Afternoon Drink Recipe: Grapefruit Fizz from THE TRUCK FOOD ...

There used to be a taco truck that would park on the corner of my block, seemingly as if by magic--it would always appear when I most needed a fresh taco (we all have those moments, don't we?). And really: who doesn't like some tasty food from a truck once in a while?

So when I was recently introduced to THE TRUCK FOOD COOKBOOK: 150 Recipes and Ramblings from America's Best Restaurants on Wheels, I had some drool-laced nostalgia for my long-since disappeared taco truck--but I also found myself totally obsessed.

I mean, what a fantastic idea for a book! It's by James Beard Award-winning writer, John T. Edge, who traveled from food truck to food truck across the country, seeking out the best in street food.

No, not every recipe is oozing with the most health-conscious ingredients ever (I'm looking at you, delicious Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger). But Edge's stories in finding the recipes are as tasty as the recipes themselves--it's a great read about good food.

Edge got this Grapefruit Fizz recipe from a funky food cart in Portland called Moxie Rx (which has since closed). He suggests drinking it in a Mason jar--and if you want to add a slug of vodka... well. No judgements here.

Grapefruit Fizz
Excerpted from The Truck Food Cookbook. Copyright 2012 John T. Edge
Reprinted with permission from Workman Publishing

1 grapefruit
3 basil leaves
2 teaspoons agave nectar (see note below)
ice
2 pints soda water

Juice the grapefruit and add the basil. Pour the mixture into a blender and whir until the basil is pulverized. While the blender is running, add the agave nectar. Place ice in 2 pint glasses. Pour the grapefruit juice mixture over the ice, dividing it evenly between the 2 glasses. Top each serving with soda water, setting the remaining soda water aside for another use.

note: Agave nectar, a Mexican sweetener made from the agave plant, is available in grocery stores alongside the sugar or honey.

Refreshing! Do you like street food? What's your favorite food truck?

More cool cookbooks:
* Would You Buy Kate Gosselin's Cookbook?
* Zucchini Can Be Boring, But Not With the Recipe From This New Cookbook!
* Want to Eat Clean? An Amazing New Cookbook to Help You Do It

Photo: Workman Publishing

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