Green Goop

Green Goop

Just in time for St. Patty's Day, here's a fabulous "green" healthy drink :) A good mix of sweet and tart, chock full of nutrients! Don't just a book by its cover- looks a bit crazy, but give it a try and you'll find it's quite scrumptious!

Makes: a little over 2 cups of juice

.: ingredients :.

• 3 carrots
• 1 large apple (or 2 small apples)
• 2 cups of fresh kale
• small piece of fresh ginger (about 1" square)
• 1 c. cranberry juice

.: directions :.

1) Add cranberry juice, kale, and carrots to the blender and mix into a pulp.

2) Cut up ginger and apple into small slices. Add to blender and blend into a pulp.

3) It'll be a very thick drink, but not quite so thick you'd need a spoon ;)

*Note: you could also do this recipe using a juicer- you just won't get quite all the nutritional value since you're losing a lot of the fibrous bits.

**Note:: you could pretty much use most any fruits & veggies in this recipe! After much testing, I recommend keeping the carrots/apples as a base and changing out the other ingredients :)

Just some of the nutritional value....

Vitamin A - 260+% DV (Daily Value)

Vitamin C - 170% DV

Vitamin K - 510% DV

Magnesium - 80% DV

Zinc - 50+%

Vitamin E

Fiber

Apple Butter

4.5 pouds tart cooking apples, cored and quartered (about 14 medium)
3 cups apple cider or apple juice
2 cups sugar
2 TB fresh lemon juice, strained
1/2 teas. ground cinnamon

Notes: I used Gala apples, water, bottle lemon juice, 1.5 c. sugar, and added dashes of ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger

1.)  In an 8- to 10- quart heavy kettle or pot combine apples and cider.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Once apples have softened, remove from heat, and press through a food mill or sieve until you have 7.5 cups of pulp.  Return pulp to kettle/pot.

2.) Stir in sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, over very low heat for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until very thick and mixture mounds on a spoon, stirring often.

*I found that several ways online to tell if it's done.  One was to put a spoonful on a plate, and if water/juice seeps out at all, it's not done.

Apple butter keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or it can be canned using the boiling process.

pear-cranberry crisp

.: Ingredients :.
4 ripe pears, sliced
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground allspice
3/4 c rolled oats
1 TB cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c dried cranberries (Craisins)
2 TB chopped walnuts

.: Directions :.
(1) preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray (or lightly butter it).
(2) Spread the pear slices over the bottom of the dish. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Sprinkle the mixture over the pears.
(3) In a small bowl, cut the butter into very fine pieces with a fork and combine with the oats. Add the cranberries and walnuts. Toss to mix. Sprinkle evenly over the pears.
(4) Bake about 40 minutes or until bubbling.

*NOTES*
A few things I did or will do differently...
- I used 2 pears and 2 apples, so you can certainly change up the fruit if you want!
- I used raw sugar instead of brown sugar
- I will probably use 2 TB of butter next time to get a more even coverage, there were some dry oatmeal areas on mine, still tasted perfectly fine though, so completely your call!
- I might use more walnuts, maybe 4 TB because I really like them :)
- I used Quick Oats... the recipe didn't specify quick or old-fashioned, I imagine either would do