Bread Salad

Bread Salad, page 147

 <----  from this to this  ------>

make it crunchy

add in halved grape tomatoes, sliced orange and yellow peppers, shredded spinach

sprinkle with some of this and a little of that...

...and call it a bread salad.

Kitchen Action

Lacking in Pantry: nothing
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I used a whole grain bread and classic french bread, tore it instead of slicing into cubes. {I most always break or tear bread, instead of using a knife.} I tried to caramelize onions, but I cooked them just a little too long and they turned out to be a sticky mess. I scrapped it. I totally forgot the grated Parmesan until about 30 seconds ago when I reread the recipe as I wrote.
What I'll try next time: Remember the cheese.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: "It sure has lots of bread." "It's suppose to, silly. It's a 'bread' salad." "Oh, I see." 4
Elliott: 3
Chas: 4 for the bread. Only the pieces without balsamic and no veggies. The challenge continues friends!
Tim: I didn't get a number score, but he ate it (being polite or enjoying it...not sure.)
'becca: absolutely a FG* dish. I imagined it to be a 5, because if I could have, I'd have eaten the whole bowl.

*FullaGluten

Steak and Eggplant Salad

Steak and Eggplant Salad, page 194 

or Steak and Rice Noodles, page Chas

Dinner was served promptly at 8 pm when we are usually cleaning our teeth and making our way to settle in for the night. (8:30 bed for kids, 9 or a little after for mom & dad.) It was the first day of school and my house was a disaster. See -->
Soccer began last week, we are wrapping up the triathlon season, Chas has been in school since 1 August, Elliott began middle school yesterday, Jonathan is traveling east, our cabinets are being painted...the list goes on...I've been making easy dinners more often than trying new recipes.

This took longer to prepare than expected, but was worth it. I knew that if I tried to serve a salad for dinner after a long day at the office and soccer practice I'd have unhappy boys, so I tweaked this a bit and added the "salad" to the mix and served it over rice noodles. Oh and I took quite a few pictures. Maybe another reason it took longer to prepare? 

 Very, very thin sliced steak with a brown sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon and fresh ground nutmeg rub.

 Eggplant sliced. Eggplant always reminds me of Jonathan's ma and Liberian cooking. She's a fab cook and after dinner was finished, Jonathan paid me the most delightful complement, "'bec, you prepared the meat like an African." Having never been able to prepare food for him that tasted like home, this was the highest of complements. Thanks J!

 Oh hi there Francis. You all have not met him. He's one of my favorite kitchen pals. Come over and I'll introduce you. He's swell, especially on a cold afternoon or when you are really sleepy.

 Some nights I'm so thankful for the conveniences the grocery offers, like chopped garlic. I prefer to peel and chop myself, but always keep this on hand. You know, when I'm making dinner at 7:15 and there is school the next day.

 I added the tomatoes, garlic and some of the seasoning to the pan to saute after the eggplant, but before the meat.

 Pushing the tomato mix to the side, I cooked the meat in the center. It was so thin it cooked very quickly.

 Steak, chopped eggplant, tomato mix...

...topped with 4 large handfuls of spinach. I placed a lid on the pan, allowing it to cook down a bit before stirring. I used tongs to toss it, cooking the spinach until it was wilted and mixed in well with the meat and veggies.

I don't have a picture of the noodles, but I used rice noodles, making this dish gluten free. I like the kind used in making Pad Thai. It was DELICIOUS!


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Nothing
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: (see above)
What I'll try next time: I'd like to make it as a salad, but also I will make it again this way. When made as a dish over noodles, I'll toss the noodles with the meat & veg mix, giving a bit more flavor to the noodles.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4.5 (toss the noodles and it will be a 5)
'becca: 5 (I imagined the noodles were tossed)
Elliott: 5 & then asked to have the left overs in his lunch, his middle school lunch. (I'm still not over the fact that my first born is in middle school.)
Chas: 4 But not really for the entire meal. Remember the picture above, he added salt to his plain, mostly flavorless noodles, loved the steak & ate it all.

Pasta Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Pasta Salas with Walnuts and Blue Cheese, page 154

I was flipping through photos on my computer and ran across this one and realized I didn't write about it. Oops. I believe I fixed it right before we left town for Chicago. I remember wrinkling my nose a little because it included blue cheese and when it comes to blue cheese, I'm a Chas. If given the option, I don't try the dish or ask for it to be omitted from my plate if dining out.

But this one, this recipe, I'd make it and I'd try it. {Chas, would not.}

I recall that it was quite simple to prepare. I followed the TIP at the bottom of the page and toasted the walnuts. As I do when pasta is on the menu, I made 2 different pastas, GF & FG. It was quick and filling, but light on a triple digit night in the Ozarks.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Had it all.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: None.
What I'll try next time: I'll leave the blue cheese out of my dish. Sorry folks, just not a fan.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 3.5
Elliott: I don't remember
'becca: 2.5, Not bad, but would be better with feta.
Chas: Didn't try it.

GF = Gluten Free
FG = Fulla Gluten

Lemon and Herb Salmon

Lemon and Herb Salmon, page 233

Well hello there. Sorry for the long absence. How's your summer been? The only excuse I have for being away so long is this: long days lead to late nights, packed with as many day trips, weekend trips, week long trips as possible, resulting in time away from the kitchen. We recently enjoyed time in Chicago, where I picked up a darling new butter dish and Himalayan sea salt. Wanna see?

We returned home refreshed, not exhausted, ready for the school year to begin, triathlon to wrap up and the soccer season just around the corner. Starting 15 August, soccer will consume 4 evenings and 1 morning of our week. I have a feeling the recipe I'm going to share will become a regular this fall. It's easy and protein packed and all but 1, guess who, loved it. 

 I used mint and lemon, brought to a boil, then let is cool a bit. I was waiting on rice to finish cooking and didn't want the fish to be cold when served. I had a skinless fillet, but cooked it the same as I would have with skin. (No peeling required, which is totally fine with me.)
 

Using the same spoon I use when poaching eggs, I pulled it from the water and placed it on a cotton towel to drain.

It didn't require much salt and pepper and each of us could taste the lemon and mint. I'm not sure if that is because I boiled it first, letting it sit for about 45 minutes. Thoughts? I served it with a spinach & tomato salad, corn on the cob & rice, then for dessert, blueberries with cream.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Nothing.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I used fresh mint, instead of the herbs listed
What I'll try next time: Try different combinations of herbs and maybe even try the poaching method with other types of fish.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4
Elliott: 4
'becca: 4, much better than I thought. I wasn't too sure about the poaching method, but am convinced it's the way to go on a night when a quick fish fix is needed.
Chas: "I don't like salmon."

Frittata with Red Pepper Oil

Frittata with Red Pepper Oil, page 216

Well, look-y who joined me in the kitchen to make this meal, my super eater {feel the sarcasm} Chas! I had a bit of a medical scare last week, which led to a conversation about taking care of our bodies as healthy prevention. My boys didn't quite understand how a person can make do their best to make healthy choices about food and exercise, but still be at risk for disease.  Hard conversations for a momma to have. Without teaching Punnent squares and talking about wrinkled peas, I did my best.  Maybe it was enough to get this little guy to add a bit of green to his diet.

Chas was a master with the whisk, our eggs ended up a little more than lightly beaten, but fluffy nonetheless. I didn't have the exact herbs in pots on my deck, nor did the grocery have them. I like tarragon, I need to grow it.

For the Red Pepper Oil, I used marinated red peppers. I used more of them than called for, less oil and a bit more salt. The bowl, container, top - what's it called - to the blender was in the dishwasher, so I used my little chopper, which was perfect. This oil would be delicious on all sorts of dishes, but especially on egg dishes.

{Chas whisking away} Parents, do you have a son or daughter who simply does not like to eat anything green? Does it concern you? Do you make them sit at the table until they eat the number of peas or leaves of spinach equal to their age? Do you give them a vitamin? Do you just let let it slide? Help!

What I do -- I don't fight the battle. I explain that it's best for their body to eat a rainbow of food and treats in moderation. It is the only body they will have and they need to treat it with respect and fuel it properly. I have healthy choices available, but then I buy Twizzlers to take to a ball game. Just being honest, but is this wrong?

Kitchen Action

Lacking in Pantry: tarragon
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: more eggs
What I'll try next time: start growing tarragon in the spring.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4
Elliott: 4
'becca: 4.5 and then again in the morning chilled without the oil, 4
Chas: 5 for preparation, but no score for tasting it. He doesn't like peppers.

Pasta with Smoked Salmon

Pasta with Smoked Salmon, page 227

If you look closely to on the left in the picture above you can see that sometimes films keep me company in the kitchen. I have a long list of films, shows and movies in instant queue on Netflix and I rarely watch them. I search, add to my list to watch, then they sit for weeks, months. But this day I was watching It Rains in My Village, a film with subtitles. Probably not the best choice for multitasking. It was sad and true and difficult and not something I'd choose to watch again. I did however like the smiles of the men in the band. (I'm watching Turtles Can Fly tonight.)

 This {above} happened when I used plain, fat free yogurt. Curdled Yuck! It was fresh yogurt, but I should have known better when I purchased fat free. Is fat free ever really better? I'd like to know your thoughts on that. Do you buy full fat or fat free or does it depend on the item? 

I strained the veggies and pitched the broth and yogurt, then started over. This time, I simmered the veggies in broth, until cooked and did not add the yogurt until it was finished cooking and had cooled a bit. I only had enough plain Greek yogurt left to make this and was trying to avoid a trip to the grocery before dinner. 

As the veggies cooked, I boiled pasta, 1 rice and 1 whole wheat and also prepared the salmon. I decided to buy salmon steaks, cook them and flake into the pasta. This gave us more fish in the dish, something we all enjoy. We, excluding Chas, dear sweet pasta with butter, salt and sometimes Parmesan cheese Chas. 

The temperature was almost 100 outside and I wanted something cool for dinner. I cooked this early and refrigerated for a few hours before dinner. The result ~ perfect summer dish! I am sure it is equally delicious warm. Something to try when the temperatures are not soaring.

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Smoked Salmon
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: salmon steaks, flaked for smoked salmon; Greek yogurt added after the veggies were cooked in the broth and cooled a bit; extra peas and I cooked 2 kinds of pasta, GF* & FG**
What I'll try next time: I'll add capers. I had them in the pantry, but just forgot. Oops.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4.5
'becca: 5
Elliott: 3
Chas: didn't try it

*Gluten Free
**FullaGluten

Pan-Seared Sole

Pan-Seared Sole, page 222

Wait, what is that photo? Where is the fish? Well, it's just the pan which is highly seasoned with bacon grease. You will often find it on my cook-top because well, bacon is a favorite of a few of us living under this roof. OK, we all enjoy it and Chas, well he asks for it almost daily. Do you have a favorite bacon pan?

On to the real meal...Pan-Seared Tilapia. No Sole at my grocer and I wasn't headed on a search. The intro said any mild-flavored white fish works well, so I took it at its word and it did. I will admit though that it was the Mango Salsa that made this meal. I sear Tilapia fairly often, it's easy, mild and a quick source of protein, but the salsa set it apart.

I didn't have orange juice, so I used an orange and squeezed it. I tried to squeeze and get a fancy foodie blog photo of the juice dripping from the orange, but we all know this is not a foodie blog and I'm not a food photographer, so here is a blurry attempt at my efforts in college form...look on friends, look on...

I nixed the grapeseed oil in the salsa, because I watch the tour, I don't race in the tour & we like bacon, remember. (How 'bout those time trials today? Speedy!)

Mango Salsa...DELICIOUS! Great with the fish. Great on a spoon. Great with brown rice. I'm sure it's great with almost anything. Even topping a crispy strip of maple bacon. 

I prepared the fish as the recipe suggested and served it over a bed of brown rice and topped it with the salsa. I didn't set the table, rather, quickly threw down place mats, napkins and silverware. Great way to end the first day of the week. Time around the table with my 3 favorite guys and a yummy meal. 

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Nothing, because I went to the grocery with a list.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: 1 mango, not 2, green onion instead of sliced red, fresh orange squeeeeeezed, instead of orange juice, no grapeseed oil in the salsa, but a bit in the pan to cook the fish and I added a bit of salt and pepper to the salsa
What I'll try next time: double or triplet the batch of salsa & make tacos the next day or just eat chips and salsa for dinner.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 3.5
'becca: 5, loved it!
Elliott: 4 for the fish, but wasn't a fan of the salsa
Chas: see photo below...sheesh!

Spicy Cabbage Slaw

Spicy Cabbage Slaw, page 284

Ohmigoodness, I've made this recipe a few times and was sure I've shared it. I looked back and realized I do not think I have. It must be shared today, because it is the perfect addition to all of the parties tomorrow. It's easy, a perfect addition to the top of a burger (meat or veg), a crisp addition to a hot dog and even delicious on it's own as a side.

The only picture I have is one I just snapped of the salad in a baggie ready to be packed into a cooler and toted to a party.

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Not-a-thing. Picked it all up at the grocery.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I added extra of everything. More red than green cabbage...it's prettier.
What I'll try next time: This picture is "the next time" and I didn't do anything different.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: Great on burgers and as a side, 4
'becca: I agree with Jonathan, but give it a 4.5

Remaking & Remaking

Dearest Feed Zone Friends, I've been absent from here, but not from my kitchen. For over a week, I was flying solo. My young boys at my parents for what has become an annual event -- Camp BodeePops and my tallest, darkest and most handsome boy was across the pond in Rwanda. (See photo to the right. He returned with 80 lbs of green coffee beans, our favorite jams, spices and tea.)  I used this time to rack up some serious hours in my career as a volunteer, parking cars for the LPGA tournament, attending a couple of board meetings and working on a variety of things for KAAC. It was a week of very early mornings, triple digit temperatures, a new appreciation for white wine and a mostly failed attempt at learning to bake croissants, but the clafoutis turned out perfect.

 I'll admit I've cheated on The Feed Zone. Want to know with who? Larousse Gastronomique, that's who. I wonder of Dr. Lim and Chef Biju would approve? Gentlemen...are you there? Your approval, please. 

With that exposed, I'll also admit that I am remaking so many recipes from The Feed Zone. Last night I made Spicy Asian Soup and Spring Rolls, as Jonathan's first meal back from his most recent trip to Africa. This evening I made roasted salsa for the 4th or 5th time. I topped chicken breast with the salsa, black beans, lime juice and salt.

It is still cooking, so I'm not sure how it will turn out, but the smell is fantastic. I'll warm corn tortillas and call it a meal. Oh and I'll take a jar and a bag of Chippin's as part of my additions to our family 4 July celebration. I'm also bringing the cabbage recipe on page 284, avocado-white bean hummus, berry & cherry salad and wine. 

Happy 4 July!

I'd love to know how you will celebrate and if you are cooking something from The Feed Zone.

Celebrate well. 

Celebrate tasty. 

Celebrate safely. 

White Bean Salad

White Bean Salad, page 129

"Grilled bread salads are easy last-minute items that can accommodate most any good hearty leftover bread." That is the first line in the description of this recipe. Thank-goodness it's 100% true. I made this one evening, after a hot and humid day, serving it with millet salad. Both were delicious and great as leftovers for a couple of days to follow. 


When I see artisan breads on the day old rack at the grocery, I toss them into my basket and then in the freezer at home. As a lover of bread, but no longer able to eat it, I find joy  in making sure my boys have good bread to accompany many dinner meals. I had most of the items the recipe called for and pulled a loaf of bread from the freezer. No trip to the grocery required! 

What do you do with the peel of the lemon after you have juiced it? Save it for zest? Compost? Toss it in the garbage? I cut mine into smaller pieces and put them down the disposal. They kinda make a loud grinding, clunking noise to begin, but then the lemon aroma fills the air. I love that. Sometimes I even cut up a lemon just to make the kitchen smell lemon-y and I'm sure that the lemon juice cleans the disposal better than chemical cleaners, right? Humor me, answer yes. Thank you.

We are headed into a stretch of triple digit days in the Ozarks and I plan to make more salads, drink chilled wine and much water. I find the heat effects the way I eat and what I eat. Does this happen to you?




Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Notta
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I used more carrots, didn't use onion or red pepper flakes, used romaine lettuce, because that's what I had on hand and extra parmesan. Most always, extra cheese.
What I'll try next time: I'd like to try it with the onion. Maybe this week, since all of my boys will be away. I have no onion haters here and no one to kiss with onion on my breath. Sounds like a plan.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4
Elliott: 3
Chas: 0 (like the millet salad, he wouldn't try it. I think he made his own dinner this night. Stinker.)
'becca: 4.5 I had mine over lettuce, making it GF. Yum!

Race Weekend & Popcicles

I'm still in a life is moving too fast funk, but I promise soon I'll get out of it. I have 5 or 6 recipes reviewed to share. I've been flying solo in parenting, as Jonathan has been across the pond with KAAC. The boys raced this weekend, but I didn't. Hindsight 20/20, I'm not sure how I could have pulled it off. I guess I'd have trusted the triathlon community to make sure they were OK hanging out and cheering while I raced. But I didn't and I parented and cheered for the TTR kids. It was the right choice. I'll race in a couple of weekends and they will too. It's a family affair and we love it. 

Here are a few photos of the fueled by The Feed Zone and sweating Skratch boys: 

 Elliott placed 2nd in the 11-12 age group. Way to go!

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Brock who raced his first triathlon this morning and did well! Proud of you and excited to get the chance to race with you one of these days. Also Congratulations to my FF, Richard, who had his best swim ever in a triathlon. Way to go pal! The Wednesday swims are not only fun, but are paying off. Proud of you FF!

Popsicles} Good Humor was a sponsor of the races this weekend. Guess what that means? Sour Patch Kids Popsicles for everyone, until they are gone. I guess they were out of Skratchsicles?

Chas said he races triathlon for the ice cream and Popcicles at the finish. He's so awesome, I love him, his honesty and outlook on life.
Why do you race triathlon? Cycle? Run?

Pork Green Chili

Pork Green Chili, page 181


I shared yesterday that life has been busy, really busy, the past few weeks. Finding myself with my head barely above water a few times, I also found heart thankful. Realizing this once again: When you are living life in a community you love, you may be fighting to keep your head above water, but really, it's unnecessary. Why? Because that community, family, will carry you to shore. They will be the calm, the close, the support.


I fully intended to fix the boys and their favorite gal pals the recipe on page 208, but when there was no yeast in the pantry, I had to change plans. I didn't want to head to the grocery again, so I made a not so summery, on the first day of summer chili. It was filling and delicious and when we added a bit of sour cream to the kids bowls and cilantro-mint yogurt sauce to mine, it gave it a hint of summer. 

How will you celebrate this day? What will you eat and drink? Who will you share it with? Where will you share? The kids, mine and the Beard girls, and I celebrated with a trip to Sonic for 1/2 price milkshakes and will soon jump in the lake. I will take the kids to do their Triple Threat Racing open water swim workout, then enjoy a cool drink on the deck with their momma. She's one of my favorites and one I spoke of above...a calm. a close. a friend. Thanks Amy for carrying me to shore. 

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Pork to cube, fresh chilies & red beans
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: Subs...Ground pork for cubed pork, canned chilies for fresh, white beans for red Adds...Bragg's, apple cider vinegar, extra chili powder and cumin
What I'll try next time: I think it would be great with cubed pork, although the ground pork worked well.
How it Scored:
Amelia: 5
Gillian: 5
Chas: 1
Elliott: 5
'becca: 5

life

Hi there and happy final day of Spring. Life has been busy, extra busy. For the past couple of weeks our weekends have been spent at races working as volunteers or as participants, this weekend will be no different. We have entertained family visitors from out of town, I have been on 7 or 8 field trips with the boys, but we have still managed most meals around the table.

Only, they have not made it here to share.

Summer begins tomorrow and I am looking forward to her slow pace. It is my hope to share a new recipe tomorrow. It's the last day of school for my boys and time to celebrate!

Millet Salad

Millet Salad, page 278

The first time I purchased millet I thought of birds. Millet reminds me of bird seed. This spring I made a muffin recipe from another favorite cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, by Heidi Swanson. I took them to an early morning soccer game to share with the parents. Because they contained whole wheat, I'd not tried them and when asked how they tasted I replied, "Well, I am not sure, but they probably taste, um, healthy? They contain millet, so I'm calling them my healthy birdseed muffins." To which a few people chuckled and bit into the muffin they were holding. Healthy is a good description, one person noted and the others, enjoyed them, one even asked for the recipe. 

With healthy and songbirds on my mind, I approached this recipe. I prepared the millet in the morning and allowed it to cool on the cook-top for the majority of the day. I was also preparing the White Bean Salad, page 129, for dinner the same evening. The two complimented one another, making a nice light choice for a hot and humid southern night in June. I also chilled a bottle of Pinot Grigio. There is something lately about white wine. It must be the warm days, because typically white is not my choice, but it was this night and as the days become increasingly warmer I'm sure it will be again. 

We ate this salad as a side dish that night, but the following day I put it in a tortilla for Jonathan as part of his lunch and I ate it inside a piece of lettuce, Turkey Lettuce Wrap style. Although it was a light and refreshing salad the night I fixed it, I found it to be even tastier the following day. This would be a fantastic dish to take to a picnic with friends. It can be enjoyed on the side, as the main dish and who knows, you may even have song birds show up, hoping you accidentally trip over a tree root, spill your plate and share with them. 

Kitchen Action

Lacking in Pantry: Chives

Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: Because I didn't have chives and I have mint growing in the yard, I used fresh mint.

What I'll try next time: I'll cut the recipe in half. 

How it Scored:

Jonathan: 3.5

'becca: 4

Elliott: 2

Chas: 0 (wouldn't try it)

Egg & Chorizo Sandwich and Beet Juice

Richard is one of my most favorite people in NWA. His heart is big, his words are encouraging and ladies he's available. He drops by our home "African Style" (unannounced) and my family is always so happy to welcome him. He works at the same company with Jonathan and has become a dear friend not only me, but my family. My mom and dad, sister and brother all know him and love him too. But he's MY First Friend.

The picture to the right was taken at the finish of the Branson 70.3 & Sprint race (l-r: Dirk, Richard, me and the Duck). Where else but Branson, MO do you cross the finish line and are greeted by a "Ride the Ducks" duck and Saloon girls? I had to get a picture of 1 and passed on the other. This was my 3rd triathlon and had it not been for his encouraging words, I may not have made it past my first. Thanks FF, you are the best! 

Cooking and Eating through The Feed Zone readers...Welcome Richard!

***

Below are recipes as cooked by myself that come straight from ‘The Feed Zone Cookbook. I gotta admit, since my BFF ‘becca Nimrod mentioned it, I have been hooked on this book. The food is amazing and simple to create. Plus, I’m a bit of a ‘rule follower’ so I like following the recipes.  And it sure beats the “food guideline” that I have been following for the past year of BORING food. Lets dig in.

Egg and Chorizo Sandwich, page 48

Kitchen Action: So this one appealed to me because I have done breakfast sammiches before. This one is interesting because it used chorizo. Which I have not cooked with before. And I’m Hispanic! Meh.

Anyway, if you are looking for chorizo in the store, it is near the refrigerated dough and yogurt. Makes no sense to me but that’s where it is. Because I thought it would cook like a breakfast sausage, I made patties out of it. When it hit the pan, the chorizo separated due to the fat and was more like a chorizo crumble. Oh yea, this is gonna be good.

Lacking in pantry: nada

Additions/Substitutions or method changes: For ‘rustic bread’ I used a loaf of neo-tuscan boule. Also added cheddar cheese and cilantro that I had from the night before. On the poached egg, I actually like it when the yolk is gooey and sopps up the bread. So good.  The bread had chorizo, egg yolk, melted cheese and cilantro in it. Oh wow…

What I’ll try next time: Make more of it! Once you toast the bread, place the chorizo and egg on top. Its magic.  Always good with beet juice (see below) and a mug of freshly roasted TTR coffee.

How it scored (1 low – 5 high): 10. No really.

Beet Juice, page 113

Kitchen Action:  I’m a huge fan of juice. I bought a Breville Juice Fountain about 4-5 months ago and have been ‘on the juice’ ever since. My favorite has always been apple-orange-carrot-ginger so trying a new juice was a bit of an adventure for me.

Lacking in pantry:  Nothing. After picking up beets and a few other items from the Bentonville Farmer’s Market, we are set.

Additions/Substitutions or method changes:  Subbed the apples for oranges because I had oranges. A lot of oranges. Still tossed in 3 apples for sweetness but the gala apples here are really small. Had to kick it up a notch. And few stalks of celery because they were sitting in the fridge. What the hay!

Also, the only change I made was to make more of it. I am not a fan of juicing daily just from a cleaning the machine and counters and cabinets and floors perspective. So I juice weekly and fill a jug so I can just pour it out as I need it.

What I’ll try next time: nada nada

How it scored (1 low – 5 high):  4.98. I give it a near perfect score because it is a great juice and I can definitely notice a difference when drinking or not drinking beet juice The 0.02 miss comes from the fact that the beet turns your hands and your pee red. Sorry, had to subtract something for that.