Recipe of the week: Watermelon Lemonade

Most people who know me well, know I don't like watermelon, but I buy it because my family likes it.  I try to buy seeded when it's available because it's not genetically modified.  Sprouts sometimes has it, sometimes I have to go to some place like Cardenas market to get it.  Watermelon is great for rehydrating and this past week the weather has been very hot and very humid.  I'm also very susceptible to heat exhaustion (ever since I was a kid and had it one summer at Mono Lake) so I try to drink lots of water and eat plenty of water rich foods.  So this recipe has been bumbling around in my head for a couple of weeks, I like all sorts of lemonade so why not try watermelon lemonade, it came out pretty good.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 to 2 cups watermelon puree (seeded, chopped and blended)
4-6 lemons depending the the size of your lemons
1 Tbsp raw sugar (you could use Stevia, just reduce the amount)
3 cups of purified water
3 leaves fresh basil (optional)

Cut and seed your watermelon and blend in the blender until you have a nice smooth consistency, it's like juice only thicker.  (About 1/4 to 1/2 of a watermelon depending on the size).  Juice your lemons, making sure there are no seeds and pour into the blender.  Add sugar, water, and basil if desired.  Blend for a couple of minutes and serve.  (Enjoy, you could easily make this a cocktail if you wanted with your choice of alcohol.)

Recipe of the week: Marinated Carne Asada

I haven't been cooking a whole lot lately...lots of salads and easy to do stuff. I went to a wedding last month and the meat that was served was fantastic! Marinated carne asada and chicken, I asked what the marinade was and was shocked....orange juice, Pepsi and garlic. Weird I know, it's the sugar in the soda that breaks down the fat in the meat making it moist, juicy and tender. (I've used coffee as a marinade for beef for a long time, it also breaks down the fat in the meat making it super tender). I've tried it now a couple of times on both the meat and the chicken and it's fantastic. You can use as much or as little garlic as you want, I used about 6 cloves or 2 tsp of the chopped jarred kind. The secret is letting it marinated overnight, the longer it sits the more tender the meat will be. So, let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!


2 lbs of carne asada (flap steak or thin top sirloin)
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 can of Pepsi about 6 oz or 3/4 cup
garlic as much as you like
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate meat overnight. You can cook this in the broiler or on the grill, it only takes about 12 minutes to cook, 6 minutes on each side, if you like it rarer, less time, more well done more time. If you're doing chicken, then the cooking time would be a little longer, you want to make sure the juice runs clear.

Recipe of the week: Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

I don't eat a lot of sugar these days, but once in a while I want something sweet.  I like cupcakes but I think that boxed cake and canned frosting is gross.  Once you've had cake and frosting from scratch you won't ever want the boxed/canned stuff again.  My philosophy is that if you're eating healthy 80% of the time, then a little chocolate and sugar won't hurt from time to time.  I hope you enjoy this.  A Votre Sante!

For the cupcakes:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter softened (1 stick)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the flour and the baking soda in a bowl and set aside.  In a double boiler melt the chocolate over low heat.  In a large bowl, or stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth.  Add both sugars and beat until fluffy, add one egg at a time, mixing well.  Add melted chocolate and vanilla.  Add half the dry ingredients, then half the buttermilk, repeat, until the batter is smooth but not overmixed.  Spoon batter into 12 cupcake liners.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp butter
1 cup powdered sugar
5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla
2-3 Tbsp milk

Cream butter, add sugar, cocoa and vanilla to the butter.  Add milk to the butter mixture. Slowly add milk one tablespoon at a time until you have the desired consistency.  Enjoy!