Food & Recipes - grace grits and gardening

Mocha Banana Smoothie

March 5, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Mercy. This mocha banana smoothie tastes like a mix between everyone’s favorite Wendy’s Frosty and Braum’s German chocolate ice cream. Know what I mean? This shushy chocolaty goodness with a hint of mocha and coconut will give you a late morning (or anytime) pick-me-up without all the sugar and empty calories.

Since the first of the year I’ve been on a green smoothie kick (thanks to my friend Kellee who blogs at Delta Moxie). Now that I’ve discovered the magical combination of coffee and frozen bananas, I’ve added this to my rotation.

Tomorrow morning, when you brew coffee, save half a cup for this recipe. You’ll think you splurged at Starbucks.

Mocha Banana Smoothie

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Ingredients

1/2 cup cold black coffee
1/2 cup fat-free milk I use lactose free
1 frozen banana sliced
1 heaping Tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon local honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 handfuls of ice

Instructions

Blend all ingredients. There may be unblended flaxseed in your smoothie—omit if you prefer. (I add flaxseed to most everything for the extra fiber.)
This smoothie is not sugary sweet. Add your favorite sweetener, if desired.
This makes 2 medium servings.

Very tasty!

For more information on health benefits of smoothies (including weight loss) along with yummy recipes, click HERE.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Rico’s Elotes – corn off the cob

February 28, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

The rich, hot corn off the cob sold from the Rico’s Elotes cart in front of Tony’s Neighborhood Store (820 N. Fitzhugh) makes an incredible side dish to your next Tex-Mex meal. My stomach turned a flip flop just thinking about it. Juanita is the super friendly lady who works the Rico’s Elotes cart at Tony’s. Seriously, just chatting with Juanita is fun—she’s one of those individuals who automatically makes me feel happy even though I’m about to inhale a fat leaden treat. She shaves the steaming corn off the cob fresh to order, mixes up this heavenly concoction of mayo, butter, Cojita & Parmesan cheeses and serves it like a corn sundae. The medium size is only about $2.50. In addition to the regular ingredients, there are other toppings available such as lemon pepper, hot sauce and lime salt. I didn’t say this concoction was healthy. I said heavenly… I’m a firm believer in (most) everything in moderation. It’s okay to go crazy occasionally, and Rico’s Elotes is just the place to make that happen. Lucky me, it’s only six blocks from my house. Closer, really.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

February 18, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

I made homemade peanut butter dog treats in honor of Love Your Pet Day (Feb 20). Of course in our house, EVERYDAY is pet day. After reading various recipes and double checking ingredients to make sure they were safe for dogs, I whipped up my own recipe using ingredients I already had. Lucy and Annabelle went nuts for these treats.

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

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Servings 2 dozen depending upon size of cookie cutter

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sweet potato baked
1 1/4 cup water
egg white optional

Notes

I used crunchy peanut butter because that's what I had...

Method

Mix everything together (except the egg white). Knead into a ball. It will be sticky so add flour to your hands and rolling pin. I was surprised at how wonderfully malleable this dough turned out to be, easy to roll and cut and waaaaaaaaayyyyy better than any pie crust I’ve ever made.

I bought this bone shaped cookie cutter at Sur La Table after Christmas. So cute! (If you don’t want to roll and cut your dough, you could form into little balls and press with a fork like human peanut butter cookies…) I also made some heart-shaped treats.

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and finish with a little egg wash. The cookies will not spread so you can place close together. Bake for ten minutes at 350 then turn and bake another five minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

They smell peanut buttery, and they taste pretty good too. Go ahead and sample. The inside texture is a bit creamy but not messy when the dogs dine on the rug like all dogs do.

Lucy loved hers.