Tropic Smoothie

Tuesday night after a day of running around all day we came home and went for a walk with Kay , we had a blast singing songs and reciting our scripture from memory,we were so hot when we got back that we decided to make ourselves smoothies! It was very good and very cold, watch out you might get a brain freeze:)

2 frozen peaches

1/4 frozen mango

2 frozen bananas

1/3 c. coconut milk

1 c. ice cubes

Blend till smooth. Top with a little shredded unsweetened coconut!

Two very large glasses

A Serbian Apple Cake for Church

After church on Sunday's we have a fellowship meal. So this past Sunday I decided to make this cake because we had so many apples left from when we went apple picking! This cake is very moist and is sure to please anyone........just make sure to use the full amount of apples when you make it:)

Happy Baking.....

Esther

Serbian Apple Cake

Ingredients

5oz. butter

1c. sugar

2 T. lemon juice

3 eggs, separated

8 oz. flour

2 T. finely ground almonds

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Method

Beat the softened butter and 3/4 c. sugar into a thick pale mixture. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, beat whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, ground nuts, slat and spices. Add half the whites and flour mixture to the batter ans whisk together carefully. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into a 9 inch cake pan that has been greased and floured. Press the apple slices into the batter in a circular pattern, sprinkle with 3 1/2 T. of the remaining sugar and bake at 356 degrees for 50 min.

Side Note:

It seemed like a lot of apples when I made it so I didn't put them all on top, but make sure you use the full amount because the apples sink in quite a bit and then you can't see the pretty pattern as well.

Chocolate Coconut Treats

Amazing Black Bean Brownie

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup coconut butter
1 cups soft-cooked black beans, drained well (hs: canned is fine)
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cups honey

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 9-inch (rimmed) baking pan (hs note) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the almonds, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup almonds, remaining melted chocolate mixture, cococa powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the honey and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Top w/ 1/3 cup of shredded coconut. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)

Makes 12 Large

New Poll-Please Vote and let us know what you want to see more of

The new thing in the DeL Kitchen is that we a going to try and cook straight through one cookbook, giving ourselves of course a deadline! Give us your opinion!

Please vote on the Poll on the side bar!!!

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is one of our favorite lunch foods and is great for when we are on the go, especially on the days we take music lessons:) The other thing we like about Hummus is that you can change the flavors around, like the other day, Hannah made a roasted red pepper flavor(that's before the very bad thing she did:)! Plus chickpeas are chocked full of good things, they are readily available cooked and dried. Look for a even kaki color, and don't worry about wrinkly outside that's normal.


A couple other tips on chickpeas, try them in your salad with some minced garlic and marinated artichokes, also try subbing them in your meat loaf for some of the meat.
It is also shown that 10 -12 cloves of garlic a day help to keep down bad cholesterol, also it is shown that the some large amounts of garlic enhance the process by which our body's break up potentially dangerous blood clots. And for all those worried about there sodium in take, garlic is essentially sodium free!


Kitchen tips for garlic:
For easy peeling drop in boiling water for 5 seconds
Love garlic but don't like the breath it leaves you with? Chew on a sprig of fresh parsley
Or if you don't that the smell it leaves on your fingers rub them with a bit a toothpaste and rinse







1 can chickpeas 3 T. liquid reserved from chickpeas
1 Head Roasted Garlic
1T. oilve oil
3 T. Tahini
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. red pepper flakes(more or less to your liking)




Pour into blender and blend on high till creamy!

Figgy Nutmeg Smoothie

A few weeks ago our whole family trekked out to a local apple and fig orchard.............and picked to our hearts content! We've had so much fun experimenting with the figs, it was our very first time picking these yummy little treats! Coming soon, a new faze in the Del sisters kitchen!

1/2c. milk

2 figs

1/4t. -1/2t. nutmeg

1/2. ice cubes

1 banana

Blend and enjoy

Garlic Herb Challah

We made this special bread a few weeks ago for a friend who just had a baby!

13/4 c. very warm water

2T. honey
1/2 c.olive oil

4 eggs

1 T. salt

8-81/2 c. flour

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. crushed rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

In a large bowl combine water, honey, yeast and spices and garlic. Let stand 10 min. Using a wooden spoon stir in eggs, oil and salt. Gradually stir in as much flour as you can. Turn dough on to floured surface. Knead in enough flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic. About 5-7 min. Shape dough into ball let rise for 1-1/2 hrs. Punch dough down turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with a clean towel, rest 10min. Divide dough into 3 portions divide each portion into 3 parts totalling 9 portions. Gently roll each into a 24 inch rope. Braid three ropes at a time to make three ropes; shape each into a spiral loaf. Place braid onto baking sheets. Let rise 1/2hr.

In small bowl combine 3 T. melted butter,1tsp.basil,tsp.thyme,tsp. rosemary and 1 tsp. minced garlic. Brush over loaves. Bake in 350 oven. Bake 30-35 min. or till hollow when tapped. Immediately remove from pans and cool.

Makes 3 Large loaves, 16 servings each.