Sunrise Smoothie

 

I am feeling the need to eat healthier, still be creative and without question...enjoy the taste of what I consume as nutrtious body fuel.  This smoothie will fit all criteria and if you have the problem of getting veggies into your kiddos, this may be an option for you.  Make sure your ingredients are very cold to start as processing will increase the temperature.  Enjoy!

Sunrise Smoothie

Yield: 2 12 oz Servings

Ingredients

4 oz Silken Tofu
1.5 c Vanilla Soy Milk
2 T Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 medium Orange, peeled
2 T Honey
2 Carrots, peeled washed and cut into half inch sections
.25 c Craisins

Method

Place ingredients in a blender or Vitamix in the order as follows:

• All of Tofu, .25 c Soy Milk, Orange, Oats, 1 T Honey.
• Process until smooth and pour into 2 12 oz glasses until each is one-third full.
• To the remaining mixture in blender/Vitamix add .5 c Soy Milk, Carrots and 1 T Honey.
• Process until smooth and pour gently on top of orange layer until each is two-thirds full.
• To the remaining mixture in blender/Vitamix add .75 c Soy Milk and Craisins.
• Process until smooth and pour gently on top of Carrot layer.

~CGJ

Curried Carrot Soup

The heat hasn't set in yet and won't hopefully for months to come.  Who am I kidding...living in the South the temperature passed 80 degrees today, but it was cool enough this morning to have me thinking about soup all day long.  I shared a soup recipe with you not long ago using frozen peas.  The structure of this
Curried Carrot Soup recipe is similar and you can create countless variations, depending on what is in season.  No matter what the outside temperature...there is a calling... a feeling that comes over all of us that can only be answered by warm, comforting and soul satisfying soup.  Well, here it is.

Curried Carrot Soup

Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients

1.25 lbs. carrots, peeled (about 7 medium)

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
12 cloves garlic
2 t grated ginger
1 T olive oil
1.5 t salt
.75 t ground black pepper
2 t curry powder
2 T Tamari
2 c vegetable stock
2 c half and half (or whole milk)
.5 c sour cream
Whole wheat croutons for garnish (optional)

Method

• In a food processor grate carrots on a medium blade. 
• Place grated carrots in a microwave safe bowl, add 1 T water and cook on High for 5 minutes
• Meanwhile, place roughly chopped onions in the food processor and process with blade attachment until a small dice. 
• Add olive oil to a large pan, heat until shimmering, add onions and begin to sauté, stirring often.
• Meanwhile add the garlic to the processor and process with blade attachment until a fine dice.
• Add garlic to the pan and continue cooking until onions are soft.
• Add ginger, salt, pepper, curry powder and Tamari…stir until combined.
• Add carrots, vegetable stock and half and half, continue cooking and stirring until just begins to boil.  Turn off heat.
• Process safely in batches in a blender or Vitamix and return to the pan.  Add a cup of carrot mixture to the sour cream, stir until thoroughly combined and add back to the pan. 
• Heat until serving temperature, garnish with whole wheat croutons (optional) and serve.

Enjoy

~CGJ

Summer Giardiniera





 



Summer Giardiniera

"You can savor the goodness of summer's bounty all year long."

 

-cgj

 

In making this recipe, most of your time is spent in prepping the vegetables.

I actually started washing, slicing and chopping the evening before on a weeknight and completed the canning the next evening.  Just refrigerate after prepping until ready to can.  It just takes a little planning and a couple of free evenings or a weekend day to have the goodness of summertime all year.  Last Friday, we had a few friends over to start celebrating the holiday weekend.  I opened the first jar of Summer Giardiniera and used it to make a crostini appetizer, yum!  Use your imagination, the possibilities are endless. 

 

Veggies prepped and ready to mix 

Tip: Use a large roasting pan to mix
veggies in so that they are evenly distributed
before packing into the jars

 

Sterilized jars with garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns

and oregano ready to be packed with veggies

 

Unless you have multiple canning vessels,

you will need to process in batches

 

 

 

 

Let the Giardiniera sit for at least a couple of weeks

so that the flavor can develop 

 

 

 

Recipe:

 

1 cauliflower, cut into small florets

5 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped medium

9 carrots, peeled...make sticks then chop medium

1 bundle asparagus, separate woody stem from tender part, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound frozen pearl onions

3 banana peppers, seeded then chopped medium

2 yellow onions, chopped medium

3 cups green olives, rough chop

garlic - 4 cloves per jar 

bay leaves - 1 per jar

peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon per jar

2 sprigs oregano per jar

16 teaspoons kosher salt

8 cups vinegar

8 cups water

Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon per jar

 

Sterilize 12 pint jars and lids

Wash and prepare vegetables as instucted above

Place bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic and oregano in jars

Pack vegetables in jars to within 1 inch of rim

Heat together vinegar, water and kosher salt just til boiling

Pour vinegar solution over vegetables to within 1/2 inch of rim

Add olive oil to each jar

Wipe off rims, screw on lids

Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes

 

Let the jars rest undisturbed for 2 weeks for the flavor to develop.  Refrigerate unused portions of opened jars for up to 1 week.  Store jars in a cool dark place and consume within a year.

 

 

For more information about food safety and canning, please refer to the link below:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

 

Tips:

1) Try your Summer Giardiniera on Crostini with provolone cheese and salami

2) ...on your favorite sandwich

3) ...or salad

4) If you need more vinegar solution the base recipe is 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt

 

Enjoy

 

~