Berry Almond Delight

My friend Debbie and her husband spend three months doing a candida cleanse. Debbie was wanting something sweet, so tried this recipe and passed it on to me with this message: "I just made the attached dessert. A lady on the "Kick the Can" Facebrook group made it up and posted it. We really liked it and felt satisfied after eating it (i've been NEEDING something to satisfy my sweet tooth). Anyway, I thought of you and thought you might want to try it. I halfed the recipe and put it in an 8x8 pan.I partially thawed blueberries and strawberries and added a little stevia liquid. I sliced the strawberries, mixed them all together and put on top with a sprinkling of shaved coconut." Since we are way stocked up on blueberries and strawberries, I hope to try it very soon.

Berry Almond Delight
Crust:
1/2 c. organic butter
1/2 c. coconut oil
pinch of stevia
2 c. fairly fine chopped almonds (previously presoaked in sea salt and water, then dehydrated)
2 c. shredded coconut
Pinch of salt to taste

Gently melt butter and oil together, add stevia, stir in nuts, coconut and add salt. Put in enough nuts and coconut to soak up the oils. Press into 2- 9x13 glass pans. Cover and refrigerate. Almond nut butter spread over hardened crust. Layer sliced strawberries, stewed blueberries and coconut.

chill out with beverages

These looked very refreshing to me. Let me know if you try one.

I have them on my list for this summer. So far I've tried one of the four I'm posting.

Watermelon Breeze
3 c. cubed chilled watermelon
1 c. coconut water
squeeze of fresh lime

:::::

I did try this shake that is supposed to take like a Wendy's frosty. 

It was chocolaty and chilly.

Skinny Shake
3/4 c. almond milk
about 15 ice cubes
1/2 t. vanilla
1-2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 of a banana
Blend.

:::::

This smoothie was from the Oprah site. "Enjoy this beverage as often as you like. (I typically recommend two glasses between meals.) Pineapple contains digestive enzymes. Kale is rich in compounds that support enzymes in the liver. And artichoke can improve bile flow."

Pineapple Kale Juice
½ c. pineapple
4 c.chopped kale leaves (no stems)
2 large cucumbers
½ lemon, squeezed
½ c. mint
2 artichoke hearts (from can or jar)
Directions

If you don't have a juicer, use a blender on high; just add 1½ cups water and remove the pulp with a strainer. I recommend keeping the pulp in and getting a few extra grams of fiber.

:::::

I'm still doing the green smoothie thing, so more recipes = more variety.

Parsley-Passion Green Smoothie 1½ c. water ½ cucumber 1 banana 1 c. pineapple chunks ¼ bunch of parsley 1 c. ice cubes Add ingredients to FourSide or WildSide jar in order listed. Select “Whole Juice.”

:::::

recipe from here

Strawberry Lemonade

10 strawberries
1 lemon, juiced
4 dates (or 2 Tablespoon honey)
I quart pure water

Blend well.
Serves 3

summer salads

Since it's summer, I thought I'd post some salad recipes. 

First of all, this croc caught my eye because I thought Ian would have a lot of fun with it. 

We have a big zucchini that we used and had fun enjoying the salad.

I recently saw the dressing recipe below online.

Ranch Lite

1 cup Dannon Oikos plain greek yogurt
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch mix,
1/2 cup 1% milk.

Whisk together, pour into an air tight mason jar, chill 1 hour before use. Perfect consistency and tastes better than bottled. This whole jar of ranch is only 1.75 grams of fat and 255 calories.

:::::

Cheryl sent me a salad recipe she got from Brenda. Both of them said it was a big hit with the groups they served. Cheryl also sent it to Karen and see said, "Hey- I made your salad, Dee, but due to "extenuating circumstances" it has almonds, green onions, and no feta... so not really your salad!!! But the dressing and "my" salad tasted great!' " It was funny, as I had to write back and let her know it was Brenda's salad via Cheryl. Sounds like a prior cake recipe. I recently made it twice for different friends and they enjoyed it. Perfect for summer, especially just after blueberry picking.

:::::

I saw yet another blueberry salad recipe online just after picking many berries, and tried it on Scott, Ian and a friend. My friend and I liked it, Ian loved picking out the fruit, and Scott was fine not having it again. I really liked the creaming dressing. I used the leftovers on the watermelon blueberry salad. They didn't have fennel at our local store, so I go anise and used that. It was a very unique salad.

Fruit, Fennel and Chinese Cabbage Salad with Blueberry Pomegranate Dressing

For the salad:

2 c. blueberries
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
2 c. red grapes
1 pint organic strawberries, sliced
1 apple, cored, peeled and sliced
2 c. shredded Chinese or nappa cabbage
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and very thinly sliced

For the dressing:
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c. pomegranate juice
1/4 c. raw cashews
1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds
3 T. Dr. Fuhrman's Wild Blueberry Vinegar or other fruit-flavored vinegar 

    (I used a balsamic vinaigrette)
4 dates, pitted
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Blend all dressing ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy.
Toss salad with desired amount of dressing. Serves 6.



Here's a link to 4 more summer salads that look delicious.