauce mixtures.

I was going to look up a recipe for salad dressing, but ended up stumbling across a recipe for Cinnamon Rolls that just looked amazing. I haven’t had a cinnamon roll since before we moved. There was a bakery back home that had a ton of vegan and dairy-free options. Their vegan cinnamon rolls were just beyond amazing. I’m going to have to pull out my bread machine and make these sometime soon! To make these dairy-free or vegan, substitute the milk with soy creamer, the butter with soy margarine, and the cream cheese with Tofutti’s Better Than Cream Cheese. There are several things that can be used to substitute for the eggs. Ener-G brand egg replacer is one of the most popular.

Ingredients :
+ 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
+ 2 eggs, room temperature
+ 1/3 cup margarine, melted
+ 4 1/2 cups bread flour
+ 1 teaspoon salt
+ 1/2 cup white sugar
+ 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
+ 1 cup brown sugar, packed
+ 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
+ 1/3 cup butter, softened
+ 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
+ 1/4 cup butter, softened
+ 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
+ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
+ 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions :
1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.

2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

I saw this recipe online and thought that it sounded interesting. I like that it’s a very different spin on fruit salsas, which usually seem to be made from mango, peach, or cherries.

Ingredients :
+ 1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
+ 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
+ 1 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
+ 2 cloves garlic, minced
+ 1 lime, juiced
+ 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions :
In a large bowl, combine strawberries, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, garlic, lime juice and oil. Toss all together to mix and coat. Cover dish and refrigerate for 2 hours to chill.

It seems like everyone, no matter what their feelings towards sashimi, likes California Hand-Rolled Sushi. I haven’t found a place down here yet to get it, so I’ve been thinking of trying my hand at making it myself. It doesn’t seem like it would be too difficult. Though it would probably take practice to get it just right. I figured that some of you might be interested in giving it a try as well.

Ingredients :
+ 8 sheets nori (dried seaweed sheets)
+ 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice, washed and drained
+ 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
+ 3 tablespoons sugar
+ 2 teaspoons salt
+ 1/2 pound crabmeat or imitation crabmeat
+ 2 large ripe avocados
+ Wasabi
+ Soy Sauce

Directions :
1. Combine rice and 2 cups water in medium saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes, covered.
2. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in small saucepan; heat only until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.
3. Put the cooked rice nto large non-metal bowl, fluffing with a fork. Pour vinegar mixture, a little at a time, evenly over rice, gently folding to combine after each addition. Cool rice mixture to room temperature.
4. Cut or shred crabmeat into bite-size strips. Just before serving, cut each avocado in half; seed and peel. Cut each half lengthwise into 8 thin slices. Arrange avocado slices, nori and crabmeat on large platter.
5. Place nori on a flat surface. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons rice mixture in center of nori. Top with avocado slice and one piece crabmeat. Wrap nori around filling in cone shape to enclose. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

No matter your skill level in the kitchen, fresh salsa is a quick and easy thing to make. Just like everything else, salsa is always better when it’s fresh versus bought from a store.

Ingredients :
+ 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
+ 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
+ seeded and finely diced jalapeno, serrano, or any other hot pepper, to taste
+ 6 fresh tomatoes, quartered
+ 2 teaspoons white vinegar
+ 1/2 lime, juiced
+ 1/8 teaspoon salt
+ sugar, to taste

Directions :
1. Combine all chopped ingredients in a medium sized bowl. If you prefer a smoother less chunky texture, you can combine the ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until to your liking.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice, and salt. Whisk together.
3. Combine all ingredients and stir well. Add sugar, to taste, if you desire.