A Little Rosemary and Time

Experiencing life through trial, error and lots of food.

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Refreshing Island Smoothie- When You Want to Get Away

In terms of the weather, the past few weeks in NYC have been questionable at best.  Off and on flash floods one day, hot and sunny the next and then down to 50 degrees.

I’m not really the biggest fashion person, but I feel like I’m playing Russian Roulette with my shoes.  I keep coming into work with my Tom’s on days that it turns out to pour all day and then the next, when I wear my rain boots, it’s happy (read: hot) sunshine all day.  This may be because I usually forget to check the weather reports in the morning but I’m going to disregard that fact for now.

All that being said, this recipe was conceived on a rainy, icky, miserable day when the prospect of having to tough it out in the elements just wasn’t working for me.  This is the drink I make when I want to pretend I live on a different (more tropical) island than the one I currently know to be Brooklyn.

And you know what?  It works!  So I hope you enjoy~

Refreshing Island Smoothie

Serves 1

½ Mango
½ Frozen Banana*
1 Orange, peeled and cut into quarters (if needed, remove any seeds)
¾ Cup Almond Milk
½ Cup Pineapple Juice
1 tsp bee pollen (optional)

*When I freeze a banana, I peel it first and then slice it before putting it in the freezer- it’s really hard to peel and cut it after it’s frozen!

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
Drink and relax- pretend you are on a tropical island!

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Grilling Time! Portobello Pineapple Shish Kebabs.

Whenever I leave the city I love taking advantage of things that may not necessarily be available to me otherwise- in this case: grills.  Grills and small apartments do not go well together (even apartments with fire escapes- I get the feeling that lighting fires on a fire escape even in the name of delicious food would be frowned upon).
 

My initial inspiration for this recipe was the prospect of grilled pineapple.  Having grown up in Southern California, I enjoyed my fair share of Hawaiian Pizza in my youth (for those who don’t know- it has grilled pineapple and ham on top).  Honestly, grilled pineapple really is the best.  But don’t take my word for it- if you have a grill start it up RIGHT NOW and try it.  You’ll thank me later.  Trust me.

That being said, in the actual creation of this recipe, the AMAZING marinated portobellos really stole the show.  This stuff is serious business- meaty and delicious.  If you are used to meat kebabs you won’t be missing a thing with these delicious suckers.

 I mean, come on- look at this juiciness!

Just

look

at

it.

 Ok, enough of that.  Let’s just get you to the recipe because I know if you whip these out at the next BBQ you and your friends won’t be disappointed!

Portobello Pineapple Shish Kebabs

Makes: 10-12 Skewers

Marinade:

1/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar

¼ Cup Olive Oil

2 TBSP Soy Sauce

½ tsp Rubbed Sage

½ tsp Dried Marjoram

1 tsp Chili Powder

2 Portobello Mushrooms

1/2 each Red, Orange and Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Cup Pineapple Chunks

1 Red Onion

1. Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Chop portobello mushrooms into approx 1 inch cubes and combine with marinade, tossing to coat all mushrooms.  Cover and set aside in fridge for at least one hour to let the marinade soak in.

3. Fire up the grill!

4. Chop bell peppers into 1 inch squares and red onion into wedges.

5. Assemble ingredients onto skewers (I usually started with the red onions since I felt it would best prevent any slipping) reserving mushroom marinade.

6. When grill is ready, brush skewers with leftover marinade, then place a sheet on tin foil onto grill and lay kebabs in a neat row.

7. Grill for about 10 minutes or until onions have softened, rotating skewers about halfway through.  Add more marinade if needed.

8. ENJOY!

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A Little Spring Mix!

Hello and thank you so much for checking my page out!  Seeing as this is the first post of something I hope to be great there are so many things I want to say and to talk about: food, life, my opinions on pastel colors and unattached head hair when it gets caught indiscreetly within someones coat…the list goes on and on but in the end though, I think I’ll keep it simple.  There will be lots of time for me reveal more- I just need to pop this blog’s cherry and get started!​
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