Adventures in Drool: Recipe alert!

Good afternoon droolers. Expect a full blog tomorrow afternoon, but for now I really wanted to share some great summer recipes with you.

Peach Spinach Smoothie (easy)

I adapted this recipe from one I found over at Barefeet In The Kitchen's blog. Peaches are the fruit of the season, so get them from your local farmers market and enjoy the sweetness.

You will need:

1 cup ice

2 fresh peaches

Handful organic baby spinach

1 cup (or more) orange juice

2 TB flaxseeds, ground

Layer all the ingredients in your blender and blend on high for about a minute. Enjoy!

Over at The Daily Green I found an excellent recipe to go with the smoothie.

Coconut Granola (intermediate)

You will need:

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds

3/4 cup shredded coconut (look for organic fresh coconut)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries, which I love)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and coconut; set aside.

2. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon; bring to a boil.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat.

4. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool.

5. Add raisins and dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe courtesy My Baking Addiction blog.

Now that you've had your fruit and granola; try out these delicious egg baskets courtesy of Food Network's Sunny Anderson. They are not terribly hard, but the recipe is several steps. Feel free to leave out the meat if you prefer a vegetarian breakfast.

Crispy potato and egg baskets (slightly difficult)

Ingredients

3 large russet potatoes, peeled

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

6 slices prosciutto, about 2 1/2 ounces, chopped

2 tablespoons maple syrup

6 eggs

3/4 cup shredded provolone

Directions

Special equipment: jumbo sized 6-cup muffin tin

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor fitted with the grater attachment, push chunks of the potato through the chute to grate. (Or if you are like me and don't have a heavy-duty food processor, use a hand grater or chopper. It turns out fine even though the pieces aren't as uniform as they would be through a food processor.)

Once all the potatoes are grated, put them into a piece of cheesecloth (I used a paper towel) or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove the moisture. Add the potatoes to a large bowl, stir in the melted butter and season well with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spray the muffin tin lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Press the grated potatoes evenly into the muffin cups being sure the potatoes go up the sides and a thin layer and covers the bottom. Bake until the top edges turn light golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl toss together the prosciutto with maple syrup and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and gently crack an egg into each cup. Bake until the egg whites set but the yolk remains runny, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set the oven to broil. Top the eggs with grated cheese and put the maple prosciutto on another sheet tray. Broil both until cheese melts, and prosciutto crisps slightly, about 1 minute.

Top the eggs with crispy prosciutto and serve immediately.

Try this combination for a morning meal this week and no one in your family will complain! Hope you have a great week - see you soon!