"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may diet." - Harry Kurnitz

Today's Menu:  

Fruit Salad, Leftovers, Black Bean Asparagus Salad, Berry-Pineapple Slush, Pretzel Bark, Ham, Coconut Cream Pie. 

Fruit Salad... yummy yummy 

Black Bean Asparagus Salad (#36)

Prep: 30 min. + chilling

What you need:
2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups water
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

What you do:
In a dutch oven, bring asparagus and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water; pat dry.

In a large bowl, combine the asparagus, beans, red pepper, onion and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Yield: 20 servings. (We made a 1/2 recipe)

Berry-Pineapple Slush (#37)

Prep: 15 minutes. Freeze: 24 hours. Stand: 20-30 minutes. 

Serves 8-10. (We made 1/2) 

What you need: 

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks packed with juice, drained

2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries or strawberries

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup RealLemon Lemon juice from concentrate 

2 Tbs. sugar

1 (1 liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled

What you do: 

-In blender container or food processor bowl, combine pineapple, berries, orange juice, RealLemon and sugar. Cover; blend until smooth. Press through sieve; discard seeds. Transfer to 2-quart square baking dish. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours. 

- To serve, let stand at room temperature 20-30 minutes. With spoon, scrape across surface and place slush in glasses. Add ginger ale; stir to mix.

Pretzel Bark (#38)

Prep 20 min. Plus refrigerating Makes 10 servings 

 

What you need: 

1 cup chopped pretzels 

1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans

1 1/2 package (8 squares each) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, melted

What you do:

- Stir pretzels and nuts into chocolate; spread onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet. 

- Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces.