I've been busy!!

So busy in fact that I haven't had time to post all my awesome new recipes!!  I was a cooking fiend on Sunday (prepping for the week of course!!) Below are all the recipes I've made the last couple of days.  I'll say that I'm still enjoying this challenge! I feel great and I don't really miss any of the junk that i relied on so heavily before!!

Mediterranean Garbanzo Salad:
(Whole Foods Recipe)

Serves 1

This quick and easy meal is a testament to the satisfaction of a good main course salad and is just one example of how to include healthy, protein-packed beans in a warm-weather menu. It's simple to double this recipe for two, or increase further to serve even more. Maybe it will become the summer potluck dish you're famous for! Serve with pita chips or warm pita bread on the side.

Ingredients

5 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 small zucchini or yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 pitted black olives, such as Kalamata, halved
2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon prepared balsamic vinaigrette or Italian dressing
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ground black pepper to taste
2 or 3 lettuce leaves, torn into large bite-size pieces

Method

Toss together all ingredients, except lettuce, in a large bowl. Arrange lettuce on a dinner plate and top with bean mixture.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 18oz/504g-wt.): 320 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 540mg sodium, 43g total carbohydrate (12g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 15g protein

- this was a perfect one for a Sunday picnic at Ponzi Winery.  Complete with a fresh baked baguette from a local bakery, local gorgonzola cheese and fresh fruit!!  YUM!!!

BeDevilled Eggs-

This is from my Moosewood Cookbook

6 large eggs, hardboiled

2 tbl mayonnaise (I used low fat)

1/4 tsp freshly grated lemon peel

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbl minced fresh basil

pinch of salt & fresh ground pepper

Peel the eggs.  Slice each egg in half lenghwise.  Gently scoop the yolks into a small bowl and mash them with a fork.  Add the mayonnaizse, grated lemon peel, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper and mix until creamy.  

Mound the whites with the yolk filling. Arrange on a platter and serve.

THESE ARE YUMMY- really light and fresh! Perfect for summer!

Cilantro Almond Pesto:

from my Moosewood Cookbook

1/2 c. toasted whole almonds (I used untoasted slices and it was still good)

1 1/2 c loosely packed cilantro leaves

1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed (I just threw it in the blender whole)

1/2 c crumbled firm tofu (I used Wildwood Organic extra protein/extra firm)

3 tbl fresh lime juice

2 tbl olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 small fresh green chile (I didn't have one so I used a dash of cayenne)

Throw it in the blender or food processor and puree until fairly smooth.  The pesto will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

I used it for a dip and it was yummy.  My co-worker used it as a salad dressing and it was equally good.  The book made this note about it: "This pesto is extremely versatile.  Besides its role in griling, it's a wonderful flavor booster for bean dishes, soups, dressings, salsas, burritos, enchilidas, or as a simple spread for tortillas or crackers"  Have fun experimenting!!

Blue Cheese Potato Salad

from my Moosewood cookbook

This is a favorite recipe of mine and I've used blue cheese, feta and chevre in the recipe and it still comes out yummy!

6 c bite sized cubed red-skinned potatoes (2 lbs)

1 tsp salt

1 c diced celery

1/2 to 1 c finely chopped red onions, scallions or chives

1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

1/4 c red wine vinager

3 tbl olive oil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 c crumbled blue cheese

Place potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover.  Add the salt, cover and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and simmer until just tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the hot potatoes, celery, red onions, and parsley.  Stir in the vinegar, oil and pepper and allow to cool to room temperature.  Gently toss in the blue cheese.  Add salt to taste.  Serve immediately or chill for at least 20 minutes and serve cold.

Finally a couple of smoothies both from Whole Foods recipe.  The green one is especially good and my new breakfast!  I'm planning to try it tomorrow with yogurt instead of milk.  I'll let you know how it turns out!!!

Mixed Fruit Smoothie:

Serves 2

Use any favorite fruits such as peaches, raspberries or bananas to make this creamy smoothie.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pure apple or berry juice
1/2 cup unsweetened almondmilk
1/2 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) strawberries
3 ice cubes (only if using fresh fruit)

Method

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 8oz/226g-wt.): 70 calories (10 from fat), 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 55mg sodium, 16g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 13g sugar), 1g protein

Get Your Greens Smoothie

(I did half this recipe for my breakfast and used lowfat milk instead of rice/hemp etc)

Serves 2

Who knew it could be so easy and delicious to incorporate greens into your morning routine?

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almondmilk, soymilk, ricemilk or hempmilk
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach
1 1/2 cups frozen cherries or berries

Method

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 10oz/293g-wt.): 110 calories (20 from fat), 2.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 14g sugar), 3g protein

Day 5

Sadly no new recipes to post- today was all about eating leftovers.  Coffee cake for breakfast, cashew greens for lunch and an egg salad sandwich for dinner (I hard boiled eggs this weekend too to have around!)  I threw together a quick salad with two eggs, a splash of mayo, mustard on rustic bread from Portland French Co.  Obviously didn't make the mayo and mustard but it's all about the journey right?  I'm more concerned right now about being conscious about what goes into my meals, rather than being tyrannical about following rules, counting calories, fat, cutting out a certain food group etc.

I've had something tonight and another thing tomorrow night, so I'll be eating more leftovers again which makes all the hard work this weekend even better.  I'm thinking hard boiled eggs and fruit for lunch perhaps? or I might get some fresh local cheese to go with my herbed crackers. YUM!!

So tonight I'm relaxing with my cookbook scheming the rest of the weeks meals...maybe tofu skewers with peanut sauce, or black bean and corn salad... banana bread?  Oh the possibilities!!!

Fourth of July

So today I was a cooking fiend!!

It started off with Blueberry coffee Cake. This yummy cake came from the Whole Foods App. It tasted really nice, though my husband said it was heavy on the blueberries. I especially like the cardamom... it's a spice from my childhood and I always think good thoughts when I taste it :).

This coffee cake relies on a healthy portion of blueberries for sweetness, almonds for richness and yogurt for moistness.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons plus 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, divided
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt or bluberry yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed and drained blueberries, divided
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; set aside. Put 2 tablespoons of the whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and cardamom in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork or your fingers until well combined and mixture is in large clumps; set streusel aside.

Put remaining 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, vanilla and eggs then pour into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until combined. Gently fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and sprinkle reserved streusel over the top. Scatter remaining 1 cup blueberries over the streusel then top with almonds and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Once cooled, loosen edges of cake and transfer to a plate. Cut into slices and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 3oz/81g-wt.): 150 calories (40 from fat), 4g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 40mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 23g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 5g protein

I didn't have a 9 inch pan and put it in an 8 inch... it didn't seem to make a difference. I also used Blueberry Chobani non-fat yogurt, since I already had that and didn't want to buy plain. It tasted great to me :).

Lunch was homemade hummus with carrots and fresh cherries on the side.

Dinner was Swiss Chard with cashews, basmati rice, grilled tofu for me and grill chicken breast for the rest of the fam. The swiss chard recipe was really easy and good. Though for future reference, I'd recommend doing all the prep work BEFORE the guests arrive [yes Mike, you were right!], I ended up pretty frantic at the end trying to throw it all together and entertain.

Greens with Cashews:

10 ounces (or 8 cups loosely packed) swiss chard, spinach or kale

2 tbl vegetable oil

1 1/2 c chopped onions [ the first time I used it I think this was too much onion- cut it down to a 1/2 c and it was much better]

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 small fresh chili [I left this out, and didn't miss the flavor]

1/3 c toasted cashews (toast cashews in a single flayer on an unoiled baking tray at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes until fragrant and golden brown)

2 tbl fresh lime juice

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 c reduced fat or regular coconut milk

1 tsp curry powder

Rinse, stem and coarsely chop the greens and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic, and chile. Cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, combine the cashews, lime juice, and salt in a blender or food processor and puree until fairly smooth. Gradually blend in the coconut milk. A few remaining little cashew chunks are fine. Set aside.

Add the curry powder to the saucepan and saute for 1 minute. Add the greens, cover and cook on medium high heat until just tender, stirring oftgen. This will take just 2 to
3 minutes for the spinach or Swiss chard, and about 6 minutes for the kale. Pour in the cashew mixture, stirring to evenly coast the greens. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For dessert tonight I made frosted carrot cupcakes, again from Moosewood with cream cheese frosting. they turned out AWESOME!! Not super sweet. The frosting adds a nice balance and they leave you full, instead of in sugar shock- kind of a nice change!! :) Obviously not the healthiest, though it does call for Olive Oil instead of butter or vegetable oil, and that's healthier right? :P Honestly the hardest part of this was grating the carrots and that's really not THAT hard...

Frosted Carrot Cupcakes:

Wet Ingredients:

1 c peeled and finely grated carrots, packed

1 c unsweetened crushed pineapple

1 c brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 c olive oil (note: the book suggests using regular olive oil, "which has a very subtle, mildly fruity flavor, extra-virgin olive oil may be too assertive).

1/2 c unsweetened grated coconut ( I used Bob Red Mill's shredded coconut)

1 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger root

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

2 c unbleached white flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Vanilla Cream cheese frosting ( I ended up doubling the recipe)

2 tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 c cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 confectioner's sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a standard 12 cup muffin tin or fill with paper liners.

Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl (reserve the pineapple juice for another use or just drink it :)) Using a large spoon mix the wet ingredients together until well blended. In another bowl sift together the dry ingredients [though I didn't do this part- I just threw them into the wet ingredients]. Stir them into the wet ingredients and mix just until all of the flour is moistened and incorporated.

Pour the batter in twelve equal portions into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes for 3-4 minutes then remove from tin [I left my cupcakes in the oven 35 minutes and then removed from tin immediately] and allow to sit on a rack for about 20 minutes.

To prepare frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese in a food processor bowl or with an electric mixer. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. When the cupcakes have cooled, frost them.

I made some basmati rice in the rice cooker and then Mike took a chunk of extra firm tofu (WildWood's organic extra protein extra firm- really yummy), marinated in:

3 parts soy sauce,

1 part white vinager,

1 part honey,

garlic powder

a touch of lime.

It added a nice flavor. He also used that to brush on some asparagus spears that he also grilled. A perfect dinner!!!

And finally, a recipe I forgot to publish yesterday- as Jaime calls them "Hippie Cookies"

They are Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies and I got the recipe from the back of the Gold Medal Organic All-Purpose Flour bag. They are really nice, balanced flavor. I didn't have semi-sweet chocolate chips so I used a semi-sweet chocolate baking bar and chopped that up. It worked really well!!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 1/2 c packed brown sugar

1 c butter or margarine

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 c oats (I used rolled- the recipe called for quick)

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 c semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended, or mix with spoon. Add oats, flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

On an ungreased cookie sheet drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to cooling racks.

Enjoy- and Happy Independence Day!!!!

Moosewood Collective (aka my favorite recipe source lately)

So one of the sources I mentioned using was my Moosewood Celebrations for all Seasons cookbook. It's a fantastic source for healthy, natural, mostly vegeterian recipes. My aunt got it for me a few years back and I'm hooked. I have yet to make a bad recipe out of it yet!!

The cookbooks are the result of Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Since they can tell it better than me, here's an excerpt from their website: www.moosewooderestaurant.com:

"Moosewood, Inc. is a collectively owned business with nineteen members who share responsibilities and participate in the various jobs necessary to run what has grown from a very small natural foods restaurant to become a larger and more diversified company. Most members of the Collective have worked together for at least 15 years, and some since the restaurant's inception in 1973. The restaurant is further staffed by a talented and dedicated group of employees whom we truly appreciate and without whom we could not operate.

With our emphasis on healthful natural foods cuisine, Moosewood Restaurant has operated successfully for thirty-three years and has been acclaimed as a driving force in the world of creative vegetarian cooking. Moosewood was named one of the thirteen most influential restaurants of the 20th Century by Bon Appetit magazine. We started in an era when many alternative businesses began, and we feel incredibly grateful to have endured, thrived and had a positive impact.

Moosewood is located in downtown Ithaca, NY. Ithaca is nestled in the hills at the southern end of Cayuga Lake, and stands out among the other towns and small cities in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakes region of central New York State. Our restaurant is still in its original home in the Dewitt Mall, a renovated historic brick school building at the corner of Seneca and Cayuga Streets.

The Moosewood Collective has also authored eleven internationally acclaimed cookbooks, with our latest--Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, published in the fall of 2005. Because we have so many experienced cooks, we are continually crafting new recipes. We're an adventuresome bunch, we love to eat, and never let ourselves get bored when it comes to food."

They have recipes posted on the website too, like this pesto one which I am SO making at some point in this challenge. I LOVE pesto:

Susan's Pesto:
Susan Harville worked on a low-fat version of pesto until she scored with this one, which has a bright, fresh taste and almost no fat. We never tire of eating linguine with pesto, and this recipe makes exactly the right amount of pesto for one pound of pasta. Pesto is also good as a topping for baked potatoes or broiled fish, a dressing for steamed green beans or zucchini, a sandwich spread, and a flavoring for soups, stews, risottos, and omelets.

Susan's Pesto is best served immediately, but it will keep refrigerated for 3 or 4 days.

Yields: 1 cup
Total time: 10 minutes

1 cup well-packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts *
½ teaspoon salt

*To toast pine nuts, spread them in a single layer on an unoiled baking sheet and bake in a conventional or toaster oven at 350° for about 3 to 5 minutes, until just slightly deepened in color.

Rinse and drain the basil leaves. In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, and salt and puree until smooth. You may need to stop several times to scrape the sides of the blender or processor bowl with a rubber spatula.

PER 1 OZ SERVING: 13 CALORIES, .7 G PROTEIN, .7 G FAT, 1.6 G CARBOHYDRATES, .1 G SATURATED FATTY ACIDS, .3 G POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, .2 G MONOUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, 0 MG CHOLESTEROL, 135 MG SODIUM, 3 G TOTAL DIETARY FIBER.

More recipes later!! Happy Fourth Everyone :)

Day 3- more experiments

This morning Mike and I went out to breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants- Seasons & Regions. They are amazing- using a lot of ingredients they grow organically on their own farm: http://seasonsandregions.com/ I had the Strawberry Challah French Toast- it was awesome. I'm not giving up eating out- just trying to choose foods and restaurants that follow my goals- local, fresh, organic- if possible and handmade.

Afterwards we went to the Tigard Farmer's Market and picked up some awesome fresh strawberries and fruit from Liepold Farms (www.liepoldfarms.com)- my favorite! As well as some lettuce, asparagus, green onions and all sorts of other fresh veggies... all ready for me to start experimenting with. We came home and I made Hummus. SO simple- I used my Betty Crocker's cookbook. I also made some tortilla chips- not from fresh tortillas, but soon. I am committed to the new diet, but I'm also working through food I already have... it seems wasteful not to use the fresh food- you know? Tonight I'm having another marinated portebello (oh yea- need to post that recipe) I tend to be a creature of habit and eat the same things over again, so that part will be interesting. Anyways, here's the recipes. Tomorrow should be REALLY fun... blueberry coffee cake for breakfast and Greens with Cashews & Basmati Rice and Carrot Cake Cupcakes for dessert.

Recipes:

Hummus (Betty Crocker's cookbook)
1 can (15 or 16 ounces) garbanzo beans, drained and the liquid reserved
1/2 c sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, cut in half
3 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Place reserved bean liquid, the sesame seeds and garlic in the blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed until mixed.

Add beans, lemon juice and salt. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape sides if necessary, until uniform consistency.

Spoon into serving dish.

Baked Tortilla Chips
4 corn or flour tortillas
2 tbl butter or stick margarine
Chili Powder, if desired.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tortillas lightly with butter. Sprinkle with chili powder. Cut each tortilla into wedges. Place in single layer on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake uncovered 6-8 minutes or until light brown and crisp. Cool slightly. Store in tightly covered container up to 3 weeks at room temperature.

Dijon Marinade for Portabello:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbl salt
2 tbl dijon mustard
ground black pepper to taste.

Rinse and stem the portabello mushrooms. Pat the caps dry with a paper towel, lightly sprinkle with salt and set aside. Discard the stems or save them for stock.

Brush the portabello caps with marinade, place them in a container with rest of the marinade. Marinate for at least 10 minutes at room temperature or, for fuller flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Grill or broil the portabello caps hollowed stem side down for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 4-7 minutes, until juicy and tender.

Day Two- more yummy recipes

Today I went a little crazy... in a good way of course :) Since it was Saturday I decided to try some different recipes- vegan herbed crackers (Elena's Blog again!) Tibetan Hot Sauce (Moosewood) cookbook and marinated portabello mushroom (again Moosewood).

The day started out with breakfast at a friend's house. Mike and I brought the fixings and Mike and our friend cooked while the wives watched :) They had breakfast sandwiches on rustic bread with cheese and bacon. I had two eggs, over hard instead. We all had fresh fruit and grilled potato and onions. It was SOO yummy! I didn't even miss the bread- though I could have had it if I wanted... made by a local bakery and less then 5 ingredients :). Afterwards we came home and began the cookingfest. Took a break for pedicures and wine at Ponzi with a good friend (regretting that we didn't bring my yummy crackers and fruit) and then dinner of the mushroom and leftover slaw from yesterday. So far so good!!

Recipes:

(www.elanaspantry.com)

Vegan Herb Crackers
2 cups blanched almond flour
¾ teaspoon celtic sea salt
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons water

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and and Herbes de Provence
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and water
3. Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
4. Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness
5. Remove top piece of parchment paper
6. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
7. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
8. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes, until lightly golden
9. Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes, then serve

Tibetan Hot Sauce (Moosewood cookbook):
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 c chopped scallions (I didn't have any so I used red onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp tabasco or other hot sauce
1 tbl soy sauce
3 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbl chopped fresh mint

With a sharp knife or in a food processor, finely chop the tomatoes and place them in a small bowl. Stir in the scallions, garlic, Tabasco sauce, soy sauce, cilantro and mint. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer before serving so that the flavors will mingle.

Store in a sealed container and refrigerated, the hot sauce will keep for about a week.

My new diet

So, July 1st I decided to start a new diet: eat healthy, non-processed foods as much as possible. For 31 days in the month of July I'm going to try to stay away from pre-packaged/frozen/ready to eat food. I recognize it's a journey and not easy but to the best of my ability I'm going to follow these rules:

1. Homemade
2. Organic
3. Local
4. If processed- less than 5 ingredients and hopefully #1 and/or #2

We'll see how I do... but I'm excited to try and day #3 in I'm happy :).

I'm relying heavily on my Moosewood Celebrations Cookbook, Whole Foods recipe App as well as the internet's various sources! I'll be sure to give credit where credit is due.

On July 1st I made a red cabbage slaw & avocado/cucumber gazpacho (recipes below).

Red Cabbage Slaw (from Moosewood's cookbook)
8 cups sliced cabbage

Cooked Mayonnaise dressing
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c cider vinegar
1 large egg beaten

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cored

In a small saucepan, combine the oil, sugar, mustard, salt & vinegar. Add the beaten egg and cook on medium low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the dressing thickens slightly and just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Julienne the bell pepper into 2 1/2 x 1/8 inch strips. Place in a serving bowl and add the drained cabbage. Stir in the dressing and toss well. Refrigerate for 45-60 minutes, until cold- stirring once or twice.

Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho (from elena's pantry- www.elanaspantry.com)
1 small avocado
1 cucumber, peeled and de-seeded, plus additional cuke for garnish
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 cup water
smoked paprika, to garnish

1. Throw avocado, cucumber, onion, oil, lemon juice, vinegar and water in Vitamix
2. Puree on high speed until smooth
3. Blend in salt and chili powder
4. Serve, garnishing with extra cucumber cubes and smoked paprika if desired

Serves 2