I’ve always been into smoothies and juicing, but every once in a while I fall out of routine.  Then my Vitamix just SITS there. After all, it takes time to plan to purchase all the fresh produce you need for smoothies, and then it takes more effort to think of new or creative ways to blend up some concoctions that actually taste great. So naturally, when I heard about Green Blender, I was intrigued. It’s a food delivery that provides you with at least 5 different smoothie recipes and all the ingredients you need to make them. They source their ingredients responsibly with almost all produce being organic, and everything is non-Gmo. The best part though is their incorporation of superfood supplements for protein and nutrients so that I can try new things I have never heard of and would certainly never think to purchase on my own. In just two deliveries you get to try unique ingredients such as  camu camu (the most potent source of vitamin C), matcha green tea, yacon root, quinoa flakes, goji berries, maqui berries, chlorella, and ginseng. The recipes also teach you to incorporate a variety of nuts into your smoothies to boost your protein and nutrient intake. I just love that!

The recipes are really unique too and taste great. They provide a delicious range of flavors you wouldn’t think to pair. For example one of my favorite green smoothies I’ve tried is with squash, spinach, banana and tahini! It’s a sweet and creamy blend with a hint of cinnamon. My absolute favorite out of everything I have tried, is the persimmon mango. This is one tropical and delicious treat loaded with vitamin C, and who doesn’t need that boost at this dreadful time of year?

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The box delivers in a thermal ice box and will stay fresh for at least a few hours until you get home to receive your fresh ingredients. Everything is already prepped and portioned, which is a great bonus!

So go ahead and give Green Blender a try, whether you don’t have the time or energy to buy and prepare what you need, simply need new inspirations like I did, or are just plain lazy, these smoothie deliveries are going to get you right on track! You do need your own blender, or you could rent/buy a VitaMix blender from GreenBlender.com. I use Vitamix and I highly recommend it; their patented push stick makes all the difference in achieving a smooth and silky texture when larger products are built up at the top of the blender. You can skip or cancel deliveries whenever you want. And now as one of my readers you can get 20% with this code: sugarandgarlic. Enjoy!

This is a common starter in Egyptian homes during the months of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, which during these long summer days is over 16 hours long! When we break our fast, it is the tradition of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) to break the fast on a date and water. This dried fruit compote reflects that tradition, but it also combines other highly nutritional dried fruits and nuts. Dates are well utilized in the Muslim world as they are recognized for their high mineral content: calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, and zinc are all packed into this tiny superfood. Dates are also a supreme source of fiber and energy, and their sugars are low glycemic, releasing slowly and steadily into your body (which is a great thing for sustaining energy while fasting!). Dried apricots are also a super star in this fruit compote; they are packed with carotenoids, iron, potassium and fiber. This fruit salad compote is not only a very refreshing and nutritious way to break your fast (or start it). It is a delicious and sweet juice cocktail to enjoy, but you will need a spoon! The juice taste like an apricot drink scented with almonds and dates. I like to add extra apricot juice to the water to boost the color and flavor, but this is not necessarily traditional to the recipe. Apricot juice however, is another very popular drink enjoyed in the Middle East during Ramadan, but that is another recipe post! The dried fruits in khoshaf get very plump and juicy because they reconstitute themselves as they soak in water for a few hours before serving. 

The ingredients are very basic and easy to find; I collect them all on the same shelf at the grocery store where the dried fruits are, except for the dates. I do not recommend using chopped dates or already pitted dates, because they seem to be drier for some reason. They ar not as fresh either. We use organic Medjool dates that are very plump and sweet (Whole Foods and Costco have some of the best ones I have found). You should always slice the date open first to make sure it is clean, and also to remove the pit!

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First, you will add boiling water to the apricots, raisins, and prunes. You could also add dried figs if you like, but I do not because I personally do not prefer the texture of figs and their seeds in this compote. 

Once the water and dried fruit mixture cools, you can add the chopped dates and stir in cold sugar water and sliced almonds. Refrigerate for a few hours and serve chilled. As I mentioned, this is a great drink or fruit salad to break your fast on because the dates and other dried fruits will replenish the body with several nutrients and minerals. This compote is hailed to be more nourishing and hydrating than water alone. So give it a try if you have been fasting, or if you simply need to replenish your body after a workout or marathon!

Khoshaf: Dried Fruit Salad

2015-06-22 09:32:31

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Prep Time

5 min

Prep Time

5 min

Ingredients

1. 1/2 c sliced, pitted dates
2. 1/2 c golden raisins
3. 3/4 c dried apricots
4. 3/4 c prunes
5. 1/2 peeled and slivered almonds
6. 2-3 cups of boiling water
7. 1 cup cold water
8. 1/4 c sugar
9. 1 cup apricot juice (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash the dried fruits.
2. Place the apricots, prunes, and raisins in a large serving bowl or pitcher.
3. Pour boiling water over the fruits so that they are covered in water. There should be an inch of water above the level of the fruit.
4. Once the water has cooled, dissolve the sugar with cold water and pour over the fruit mixture and stir. Add the dates, almonds, and apricot juice.
5. Serve chilled in a large serving bowl and ladle, or in individual dessert cups or bowls. Drink with a spoon!

Notes

1. You may also add figs to the dried fruits. Try adding other nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts as well! This compote is very flexible to your personal tastes and preferences!

By Noha ElSharkawy

Adapted from Mom

Adapted from Mom

Sugar & Garlic https://sugarandgarlic.com/

What a beautiful occasion to celebrate! My sweet sister in law and long time BFF is having a baby boy, and we were so excited to finally prepare for a boy-themed shower (the last 4 babies have all been little princesses!). To go along with the jungle themed nursery, we incorporated the monkeys and the color scheme was blue and green. With a gorgeously delicious candy buffet, we set the scene with pops of vibrant blue and green and accents of brown. All this beautiful candy was from a fresh and Kosher candy distributor, Ohnuts.com. 

Since we spent a lot on the candy, we saved on the cake pops. We were smart and got the delicious cake pops from Starbucks and spray painted the white ones with food grade spray paint from Wilton’s to match our color scheme. Everyone just loved the cake pops, and at a fraction of the cost of custom bakeries, we loved them too!

I got my hands on some of the best macarons you will taste from Pierrot Gourmet at the The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago and had them make some custom colors for me (just give them a week’s notice) in their signature flavors of chocolate coconut (the blue ones),  mint chocolate (the green), and salted caramel (the gold). They did mess up my order unfortunately, and it was too bad because I was so excited to bring what I consider to be the best macarons I have ever tasted to my Michigan friends and family. They didn’t make them in mint chocolate (it was only peppermint with a plain buttercream filling), nor did they do chocolate coconut (it was also a plain buttercream filling). Additionally, the coconut shells were all hollow! So I am not sure I would go with Pierrot Gourmet again for a large party event. But they were beautiful, and these do taste amazing when you buy them fresh at the shop. Just look at these beauties.

To go along with our candy buffet, we requested the bakery to assemble half of our macarons on lollipop sticks. How cute do these look presented in a tray of green jelly beans!? Note that the macarons with a buttercream filling did not hold up well, and slid right through the stick. If the macarons have a thicker filling like ganache or caramel, it will hold perfectly. The gold macarons have a thick caramel filling and help up nicely the entire time.

One of the most stunning displays at this amazing shower was this fruit display made from tropical fruits. The mother-to-be’s BFF is a talented culinary artist and mastered this feat when I (jokingly) suggested we include this glorious fruit display! They needed to use a metal rod to slide through the pineapples, and a heavily weighted container as the base to keep this from toppling over. The monkeys were made with a papaya as the body, oranges for the head, lemons and slices for the mouth and ears, and black grapes for the eyes. You will need several metal or bamboo skewers for this design; as you can imagine, the fruit is heavy. 

Oh yes, this is the infamous banana pudding from Magnolia’s bakery. Perfect for our monkeys who love bananas, and a HUGE hit with everyone! Have you tried this stuff yet?

Our centerpieces were a simple edible pineapple, surrounded by bananas, and some topped with plush monkeys. My adorable mother-in law set these up! The water bottles were personalized with a monkey-themed label from Etsy!

The room was filled with vines and hanging plush and paper monkeys, both purchased from Amazon.

Dessert was decadent, with an adorable and delicious chocolate and banana-cream tiered cake topped with a baby monkey. I described the design and the baker and cake designers at Paradise Cakes of West Bloomfield, MI executed beautifully! That’s a rice krispie treat monkey covered with fondant!

And how about these adorable and easy DIY cupcakes made by my other sister in law. She baked cupcakes, frosted on green leaves and used these perfect little monkey toppers, also from Amazon! 

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The shower event and baby arrival are both in the winter, so we thought a moisturizing coconut or mango lip balm from Burt’s Bees wrapped in a beautiful gold box and blue ribbon would make for the perfect and functional party favor!

I made a diaper cake and wrapped the tiers in my favorite soft blue receiving blankets by SwaddleDesigns (these are a generous size and there is a step-by-step drawing of how to swaddle attached right on the tag) and wrapped the “cake” with blue ribbon. A dainty pair of wing-tipped infant shoes and a cuddly monkey hugging the side tied the diaper cake into our theme nicely. We also gave baby’s nursery library a head start with a collection of some classic favorite monkey themed books such as Caps for Sale,  Five Little Monkeys, If I were a Monkey, an adorable Little Monkey finger puppet book, and Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb. Children’s books always make for nice functional decor and double as a gift for baby!

Last but not least, we had an impressive and delicious spread of food catered from La Saj, located in Sterling Heights, Mi. This food was DELICIOUS. The stuffed grape leaves, the lentils, the chicken, and the tabbouli were all to die for. I am drooling as I think about it!