TIP OF THE DAY: Fresh Apricots

For a light lunch or a dinner first course: chicken and rice salad with apricots. Photo courtesy Rice Select.   It’s apricot season! Full of beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber, fresh apricots are one of the early signs of summer. They’re in season in the U.S. from May through August. Check your local farmers markets…
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RECIPES: Cocktails With Black Olives

Make a Dirty Martini with black olives instead of the green ones. Photo courtesy CalOlive.com.   Many people enjoy olives in their Martinis, or a Dirty Martini made with olive brine. But these are green olives, typically stuffed with pimento. Why give black olives (ripe olives) the cold shoulder? Here are some recipes from California…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Roasted Whole Carrots

Rainbow carrot colors, including the now-standard orange, were bred centuries and millennia ago from mutations. Photo courtesy Colorful Harvest | FB.   Why carrots, you may ask, when such summer bounty abounds? And with all the vegetables to throw onto the grill, how often do you think of carrots? Grilling carrots brings out their natural…
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RECIPE: Deconstructed Enchilada Salad

[1] Deconstruct enchiladas into an enchilada salad (photo © QVC). [2] Fresh cilantro is an ingredient in many Mexican dishes (photo © Good Eggs). [3] Homemade tortilla chips (photo © Anna Hinman | Crunchy Creamy Sweet).   We always enjoy a taco salad, but had never set eyes on an enchilada salad until we received…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Agua Fresca & Agua De Horchata Recipes, Latin American Coolers

[1] A lychee agua fresca, or cooler (photos #1, #4 ___ © courtesy Melissa’s). [2] Agua de horchata, an agua fresca made with rice. The recipe is below (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog). [3] Chile berry agua fresca (photo © Melissa’s The Great Pepper Cookbook). [4] Pineapple, coconut water and lemongrass agua fresca.…
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