Black Bean Taco Salad

Dressing:

1/4 c. tomatoes
1/4 c. cilantro
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. EACH salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin
1 clove garlic

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Salad:

8 c. lettuce, thinly sliced
2 grilled chicken breasts, diced
1 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. red or green bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 avocado, diced
1/2 c. shredded cheese (opt)
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 c. crushed tortilla chips

Combine lettuce, chicken, veggies and beans. Pour dressing over salad and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with tortilla chips and serve.

Breakfast Banana Splits

bananas cooked oatmeal (thick)
strawberry sauce*
blueberry sauce*
granola

Slice a banana length-wise and place in dish. Put 2 ice cream scoops of oatmeal on banana, drizzle with berry sauces and sprinkle with granola.

*To make strawberry and blueberry sauce: Place 2-3 cups berries (frozen or fresh) in blender. Add a few tablespoons of sweetener (honey is great) and blend until smooth. Add water if needed. Strain seeds out through fine strainer if desired.

Broccoli Curry Recipe

2 c. brown rice, rinsed well

4 c. water

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

3 stems broccoli (including most of stalks), cut into bite size pieces

8 oz. mushrooms, washed well, cut into thirds {or other veggies- see note}

1 14 oz. can coconut milk

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

Bring water and rice to boil, cover and simmer over low for 45 minutes. {or just cook in rice cooker}

Saute broccoli in oil for 5 min., then add mushrooms and saute another 2 min.

Blend coconut milk, cornstarch, curry powder and salt in blender. Add to vegetable mixture. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently, gradually reducing to a simmer until sauce is thickened.

Toss mixture into rice and add parsley, cilantro and tomatoes. Serve hot.

Note: I don't put mushrooms in because I don't like them. Instead I add other veggies that I have on hand. I have made it with asparagus and green beans, both were really good in it. I also have made it with out the cilantro when I didn't have it and it was still really good. You could also add chicken if your family prefers meat for dinner.

Produce ordered for Sept. 14th

Bananas, Strawberry, Oranges, Red Grapes, Peaches, Green Bean, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Kiwi, Golden Delicious Apples, Clementines, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Sugar Peas

Produce ordered for September 7th

15 items + green onions on the extras table.
Bananas,  Peaches, Golden Delicious Apples, Red Potato, Green Beans, Oranges, Blueberries, Romaine Lettuce, Kiwi, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Corn, Cauliflower, Carrots, Grapefruit and (some extra green onions on the extras table, first come first serve)

Peach, Plum, Strawberry Smoothie

3 Peaches peeled
1 Golden delicious apples
1 plum (peeled)
10 or so strawberries (without stem)
Unsweetened almond milk (almost covering fruit)
Handful of Kale
1/2 cup water
Ice - 10 or so cubes
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbl Agave Nectar

My kids loved it!  The best test of all!  Enjoy!

Clean out the kitchen Soup

So... I had quite a few veggies that were nearing their end and  wondered what I could do with them so they wouldn't go to waste.  Found a recipe called "clean out the pantry soup" and tweaked it into this...

Saute...
1 medium onion - diced
3 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 cube of butter
1-2 T olive oil

Then blend together into a puree the following... (all the things my kids won't eat, if they know its there)
4 celery stalks
handful or so of spinach
1/2 bag of carrots
small bag of bean sprouts
6 green onions

Add to the onion/garlic...
Puree mixture
raw or frozen peas - equivalent to one package
raw or frozen broccoli - equivalent to one package
3 cans of black beans
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup of quinoa
2 cans of chicken or equivalent

Add to taste...
Parsley
Marjoram
Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper

Serve with bread bowls or rolls - I used the Brazilian cheese bread rolls
The nice thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it, just remember to taste it as you go.
FYI, this makes a lot of soup.  It fed my family 3 meals, but feel free to freeze it if you won't use it right away.  My kids loved this, they really enjoyed trying to guess the "secret ingredients" (puree).  I had to give hints, not even Alan could guess them.  Love it!