Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick's Day.  

The day when everyone is Irish, sharing in song and food.  Even McDonald's becomes Irish when they bring out their Shamrock Shake.  This festive, sweet treat will make your head spin when you read what's inside the 22oz cup!

*Huffington Post

Can you believe it?  I almost fell over when I read this.  How can you possibly make something that's edible with so many ingredients?  Many of which you can't pronounce! Not to mention the sugar content!

I thought it would be fun to make a healthier version of the shake with only 6 ingredients, all of which we can pronounce, and only honey as the sweetener.

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk

1 avocado, peeled and seed removed

3 tablespoons pure raw honey

1 cup of ice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

DIRECTIONS:

Put everything in the blender and blend. Enjoy!

Spring is coming!

What a gorgeous day here in New Hampshire! Blue skies, warmer temps, day light savings and the kids outside playing. Yes! Today was a very good day!

Tonight, I made French Onion Soup. Loaded with onions and traditionally a beef broth base, I switched it up using vegetable stock. The soup still has it's deep, rich brown color when you use a good quality veg stock.

I served the soup with Gruyere cheese (except for Sophia), which Roman declared smells like stinky feet. And some home made crusty bread.

French Onion Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I used Earth's Best to keep it vegan)
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups (1 32 oz box) low sodium vegetable stock
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1cup crusty bread, cubed
Preparation
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
2. Add the onions and salt and cook until onions start to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, sugar, thyme and bay leaf and cook an additional 10 minutes.
4. Add the stock and worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the onions are very tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Heat the oven to broil. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
6. Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls. Top each bowl of soup with a handful of croutons and a handful of cheese.
7. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.


Enjoy