Tangy Vegetable Dip

Serves: about 6 (makes one cup of dip)
Time: 15 min

*1/2 cup non-fat mayonnaise
*1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
*1 tbsp chopped onion
*1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
*1/2 tsp seasoning salt
*1/2 tsp Worcestershire
*1 to 4 drops hot sauce

1. Combine the ingredients.
2. Chill until ready to serve with vegetables (such as baby carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, etc).


Note: This is also good with dinner, served instead of a salad!

Curry Pumpkin Soup

~special thanks to Jen for this recipe!~

*1/2 stick butter
*1.5 large white onions
*2 tbsp lime juice
* plus or minus 1/4 cup masaman or panang curry paste
*kosher salt & pepper
*bay leaves (Jen says: "we didn’t use these")
*1/2 cup brown sugar
*1/2 cup white wine
*1 can coconut milk
*2 cups milk
*2 small cans (or 1 large can) pumpkin puree
*1/2 cup black rum
*3 cups vegetable stock
*optional: parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, etc (to taste)

1. Sauté onions in butter.
2. Add curry paste, lime juice, bay leaf, optional ingredients & brown sugar. Stir 1 minute.
3. Add white wine, coconut milk & milk.
4. Simmer on medium heat about 20 minutes to reduce.
5. Meanwhile, combine pumpkin, stock & rum in a medium saucepan until warm & uniform in texture. Add to other ingredients.
6. Reduce for 20-30 more minutes by simmering.

(Jen says: "Recipe says to add honey or sugar, salt & herbs, garlic if needed to taste- but I have not tried those.")

Cream of Asparagus

~ suggested by Amber! ~

Prep Time: ?
Servings: 12


* 1 1/4 sticks butter plus 1 1/2 tbsp butter
* 1/2 cup flour
* 12 1/2 cups stock (Amber says: I use chicken, but you can use vegetable stock or any stock that is light colored & clear)
* 1 cup asparagus
* 3/4 cup onion, diced
* 3 cups hot milk
* salt to taste
* white pepper to taste
* heavy cream to garnish (optional)
* asparagus tips to garnish (optional)

1. Heat 1 1/4 sticks of butter on low until thoroughly melted. Stir in flour. You will see a light golden color. Now you have a blonde roux.
2. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Whisk the mixture into warmed stock.
4. Sweat onion & asparagus in 1 1/2 tbsp of butter, then add to stock. Simmer until soft & tender.
5. Puree vegetables & pass through a cheesecloth or foodmill & add back to stock. (Amber says: This is the annoying part of the recipe. You get all of the flavor but lose the stringy quality of the asparagus. If you own a foodmill, that may be easier than using cheesecloth.)
6. Add hot milk until you reach the desired consistency. Temperature of the milk is important because cold milk does not reach very well when suddenly added to a warm mixture, so mix similar-temperature liquids together. Heat soup again, but do not let it boil after adding milk.
7. Season to taste & serve.