Good Grief Green Sauce

This sauce rocks! It's a variation on a Mexican recipe that uses avocados, but since avocados are rarely ripe these days, and they are expensive; I decided to use green peas in their place. It works well. I glop this sauce on salads, burritos, fresh veggies sticks, bread, crackers, chili, whatever; it's that good! Last week I had to make 2 batches.

Here's what you'll need

1 large, or 2 small tomatillos
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper
1/4 bunch of cilantro (giant hand full stems and all)
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Peal any of the green papery stuff off of the tomatillo and core it, then drop it in boiling water for about 7 minutes.

While the tomatillo is boiling put everything else in a blender.

When the tomatillo is done run it under cool water for a few minutes and then cut it up into chunks and throw it in the blender too.

Pulverize all ingredients into a nice green sauce.

Eat on everything!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Tomato Basil Soup

This soup is quick and easy! It's really good and so much better tasting, and better for you than anything out of a can so next time you're craving a grilled cheese with tomato soup, try this recipe! Hope you'll love it. I do. :>

1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 red pepper diced
1 tbs basil
1/4 tbs chili powder
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs spoon butter
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a pot and simmer at a medium boil for about 10 minutes.
Puree in the blender.
Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.
Serve with grilled cheese!

"Got No Pancake Mix Pancakes" or they could be called "Healthy Whole Wheat French Toast Cakes"

I really wanted pancakes for breakfast this morning but I was way too cozy, and way too  unpresentable to go out in public. Wearing my Saturday Morning Sweat Suit with my hair on top my head like pile of rejected yellow cotton candy, I decided I should probably stay in and make the pancakes myself. There was only one problem... no pancake mix! Oh, and no flour either. WOMP! Well, I did see some eggs hiding in the back of the frig and a loaf of whole wheat bread, so maybe I could make some french toast. And there was about an 8th of a bottle of syrup left from last winter (syrup is like honey right, never goes bad), so the comfort breakfast I was craving was looking possible after all. But I don't really like French Toast very much. I can usually taste the egginess on the bread. I hate eggs. I will eat them cooked in recipes but that's it. Eggs are sorta my kryptonite. My best friend Kate knows this. Once when we were way too old to be playing that blind taste test game, you know the one, someone gets to sit blind folded and wait while one of their so called good friends runs off to the kitchen (hopefully) to concoct something heinous. They bring the mystery slop back in a giant spoon and laugh their asses off while they airplane it into your mouth! Kate was nice enough to mix my least favorite food in the world, a raw egg, with dog food and then had the nerve to say "open wide"! I retched, and any tolerance I'd built up for the taste of eggs was completely lost! That's how even French Toast became too much! So, French Toast was out... what now, I want some dang pancakes!!!
Improvising, sometimes it works... sometimes it's a disaster, luckily this morning improvising was a success. I made pancakes out of the ingredients for French Toast and it worked! The eggs were disguised well within the cakes, no metallic, sulfuric, weirdness, just satisfaction!  Healthier than regular pancakes too! Hope you'll try these.

for the batter:
5 pieces of 100%  whole wheat bread (use up your end pieces) cut into cubes about 2 inch square
3 medium eggs
1/4 cup milk to start. add more slowly to the batter to get your desired pancake batter consistency
1/4 cup kefir if you have it, or buttermilk, sour cream, or plain yogurt will work. if you don't have any of those just use less milk

for topping:
flax seeds
butter
syrup

Put all of your batter ingredients into a blender and pulverize, adding more milk if needed to get the right thickness for your batter. I like my batter to be a little bit runny but not too much, kind of like melted ice cream.

Pour out your cakes in a wide pan set to med/low heat, sprinkle on your flax seeds, and flip 'em when the middle starts to bubble up nicely

Plate them, butter them, drizzle them with syrup! Now you have pancakes, healthy pancakes, and you didn't have to run to the store for mix; or go out in public and run into someone you know looking like a walking hang-over! Hooray!

--
Mary Killmon

Shake Your Bootie Cherry Smoothie

This smoothie will get you going! It's really awesome for breakfast, or if your about to head out for a night on the town, this drink will wake you up and recharge your energy!

1 cup frozen black cherries
1 big hand full of fresh spinach leaves
1 cup limeade (Simply Natural is my favorite brand)
juice of 1 orange
1/2 bananna
6 or 7 ice cubes

That's it! Just throw it all in your blender and blend it up! Now GO!

So Delicious!

Broccoli Stump Soup!

I don't like to waste food. There can be two cans of beans in the cupboard and some left-over salad in the fridge and I'll make a meal out of it.... ummmm, unless it has mold on it.... then I'll feed it to my dogs.... noooooo! So, this is about Broccoli stumps; that's what I call them; you know, the stems after you cut the tree tops off. Well, there's a lot you can do with them besides throwing them away. They're still good for you and they can add a lot of flavor to a bland dish. Sometimes I like to chop them up into dime sized bits and throw them in chili for an extra crunch, but today I decided to puree them into a creamy soup. It's been raining here for 3 days non stop :> so soup is in order!

Broccoli Stump Soup:

2 cups chopped broccoli stalks
2 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup organic half and half
1 tbl spoon diced roasted red peppers
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom (this is where you get the zing)
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar (that's all you need)

Put everything in a pot (EXCEPT FOR THE half and half) save that for the last couple of minutes....
Bring it all to a boil and put a lid on it for 15 minutes on med/high heat
Add your half and half at the last minute
Remove from heat
Pour into a blender and puree

Dish into bowls and garnish with a couple of broccoli tops and some diced scallions, a dollop of sour cream and some hot sauce

YUM!

Easy Oven S'mores

My lady friends and I like to throw ourselves a girls night about once a month. We take turns hosting, but usually either Shaun or Ginny ends up being the hostess with the mostest!  We always bring a dish and something to drink. Last months girls night was held at Ginny's. When I arrived there was already a nice spread of snacks and treats on the table. I started nibbling and realized I'd just eaten a cold marshmallow, a graham cracker, and a chunk of a Hershey's bar! "Hey, I pretty much just ate an uncooked S'mores!" Not quite the same cold.... so I grabbed a cookie sheet from Ginny's cupboard, sprayed it with Pam, layered the crackers, mallows, and chocolate, and popped them into the oven for about 5 minutes on 350. They turned out really awesome. The marshmallows puffed up and browned just a bit; and the chocolate melted nicely! I think kids would really like this recipe.

I've include a few pics of some of the girls and thier dishes! I don't have those recipes but if you see something you like let me know and I will ask... :>

Cheddar~Pumpkin Bisque

The first time I ever tried Pumpkin Soup was in Interlocken, Switzerland on a back packing trip with my best friend Kate. Interlocken is a beautiful town in the Alps. We spent our first day there wandering around tiny side roads along pastures full of cows, sheep, and goats all wearing bells around their necks. The mountains that surrounded the valley were covered in snow! It was amazing. Anyway, after a long chilly day of walking we needed major comfort food. We found it in a local cafe. We had Pumpkin soup that was so delicious I had to go back the next day for more. It was served in big round brown crocks with little lids. I crave this soup a few times a year but mostly in the fall. I have definitely not perfected this one, especially since I have no idea what was in it, but here's my version.... it's getting closer. It's really good. It's super, super, easy to make. Let me know if you try it and have any suggestions on variations! :>

1 large 29oz can 100% pure pumpkin
3 cups (low sodium) organic vegetable stock
1 cup cream, or 1/2 and 1/2
1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese (make a little extra for garnish)
2 tbl spoon butte
1 tbl spoon brown sugar
black pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
good pinch of Cinnamon
2 dashes of allspice or nutmeg
chopped scallions for garnish

Put all ingredients in a large pot, bring it to a boil for a few minutes, stir constantly, bring to a simmer and let bubble for about 10 minutes.
Serve with chopped scallions and a left over grated cheddar cheese

That's it! enjoy!