Le Coq Rico is a poultry-centric bistro in Manhattan that specializes in whole roast birds: chicken, duck, game hen and quails.

But among such French classics, you can find some food fun; like this arugula-fig salad with parmesan cheese and a popcorn garnish!

After we first had it at the restaurant, we started using popcorn garnishes on our own salad: for eye appeal, taste, texture, and a bonus of added fiber (popcorn is a whole grain).

You can use a popcorn garnish on any salad, from Caesar to spinach; and on numerous other recipes, too.

Here’s a recipe for corn custard with a popcorn garnish.

And here are ways to use both savory and sweet popcorn flavors as garnishes—with breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts.

By the way, the name of Le Coq Rico is a bit of a pun: Cocorico is French for cock-a-doodle-doo.
 
 
RECIPE: ARUGULA OR WATERCRESS SALAD WITH FIGS

Ingredients

 
For The Dressing

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing. Combine the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. PLACE the arugula/watercress and optional onions in a bowl and toss to dress lightly. Mound onto individual plates or a platter.

3. TOP with the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and sprinkle with the optional pecans.

4. TOP with the fig halves or quarters and sprinkle with the popcorn.
 
 
SUBSTITUTE FOR FIG BALSAMIC VINEGAR

If you don’t have fig balsamic vinegar, you can substitute 3-4 tablespoons of regular balsamic vinegar plus 1-2 tablespoons fig jam (5 tablespoons total). It will make a sweeter dressing.

However, fig balsamic is versatile:

[1] A delicious combination of salad ingredients: arugula in a fig balsamic vinaigrette, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, fresh figs and popcorn (photo © Le Coq Rico | NYC).

[2] You can shave the Parmigiano-Reggiano with a vegetable peeler. Bring it to room temperature if you’re concerned it may crumble (photo © Ethan Stowell Restaurants | Seattle).

[3] If you like arugula, you’ll like watercress equally. It use to be “the” peppery salad green until arugula became fashionable. They can be used interchangeably in salads, but not in cooking. Arugula can withstand heat; watercress can’t (photo © Good Eggs).

[1] Blueberry is one of five flavors of Köe Organic Kombucha (photos #1 and #2 © Koe).

[2] Strawberry Lemonade Köe Kombucha.

[3] Paulaner Grapefruit Radler: half pink grapefruit juice, half lager, all heaven (photo © Paulaner).

[4] Take a trip to the tropics with Sparkale: sparkling tropical ale, with pineapple and coconut flavors (photo © 21st Amendment Brewery).

One of the benefits of our job is the introduction to foods and beverages we would haven’t noticed when wheeling through the supermarket.

Three of these are our Products Of The Week: two fruity beers and a non-alcoholic fruity kombucha.

Fruit and fizz combine to deliver refreshing summer drinks.
 
 
1. KÖE ORGANIC KOMBUCHA

In 1999, Kombucha Wonder Drink of Portland, Oregon began brewing its probiotic tea, which was launched to a wider market in 2001.

Back around 2005 when the kombucha craze began to take over U.S. food news, kombucha was of the traditional type: a fermented tea that originated in the Himalayas, sparkling from the fermentation.

Kombucha is a raw food (beverage) that’s full of probiotics: a boon for people seeking to add millions of them in each glass of healthful drink.

But its tart, vinegary character wasn’t right for everyone.

These days, manufacturers have brought kombucha into the mainstream, removing the tartness and adding fruit flavors: a refreshing, fizzy fruity drink enjoyable by anyone.

And the drinks still have millions of probiotics.

One brand we’ve become fond of is Köe Organic Kombucha. It’s like sparkling fruit tea (or, more generally, a sparkling fruit drink).

With only 35 calories and 6g sugar per 12-ounce can, this kombucha still delivers 4 billion probiotics per serving.

The line is gluten-free, non-alcoholic, non-GMO, OU Kosher, USDA Organic and Vegan; and is shelf-stable (no refrigeration required) until after the can is opened. Flavors include:

 
Discover more at DrinkKoe.com.
 
 
2. PAULANER GRAPEFRUIT RADLER

A traditional German radler is a beer that combines equal parts of a hoppy beer plus citrus soda, typically lemon-lime.

The flavor is a combination of sweet and tart, crisp with a touch of bitterness.

The English version is shandy, a drink of half beer, half fruit soda or ginger ale. In France it’s panaché, in Holland it’s sneeuwwijte.

The drinks are meant to be light,refreshing and thirst-quenching.

We love grapefruit, and Paulaner has it it out of the park with its red Grapefruit Radler.

It tastes like sweet, red grapefruit juice has been squeezed into a can of lager.

A balance of 50% Münchner Lager and 50% natural grapefruit, Grapefruit Radler is made with 100% natural ingredients and is 100% delicious. It’s just 2.5% alcohol.

We no sooner had our first couple of sips than we planned to lay in a stock. Fortunately, Grapefruit Radler will be available year-round.

Here’s the store locator.

Some fun Radler history:

In 1922, a German innkeeper named Franz Kugler was taken by surprise when a large group of cyclists, riding through the Bavarian countryside, arrived at his tavern.

Parched, they called for beer. Realizing he didn’t have enough beer for the crowd, he stretch his beer supply by adding sparkling lemonade.

He presented the drink as “Radler,” the German word for cyclist. It soon became a popular sports drink among cyclists—“bicycle beer.”

The tavern still exists, 15 km south of Munich, and you can stop for an authentic Radler experience.
 
 
3. 21st AMENDMENT SPARKALE

21st Amendment Brewery takes you to the tropics with its seasonal release of Tropical Sparkale.

A sparkling fruit ale with the yummy flavors of tart pineapple flavor and sweet coconut, the 4.2% ABV ale is a welcome addition to summer beers.

Drink it by itself, with a meal, with cheese, even with dessert (or instead of dessert).

If you enjoy it outside on a warm, breezy day, close your eyes and think of an island vacation.

Here’s the store locator.

For us, there’s nothing better than a bowl of chilled gazpacho on a hot summer day.

Gazpacho is a cold raw vegetable soup, that originated in Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain.

There are many variations based on local ingredients and preferences. Over the centuries, fruits were added to the vegetables.

(Chilled fruit soup without vegetables is simply “fruit soup.”)

Here’s the history of gazpacho.

Gazpacho is low in calories, refreshing and an easy way to eat your daily quota of vegetables.

We have quite a few gazpacho recipes below, but nothing is as much fun as this tri-color glass of gazpacho (photo #1).

The tri-color recipe (photo #1) is from Fruits From Chile.

The seasons are opposite in the U.S. and Chile, so Chilean fruits are extensively imported to the U.S. in our off-season.

This recipe is served with a grilled cheese sandwich of brie, grapes and bacon on sourdough. Here’s the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: TRI-COLOR GAZPACHO

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the kiwifruit and lemon juice in a blender or food processor, and purée until chunky. Transfer to a container and set aside.

2. RINSE the blender/food processor and combine the cantaloupe, orange segments and orange juice and purée until smooth. Transfer to a container and set aside.

3. RINSE the blender/food processor and combine the strawberries, agave Nectar and water and purée until smooth. Transfer to a container and set aside.

4. LAYER the puréed fruit mixture in clear glass or bowl. Start with the kiwi purée, then the mandarin-cantaloupe purée and top with the strawberry purée.

 
MORE GAZPACHO RECIPES

 
Plus

 

GAZPACHO GARNISHES

Dairy Garnishes

 
Non-Dairy Garnishes

 
 
There are enough options to make gazpacho every day!

[1] Tricolor Gazpacho, in eye-catching layers. The recipe is below (photo © Fruits From Chile).

[2] Peach-Jalapeño Gazpacho with a beautiful garnish of beets, flowers, pesto and watermelon radish at Botanica | L.A. (photo © Botanica Restaurant).

[3] Another beauty, Tomato Peach Gazpacho, from Botanica | L.A. (photo © Botanica Restaurant).

[4] Gazpacho Verde (green gazpacho) with basil ice cream, from Seviche | Louisville (photo © Seviche).

[5] Savory Mango Gazpacho with a scoop of fromage blanc sorbet. Here’s the recipe (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[1] A bag of frozen raspberries turned into sugar-free soft serve (all photos © Yonanas).

[2] Turn the soft-serve into ice pops.

[3] Pumpkin Yonanas with pumpkin pie spices and red wine ice cubes.

[4] How about a Yonanas cone?

[5] Call it a sundae or a breakfast bowl.

July is National Ice Cream Month, and a hot month at that. You should be able to treat yourself with ice cream. But what if you can’t?

If you follow a dairy-free, lactose-free, sugar-free, low-calorie or other restrictive diet, where’s your treat?

You can make it yourself in one minute, with the Yonanas Original Healthy Dessert Maker.

Yonanas almost instantly transforms your favorite fruits—banana, berries, mango, pineapple, the whole fruit department—into a silky-smooth frozen confection that is reminiscent of the dairy-free Pinkberry flavors.

Just buy frozen fruit, or freeze your own. The frozen fruit goes into the chute and quickly emerges as thick, creamy soft serve “sorbet.”

Bonus: Yonanas soft serve counts toward the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines of daily fruit consumption.

It recommends from 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day (depending on age, gender, physical activity, and overall health).

Yonanas is simply frozen, crushed fruit. One serving of fruit equals:

 
There’s no need to stick to American fruit favorites. If you like cherimoya, dragonfruit or rambutan, for example, freeze them and toss them down the chute!

How about avocado mint, pumpkin spice or tomato basil?
 
 
BEYOND A DISH OF SOFT SERVE

 
 
FLAVORS GALORE

You’re not limited to a one-fruit flavor. You can mix two fruits, like banana and strawberry; or multi-fruits, like mixed berries.

You can add wine for an adult dessert.

Just freeze the wine into cubes and toss them down the chute, alternating with the fruit. How about:

 
 
MIX-INS & GARNISHES

You can add some of your favorite mix-ins to the chute, such as:

 
Or, you can sprinkle garnishes atop the dish of soft serve:

 
 
ADJUST THE SWEETNESS

Yonanas frozen soft serve is only as sweet as the sweetness of the fruit.

If you want more sweetness (we occasionally do), you can sprinkle or drizzle a bit on the soft serve as soon as it hits the bowl.

 
 
GET YOUR YONANAS TODAY

The Classic model on the Yonanas website is just $39.99 (it’s available on Amazon for more), with a 100% money-back guarantee.

It has a relatively small footprint that’s worth the counter space during the warmer months.

It’s easy to clean the machine. Everything but the motor portion goes right into the dishwasher.

Get yourself a Yonanas machine: You deserve it!

When you bite into a piece of sweet, juicy watermelon, you’d be surprised to know that in its early days, thousands of years ago, it was bitter and unpleasant.

The flesh was not red or yellow, but pale green, with even more seeds than the seediest watermelons of modern time.

But they were cultivated for one reason: the water inside, which quenched thirst in low-water areas of Africa, where they originated.

 
July is National Watermelon Month; August 3rd is National Watermelon Day.
 
> Here’s more on the history of watermelon.

> There are 20+ more watermelon recipes below—food and cocktails.
 
 
RECIPE: WATERMELON, FETA & KALAMATA SALAD

Watermelon and feta or goat cheese is a scrumptious combination, whether for casual salads or fancy appetizers.

Personally, we’ve never seen a watermelon and feta salad on a restaurant menu. Why not?

Watermelon and feta are a scrumptious combination. Add arugula, basil, or any salad green that calls to you: avocado, beet, bell peppers, cilantro, ciliegine (small mozzarella balls), chili pepper, cucumbers, fruits, mint, parsley, spinach, tomato, watercress.

Or make a fruit salad with berries, mango, and/or stone fruits.

Dress simply with olive oil and lime juice, or white balsamic vinegar.

You can use feta or mozzarella as well as blue cheese, as in these recipes:

 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the sliced onions in a small bowl with the lime juice. Let them rest for 10 minutes so the acid of the lime mellows the flavor of the raw onion.

2. COMBINE the watermelon cubes and feta cheese in a large bowl, with kalamata olives and onions, with the lime zest and mint. If needed, add more lime juice.
 
 
MORE WATERMELON RECIPES

 
 
WATERMELON BEVERAGES & COCKTAILS

 
 
PLUS

[1] Watermelon, feta and kalamata olives combine deliciously in a salad (photo and recipe © DeLallo).

[XXXX] Watermelon Arugula Salad With Feta (photo © Between The Bread).

[3] Watermelon and strawberry salad with goat cheese and mint (photo © Murray’s).

[4] Tequila Watermelon Ice Pops. Here’s the recipe from Love & Olive Oil (photo © Love & Olive Oil).

[5] How about a Watermelon Margarita? Here are watermelon cocktail recipes (photo © Wondermelon | Facebook).