In Denmark, smørrebrød (pronounced SMUHR-broht) is a slice of buttered dark rye bread covered with any manner of toppings: smoked salmon, prawns and other fish, cold cuts, cheese or spreads.

Smørre is the word for butter; brod is bread. With toppings, it becomes an open-face sandwich. We like making them to serve with tea breaks.

How about potato smørrebrød?

This recipe is from Chef Claus Meyer at Open Rye, a stand in the Great Northern Food Hall in New York City.

The recipe, made with fingerling potatoes, dill mayonnaise and a garnish of pickled pearl onions, is a Nordic favorite. Thanks to the Idaho Potato Commission for sending it to us.
 
RECIPE: POTATO SMØRREBRØD

3. WHISK the mayonnaise with the chopped dill, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt.

4. CUT 4 of the pickled onions in half and separate the layers (reserve the remaining onions for another use). Spread butter on the rye bread and arrange the potato slices on top. Dollop the dill mayonnaise on the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

5. GARNISH with the pickled onion petals, sliced shallot, dill sprigs and potato chips; serve immediately. For a simpler garnish, you can use small clusters of dill leaves.
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*There is also Danish-style butter, less often found in the U.S. It is unsalted, cultured butter. A culture is added to the cream and allowed to stand overnight for the acid flavor to develop before churning. Here are the different types of butter.

Mint iced tea, sure; but mint iced coffee?

That was something new for us; but as we searched online, we found a lot of it.

We love mint, so we tried it.

Cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla: You now have some competition in the iced coffee cup.

One of the recipes we tried, from How Sweet Eats, starts with homemade simple syrup flavored with fresh mint and vanilla bean.

Here’s the recipe.

But if you don’t have the time to make simple syrup (it’s pretty easy: equal parts water and sugar, stirred over heat until dissolved), here are some hacks:
 
With Sugar

 
Non-Sugar Sweeteners

If you prefer a non-caloric sweetener, a different sweetener (agave, honey) or no sweetener at all:

 
A garnish of un-crushed fresh mint makes a good presentation, but you don’t need to cram stalks into the glass.

No one eats them, so they’ll be tossed away (unless you have a rabbit or a guinea pig).

[2] Fresh mint. To keep herbs fresher in the fridge, we put them in a glass of water and cover the tops with a plastic bag (photo courtesy Suvir Saran from his book, Indian Home Cooking).

The first day of summer, June 21st, is National Smoothie Day (also National Peaches & Cream Day)!

Up to 184 million Americans enjoy smoothies each year. Let’s start with some…
 
SMOOTHIE HISTORY

Smoothies first emerged in the U.S. during the hippie movement of the 1960s, when vegetarianism and natural eating rose in popularity. The trend is believed to have originated in California, where a group of locals began making fruit smoothies after trying them in Brazil.

The original smoothies consisted simply of fruit, extra fruit juice and ice. By the late 1960s, some frozen vendors vendors jumped on the bandwagon and added their product.

Smoothie King opened its doors in 1973. By the late 1970s, health food stores nationwide had caught on to the trend and began adding milk to the mix, calling the drink a fruit shake.

The milk was traded for yogurt, which provided more protein; and in the 1980s, smoothies became part of fitness and health food trends. Supplements, from oats to ginseng to bee pollen, were added to the mix. This led to the birth of specialty smoothie bars, which remain popular today.

And then…ready-to-drink smoothies began to pop up in food stores. Far beyond the original refreshing icy fruit drink, today’s smoothies are healthy snack alternatives and even meal replacements.

With the rise of veganism, lactose intolerance and other dairy-free diets, plant-based milk alternatives and sustainability have grown in popularity, and the trend shows no signs of slowing.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY AVOCADO SMOOTHIE

This delicious and summery Strawberry Avocado Smoothie recipe (photo #3) was created by The Foodie Physician for Bolthouse Farms.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND together the avocado, 1/2 of the frozen banana, and 1/3 cup Plant Protein Milk. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract to the blender, blend again and pour the mixture into a glass.

2. CLEAN out the blender.

3. BLEND together the strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup Plant Protein Milk. Pour the strawberry layer over the avocado layer and serve.

[2] Smoothie Shooters from Fancy Girl Table.

[3] Strawberry-avocado smoothie from Bolthouse (recipe below).

Made with pea protein, the newest high-quality non-dairy protein, this plant protein milk:

 
Pea protein is a “complete protein” and, unlike some plant-based protein powders, pea protein is easily digested.

It also helps you feel satiated, and is a boost for recovering from workouts.

So give peas a chance! Find Bolthouse in the refrigerated dairy section of your local supermarket.

ANOTHER WAY TO ADD PROTEIN TO SMOOTHIES

Try these recipes that add egg whites for extra protein.