May 15, 2011

6 chard leaves ($.90)

1 cucumber, sliced into small wedges ($.70)

1 cup mung bean sprouts ($.50)

1 carrot, shaved ($.15)

1 cup snow peas ($.80)

1 ripe avocado ($1.99)

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon agave ($.20)

1 teaspoon dill

1/2 teaspoon salt

I wanted to make collard wraps, but the local store was fresh out of collards. Chard worked just as well. To make the “pocket” fold together smoothly, cut out the thickest part of the stem.

Stack the cucumber, mung beans, shaved carrots, and snow peas on the chard leaf. Add a dollop of avocado dressing and fold over.

To make the avocado dressing, using a bullet type blender and puree one avocado, water, agave, dill, and salt until very smooth. This will take a few minutes.

 

 

12 oz mushrooms, sliced ($1.58)

1/2 pineapple, cut into chunks ($2.50)

1 medium onion, sliced into rings ($.10)

3 zucchini, cut into noodles ($1.79)

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes($.50)

5 dates, pitted ($.50)

1 tablespoons agave ($.20)

1 tablespoon olive oil ($.10)

 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar ($.10)

1 cup pineapple juice or water

1 clove garlic

 tablespoon chopped onion

1 teaspoon brown spicy mustard

 1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

This is just as thick and hearty as any barbeque … although I wasn’t sure what to call it!

First, soak the sun dried tomatoes and dates in the pineapple juice or water for about 20 minutes to soften. Juice the core of the pineapple for juice, or just use water. Then, in a bullet type blender, puree all the sauce ingredients until very smooth.

Toss the barbeque sauce with the mushrooms, pineapple, and sliced onion then pour onto a lined dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at under 118 degrees for about an hour.

Cut the zucchini into noodles. (It’s optional, but you can marinate and slightly dehydrate the noodles before using.) Spoon the barbeque mixture over the top.

 

1/2 cup walnuts ($.50)

1/2 cup raisins ($.40)

1 cup strawberries ($.50)

2 tablespoons agave ($.40)

1 mango, sliced into noodles ($1.49)

1/2 cup coconut flakes ($.30)

I thought this was fun. I was going to try to make ice cream into noodles, but this seemed a lot easier!

It’s probably easiest to make the meatballs first. In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the walnuts and raisins until the mix begins to stick together. Form into balls just slightly smaller than a tablespoon each and set aside.

In a small or bullet type blender, puree the strawberries and agave until very smooth. Slice and mango into noodles and mound on plates. Add some coconut flakes. Place the meatballs on top and pour the strawberry sauce over.

total carb: 251 gr
total protein: 30 gr

The lilacs are blooming! Did you know lilacs are edible? I’ll have something next week using them in a recipe.

 The tomatoes have blossoms! In a colder climate like we have here in Michigan, tomatoes can be prodded into producing fruit a few weeks earlier by starting the seed in March and potting the plants up in large buckets. That way, they can be moved inside when frost hits. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I’ll have ripe tomatoes by my birthday on June 25th. That’s my tomato Holy Grail each year and sometimes I succeed. Actually, I think it may be easier to just move to Florida … but I’m still hoping for success this year.

It’s a bit late in the season, but if you’re still shopping for seeds, I get a lot of my garden seeds from DollarSeed.com and have been very happy with the quality, price, and service.