This is kinda like a Mango Lassi, but with more fruits which makes it perfect for a breakfast drink. I am trying my best to keep my new year’s resolution of eating more fruits each day.
MANGO STRAWBERRY PINEAPPLE SMOOTHIE
½ banana 4 strawberries 2 fresh pineapple rings 1/2 cup mango nectar 1/2 cup water ½ cup plain yogurt 1 tbs agave nectar 1 tbs ground flaxseeds 4 ice cubes
What are your favorite fruit combinations???
I loooooove potatoes and I love cheese too… But sometimes I want to take a break from cheese. Hey… don’t shoot me for saying this, but as the saying goes, “todos los extremos son malos” or all extremes have a dark side. And for me, eating too much cheese on a consistent basis does a number on me.
After I finish retreats, I try to avoid eating too much cheese. I seek recipes in my arsenal that do not rely on cheese. There are some, but not many. I must confess (*hangs head down in shame)…
I found this recipe by a daily email I receive from Cooking.com. It’s a Food & Wine recipe which they adapted from Daniel Boloud. So by me now adapting it once again, who knows if we’re either come full circle to the original recipe or taking it into a whole different place where chef Boloud never ever intended… either way, this recipe is a real keeper IMHO.
As you’ll read in the directions, I did it in a spring form pan. Some of the liquid seeps out, but the end result is really good still. Next time, I will make them individually in muffin tins and they will look cute and the liquid will stay with the potatoes. I will show you pics of that soon enough. OK??
THYME ROSEMARY SCALLOPED POTATOES
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan 1 small onion, minced 1 clove of garlic, smashed 1 tsp chopped thyme 1/2 tsp chopped rosemary 1 cup mushroom broth… left over from rehydrating some morels ½ vegetable bouillon cube 1 large Yukon Gold potato, very thinly sliced with a mandolin Salt and Freshly ground pepper
3. Preheat the oven to 400° and oil a round cake pan. I did it on my spring form pan, but make sure you wrap it tightly in foil to prevent leakages. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and oil the paper.
4. Arrange an overlapping layer of potato slices in the bottom of the pan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and spoon a small amount of the reduced broth on top. Repeat the layering with the remaining potatoes and reduced broth, seasoning each layer lightly. Pour any remaining broth on top. Cover the pan with a sheet of oiled parchment paper and then a sheet of foil and place in a sheet tray to catch any liquid.
5. Bake the potatoes until they are very tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the foil and paper and bake until the top is dry, about 10 minutes longer.
6. Turn the broiler on. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Take out of the spring form pan and broil it until the surface is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
7. Cut into wedges and serve.
Keeping with my new year’s resolutions, I am a smoothie inventing machine. I just start mixing and matching fruits and flavors. Sometimes I like what I make, but sometimes I like it a LOT!!!! Here is another favorite combination…
STRAWBERRY, PINEAPPLE AND ORANGE SMOOTHIE
2 fresh pineapple slices 4 strawberries ½ banana 1 cup orange juice ½ cup plain yogurt 1 tbs agave nectar 3 ice cubes
You can certainly add any supplement like ground flaxseeds, raw oatmeal or bee pollen.
I prefer stove-top mac and cheese recipes to mac & cheeses you bake in the oven…
Why?? After the pasta is cooked and the cheese sauce is made, why do we need to cook it all over again??? I like a cheesey topping just like the next person, but I also like to have my macaroni with lots of sauce and unfortunately, baking dries much of the sauce out.
So this is a recipe that came about with no recipe in mind at all… My aunt likes when I make pasta in cheese sauces. I was in the supermarket and I started buying ingredients without knowing how I would make them in the end. The result was a great pasta dish that delighted not just the people who ate it with me initially, but my friends on the internet as well. So to all of you who were drooling over the pic on FB, here’s the recipe!!!!
This is a large recipe for me… I rarely ask you to make the whole box of pasta at once. This will feed about 8 people or 4 people with leftovers. You can certainly halve this recipe… I do it aaaaaaalllllllll the time.
SPINACH, TOMATO AND CHEESE MACARONI
1 box of whole wheat macaroni ½ bag of frozen chopped spinach 1 small onion, diced 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tbs olive oil 2 cups diced tomatoes 2 cups half and half 4 oz cream cheese 2 cups Italian blend shredded cheese Salt and Pepper to taste Parmesan Cheese, grated to garnish
Serve with grated parmesan on top with your favorite salad ( we had to have avocados in Miami) and baked sweet plantains.
Tell me what you think… Are you brave enough to “invent” a pasta dish on the fly like that??? I want to hear from all my friends on FB that were ohhhh-ing and ahhh-ing when they saw the picture initially. Have you made it?? Tell me what you think. Gracias!!!
KarmaFree Cooking 