Broccoli Soup

2 Tb Butter
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 cans Chicken Broth
1 ½ pounds Broccoli (frozen or fresh)

¾ C diced Celery

½ C diced Onion

1 teaspoon minced Garlic optional
Salt as desired

(Optional Creamy, but not as healthy – you can add 1/2 C heavy whipping cream or 4 oz. cream cheese just before serving, heat through though, picture shown has Velveeta and some 1/2 and 1/2)

In a soup pan, melt 2 Tb butter (or use 2 Tb Olive Oil) add the broth and pepper, stir again until smooth.  The veggies can be added.  Cover and simmer until veggies are soft.  Then smash or blend in food processor ( I like to leave some broccoli chunky).  Add creamy stuff here if you want and heat through until the right consistency.

Simplified Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

Ready to Assemble for tomorrow's picnic.  I'll try to remember to take a picture of the finished product before it's gone ?!?!?

Food Processor makes this a simple dessert.

*2 C Vanilla Wafer Crumbs – 1 box of cookies makes about 4 C crumbs with blade– set aside in bowl

*4 C Fresh Sliced Strawberries (or any berry) using slicer in food processor, set aside in a bowl (add sugar optional) Two quarts seems to work as long as you don't eat too many while cleaning.

*2 C Cottage Cheese
  2- 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  1 C Sugar

Place cottage cheese, cream cheese and sugar in food processor with blade, and whip until creamy, may need to scrape side.  Set aside in a bowl.

*Whipped Cream

I go in the order above and don’t have to clean the food processor in between steps.  Once you have your layers, you can store until just before you want to serve.  Layer the cookies, berries, cream and whip cream as you wish and enjoy.  This can be assembled an hour or two before hand, but the cookie can get a bit soggy if you do it the day before.  Looks nice in parfait glasses or a large clear bowl for a large group.

Adapted from Cooking Light Five Star Recipes – I took a lot out to keep it simple and it is a family favorite.

Gazpacho-Summery Liquid Salad

Enough for 12-15 people

3 large English cucumbers or zucchini diced small

1 green pepper finely diced

1 red or any color pepper finely diced

1 lg red or white onion or sweet white diced

½ C or so of Fresh Parsley

½ C or so of Fresh Basil

2 T minced Garlic

3-14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (I replaced one can of diced with Rotel tomatoes with chilies)

1 C Italian dressing (I used Zesty Wish Bone)

1 liter (33.8 oz) Bold & Spicy Bloody Mary Mix (non-alcoholic) – could use V8 or tomato juice if you want

1 teaspoon pepper

Optional fresh cilantro (and Tabasco sauce if you don't use Rotel) to taste.

Mix it all up.  Use an immersion blender if you want it to be a thicker consistency; chill for several hours if you can, it tastes better as it sits.

Taste of Summer.

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Maple Sauce

• 
• 
  
• Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 
  
• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 
  
• Cooking spray
• 
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons bottled ground fresh ginger
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub pork with spice mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook 6 minutes; brown on all sides. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
• While pork bakes, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add ginger, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in broth and syrup, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices; serve with sauce.
• I often make twice the sauce because I don't want to be short.  It will go in the freezer for next time also.  You can make the sauce ahead of time, mix up the spices and set aside in a sandwich bag, then the day you cook it is a snap!

Cooking Light 
NOVEMBER 2001

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri

This recipe shown with the roasted potatoes and a portabella mushroom, brushed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, grilled, then topped with tomato, basil, garlic and cheese, melted on the grill.

Steak recipe based on a recipe from:  www.carascravings.blogspot.com  1 1/4 lb flank steak 1 tbsp packed brown sugar 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin salt & pepper **** 1 cup fresh parsley leaves 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chicken broth 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves ( used 2 teaspoon dried) 1 tbsp olive oil salt & pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or less if you wish) 1 tablespoon crushed garlic Slice some lines across the grain of the flank steak to score it. Combine the first group of items. Rub all over both sides of the steak. Let stand at room temperature for at least 40 minutes before grilling. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Cook the steak for about 6-8 minutes on each side for medium-rare to medium. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. Remove the steak from the grill, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve the sliced steak with the chimichurri sauce.

Boiled Dinner - Comfort Food

This isn't really a recipe, just something that is wonderful to throw in a pot on a Sunday afternoon that could be easy to forget about.

1 Small Ham - I prefer smoked, boneless, fully cooked, but it doesn't matter

4 peeled potatoes

6 peeled carrots

1 whole onion

1/2 cubbed rutabaga or turnip if you wish

1/2 head cabbage quartered
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
enough water to cover all that in a large pot

Simmer all in a pot for 2 or 3 hours..the meat must be hot all the way through and the veggies cooked...you may want to add some veggies as you would want them done- example, the cabbage could be added in the last 1/2 hour or so.  When done, slice the ham, serve the veggies....one pot meals, ya gotta love.

Butternut Squash Curry Sage Soup

3 cups butternut squash mashed
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used turkey broth)

1 cup sweet onions, chopped 

1 Tb minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon curry powder
2-3 fresh sage leaves, minced
sea salt to taste

1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for garnish....I only had condensed milk available

Optional Garnish:  olive oil, sea salt, squash seeds (I used sunflower seeds) ground cumin, ground coriander, 9-10 whole fresh sage leaves and cream

1. If you have to start with whole butternut squash, preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Rub the butternut squash with olive oil and place it face side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast the butternut squash for 30-35 minutes, until it's tender with a fork. Remove and set aside until it's cool enough to handle.
2. Meanwhile, let's make the garnish. Rinse out the seeds, discarding any pulp. Sprinkle the seeds with a pinch of cumin, pinch of ground coriander and a pinch of salt. In a small skillet, add a teaspoon of olive oil. When hot, add the seeds, toasting them on both sides, about 2-3 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. To the same skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil until hot. Add sage leaves and fry until the leaves are crispy and the edges are lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. To a large pot, placed over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spices: ground cumin, coriander, curry powder, minced sage leaves and minced garlic. Cook until the spices and garlic are fragrant, about 1 minute. Scoop out the butternut squash flesh and add it to the pot, along with the broth. Cover the pot, turn the heat to medium low and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Use immersion blender or in batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender and pulse until very smooth. Transfer the soup back to the pot and salt to taste.  Stir in the heavy cream and heat until warm. Divide the soup between bowls and garnish with butternut squash seeds and fried sage leaves.

Yield: 4 servings

based on:  http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/curry-sage-butternut-squash-soup/