Cucmber Salad

1 cucumber
1 tomato
2/3 c low fat, small curd cottage cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Slice and quarter cucumber. Cut tomato into chunks. Combine all ingredient in a medium size mixing bowl and serve. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Strawberry Limeade

8 limes, juiced (about 1 cup lime juice)
1/2 pound strawberry
3/4 c sugar
1 quart of water

Blend strawberries and half of water until smooth. Add sugar, lime juice, and remaining water and blend until sugar is dissolved. Serve chilled for best results.

Strawberry Kiwi Lemonade

1 lb strawberries
4 kiwis
1 pint water
1 lemon

Rinse or peel all fruit. Cut fruit into bite size pieces. Place strawberries and water in blender and blend until smooth. Add kiwis and blend. Add lemon and blend. Serve chilled or over ice.

Today's Noveltties

Our baskets came with some fruits I am not familiar with, persimmons and oro blanco. I used Wikipedia and Specialty Produce website to find out how to use and/or eat them.

Persimmons - "Persimmons are eaten fresh, dried, raw, or cooked. When eaten fresh, the skin is usually cut/peeled off and the fruit is often cut into quarters or eaten whole like an apple. One way to consume very ripe persimmons, which can have the texture of pudding, is to remove the top leaf with a paring knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. The flesh ranges from firm to mushy, and the texture is unique. The flesh is very sweet and when firm, possesses an apple-like crunch.^{[citation needed]} American persimmons are completely inedible until they are fully ripe."

Oro Blanco - "Oro Blanco grapefruit are sweet-tart and may be used in savory or dessert preparations. Use whole segments in salad or fruit dessert, or use the juice in cocktails or frozen dishes. Oro Blancos are popular in Asian cuisine and may be paired with other citrus, bitter greens, cucumbers, chiles, nuts, avocado and seafood. Use creamy fats, sharp, pepper, sweet and spicy flavors to enhance the Oro Blanco's taste. Store at room temperature for up to a week, then refrigerate for later use."

October 15th

1 bunch broccoli
2 avocados
1 bunch green leaf lettuce
1 head cauliflower
1 bag carrots (about 1 lb)
1 bag grapes (about 2 lb)
10 bananas
2 cucumbers
9 tomatoes
1 garlic clove
3 Bose pears
4 McIntosh apples
5 plums

I'm a few days behind because fall is a busy time with all of the activities at our house, but there it is.

Lemon Broccoli Soup with Garlic Herb Wheat Croutons

Lemon Broccoli Soup 

2 T EVOO

1 med yellow onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 cups broccoli, chopped

5 cups water

juice and zest from one lemon

4 oz goat cheese

1 t Herbes de Provence

1 t salt (or to taste)

pepper to taste

 Saute oil, onion, and garlic until translucent.  Add broccoli and saute for about five minutes. Add water and boil until broccoli is tender but still bright green.  Add lemon, goat cheese and seasonings and blend with an immersion blender.  Serve with home made garlic herb wheat croutons. 

Garlic Herb Wheat Croutons

9 grain bread (Bountiful Basket)

EVOO

fresh cracked pepper

garlic salt

onion powder

fresh herbs or Italian seasoning

Turn oven to broil.  Cut up bread in small pieces and put on a large baking tray.  Cover with olive oil then sprinkle with seasonings. Mix all together and broil until crispy, turning bread occasionally.  DO NOT leave oven because these can burn very quickly!!

Tuscan Potato & Kale Soup (similar to Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden)

1 T EVOO
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes, cut in half and sliced 8 cups water
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 lb hot Italian sausage
1 cup organic milk
2 t corn starch (mixed with 1 T cold water)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 head kale, chopped (3-4 cups)
In large sauce pan, heat oil and cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add potatoes, water, and bouillon. Boil until potatoes are tender. While potatoes are boiling, cook sausage in separate pan. Drain fat and set aside. To stock pot, add milk and cornstarch mixture. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked sausage and kale and heat through. Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 green bell peppers
1 1/2 red bell peppers
1/2 yellow or white onion
1/2 bunch celery
3 vine tomatoes
3/4 cup water
1 lb hamburger
3 to 4 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 to 1 cup cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
garlic powder
dried savory

Finely dice celery and bell peppers. Dice onions. Puree tomatoes in food processor or blender. Brown hamburger and season with salt, pepper, garlic, and savory. Combine celery, peppers, onions, tomatoes, hamburger, and more spices to taste. Pour in lightly grease 9 x 13 pan. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over vegetable and hamburger mix. Top with cheese and bake at 375 F for 20 to 30 minutes.

Fruit Pizza

I am not good at taking pictures of foods I eat before they are consumed. I actually took a picture of our yummy fruit pizza this week. A little time consuming because I made the cookie dough and frosting from scratch, but the recipe is simple.

• 1 roll sugar cookie dough
• 1 recipe or container of cream cheese frosting
• 3 to 4 cups chopped fruit of your choice (I used 1 1/2 c strawberries, 1 1/2 c kiwis, and 1 c concord grapes)

Roll cookie out on pizza pan. Cook according to package (recipe) directions until center is done and edges are turning brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Spread cream cheese frosting on cookie. Top with desired fruits. Cut and serve.

Red Pepper, Bell Pepper

We received yummy bell peppers in our basket last week. I have been collecting ideas for their use all week and this is what I came up with.

• slice or dice and freeze for future use
• slice and use on sandwiches like lettuce
• dice for pizza toppings
• dice and add to white sauce for chicken Alfredo
• slice and snack on like peas or carrots
• finely dice and add to veggie goulash or shepherd's pie
• dice and use in salsa
• cut tops off, remove seeds and membranes, and use to make stuffed peppers
• dice and use with hamburger and taco seasonings to make taco meat
• slice or dice, cook with scrambled eggs, and serve on tortillas for breakfast burritos

Corn, Boiled & Buttered

I love fresh corn on the cob! I also love how easy it is to cook as a side dish for any meal or barbecue. It is as simple as one, two, three. Three ingredients, three steps for cooking, and three steps for adding extra flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 12 corn on the cob (the number depends on how big your pan is and how many people you are cooking for)
• 1 cube butter or margarine
• salt

Cooking:

1. Set some water to boil on the stove. You want enough to cover the corn, but not so much it will boil over after the corn is added.
2. Shuck(remove the husks and stringy inner layer) the corn.
3. Place corn in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when done cooking, but leave the corn in the water until ready to serve.

Adding flavor:

1. Remove corn from water, draining of as much liquid as possible.
2. Coat with butter. I like to hold the corn by the ends and roll it on the cube of butter until all sides are evenly coated.
3. Lightly sprinkle with salt, and enjoy!

Fajitas*

1 to 2 pounds meat (beef, pork, or chicken)
1/2 yellow or white onion
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil (optional)
tortillas
sour cream
mozarella cheese
salsa

Slice vegetables to 1/4-inch thick and 1- to 3-inches long. Slice meat into strips. Coat pan with olive oil (optional); add vegetables, meat, and seasonings (to taste); cook on medium heat until meat is cook through (for beef: no red or pink in center, for chicken & pork: until juices run clear). Serve on tortillas (we like the soft taco ones) with sour cream, cheese, and salsa.

*Recipe serves 2 to 3 people (perfect for my husband, our two young children, and myself), but can be doubled as needed with no problem.

October 1st

1 head iceberg lettuce
1 bunch celery
4 corn
4 red peppers
3 green peppers
10 bananas
2 lbs concord grapes
5 tomatoes (vine variety, I believe)
9 kiwis
1 cantaloupe (not affected by listeria now plaguing cantaloupe in the U.S.)

It has been awhile since I did a cost analysis, so I am going to do it this week. Look below to find out local cost of the produce we received today for $16.50 ($15 for the basket + $1.50 handling fee).

1 head iceberg lettuce = 1.00
1 bunch celery = 1.50
4 corn @ 1.00/3 = 1.33
4 red peppers @ 0.99 = 4.00
3 green peppers @ 0.79/each = 2.40
10 bananas: 4.5 @ 0.52/lb = 2.50
2 lbs concord grapes: 2 @ 3.99/lb = 8.00*
5 tomatoes: 2.5 lbs @ 1.49/lb = 3.75
9 kiwis: 2.5 lbs @ 1.49/lb = 3.75
1 cantaloupe: 3 lbs @ 0.69/lb = 2.10

All totals are estimated and rounded up or down by a few cents to make adding simpler. My total before tax would have been $30. That is approximately 45% in savings on fresh produce that lasts longer and tastes better.

*This one is off because I couldn't find a price for them online so I took the highest price I could find for seedless grapes because I know these are the most expensive kind.

I am REALLY trying to get my son to eat green smoothies. He is very selective when it comes to textures...so I started with a more sweet green smoothie and had him pick the fruit.  Here is what was in it!!
3 c spinach
2 c apple 100% pure juice
1 c frozen cantaloupe
3 c frozen strawberries
1 banana
It was delicious! It made approximately 1 1/2 quarts (plenty for at least three people!) 605 calories.  My daughter gobbled it up, but the smoothie was not "red" enough for my son, so I let him make another one...no greens in it, but he loved it and drank quite a bit! It's a start, right? This is what was selected to put in my son's RED smoothie:
1 cup frozen cantaloupe
2 frozen red plums
1 cup apple 100% pure juice

Green Smoothie Breakfast

 1 cup spinach
1 cup collard greens
1 cup water
1 frozen banana
2 Bartlett pears

Mix spinach, collard greens, and water together first.  Add banana and pears and blend!  Made approximately one quart.  315 calories