cold

Cold Brew Iced Latte

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Cold Brew Iced Latte! Ever wonder why coffee tastes so much better at the local coffeehouse than at home? Know how you can duplicate that incredible brew at home, especially if it’s iced? Well, for starters, go back to that coffeehouse and buy a pound of the brand they use. If you don’t own a coffee grinder, no worries, they will coarsely grind it as a complimentary favor to you. (Plus it gives you, yet another, reason to buy a to-go beverage to sip on while you wait. I discovered I’m crazy about a Colombian brand with medium notes of milk chocolate and orange grown in. When I was preparing for Hurricane Ian, I made a batch of cold brew to have on hand in case the power went out. I told you earlier….. coffee makes me happy.

COLD BREW ICED LATTE

Ingredients:

1 cup whole coffee beans

4 cups filtered water

Light Cream, to taste

Ice

Instructions:

Freshly grind the coffee beans on the coarse setting. Place the grounds in a quart-size jar or French press. Pour the water over the beans to saturate all the coffee grounds. As needed, use a spoon to gently stir the grounds, allowing them to be completely wet. Cover the cold brew and refrigerate it for 24 hours. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large measuring bowl. Pour the coffee to completely strain it. Discard coffee grounds. To serve, fill a glass with ice. Add cold brew, desired sweetener, natural flavoring, or light cream to taste. Store cold brew in the refrigerator.

Yesterday’s Cucumber Soup

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fab Foodstuff: Yesterday’s Cucumber Soup. Here we go again with another cold soup option. It may sound like an oxymoron, but actually if I called it a Cucumber Smoothie, would you drink it? Perhaps. Tell me this, how many times have you been served ice water with a cucumber slice in it? Or grabbed a hydrating plant-based juice beverage at the corner convenience store? Get the picture. It’s all about the perspective. If you find it challenging to eat cold soup, or just plain WRONG…by all means, pour it into a glass and slurp away. To quote William Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Carry on.

YESTERDAY’S CUCUMBER SOUP

Ingredients:

4 mini seedless cucumbers, peeled and chopped

1 gala apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2-3 basil leaves

1/4 cup almond milk, unsweetened

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon lime juice

Diced apple, tomato bits, chive snips, and basil leaf for garnish

Instructions:

Reserving garnish to taste, place all remaining I ngredients in a blender. Alternate between Pulse and Liquify settings to purée until smooth. Transfer cucumber mixture into a covered container. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight until chilled. Divide into shallow bowls. Serve garnished with apple chunks, diced tomatoes, chopped chives, and basil.

Giddyup Gazpacho

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Giddyup Gazpacho! Yee-haw! Get set to gather the bounty of your garden because this dish has quite a variety of appetizing vegetables! You’ll experience an explosion of flavor in every mouthful. Gazpacho is one of those mysterious soups that is meant to be eaten COLD. Sound bizarre? I know, right! Trust me, the fusion of wholesome produce is unsurpassed. And the temperature is perfectly refreshing this time of year.

GIDDYUP GAZPACHO

Ingredients:

4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 small green pepper, diced

1/2 cup baby carrots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce (optional)

2 cups 100% vegetable juice, low sodium

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients from the top of the list to the bottom. Stir well. The vegetable juice is added last so you can determine the consistency of the soup. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.