Zucchini Enchiladas, Blackberry Mousse

recipe and image from here

August is the time to use blackberries and zucchini from our garden.

I like how both of these turned out! Ian isn't a big zucchini fan,

so I did a couple in corn tortillsas.

I also added olives to the top of the enchiladas.

Zucchini Enchiladas
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil 

1 large onion, chopped 

kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. chili powder
3 c. shredded chicken
1 1/3 c. red enchilada sauce, divided 4 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 c. shredded Monterey Jack
1 c. shredded Cheddar
Sour cream, for drizzling
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
add lime juice

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and season with salt. Cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add garlic, cumin and chili powder and stir until combined. Add shredded chicken and 1 cup enchilada sauce and stir until saucy.

On a cutting board, use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to make thin slices of zucchini. Lay out three, slightly overlapping, and place a spoonful of chicken mixture on top. Roll up and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining zucchini and chicken mixture.

Spoon remaining 1/3 cup enchilada sauce over zucchini enchiladas and sprinkle with both cheeses.
Bake until melty, 20 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream and cilantro and serve.

Notes: my small zucchini (4 in.) worked better than the seedy large (8 in.), though it was hard to roll up the enchiladas. After filling a 7x10 in pan, I put my remaining chicken mix in a pie pan, topped will all the remaining zucchini, then more chicken, then sauce then cheese.

We had this mousse at book group. Yum!

Dan Johnson made it, and his wife DeDe brought it to share.
I had a hard time straining the berry mix through my fine sieve.
I ended up using a colander, and living with a few seeds.

Blackberry Mousse
1 t. unflavored gelatin
3 T. cold water
1 c. blackberries
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg white
3/4 c. heavy cream

In small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1 T. of the water; let wait until softened (5 min). In blender, puree the blackberries with 2 T. water. Strain the blackberry puree into saucepan (about 3/4 cup). Add suga & boil then simmer mixture over medium heat, stir occasionally for about 5 min to reduce. Stir in softened gelatin. Let mixture cool. Beat egg whites and fold into cooled pureed mixture. On a other bowl beat heavy cream until softly whipped. Fold cream into berry mix and refrigerate until chilled. Enjoy with lemon cookies, fresh fruit, or whatever sounds good, or eat it as is.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries, Green Chili Pumpkin Soup

recipe and image from here

Today I'm posting a couple more recipes I want to try, but haven't yet.

Scott won't go for the Pumpkin Soup,

but said he is looking forward to the Cheesecake Strawberries!

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
24 strawberries (medium to large)
8 oz. light cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1. Remove the tops of all the strawberries and and cut out a cone shape from inside the middle of each strawberry with a paring knife - a little well to be filled with cream cheese mixture.

2. Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Fill a ziploc bag with the cream cheese mixture (filling it into one of the corners). 

3. Twist the top of the bag and snip the corner of the bag with the filling.

4. Squeeze filling into each strawberry and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

YIELD: MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN STRAWBERRIES

recipe and image from here

Green Chili Pumpkin Soup
4 oz. diced green chiles, divided
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. cilantro
1 small onion, diced
1 t. oil
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can vegetable broth
1/2 c. water
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. ground red pepper


1) In a food processor, combine 1/2 of the chiles, sour cream and cilantro. Process until smooth. Set aside.

2) Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and remaining chiles. Saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are softened. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and red pepper. Cook for 1 minutes or until fragrant.

3) Add remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If soup is not smooth enough, use an immersion blender to make it smoother…this is totally optional!

4) Swirl sour cream mixture into soup just before serving.

The sour cream mixture adds a cooling component and a little tartness to the the soup. I think it is the perfect compliment. Plus, you can get this to the table in under 30 minutes which means it is the perfect weeknight meal for fall and winter too.

Kiwi & Strawberry Chia Popsicles

recipe and image from here

As soon as we are out of rain, and have sunshine again,
 I'd like to try these! The link above includes a video.

Kiwi & Strawberry Chia Popsicles
1-3/4 c. canned coconut milk
1/2 c. soy milk (or any milk alternative)
1/4 c. chia seeds
1 tablespoon honey, or more to your liking
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
3 strawberries, sliced

Stir together coconut milk, soy milk, chia seeds, and honey.
Place sliced kiwis and strawberries in popsicle molds. Use knife or the back of a spoon to press kiwi and strawberry slices to the sides of the mold.

Gently pour liquid mixture into popsicle molds. Insert popsicle sticks. Freeze for at least 4 hours until popsicles are solid. Remove and enjoy!

 

Makes: 6 popsicles

Raspberry Freezer Jam, Raspberry Syrup

Our raspberries are amazing this year. I think this is our second year with raspberries in our yard. We've eaten a lot while picking, frozen and jammed so many so far. And there are more berries to go. YUM! I thought I'd post the jam recipe I used this year. Someday I'd love to go with less sugar and even natural apple pectin, but this is where we are now.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

6-2/3 cups raspberries (crush one layer at a time with potato masher, or similar)
4 c. sugar
3/4 c. instant pectin

Stir sugar and pectin together. add fruit. Stir 3  minutes. Ladle in jars. Let stand 30 minutes. Freeze.

yield: 6 'batches', each one is to make 2 (8 oz.) half-pints of jam

:::::

image and recipe from here

I have not tried this, but there are many berries left to pick!

It will be on the menu very soon. 

There were many recipes that had you strain out the seeds,

but I prefer to leave the fiber in. Small compensation for all the sugar?!

Homemade Raspberry Syrup
4 t . cornstarch
1/2 c. sugar
1 (12 oz.) package raspberries, fresh or frozen
1-1/2 t. water
1-1/2 t. lemon juice
1 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla
dash salt

1. Grab a medium-sized sauce pan and add 4 t. cornstarch to it.
2. Add 1/2 c. s. and stir the ingredients together.
3. Add 1-1/2 t. water and 1-1/2 t. lemon juice. Stir it together to combine. It will look kind of pasty.
4. Find yourself 12 oz. of beautiful raspberries. Add them to the sauce pan and stir them gently, so the berries begin to be coated. The berries will begin to break down, which is just fine.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Let it bubble and boil for 1 minute. It should thicken up into a nice syrup consistency for you.
6. Remove it from the heat and add 1 T. butter, 1/2 t. vanilla and a dash of salt.
Pour it, nice and warm over the top of some vanilla ice cream. Or drizzle it over a lovely stack of pancakes...any way you serve it, I do believe you will love it.
Yield: 1-1/2 cups

'Otai

image and alternate recipe here

We have a Tongan ward in our stake, and many are friends and/or relatives of the Tongan family we met in our ward a number of years ago. Suliana made a delicious traditional meal for us then, including having her brother roast a pig. The drink she made was mango and ice, and so wonderful. Ian was excited to try this version of the recipe from The Friend magazine. A couple years ago they were highlighting friends around the world and this month featured Tonga.This was so yummy! Ian liked it least of all though. This was so yummy! Ian liked it least of all though.

I loved making this freezer jam from strawberries

and rhubarb we grew this year!

There is a link to a recipe for an easy cheesecake

at the bottom of this post using this jam.

I'd like to try it. It makes three 'pies',

 so you could have other flavors for the non-rhubarb fans.

I also made apricot pineapple freezer jam this year.

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam 

3 cups. fresh or frozen, chopped rhubarb into 1/2" - 1"" pieces
1/4 c. water
2 c. chopped strawberries, (do not purée)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 pkg. (45 gram size=3 T.) No Cook Freezer Jam gelling powder

In a large non-reactive pan, combine the rhubarb and the water.

Over high heat, bring the rhubarb to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered until the rhubarb is tender, about 5 - 7 minutes).

Chill the rhubarb.

In a large bowl, combine the chilled rhubarb and the chopped strawberries.

Gently stir in the sugar and allow the mixture to stand for 15 minutes.

Slowly, sprinkle the gelling powder over the mixture,
a little at a time, while continuing to stir for 3 minutes.

Allow the mixture to stand for 5 minutes.

Gently stir again for 1 full minute.

Pour the jam into clean, freezer-safe containers or jars, leaving a 1" headspace.

Seal tightly.

Jam is ready to eat...store it in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, or in the freezer for up to one year!

A GREAT RHUBARB JAM WITH "LESS SUGAR"!

Recipe from here. The consistency of this jam makes it most suitable for a topping for toast, bagels, waffles, pancakes, muffins, scones, ice cream, cheesecake, and more!

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Pineapple Coconut Whips

recipe and image from here

We had three weeks of 'heat' for the Northwest. 

These were awesome!

Pineapple Coconut Whips (or Dole Whip Copycat)
5 fl. oz. unsweetened almond milk
5 fl. oz. coconut milk
1⁄2 c. pineapple juice
21⁄2 c. fresh pineapple chunks, frozen
1⁄4 t. stevia (or sweetener of your choice), optional
1 pinch
salt

Add ingredients to blender jar in order listed. Blend on medium mow for 20 seconds then increase speed to medium high (speed 6) for another 30 seconds or until smooth. You may experience cavitation during blending. If so, you can wait until it catches again or stop blending, remove the jar, shake the contents back down to the blade, replace it and continue blending.Transfer pineapple mixture to a large plastic bag and place in freezer for 30-60 minutes. Cut off one tip of bag and pipe into serving dishes.

VARIATIONS

You can replace any or all of the frozen pineapple with another frozen fruit. Some of our favorite combinations are:
Pineapple Strawberry (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Mango (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Blackberry (1 c. of each)
Pineapple Raspberry (1 c. of each)
Strawberry (2 c., omit pineapple juice)

Make a Tropical Whip by omitting almond milk and using 10 fl.oz. of coconut milk.

You may use other milks with this recipe, just know it will change the taste and the texture.

Light Chocolate Cake with Berries

image and recipe from here

I saw this recipe posted by our local farmers market. 

I want to make this. I want to make it for our book group, 

for our anniversary, and every other event.

 Actually, I'd love it if someone made it for me! 

If you give this a try, let me know!

Light Chocolate Cake with Berries

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. vanilla yogurt (you can use Greek yogurt)
2 t. vanilla extract
2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 c. good-quality cocoa powder
3/4 c. milk (I prefer whole, but skim milk will work fine)
1 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 pint fresh strawberries
1/2 pint fresh blackberries
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 big bunches of green or red grapes
1 pint raspberries
1 homemade whipped cream recipe (you can decrease sugar if you prefer)
Store-bought chocolate syrup
1 T. confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare (spray or butter and flour) two 8-inch round cake pans.

Warm the coconut oil in microwave for up to 30 seconds; you want it softened or even melted (but not hot to the touch).

Pour coconut oil into stand mixer with paddle attachment.

Add in brown sugar, applesauce, yogurt and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

With mixer on low, slowly add a third of the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture, alternating with the milk. Keep alternating until the dry ingredients and milk are gone.

Remove bowl from stand mixer and fold in chocolate chips by hand.

Divide batter between two cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 26 minutes or until an inserted toothpick is removed clean. (Cooking times can vary depending on quality of ingredients and weather conditions.)

Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack.

To assemble cake:

Rinse all fruit so that it is shiny and clean.

Prepare whipped cream (and prepare chocolate sauce if you are making from scratch).

Place one cooled layer of cake on cake stand and cover in about 3/4 cup of whipped cream. Place a strawberry that is a about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high in the center of the cake, upside down. This will help the whipped cream to not schmoosh out when you place the next layer on. Now take some of your fruit and spread it around the edges of the cake. Because this is a naked cake, you will want to pay attention to how you place the fruit on the edge.

Once cake is covered in fruit, place next layer of chocolate cake on top. Starting with a bunch of grapes that are still attached to the vine, place grapes on cake and then start building up around them. Fill in with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, and place a few more grapes around to balance the color. Finally, place some strawberries around the edge and maybe even one on top.

Drizzle chocolate sauce over cake and chill until ready to serve. If you want to add confectioners’ sugar, sprinkle immediately before serving.

Zucchini Muffins with Apples and Carrots

image and recipe from here

Here's the best muffin recipe ever!...with fruit and veggies :) 

I may sub coconut oil for the butter next time.

I used fresh whole wheat flour and more carrots 
than zucchini as that's what I had. 

Plus, I had an older, dryer zucchini
and didn't have to use salt to drain it, 

so just added it to the recipe. 
Oh my goodness, it was yummy!!! 

So of course, I'm passing it on. 

Haven't tried it in loaves, 
but it made about 20 muffins. 

Zucchini Bread with Apples and Carrots

2½ c. shredded zucchini (approx 2 large zucchini)
1 t. salt
¾ c. shredded apple (approx 1 medium apple)
¾ c. shredded carrot (approx 1 large carrot)
½ c. melted butter
½ c. honey
½ c. maple syrup
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 c. oat flour*
2 c. whole grain flour (wheat, spelt or combination of the two)
2 t. baking soda
2 t. baking powder
3 t. cinnamon
¼ t. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 8"x4" loaf pans.

Grate zucchini using a grater or food processor.
Combine zucchini and salt in a large colander and mix well.
Allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Press as much liquid out of the zucchini as possible
while in the colander. Then, using either a salad spinner,
get all the remaining water out of the zucchini.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large bowl. Add honey
and maple syrup and mix well.
Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Add shredded carrot, apple and zucchini and stir to combine
very well.

In a separate small bowl, mix all the flours, baking soda,
baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg and combine well.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and
stir to barely combine, approximately 5 big rounds of the bowl.

Add the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl and stir
to just barely combine, another 5-7 big rounds of the bowl.

Divide batter evenly between loaf pans and bake for
50-60 min.,or until a knife inserted in the center
comes out clean.


Notes
* To make oat flour, blend rolled oats in a blender until they
are the consistency of flour.

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen

Additional Recipe Tips-
To turn these into muffins instead of bread, measure 1/3 c.
of batterinto muffin tins (go reusable if you can) and bake
for 20-24 minutes,or until the top is golden brown.
If you really want to knock their socks off, consider
adding dried cranberries, raisins or coconut flakes to
the batter. If you’re low on carrots or zucchini,
both are interchangeable so long as you have 3
1/4 cup total. Make these muffins year round by
freezing zucchini now. Shred as normal,
sprinkle with salt and allow to sit.
Wring out excess moisture and store in a freezer bag.
Another genius idea – batter can be frozen uncooked
using this method here.

by Karen, Barbara's daughter

Meringue Fruit Shells

I made these sweet little meringue fruit shells

for book group this month.

They were so easy to make up ahead.

To serve, I had dishes of fruit

(fresh pineapple, strawberries, grapes, kiwi,

cantaloupe and blueberries)

so each person could fill it with what they like.

I also had some whipped cream for a topping.

I did pick, sugar and freeze mint leaves for garnish…

but forgot them in the freezer. C'est vie!

The funniest thing about this post,

is that I've had the recipe since 1984 (really, I checked!)

and never made them until now. Give them a try!

Slow Cooker Peach Crisp, Bosc Pear Cardamom Crisp

recipe and picture from here, adapted from here

This recipe smells so good as it's in the slow cooker. 

The topping was not quite as crisp as using the oven, 

but the convenience was nice. 

I haven't tried the pear recipe below yet, 

but love cardamom and look forward to tasting it.

It's from our pear supplier.

Happy Autumn!

Slow Cooker Peach Crisp
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) cold butter, diced, plus more for greasing slow cooker
6 very large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (can use 10-12 smaller peaches)
1 T. cornstarch
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, nuts (if using), cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the diced butter and cut into the dry ingredients with your hands or a pastry cutter until a crumbly, leaving a few remaining pea-sized pieces of butter.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 3-quart cooker. Place sliced peaches in the bottom and sprinkle with the cornstarch and add the extracts. Stir to combine making sure all of the cornstarch is dissolved. Top evenly with the crumbly mixture.

Set slow cooker to LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or HIGH for 1 1/2 hours. When lifting the lid off the slow cooker, be careful not to let any water from the lid drip down onto the crisp or it can get soggy.

Spoon into bowls and serve warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream

Yields 4-6 servings.

Bosc Pear Cardamom Crisp
Filling:
8-10 medium bosc pears, peeled and chopped
3 T. lemon juice or 1 lemon juiced
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 t. cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/2 t. ground ginger
Pinch of salt
8 T. butter

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Put pears in large bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients. Gently stir. Add pears into 6 8-oz jars leaving 1/4 headspace.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add butter and use fork to blend until crumbly.
3. Spoon topping over pears to cover. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until pears are cooked through and the topping is light brownEnjoy!!
PS--You can freeze this crisp filling for a quick easy treat throughout the winter. Thaw and just add the Topping! (Dee note: I freeze Rhubarb Crisp after it's baked, topping and all, so I think it would work for this one.)


by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott

Buckwheat Pancakes and Blueberry Sauce

This recipe is from yummly.com--
gluten-free vegan buckwheat pancakes. 

I made the full recipe then froze the extra pancakes and sauce,

which works great to pull out later, heat or toast and serve again! 

YUM! Happy 4th of July!!! Love, Karen

Buckwheat Pancakes and Blueberry Sauce

2 c. almond milk
1 c. pitted dates
2 t. vanilla

juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 t. baking powder
1-1/2 c. buckwheat flour (I ground my own)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place the dates, milk, juice and vanilla in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend til smooth. Stir this into the dry ingredients until you have a relatively thick batter. (I added 1/4-1/3 c. more milk.)

Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat before pouring in about 1/4 c. batter per pancake. When the pancake has bubbled and started to firm up, flip and cook the other side until a deep golden color. (Makes about 10-15 pancakes.)


While that is cooking, make the blueberry sauce:

2 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 c. pitted dates
1/3 c. water

Blend and simmer (or simmer and then blend with a hand blender) a few minutes then pour into a jar. (I warmed them a couple minutes in the microwave then put them into my blender on the soup setting and ran a couple times. I used 1/3 cup water and it was a bit too thick, but yummy! I've since used it as jam also!)

Drizzle the sauce on the pancakes, garnish with a few additional berries and serve! (This recipe is from yummly.com--gluten-free vegan buckwheat pancakes. I made the full recipe then froze the extra pancakes and sauce, which works great to pull out later, heat or toast and serve again! YUM!)

by Karen, Barbara's daughter

Watermelon Cake, Tri Tip Marinade

I saw a cake a friend tried online at this link. 

It has watermelon center. 

I'm not going to copy the recipe here, as the website

 has many good tips on putting this together.

_____

The Hardy family invited us over for a Memorial Day BBQ.
Debbie found this recipe and the steaks were beyond fantastic.

Tri Tip Marinade

This is really a flavorful and tasty marinade. The lemon pepper lends great flavor to the beef.

1 c. lemon juice
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. black pepper
1/2 c. garlic salt
1/2 c. chopped garlic
1/2 c. chopped dried minced onion
2 (4 pound) tri tip roasts or use steaks

To make marinade, mix all of the ingredients except for the beef, in a large mixing bowl. Place the trimmed tri-tips in a plastic bag and pour the marinade over. Let stand in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Heat grill to medium temperature.

Place tri-tips on grill at a 45 degree angle to establish grill marks and cook about 35 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness. Remove the tri-tips from the grill and let rest about 2 to 5 minutes before slicing. 

Servings: 12

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

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.

Spooky Honey Caramel Apples for Halloween

I normally test the recipes before posting, 
but thought I'd put up this picture anyway, 
as it's the season to celebrate with caramel apples. 
I saw the healthier caramel recipe here. I love the sticks!

I usually use Mom's Caramel Corn recipe 
(see below, page 13 in her cookbook, or online on the tab above) 
for the caramel for our apples, 
though this also sounds like a nice change.

Honey Caramel Apples
1 c. honey
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 T. butter
1/4 t. unrefined sea salt
natural red food dye (optional)
1/2 c. crushed pecans (preferably soaked and dried)
6 sticks or wooden dowels

Whisk honey, cream, butter and salt in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble, then immediately reduce the heat to medium. Stir in food coloring, adjusting the volume to match the intensity of color you like.

Continue to whisk the caramel frequently to prevent scorching and to prevent it from bubbling up and out of of your saucepan. Continue to cook until the caramel reaches a temperature of 260 F (about 25 minutes). The caramel should be a rich brown or red-brown if you also used food coloring; the bubbles should be small and should uniformly cover the surface of the pan and the caramel should be thickened.

Prepare an ice bath. Then pour the hot caramel into a mixing bowl and place the bowl in the ice bath, taking care not to splash water into the hot caramel. Stir the caramel until it is uniformly cooled and it begins to thicken just a bit.

Plunge a wooden stick or dowel into the core of your apples and roll them, one by one, in the caramel until uniformly coated. Roll them in chopped pecans and place them on a piece of parchment paper to cool completely before serving.


YIELD: 6 Caramel Apples (6 Servings)

PREP: 5 mins
COOK: 30 mins
READY IN: 35 mins

___

Caramel Corn I

2 sticks margarine, or 1 margarine and 1 butter
1/2 c. white Karo syrup
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda
7-1/2 qt. popcorn

Cook butter, brown sugar, syrup and salt for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda. Pour over popped corn, mix and put in flat pans. Bake at 200° for one hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Can be stored in sealed containers.

Green Smoothies

A few of years ago, a couple of gals in our ward did a RS cooking night based on the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfield. It was about getting more nutrition into our family meals. (There's also another book along that like called Stealth Health by an Oregonian dietician Brenda Ponichtera.) Great class and information. In that class, Joanna taught us about putting spinach in smoothies. I thought that there was NO way my guys would go for it, but they did. So for a few years I've been buying bags of spinach, then throwing them in the freezer. The fun part is crunching the spinach up into little bits. Anyway, we made smoothies with yogurt, bananas, frozen berries and a handful of spinach. As long as there is blueberry, or another dark fruit, it seemed drinkable. And nutritious!

Green Smoothie Revolution:
The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health
by Victoria Boutenko

http://greensmoothierevolution.com/
http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes
http://freegreensmoothierecipes.com/recipes/

Fast forward to last October. I saw the book above at our little Troutdale Library and checked it out. I learned about an Oregon woman who was trying to get more greens into her family's diet, as they were all suffering from ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, etc. Long story short, she started blending the greens. Then she began blending them with fruit so the smoothies were more tasty. I read her book, and then read her first book called Green for Life. It's a lot more technical about the nutrition in greens, etc. Anyway, I've been having a green smoothie most days since then. Scott will have some, and Ian has fun slurping them also. (Straws are the ticket for him!) Lately if I don't give him one, he asks for one. Victoria Boutenko is pretty radical (compared to the Standard American Diet—S.A.D.), and I don't want to scare you away...but throwing fruit and greens into the blender takes just a few minutes. The best 'fast food' ever. There has only been one time that I really couldn't choke one down. I added another banana and it was OK. I've kept a journal so I can remember what combos I/we like the best, but really it's been fun. AND NO COOKING! I've included some links, with recipes. She's all about just starting with water, adding fruit and greens and not really following a 'recipe' per se. I've been doing them for lunch, sharing with Ian, and saving some for late afternoon snack.Or we have a smoothie with a family meal. I did banana, fresh pineapple, mixed baby greens and water last week and all liked it. Unlimited options, so check the recipes to get ideas.

http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/

While talking about green smoothies with my friend Debbie, I found that she and her husband were having them regularly also. They have been following another person who is a 'soccer mom' version of the gal above. (And she speaks of the author about as one of the pioneers in the field.) She is trying to make it doable for a family and offers a 12 step program to going all whole food. (step one adding green smoothies, step two adding a salad every day, step three appropriate dressing, etc.) She makes 3 qts. of green smoothie every morning. She has a quart, then gives a pint to each of her kids. Her recipes and program are not all online free. I did find her basic book shown below at the library. Debbie and Stan are light years ahead on eating healthy. Stan is diabetic, so they are always trying to do what will help him the most. They us the other things she recommends like chia seeds and coconut oil, etc. I haven't done that yet. I'm kind of like those 'fence sitters' Elder Maxwell talked about some: wanting to be in Zion, but keep a summer house in Babylon! I have good habits I'm developing, but bad habits I'm still working to eliminate. I think the closer we can get to the Word of Wisdom with healthy the better, but not for all vegetarian/vegan. Debbie and I went to a free class this month (2/4) by Robyn Openshaw (AKA Green Smoothie Girl).  She was very interesting, and feels very strongly about young mothers helping their children learn good heath habits. She also started research this because of a sick child.

I'm not perfect at this...especially the additional expensive things. Scott still would prefer 'meat and potato' land, but is usually willing to try dishes.. Some of the stuff in these books is a bit out of my league now, but I've really enjoyed feeling heathier drinking one for lunch everyday. There is actually a non-fruit one that I love. If you like guacamole you might like it. It's avocado, romas, water, cilantro, onion, garlic, green pepper and salt. Hope there is something interesting to you!




Robyn’s Green Smoothie Template Recipe

Makes 8 cups of 100% raw smoothie.

Put 2 1/2 to 3 cups water (or some ice also) in your blender.

(Optionally, add:

½ t. stevia (herbal sweetener) or
up to ¼ cup raw, organic agave nectar (low glycemic index)

¼ whole lemon, including peel (anti-skin cancer, high in flavanoids)

2-3 T. fresh, refrigerated flax oil (omega-3 rich oil)

Gradually add greens until, briefly pureed, the mixture comes up the 5-cup line (or less if you are “converting”):

¾ to 1 lb. raw, washed greens, added up to 5 ½ cup line:

spinach, chard, kale, collards, mixed greens, celery, turnip greens, beet greens, arugula, dandelion etc.

Puree greens mixture for 90 seconds until very smooth.

Gradually add fruit until the container is very full, blend 90 seconds or until smooth:

1-2 bananas

1-2 cups frozen mixed berries

any other fruit to taste: pears, peaches, apples, oranges, apricots, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, etc.

Make a full blender and you’ll have some to drink, and some to share.
Why is the green smoothie habit worth 10 minutes of your day?
One quart is 12-15 servings of greens and fruit. That quart costs about $2.50. (Think of what people are spending daily on Starbucks or the $1 fast food menu...)

p.s.  Tips:  For beginners and those trying to convert children (or spouses!), consider using LESS greens and MORE fruit (especially berries and bananas) in the beginning, gradually working up to a 50/50 ratio as described here.  Consider using only spinach the first few days, then sneak in chard, collards, and kale, the other mild but excellent greens gradually.  Add other savory or bitter greens only when your family are “experts” in green smoothies!  Add a bit more water if you feel the smoothie is too thick. Also, add dark berries if the smoothies is too 'green' for someone...or say it's a Shrek smoothie for kids.

http://www.wordofwisdomliving.com/

Finally, I read about a new blog on your health. I just spent a few minutes there, but really liked what I saw.  The man that started this is a church member and engineer and very down-to-earth and Word of Wisdom based. His daughter wrote a guest post on a blog I read, and I'm hooked. I'll have to go back and read from the beginning of the year. Here's a taste: "My parents taught me good habits as a child, but over the past few years my dad has gotten really serious about studying nutrition. I’ve been encouraging him to start his own blog so he can share all that he’s learned with the rest of us. It’s now up and running and it’s called Word of Wisdom Living. It’s becoming a real community, with people asking questions and sharing what works for them.

In January he started one year of “Healthy Changes”, one small thing you can change in your diet or lifestyle each week. He’ll post a new one each Monday for the rest of the year. So far these have touched on topics like soda, fried foods, exercise and vitamin D. You can even download a little reminder card that you can hang on your bathroom mirror to help you remember. He’ll also be reviewing some of his favorite health books, sharing nutritional blogs and medical journal studies, and some of his favorite healthy recipes.

I know that I am biased, but my dad is a really smart guy. I think we all could learn a lot from him. Here’s to a healthy 2011!"

Back to Dee—OK, and here's one I really like below:

And by the author: "Though an avid student of nutrition, I am neither doctor nor scientist and don’t pretend to be. In fact, that is my credential: I’m a private person studying a public puzzle: how to live. In my search I have read over a hundred books, plus many, many articles and studies. Whatever I have been able to learn, I freely offer for your consideration and comment."

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott