A month back we offered a Peach Gelato recipe. Well, the recipe is flexible enough that you can substitute strawberries and have another great flavor to enjoy;

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cups lowfat buttermilk
5 cups cut up strawberries

First, early in the day, or the day before, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool, and put in fridge to get cold.

Next, mix the strawberries with the sugar-water, buttermilk, in a food processor or blender. Place the mix into an ice cream maker and mix until smooth.

A couple points to note. The particular ice cream maker is sized to only make half this recipe at a time. You can either make the full mix as above for two batches or measure half of the recipe as shown above. Also, this comes out pretty good if you don’t have an ice cream maker by putting into a metal bowl in the freezer and stirring with a fork every half hour or so, more frequently as it starts to solidify. Enjoy.

I think we’ll have one more gelato flavor before the summer comes to a close.

written by admin \\ tags: italian dessert, sorbet, strawberries, strawberry gelato

This is a great low fat recipe for muffins that we’ve been making for years. We’ve read on frugal blogging sites never to throw away bananas that are getting too ripe, keep an eye on them and if a number will be ready faster than they’ll get eaten, put them in the freezer, pealed and measured out. This recipe is a great way to use up some of those frozen bananas. (Note, the team daughter thought it a good idea to top some with chocolate bits. Works for me!)

Banana Muffins
2 cups white flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups reg oatmeal
1 cup egg
4 tbl (1/4 cup) applesauce
2 cups (about 4) ripe banana
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1-2 cups raisins
400F oven
Run oatmeal through blender (just a short bit, it should look like flour), mix all dry
ingredients, then fold in wet and raisins.
Makes 12 big muffins

Enjoy!

written by admin \\ tags: banana muffins, desert, recipe, ripe banana

We find that the side dishes tend to be an afterthought, the steak is on the grill, and we look to see what we can make before it’s ready, hoping there’s something in the fridge or pantry. Here’s a side dish that goes well with most main dishes, try it and let us know what you think.

2 cups cold cooked rice (We use brown rice for extra nutrition and flavor. This is 2 cups ‘after’ it’s cooked)
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed
1 cup (or 1 can) whole kernel corn
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup minced scallion (or sweet onion if scallion is out of season)
1/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin

So long as you’ve made the rice the day prior (or same morning), the prep for this is very fast, just a bit of chopping, mincing. (Yes, the corn missed the ingredients’ photoshoot, but it did make it to the final dish.) Enjoy!

written by admin \\ tags: beans, recipe, rice, sidedish

Hummus is a middle eastern dish commonly used as a dip for veggies or pieces of pita bread. You’ll find it in the grocery store in small containers, 8oz or so.

This supermarket hummus was $2.99.

See this can of Chick Peas? 110oz (almost 7 lbs!) from Costco. $2.75. Crazy.

Basic Hummus Recipe
32oz Chick Peas (volume not weight)
5 oz of the liquid from can
2 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl tahini
4 tbl lemon juice

All ingredients are put into a food processor and blended until smooth. That huge can will make about 4 recipes worth, great for a big party. Of course you can buy smaller cans in the supermarket and make one recipe. We use chick peas on top of salads or to add to soup, so they don’t go to waste. If you are not familiar with tahini, it’s a paste made from ground sesame seeds and available in the ethnic section of most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, almond butter can substitute. This recipe lends itself to adjustments depending on your taste. More garlic? More lemon juice? Why not? Start with the amounts above and add to suit your taste. Enjoy.

written by admin \\ tags: appetizer, chick peas, hummus, middle eastern cooking