There is something about this time of year that I just love. The fresh newness of spring, the feeling of balance in the air with more and more hours of light. Though the winters are not freezing and snowy here in Southern California, the days are still short, the sun sets early and despite what you might think, the nights do get cool. No matter where you reside, as spring starts to creep in and as we get closer to summer, we have lighter and brighter days, everything is in bloom and feels new again. In these first few weeks of the new season however, one of the best things is this “Swing Season”, where we still have the remnants of winter and the beginnings of spring together for a short time. Mostly I am talking about produce. My beautiful local organic produce boxes that have been delivered the last few weeks, have had both the last bits of winter, my favorite being the beautiful citrus like these blood oranges. Plus the new spring fruits start showing up in our boxes too, like these fresh strawberries. With this beautiful, vibrant combination, I found myself inspired to create a gorgeous bright and seasonal Strawberry Blood Orange Margarita, the perfect drink to cheers the arrival of spring with.

While you read this, I’ll be sitting on the beach in Mexico, *hopefully* sipping away on a margarita just like this one. We planned a super quick escape from the craziness of life, with our friends Dan and Debbie, for a 4-day trip down the coast to Playa de Rosarito for a little rest and relaxation. Life has been so busy and hectic as of late, Mark was away for 10 days at SXSW in Austin, meanwhile I have been getting ready for our 4-day Women’s retreat next weekend, plus the Yoga and Yummies event this past weekend and lots of other projects. So, although I will still be working away most mornings while we are in Mexico, you’ll find me practicing yoga and sitting on the beach most afternoons and hopefully finding time to just breath and enjoy being back with my hubby and surround by my friends.

Here’s the deal though, whether you are on the beach or you just take a break during your busy week, I highly suggest you whip up one of these bright and vibrant margaritas, while both fruits are still in season. I promise it will instantly transport you to a tropical location and you can enjoy the sweet balance of the world!

(If you don’t have access to blood oranges, you can simply use a regular orange, you may need to adjust your sweetness level accordingly. If strawberries aren’t in season yet near you, opt for a frozen margarita and use frozen strawberries. Improvise people.)

[print_this]Strawberry Blood Orange Margarita
serves 2

• 1/2 lb fresh strawberries, hulled
• 4 ounces freshly-squeezed blood orange juice
• 2 ounces fresh lime juice
• 4 ounces silver tequila
• 2 ounces Cointreau or Triple Sec (or any orange liqueur)
• honey, maple syrup or other liquid sweetener, to taste, optional
• orange or lime slices and sliced strawberries for serving
• kosher salt for the rims, optional

Add the strawberries, blood orange juice, lime juice, tequila and triple sec to your high speed blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and well mixed.

If salt the rims of the glasses, take a lime and run it along the rim of the glass, and press the glass into a plate of kosher salt. Add ice to each glass, Pour the margarita over and garnish with extra fresh strawberries and/or blood orange or lime slices for garnish. Enjoy immediately. [/print_this]

NOTES:

• If you like icy, blended margaritas, you can add the ice when blending
• you could also use frozen strawberries if fresh strawberries aren’t in season yet
• regular oranges would work in place of blood oranges
• I found this to be plenty sweet without any sweetener, you can add your favorite sweetener as you prefer
• you can strain the margarita if you’d like, but I like the very slight bit of thickness from the blended strawberries