Gazpacho

1 seedless cucumber
1 medium sweet red pepper
1/2 medium onion (I used a red onion)
3 gloves garlic (chopped)
1 bottle 46oz. vegetable juice
3 tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno pepper (I left out when I made for you guys)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. sea salt

I cut everything up and put it into the blender in batches. Or the recipe says to use a hand-held blender. Chill for 2 hours and serve. The recipe came out of a Wegman's flyer. Enjoy and share the love!

New England Clam Chowder

PREP TIME: 25 mins

COOK TIME: 30 mins

SERVINGS: 10-12



INGREDIENTS:

6-8 slices bacon (diced)

2 1/4 cups chopped onion

2 1/4 cups water

6 cups potatoes (peeled and cubed)

2 1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

4 1/2 cups half & half

1/4 cup and 1 tsp butter

5 (6.25 oz) cans minced clams



DIRECTIONS:

1. Place diced bacon in large soup pot over med-high heat. Cook bacon until almost crisp; add onions, and cool 5 minutes. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.

2. Pour in half-and-half, and add butter. Drain clams, reserving clam liquid; stir clams and half (or more) of the clam liquid into the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Do not allow to boil.

Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider

Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider from Cooking Light

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 2 bacon slices
• 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1 (1-pound) bag chopped kale
• 1/3 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apple (about 10 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon; cook 5 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add kale, and cook 5 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Add cider and vinegar; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add apple, salt, and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until apple is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon.

I prepare this recipe frequently. It is best fresh, but is a goes nicely the next day, on top of a bowl of warm brown rice.

Navy Bean Soup

Navy Bean Soup from Cooking Light

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 2/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups dried navy beans (about 1 pound)
• 6 cups warm water
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled
• 3 whole cloves
• 2/3 cup chopped celery
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 3 smoked ham hocks (about 1 1/3 pounds)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups chopped kale
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold potato
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans; rinse and drain.

Return beans to pan; cover with 6 cups warm water. Stud whole onion with cloves; place in pan. Add celery, thyme, parsley sprigs, ham hocks, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.

Discard onion, thyme, parsley sprigs, and bay leaf. Remove ham hocks from pan; cool slightly. Remove meat from bones; finely chop to yield 1/3 cup meat. Discard bones, skin, and fat. Add meat, kale, potato, chopped onion, carrot, salt, and pepper to pan; stir well. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until beans and vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley.

Gluten-free Brownies

This recipe is from the April/May 2010 issue of Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine.

Yield: 1 dozen

1-1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 egg whites
1 egg
2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules (optional)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, place the beans, egg whites, egg, coffee granules if desired, oil and vanilla in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth.

3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, baking powder, and salt; add to bean mixture. Cover and process until combined. Gradually add the chocolate; process until blended.

4. Pour batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Do not overbake. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Cheeseburger Soup

This is one of my favorite soup recipes. It came from a Taste of Home Soup cookbook. I often add cooked, crumbled bacon to the recipe to make it Bacon Cheeseburger Soup. To speed preparation, I usually substitute frozen diced potatoes (often called Southern style hash browns) for the fresh potatoes.

Yield: 8 servings (2-1/4 quarts)

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 Tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups diced peeled potatoes (1-3/4 pounds)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound process cheese (Velveeta), cut into small cubes
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

In a 3-quart saucepan, cook beef until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil, and parsley in 1 Tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. If adding sour cream, remove soup from heat and blend in sour cream.

Sausage, Butter Beans, and Cabbage Soup

2 tbsp butter, divided
1 lg onion, chopped
12 oz smoked sausage such as kielbasa or andouille, cut into 1/2 inch slices
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 head savoy cabbage, coarsely shredded (Green cabbage may be substituted)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cans (14 oz each) butter beans, drained
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until golden. place in 3 1/2 to 4 quart crockpot.

2. Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter in same skillet; cook sausage until brown. Add to crockpot.

3. Place chicken broth, cabbage, tomato paste and bay leaf in crockpot; stir until well blended. Cover; cook on low 4 hrs or high 2 hrs.

4. Add tomatoes and beans; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook on High 1 hr or until heated through. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Makes 6 servings