Cream of Avocado Soup - RH Week DAY 5!!

This recipe actually comes in to me from a source that chooses to remain anonymous, (mysterious, no?) What makes anonymous' recipe so great is that it requires NO cooking and utilizes ingredients that most probably have around their kitchen. So without further ado, I give you Cream of Avocado Soup by Untitled.... enjoy!!

Cream of Avocado Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 ripe Haas avocados

3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)

The juice of 2 lemons

The rind + juice of 1 lime

1 cup light cream

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dash Tabasco

Directions:

1. Peel, seed and dice avocados. Place in blender container.

2. Add chicken broth (or vegetable broth) and lemon juice to container. Blend until smooth.

3. Add cream, chili powder (optional,) salt, pepper and Tabasco. Blend well.

4. Chill and serve icy cold topped with croutons of your choice.

Anyone hungry??

Sal's Gazpacho Soup Two Ways - RH Week DAY 3!

Welcome to RH Week Day 3!! Hope you have been enjoying the tasty treats so far, I already have both recipes printed out and queued up to prepare for my next dinner party!! Today's guest entry is not one but TWO versions of Gazpacho soup, (a creamy gazpacho and a more traditional one,) sent in by a reader named Sal (no twitter or website he says in his e-mail, just an Organic Eats Fan... love it!) who got the recipes from an old, worn out and "thoroughly loved" recipe book entitled "Soups & Stews: A Two in One Cookbook" by Joanne Waring Lindeman c. 1976 Nitty Gritty Productions.

Personally, I really believe that there are fewer things more culinarily delightful than sipping chilled Gazpacho on a balmy summer day, so thank you again Sal for your contribution to many future nights spent in summer soup-filled splendor!

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Creamy Gazpacho

yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb ripe tomatoes

1/2 large cucumber

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1 clove garlic, mashed

1 tbs. salad oil

1 tbs. vinegar

2 cups cold water

salt and pepper

1 tsp. McCormick's Season All dash Tabasco

1 cup (1/2 pt.) heavy cream

finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Peel and chop tomatoes and cucumber. Put into blender container along with bread crumbs, garlic, oil vinegar and water. Cover and blend 2 minutes. Chill mixture until icy cold. When ready to serve, stir in salt, pepper, Season all, Tabasco and cream. Sever in chilled bowls garnished with finely chopped parsley.

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Traditional Gazpacho

Says the cookbook: "This Spanish tradition is first cousin to a salad but even more refreshing. It must be served icy cold."

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups tomato juice

2 beef bouillon cubes (can substitute for vegetarian to make this a vegetarian or vegan soup)

2 tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped, unpeeled cucumbers

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup wine vinegar

2 tbs. salad oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

6 drops Tabasco

Directions:

Bring tomato juice to boiling. Add bouillon cubes and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Peel, seed and dice tomatoes. Add to cooled broth along with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate. Serve in chilled bowls.

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*Editor's Note: I love to top each bowl of chilled gazpacho with a few slices of avocado, a dollop of sour cream and some fresh chopped cilantro or basil for garnish and extra flavor.

Nelly's Pumpkin Corn Fritters - RH Week DAY 2!

Hello Organic Eats readers!

I'm Nelly and I blog over at Cooking with Books!

http://cookingwithbooks.blogspot.com

I’m so glad I have this opportunity to post here today and share a delicious, simple recipe! These fritters came about while I was living in Charlottesville, VA. My boyfriend had come and spent Thanksgiving with me and we had cooked a huge menu, having left over canned pumpkin. I’m sure you’ve been through this before, but you could also use fresh pumpkin puree to make this even better! Pumpkin is definitely a versatile product and you can check out Organic Eat’s Pumpkin Pancake post here: http://oeats.blogspot.com/2011/05/pumpkin-pancakes.html

Pumpkin-Corn Fritters

Yield: 12-16 fritters, depending on size

Ingredients:

1 large egg

½ cup milk

½ can of pumpkin puree

½ cup of corn kernels

1 cup flour (add more if needed to achieve thick batter)

1 tablespoon baking powder

To taste: salt, pepper, chopped green onions, sautéed yellow diced onions

Directions:

1. In a small sauté pan, heat about ¼ cup of vegetable oil.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Fry on both sides until golden brown and cooked all the way through.
4. Serve with: a dipping sauce, cheese slices or as canapés with smoked salmon on top.

ALSO: try baking these! Spoon into circles on cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 4-5 minutes; the orange pumpkin color intensifies and the texture is completely different. Cut lengthwise and serve with flavored cream cheese or smoked salmon! A healthier, more nutritious version of a blini.

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Pumpkin Nutrition Facts:

-Pumpkin's deep orange color tells us it is rich in antioxidants and beta-carotene, a vitamin that can be converted to Vitamin A by the body. Beta-carotene can also reverse skin damage and promote good vision.

-Pumpkin also has anti-aging properties, and boosts your immune system.

-Don't forget the seeds! 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds contains 92% of your daily value of magnesium!

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Special thanks to Nelly for this delicious recipe! Follower her on twitter @nella22 for more enticing eats!

Slyvia's Spanish Slaw - Recipe Hosting Week DAY 1!

Hello Organic Eats readers and welcome to what will undoubtedly be an epic week of recipe hosting, (let's call it RH week for short, shall we?) Your first recipe comes to you via California, from Sylvia of sylveeeskitchen.com (twitter handle: @sylveeeskitchen so be sure to log onto her site and follow on twitter for more delicious eats!) I love the addition of the spanish olives in this slaw and can't wait to try it out for myself! The recipe couldn't be more appropriate for the oncoming summer and what a great, unexpected twist on a classic summer side dish. Personally, I can't wait to celebrate this newly warm and gorgeous weather right by preparing me some spanish slaw! Ole!

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COSTA DEL SOL COLE SLAW

YIELD: 12 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

For the DRESSING:

1 clove Garlic

1 can Anchovy Fillets(optional)

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

For the SLAW:

1/4 head Red Cabbage

1/2 head Green Cabbage

1 Red Bell pepper

1 small jar Spanish olives

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the Dressing Ingredients in a blender jar; run at high speed until the Garlic is minced and all the ingredients are well blended.

2. Wash and dry all the Vegetables.

3. Thinly slice the Cabbages or slice in a food processor, using a 2mm slicing disk.

4. Thinly julienne the Bell Pepper.

5. Slice the olives into rounds.

6. Thinly slice the Red Onion.

7. Finely shred the Carrots.

8. Toss all the ingredients together in a large salad bowl; add the Dressing and serve.

9. The Salad may be made ahead of time and refrigerated; the dressing should not be added more than 1 hour before serving.

Note: Even though restaurants and delicatessens in the United States sell Spanish Cole Slaw, I could find none in Spain. This recipe uses ingredients that are often used in salads in Spain; if there really was such a thing as Spanish Slaw, this is how it might be.

Pumpkin Pancakes

It may not be October, but these pancakes are delicious enough for you to forget that.... I made these as a variation on the normal Sunday brunch and they were pure pumpkin perfection! If you can't already tell, I'm a bit obsessed with cinnamon so creating a recipe where cinnamon is involved makes me one happy cook! The spices in these pancakes are just right and enough to gently awaken anyone after the weekend is over. As an added bonus, the recipe is purely vegetarian and our homage to celebrating national Vegetarian Week 2011!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Yield: 7 pancakes (I made the recipe for 2 people but double it if you're making it for more...)

1/4 cup all purpose unbleached flour

1 tablespoon cane sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon shaved nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup whole milk + more if batter is too thick

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 large egg - separated

3 tablespoons butter - melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Mix:

-flour

-sugar

-baking powder

-nutmeg

-cinnamon

-salt

in a bowl until well blended.

2. In another bowl, mix:

-whole milk

-buttermilk

-pumpkin puree

-egg yolk (leave white in separate, small bowl)

-melted butter

-vanilla extract

3. Add contents of pumpkin bowl into dry ingredients flour mixture until combined. Don't worry if the mixture seems a little thick, it should be at this point.

4. Beat egg white until fluffy but not stiff (it should be at the consistency right before forming stiff peaks...)

5. Add the whisked egg white to the pumpkin/flour mixture, folding in gently so as not to break the white. At this point, if your batter is still looking a little thick, add in a little milk to thin it out.

6. Head 1 teaspoon of butter on a skillet over medium heat. Scoop desired size of pancake onto the skillet once butter is melted. Once the pancake has bubbled on the surface, use a spatula to flip over and cook on other side. (Timing depends on stove but for me it was about 3 minutes on one side 2 minutes on the other...)

7. Continue cooking until all of the batter is made, adding more butter if the skillet looks dry...

ENJOY and happy VEGETARIAN WEEK 2011!!! Go vegetables :)

Xo,

Organic Eats

Quinoa Flake Banana Muffins

Here is a recipe that can go vegan/low-fat OR it can have a bit of a higher fat content and a more creamy texture... all up to you and your dietary needs! But no matter how you slice it... or spread jam on it... these muffins are delish :)

Quinoa Flake Banana Muffins: (Vegan + Non-Vegan Versions below)

Ingredients

1/2 cup Quinoa Flakes

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose Flour (OR quinoa flour OR almond flour OR whole wheat flour... you get where I'm going with this...)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 VERY ripe bananas

2 eggs (OR 1/2 cup apple sauce for vegan version)

3 teaspoons honey

1/2 cup butter - melted (skip this ingredient if making these vegan)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Mix together quinoa flakes, unbleached flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside

3. In a separate bowl mash the bananas until they turn to a chunky paste, beat in 2 eggs, add honey (or sugar.) At this point, slowly mix in melted butter (unless you leave out the butter in which case... well... don't.)

4. Add the contents of the flour bowl to the wet ingredient banana bowl and mix thoroughly.

5. Scoop into greased muffin tins filling only HALF WAY (these things rise!)

6. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

ENJOY!

I think the thing I love the best about this recipe is the simplicity of creation... you can pop these out in no time for an easy but healthy snack or a quick and hearty breakfast. A delectable treat, a drool-worthy muffin...

Adios!

Xo

Organic Eats