Here are a couple recipes to try:

Absolut Brooklyn Stoop Party

1 part Absolut Brooklyn

1 part Cranberry Juice

1 part Ginger Ale

Build over ice in highball glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Absolut Brooklyn Ginger

1 ½ parts Absolut Brooklyn

2 parts ginger ale

Squeeze of lime

Pour over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

The other is Matthew Williamson for Belevedere Pink Grapefruit. When you think Williamson, you think bright, colorful, fun, whimsical, bohemian. And when you think Belvedere, you think ice, glass, mixer, swallow, smile. The grapefruit is actually soaked in vodka (“maceration”) so it has a very natural (read: not sweet) taste. I recommend this one with soda or diet tonic for a light, refreshing summer cocktail, but here are some recipes as well:

Belvedere Pink Salty Dog

1.5 oz Belvedere Pink Grapefruit

4 oz Premium or freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

Rim a rocks glass or small wine goblet with Malden sea salt. Fill glass with ice and pour over the ingredients. Garnish with a pink grapefruit slice.

Belvedere Pink Sour

1.5 oz Belvedere Pink Grapefruit

½ oz lemon juice

½ oz simple syrup

Dash egg white

Dry shake, add ice and re-shake. Pour over cubed ice into a rocks glass and garnish with a lemon or pink grapefruit wheel

by Kimberly Snyder

Pecan pie always conjures up memories of being made and given with love. There is something very nurturing, and loving, about pecan pie!

Crust:

• 2 cups walnuts
• 2 cups Pitted Dates
• 1 cup coconut flakes, finely ground

Pit the dates yourself, extracting each pit and discarding them. Add the dates, coconut flakes and walnuts to your food processor and mix on high until thoroughly mixed.

Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie tray. Set to the side.

Filling:

• ½ cup unrefined coconut oil
• 1 cup raw pecans, soaked about 15 minutes
• 1 cup organic Thompson raisins
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. Celtic sea salt

Blend all ingredients together in the blender until smooth. Pour onto the crust of the tray, and garnish with fresh, raw pecans.

Set in freezer overnight, or for at least 5 hours before serving. Slice up and share with loved ones!

Kimberly Snyder is a celebrity health, nutrition and beauty expert who shared her top 10 health tips with us.

The New Steamed Menu

But just because you aren’t in the big city doesn’t mean you can’t try food from this celebrity hot spot yourself.  I had to ask for the recipe for the sea bass, cuz this lady loves her some sea bass and it’s just not fair for only some of us to enjoy the amazing food chef Philippe Chow has to offer. So here’s the Chilean Sea Bass recipe . It’s pretty simple – just requires a steamer, which all of us who are interested in healthy eating and weight loss should own (rather than my fry daddy, sigh…). If you make it, lemme know how it goes!

Chilean Sea Bass (serves 4)
1 1/4 pound Chilean sea bass
2 tbsp Black bean sauce
2 tbsp Minced garlic in olive oil
2 tbsp Light soy sauce

Slice Chilean sea bass in 1/4 inch pieces and lay out on a plate that can fit in your steamer basket. Place black bean sauce on one side of fish and then garlic on the other. Steam for 10 mins or until cooked. Then put the soy on and serve.

Courtesy of Flickr User bchua 90007

For me, the game is just part of the fun of college football – spending Saturday in sweats and eating good grub and drinking bevies holds just as much appeal. The only worry is that those sweatpants could start to feel more like clinging spandex than loose terrycloth. So for this weekend’s upcoming games (the two big games that I’m tuning in to: Oklahoma v. Texas in the Red River Rivalry in Dallas and the USC v. Notre Dame game – go Trojans!), I created a somewhat healthy, easy, affordable snack menu. And yes, it’s all gluten-free.

Chili: in a big pot, sautee chopped yellow onion with cubed chicken breast (skip it if you’re a vegetarian); once the onions are clear, dump in a can of black beans, a can of kidney beans, a can of tomato sauce, a can of spicy diced tomatoes, a packet of taco seasoning and three cans of water. Stir it all and let it simmer over low heat for about ten minutes. Top it with a little grated cheese and a dollop of light sour cream.

Trader Joe’s Spicy Soy & Flaxseed chips : I will try really hard to stick to just a few chips crunched on top of my chili because they are a bit fattening, but flaxseed is good for you!

Milkshakes: In a blender, I combine some frozen strawberries, some milk (or rice milk) and a tablespoon of agave nectar. Blend and pour. (If it’s too runny, add more strawberries; too thick, splash in more milk.) Doesn’t get much easier.

Spiked popsicles: If you’re like me, a mixed drink drunk with a straw is gone in about four seconds. Slurp! So I recently bought some popsicle holders at Bed, Bath & Beyond (they’re part of the Beyond). I add half rum, half strawberry lemonade, stir and freeze ‘em – and voila, yum yum treat.

Courtesy of Flickr user Shutter Ferret

Sweet potato fries: These are actually packed with vitamins and nutrients and much better than a deep-fried russet. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Peel sweet potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise; put them in the microwave for four minutes. They should be hot and soft – if not, nuke them a little more. Then slice them into wedges, put them in a baking dish, sprinkle with olive oil (or cooking spray) and sea salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

Veggies: Pigskin and green beans don’t really mesh in my opinion, but I guess they’re good to have. So slice up some red pepper and cucumbers along with broccoli and sugar snap peas and serve it with hummus.

If you have a tasty, healthy tailgate treat, please share it!