Recipes

[momtochloe]

Good morning recipe friends and welcome to our July game!  And yes I said July . . . I know, right?  I couldnt believe it either!**

** eta:  Ok, now that I've woken up a bit, if today is July 1st that means the Fourth of July is in three days! . . . boy nothing gets by me these days eh?  . . . hee!

Hope you all are doing well in our rather unpredictable and/or blazingly hot weather.  Doesn't exactly put you in the mood to hang around the stove for long periods of time so maybe let's focus on cooler dishes and sides.  To that end, many thanks to our friend @GenXmuse for her Frozen Hot Chocolate recipe (now that's what I'm talking about!):

Frozen Hot Chocolate | Keto, No Added Sugar

This low carb twist on the classic NYC treat is so decadent and chocolaty that you will not miss the sugar or carbs one bit!

Prep Time 5minutes minutes

Total Time 5minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Sabra - This Mom's Menu

Ingredients

• 1 cup Half and Half or canned coconut milk
• 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or other milk
• 2-3 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 15 drops Liquid Stevia or to taste
• ¼ cup Confectioners Erythritol or to taste
• 2 tablespoon Sugar Free Chocolate Chips optional
• 2 cups of ice
• Whipped Cream and Sugar Free Chocolate Chips for topping optional

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients except ice and chocolate chips in a blender. I recommend adding the sweetener a little at a time and tasting after each addition.
• When everything is well combined and you have reached your desired level of sweetness, add the ice and chocolate chips and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Next Ingredient: Poster's Choice

[walker]

                         🇺🇸 HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! 🇺🇸

RED, WHITE AND BLUE SUMMER SALAD

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup julienned fresh basil

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup julienned fresh mint leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon pepper

2 cups cherry tomatoes

8 cups fresh arugula

1 carton (8oz) fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, drained

2 medium peaches, sliced

2 cups blueberries

6 oz. Thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned 

Whisk the first 9 ingredients together.  Add tomatoes; let stand while preparing salad.  In large bowl, combine arugula, mozzarella, peaches, blueberries and prosciutto.  Pour tomato mixture over top; toss to coat.  Garnish with additional mint leaves, if desired. Serve immediately after preparation.

*** Taste of Home recipe from E.F. of CA in June/July issue.    I think you could swap out certain items if desired...i.e...arugula for other greens.  Have not tried...sounds good for summer.  Author comment was using white balsamic vinegar kept salad bright and fresh vs. using traditional balsamic dressing.  Prosciutto adds a little saltiness. 🇺🇸

NEXT .... JULY 4TH or PICNIC/POTLUCK DESSERT

[GenXmuse]

Thanks for starting us out thus month, @momtochloe! It sure went by fast.

@walker That recipe looks so good! Definitely trying this one.

I always like things you don't have to bake during the summer. This is a yummy no bake ice box cake perfect for the 4th July.

4.83 from 17 votes

No Bake Berry Icebox Cake

No Bake Berry Icebox Cake is the easiest summer recipe around! You'll definitely want to make this tasty dessert for the 4th of July!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword berry icebox cake

Prep Time 15minutes minutes

Chilling Time 6hours hours

Total Time 6hours hours 15minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 479kcal

Author Aubrey

Ingredients

• 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 cup milk
• 8 ounces Cool Whip
• 2 cups strawberries hulled and sliced
• 1 cup blueberries
• 18 graham crackers (2 sleeves)
• Fresh mint for garnish

Instructions

• Add pudding mix and cream cheese to a large bowl and beat until smooth.
• Add milk a little at a time until completely mixed the cream cheese.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture until evenly combined.
• Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of an 8-inch x 8-inch baking dish. Break the graham crackers as needed to fill in any gaps without overlapping.
• Cover the graham crackers with 1/3 of the pudding mixture and spread it out edge-to-edge in the dish. Top the pudding with 1/3 of the strawberries and blueberries.
• Repeat layering the graham crackers, pudding, and berries two more times until you reach the top of the dish.
• Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4-6 hours, up to overnight.
• When ready to serve, cut the cake into 6 slices and plate. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve immediately.

Next Ingredient: Veggies for a potluck or get together 

[Zhills]

Garden Pea Salad

In a sauce pan, bring to boil and cool:

1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 Cup vinegar
1 tsp. salt

~when cool, mix with:

2 cans Le Sueur peas-drained  (14 oz cans)
2 cans white shoe peg corn-drained (I could only find small cans)
2 cans green beans-drained (chopped)
1 small jar chopped pimentos-drained
1 Cup celery
1 Cup onion, chopped fine
1 Cup green pepper, diced

Chill overnight and serve.

Next ingredient:  Breakfast

[GenXmuse]

Zucchini Breakfast Skillet

PREP TIME: 5minutes minutes

COOK TIME: 15minutes minutes

TOTAL TIME: 20minutes minutes

SERVINGS: 2 Servings

AUTHOR: Nick Evans

When zucchini is fresh and abundant, making it into a delicious breakfast skillet should be on everybody’s breakfast list! I like to mix mine with shallot and poblano and top it with eggs and hot sauce!

EQUIPMENT

• 1 Large Skillet

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, about 1 small
• ½ poblano, shredded
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Hot sauce, garnish
• Scallion, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Use a box grater to grate the zucchini and poblano pepper. Slice the shallot and garlic. Stir together all the veggies.
• In a medium-large skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the zucchini mixture and season the vegetables with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes without stirring so the vegetables start to brown a bit.
• Stir vegetables and continue to cook until they are crispy in parts around the edges.
• Make two holes in the zucchini mixture for eggs. Crack in the eggs and sprinkle parmesan over the whole skillet.
• Cook eggs for about two minutes until the whites are mostly set. Then cover the skillet with a lid and steam the eggs for 30 seconds just to set the whites on top.
• Garnish the skillet with hot sauce and scallion and serve while hot.

Next recipe: your favorite sandwich!

[walker]

EASY REUBEN

Rye Bread*

1/2-1 lb. Corned Beef from Deli, sliced thin

Thin Swiss Cheese Slices

Sweet Sauerkraut

Marie's 1000 Island Salad Dressing

*as many slices as sandwiches needed

Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Put on griddle in order.....bread, slice of cheese, dressing, sauerkraut, corned beef, cheese, dressing, slice of bread.  Brown both sides.  Put  in oven 5-10 minutes at 250 degrees.  Enjoy!

NEXT ..... CHICKEN

[walker]

CHICKEN, Nectarine & Avocado Salad

Fresh Baby Spinach (6 ozs. or about 8 cups)

2 medium nectarines, thinly sliced

2 cups cubed cooked CHICKEN

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup poppy seed salad dressing

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

1 cup granola with fruit and nuts*

Combine spinach, nectarines, CHICKEN and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat.  Top with avocado slices and granola.  Serve immediately after preparing.

* I substituted slivered almonds.  Recipe found in Taste of Home Farmhouse Favorites Cookbook.

NEXT .... ANY DAIRY PRODUCT 

[GenXmuse]

Creamy Cucumber Soup

There's no reason to only eat cucumbers raw—they are wonderful sautéed then pureed with avocado for a silky cucumber soup that's good warm or cold. 

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

35 mins

Servings:

4

Yield:

4 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• 1 avocado, diced

• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

• ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 3/4 cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.

Next Ingredient: Fresh Ginger 

[walker]

Sweet GINGER Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 (3/4 inch) piece GINGER, peeled and chopped

Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 15 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed.

Makes about 3/4 cup.  Serve as side with strip or rib-eye steaks, pork and fried rice.

NEXT ..... FAVORITE COOKIE OR BAR-TYPE COOKIE

                RECIPE 

[Shihtzursqmom]

LEMON BARS

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs
1 box powdered sugar
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Mix cake mix , 1 egg , butter
Place in 9 x 13 baking pan
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, 2 eggs , lemon juice
2/3 mins
Pour over cake mix mixture bake 30/40 mins until golden brown
Cool cut into squares

Next ingredient posters choice