Agave: refreshing fruit slush bowls

This recipe comes from my good friend Queen Emily. She served this to me once as a dessert while we were visiting her house, and I loved it!

1 pint of strawberries (I think?)
4 medium pink grapefruit
3 bananas
Agave to taste

Slice strawberries and banana into a bowl. Cut peel off grapefruit and section into supremes over the bowl, allowing the juice to collect in the bowl along with the sections. Squeeze the juice out of the leftover pulp into the bowl and discard the pulp. Add agave liberally to taste and toss. Divide into four Tupperware containers and freeze for 1-2 hours, or until mostly frozen. Enjoy!

Agave: BBQ Sauce

I had no idea what to do with agave nectar since you can do so much with it. Sounds backward but that was the predicament I was in. I looked on Dominosugar.com endlessly since they had a ton of agave recipes. And I found one that worked! Of course I had to tweek it to my liking though.

Ingredients:
1/4 c Agave nectar
2 c Ketchup
1 c Water
1 tbsp Hot sauce (my husband prefers Tabasco)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp White vinegar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Soy sauce
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Pepper
2 tbsp Flour
1/4 c Butter (cubed)

Combine flour with 2 tbsp of water to create a sort of flour roux. I didn't try it but a butter and flour roux probably would've worked just as well, maybe even better. Set this aside.

In a saucepan (I used a pot, I thought it worked well for the quantity made) over low-medium heat combine everything EXCEPT the flour roux and butter. Stir and allow that to simmer for 10 minutes. Next, whisk flour mixture into the sauce. Allow to simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Add the butter and whisk until incorporated. Simmer for 10 more minutes! Then it's ready to serve.

(I forgot to take a picture of the actual sauce so you'll just have to enjoy it on these ribs!)

 Agave BBQ Sauce on Baby Back Ribs:

Place ribs in slow cooker around the bowl so they curve around slightly, bone side facing in. Slather that with BBQ sauce. I mean slather those puppies up! Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Using a large spoon, ladle the sauce back onto the ribs every couple of hours. Serve hot!

Agave: Creamy Avocado Citrus Salad Dressing

Creamy Avocado Citrus Salad dressing--Special Ingredient: Agave, chosen by Brooke

The original recipe calls for honey, but I substituted agave instead. It was a yummy, zippy and thick dressing. I probably wouldn't make it again just for myself (since my husband has a bit of an aversion to avocado after food poisoning) but I enjoyed it.

Tomatillo cucumber salad with agave sweetened dressing

I like getting lots of bang for my buck. I made one meal with 3 out of the 5 ingredients in it and another with the other 2.
For the salad portion of the meal, I made a salad Ben and I really liked! I removed the seeds from one peeled cucumber and diced it into small cubes. I diced 2-3 tomatillos to a similar size. I chopped some baby spinach leaves and tossed it together. I made a dressing out of red wine vinegar for the acidic taste, olive oil for the consistency, and agave for sweetness. It just took a little dressing, maybe a few tablespoons of each ingredient.

The salad tasted very fresh and crunchy. I would definitely make it again.