Frozen Peach Yogurt in 5 minutes

I'm heading to Sandestin's Farmer's Market tomorrow for some sweet 'n juicy Georgia peaches.

First, I'm buying some Breyer's vanilla ice cream and making some peach cobbler.

Second, I'm making some of my friend Sandy Pruessner's scrumptious and healthful frozen peach yogurt. The recipe below is from her website Sandy's Joyful Kitchen Creations. https://www.facebook.com/SandysJoyfulKitchenCreations/  Thanks for the recipe, Sandy!

5 minutes and 4 ingredients - voilà!

4 cups frozen peach slices (or a 16 oz bag frozen peaches)

1/4 cups plain yogurt

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Put all ingredients into food processor and process about 5 minutes until smooth. Enjoy immediately or place into a leak-proof container in your freezer.

Warm Pear & Spinach Salad

Warm Pear & Spinach Salad

¼  cup walnuts or pecans, toasted

4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

2 pears or apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges

1/3 cup red onion, cut into thin wedges

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons packed brown sugar (I use Stevia version)

½ teaspoon salt

1 package (10 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves

¼ cup (1oz) crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup dried cherry, blueberry, or mixed berry

Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

1.     Heat Small Sauté Pan over medium heat until hot.  Add walnuts, stirring frequently until lightly toasted.  Remove from pan; set aside.  Cook bacon in pan over medium heat until crisp (I prefer to microwave mine in my Pampered Chef stone); drain on paper towels.  Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings.

2.     Place spinach in large Colander Bowl.  Peel pears or apples; core and wedge using Apple Wedger.  Cut each wedge in half.  Heat reserved bacon drippings in pan over medium heat.  Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes.  Add pears, vinegar, brown sugar, and salt; continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.

3.     Pour pear mixture over spinach; toss.  Add blue cheese and toasted walnuts; toss lightly.  Serve immediately.  Season with black pepper; if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 190, Fat 10 g, Sodium 550 mg, Dietary Fiber 5 g

c The Pampered 

Healthier version:  use turkey bacon cooked in non-stick pan after toasting nuts.  Use Dole spinach salad kit bag, use 1 T olive oil added in place of bacon drippings.

Use dressing in  salad kit bag as needed.

How to cut open an orange, a pomegranate, a mango.

I can never remember how to open a pomegranate.  And I'm keeping a straw in my drawer for strawberries now.  Click below.

https://www.facebook.com/thesiakapkeli/videos/816848245004865/

Canned testimony

An excellent Italian cook sent me a recipe recently for a Marinated Vegetable Medley.  I love recipes and enjoy reading them to see what creative twist of ingredients it contains.  Salivating is a good sign the recipe may be worth trying.

I read the Marinated Vegetable Medley and my mouth did not water.  Canned veggies dominated the recipe.  The dressing was simply vegetable oil, wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.  Nothing special there.  I would ordinarily have tucked the recipe into the salad section of my collected recipes binder except for one thing:  my daughter had testified to the wonderfulness of this recipe, going so far as to say she ate it for lunch five days in a row.  That’s a strong testimony. 

I re-read the recipe and confirmed the boring listing of veggies and dressing and decided to give it a try despite its ordinary appearance, banking mostly on the strength of my daughter’s favorable review.  It was put together in about the time it takes to open 8 cans.  The dressing cooks quickly.  I placed it in the fridge to marinate overnight. 

One taste, and I called the recipe sender immediately.  It was incredible!  Once again, I learn the lesson never to judge something upon appearances alone.  The second lesson:  one favorable testimony has the power to change one’s action and direction for the good.

Marinated Vegetable Medley

1 16 oz. can early garden peas

1 12 oz. can shoepeg corn

2 1 lb. cans French green beans

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 1 lb. can Lima beans (baby preferred)

1 2 oz. jar chopped pimento

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup wine vinegar

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

cayenne pepper to taste.

Drain canned vegetables.  In a large bowl, mix drained vegetables with onion, celery and pimento.  In a saucepan, combine oil, wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.  Pour dressing over vegetables and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Marinated vegetables will keep in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 Notes:  I prepared this recipe with Splenda instead of sugar, and once with black beans instead of Lima beans.  I usually double the amount of pimento.

A lifetime of memories...

"Cooking is sharing, laughing, loving, experimenting, and, at its best, creating a lifetime of memories."  Jon Ashton, Liverpool

From yogurt to edamame for breakfast

Yesterday, I switched to eating edamame and oatmeal for breakfast with a piece of fruit.  I use to enjoy an almost daily diet of Greek yogurt.  I'm not sure if I can do that any more.  I want to but...

A video of a medical doctor, Dr. Klaper from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, shared the globby, gumminess that sits in our blood after eating products made from milk fats (see link below)..  He documented well the history of how we, in Western society, have significantly changed our diets in the past 100 years and the corresponding shift in diseases that correspond to that change.  He got my attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG_tn3KAXNE&feature=related

Caribbean Pineapple Chicken

This is one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes!

Caribbean Pineapple Chicken

4 servings

Prep time:  10 min.  Cook time: = 20 min.

2 cans pineapple chunks*                                4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil                                       2 gloves garlic, pressed

4 tsp. all purpose flour                                    ½ cup water

4-6 Tbsp. honey                                              2-4 Tbsp. soy sauce

Zest & juice of 2 limes                                    ½ tsp. coconut extract

Pinch ground red pepper                                 2 Tbsp. flaked coconut, optional

1 Tbsp. minced cilantro, optional                    1 Tbsp. minced jalapeno

In non-stick skillet, sauté pineapple in oil over medium-high heat until slightly browned.  Remove to plates.

Rub chicken with garlic; sprinkle with flour. In same skillet, sauté chicken, covered, in pan juices over medium-high heat until browned; turn once.

Mix water, honey, soy cause, lime juice, coconut extract and red pepper in cup; pour into skillet.  Cover; simmer 12-15 minutes.  Remove chicken to serving plates.

Arrange chicken on plates.  Spoon sauce over top.  Sprinkle with coconut, lime zest and cilantro.

*original recipe was from Dole which called for fresh pineapple.  When you have it and it's ripe, it's best.