CEiMB-Curried Chicken Salad

This week's CEiMB recipe, Curried Chicken Salad, was chosen by Sarah, who blogs over at Sarah's Kitchen Adventures. You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking HERE.
This will be the last time that I am participating in CEiMB and what a great recipe to go out on.

I really loved this one.
I made a few changes, which I noted on the recipe below.

I love curry powder, so I was pretty sure that I would like this take on chicken salad.
My mom makes a chicken dish that combines plain yogurt and curry powder, so the flavor wasn't really anything new to me.
Of course, I did not use mayo at all. Don't like it and never will.
I just subbed non-fat Greek yogurt.
I also subbed in pecans for the almonds, because I had them on hand. I just mixed them into the salad.
I love that Ellie serves this over lots of fresh salad greens. I didn't use any oil to dress my greens, just the fresh lemon juice which really gave this salad a bright taste.

I even served the leftovers in my husband's lunch, but turned it into a chicken salad sandwich.
My kids enjoyed this tucked into mini whole wheat pitas.
I will definitely make this again.
Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about this Curried Chicken Salad!
Curried Chicken Salad from Ellie Krieger

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, no more than 3/4-inch thick
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used nonfat Greek yogurt)
  
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I omitted this completely)
  
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 cup halved red grapes
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 ounces mixed greens (about 5 cups lightly packed))
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (I omitted this)
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off and let chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch dice. Toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder. Fold in the chicken, grapes and cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the greens on 4 individual plates, top with a scoop of the chicken salad and sprinkle with the almonds.

Recipe for Curried Chicken Salad

CEiMB-Emerald Stir-fry with Beef

This week's CEiMB recipe, Emerald Stir-fry with Beef, was chosen by Alyssa, who blogs over at Alyssa's Two Bites. You can find the recipe on her blog or by following the link at the bottom of this post.

I don't like beef and therefore, I don't cook with it usually, so at first I thought I would switch out the beef in this stir fry with some other protein.
But then I changed my mind.
I decided to make the recipe as is, and bought the beef. Too bad I overcooked the beef.
oh well!
My family still ate it and liked it.

This was a pretty good stir fry, although I felt like it could've used some ginger or something to give it a little bit more flavor.
I didn't use the mirin, or white wine in the sauce, I just used a little bit more water.
I served this over noodles because I like them more than rice.

To see what everyone else thought about this stir fry, check out the CEiMB Blogroll.

Recipe for Emerald Stir-fry with Beef

CEiMB- Five Layer Mexican Dip

This week's CEiMB recipe is Five Layer Mexican Dip. It was chosen by Heather who blogs over at Mama Cooks. You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
The Five Layers in this dip are: 1- a delicious black bean dip, made in the food processor with garlic, cumin, and other things 2- corn/cilantro mixture combined w/ some of the leftover onion/garlic from layer 1, 3-mashed avocado with lime juice, 4-chopped tomato, jalepeno, and scallions, 5- shredded cheese.

I went back and forth about making this recipe, mainly because I have 2 tomato haters and 1 avocado hater in my family and didn't know how it would go over.
I decided to make it for a family dinner that we were going to because then there would be more mouths to fill and hopefully more people that would like this dip.
I didn't love it. Sorry. I am not going to lie to you. I wanted to really like it, but it was just ok.
I liked the black bean layer and I would have rather eaten that with the chips.
The corn/cilantro layer just didn't fit. I don't love frozen corn-not a big fan. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh corn on the cob, but not so much the frozen kernels.
I just didn't appreciate all the layers together.

That's not to say that there weren't those family members who loved the dip. There were some. They liked it so much that they were gifted the leftovers :)

Go check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about this one!

Recipe for Five Layer Mexican Dip

CEiMB- Twice Baked Potatoes with Sharp Cheddar and Oven Roasted Broccolini

This week's CEIMB recipe was Broccoli and Cheddar Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream. It was chosen by Anne who blogs over at Rainforest Recipes,
I did not make this recipe exactly. I did use some of the same ingredients and made something that my kids would eat.
Somehow I got inspired by the potatos, the cheese and then switched out the broccoli for broccolini. It just tastes so much better.
I baked my potatoes in the oven until I was able to scoop out the insides and then I just mashed the potatoes with 2 Tbls of unsalted butter, 1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt, 2 Tbls skim milk, salt and pepper.

I drizzled my broccolini with olive oil, then added some salt and pepper, and roasted it in a 400 degree oven until it was tender, about 15 minutes.
I put the mashed potato mixture back into the potato skins and then covered them with cheddar cheese. I popped them back in the oven, until the cheese was melted and the potatoes were warm throughout.

So, not exactly what the recipe said to do, but sometimes you have to improvise!

Check out the CEIMB Blogroll to see what everyone else did with this recipe!


Recipe for Broccoli and Cheddar-Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream

CEiMB- (rewind) Mom's Turkey Meatloaf

This week for CEiMB the recipe was Confetti Chili and was chosen by Lauren over at I'll Eat You.
I did not make chili, obviously. Mainly because I made this pumpkin bean chili a couple weeks ago and my hubby is not a big fan of chili.
Instead I am posting Ellie's recipe for her Mom's Turkey Meatloaf.

Going back and making this recipe, which was the first recipe that was chosen for CEiMB, was Kayte's idea. She was working on making all the CEiMB recipes that were chosen before she joined the group. She mentioned she was making this on twitter and I already had ground turkey breast in my fridge, so I decided to jump in and make it too.

I have only made meatloaf once before in my life. It was when I was a newlywed and my husband was not a fan. I remembered that all these years, so I never made it again. Not to mention I am not a huge meat fan, so it has never really appealed to me.
I made a 1/2 recipe of this meatloaf and it was a big hit with my family.
I didn't have any tomato sauce, so I topped it with ketchup. I thought this made it just a little bit too sweet and I think it would have been better topped with tomato sauce.
My son really loved this. He asked for the leftovers in his lunch for school.

I thought the onion should have been diced thinner- it was too prominent. I do think this was a great way to get some oats into a meal, a real secret ingredient.

While this was ok for me and definitely a crowd pleaser for my family, I don't think I will be making it regularly- too many other exciting dishes to make.
But, if you make meatloaf regularly, this is a really nice way to lighten it up.

Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone thought of the chili!


Recipe for Mom's Turkey Meatloaf

CEiMB-Orange, Radish and Mint Salad, without the mint

This week's CEiMB recipe was a free choice. We were given the opportunity to choose any recipe we wanted to try, although we were encouraged to make something we could bring to Thanksgiving dinner.
I decided to try this really simple salad because I have been wanting to try things that have radishes as a main ingredient.
I didn't share this at Thanksgiving, but I thought it was a pretty, yummy salad.

The sweetness of the oranges and the spicy hot of the radishes was really good together. I didn't really get the whole effect of the salad, because I didn't use fresh mint, but I used fresh parsley instead. I think the mint would add a nice kick to this salad.

I hope that everyone is having a great holiday weekend. Make sure you check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else decided to try this week!


Recipe for Orange, Radish and Mint Salad

CEiMB- Peach French Toast Bake

This week's Craving Ellie recipe was chosen by Liz of The Not So Skinny Kitchen. She chose Peach French Toast Bake.
When I first checked this book out from the library a year and a couple months ago, this french toast bake was one of the 4 recipes I had to make right away.

I made it with blueberries and blackberries, the first time, and have made it multiple other times, even made it into mini individual size servings.
It is fast and easy and I love that you can throw it together the night before. I have used different berries and was lucky enough to use the fresh peaches off my parents peach tree a couple of times when I made this.

Go check out what the other CEiMB-er's thought about this recipe by checking out the CEiMB Blogroll!

Recipe for Peach French Toast Bake

CEiMB- Carrot, Green Apple and Mint Salad- tweaked

I wasn't sure about this week's Craving Ellie recipe, Carrot, Green Apple, and Mint Salad. But it was chosen by Jessica, who blogs over at A Singleton in the Kitchen, and who is my blogging/twitter friend. Her blog is great, lots of yummy recipes and she is in most of the baking/cooking groups I am in, so I decided to look at the recipe again and try it out.

My main concern with this recipe was that it was similar to coleslaw(which I don't like), due to the dressing ingredients, basically a combination of mayo and vinegar. I hate mayo. This is a well known fact to people that know me. I can't stand it in anything. The flavor and the very thought of it is just a no-no for me. Not in salads of any kind or grossly hanging off sandwiches or whatever. No mayo for me. No exceptions. If a recipe calls for mayo, I will sub plain or greek yogurt, but even then I don't like "wet" salads and really don't like the combination of mayo and vinegar and sugar. I love vinegar and sugar, just not mixed together.
Anyway, enough about all that.
I decided to make this salad in a way that would be appealing to me. I spend enough time in the kitchen to know how to tweak a recipe a little bit, so that it is yummy to my tastebuds.

I used greek yogurt, lemon juice and a tad of honey in my salad. (So, basically I just left out the mayo and the vinegar). I also just used whatever apple I had on hand, which was a braeburn, in my salad. I think it would have tasted better with a sour apple, which is why the recipe calls for Granny Smith, but I didn't have one.

I also didn't have mint, so I just subbed in some Italian parsley. Not exactly the recipe that Ellie created, but it was quite delicious to me and that is what really matters.

Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what the others thought about this salad!

Recipe for Carrot, Green Apple, and Mint Salad

CEiMB-(rewind) Tuscan Vegetable Soup

Tuscan Vegetable Soup is not this week's recipe for Craving Ellie in my Belly. This week I was supposed to make Linguini with Shrimp.
Well, sometimes it just doesn't happen.
I didn't get to this soup in the middle of October for some reason, but saw that everyone was completely raving about it.
I decided to go back and make it, because it looked really easy, delicious and was getting rave reviews from everyone. It was chosen by Pam over at Lobster and Fishsticks, find her post about it here.

I made it when my mom was here visiting and it came together in a flash. We had been out at the park and got back home really close to dinner time. I couldn't believe how quickly this soup came together. It really is a simple soup, but it was really full of flavor and vegetables. My mom really liked it and so did the kids.

So, since it is soup weather right now, I encourage you to make this soup.

If you are feeling like shrimp is a better option, then go check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone thought about the linguini.

Recipe for Tuscan Vegetable Soup

CEiMB-Pumpkin Pie Muffins

I wasn't expecting much from this week's CEiMB recipe, Pumpkin Pie Muffins, which was chosen by OddBall Oven Mitt.
You can find the recipe by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.
I was pleasantly surprised by these muffins- they were much better than I thought they would be. I have made lots of muffins and sometimes making them healthy, means that they turn out with wierd texture or something else.
Not these. They were really delicious. The combination of pumpkin puree, molasses, and lowfat buttermilk, makes a really yummy treat.
I made 1/2 batch and sprinkled mine with roasted, salted pepitas. I also added a little bit more spice than the recipe suggested.

I was really surprised by how high these muffins became in the oven. The tallest muffins I have ever made by far.

My kids, my mom, and I really liked these. I should have made a full batch.
If you want a fall-ish, pumpkin-y treat that you can feel good about eating- these are the ones!

Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about these muffins!

Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Muffins

CEiMB-Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

I picked my mom up at the airport yesterday and we are so excited that she is going to stay with us for a whole week! It has been fun already and having an extra pair of hands all day is wonderful! I have to apologize about my lack of commenting on other blogs while she is here. Last thing I want to do is sit at the computer when there are so many fun things to do. I will get to all of you, as soon as I can.

There are a few foods I don't like. Not very many, but mushrooms are one of the things that I am not especially fond of. I will eat them if they are mixed into something or on top of pizza, but I will not eat them plain, on their own. ( This little tidbit of information relates to the post- just hold on a second.)

This weeks Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe, Easy Chicken Mushroom Quesadillas, was chosen by Marthe over at Culinary Delights. You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

These quesadillas were very easy to throw together. Good thing, since easy is in the recipe title.
You saute onion and mushrooms, add garlic, chicken, oregano, cumin, chili powder and spinach.
I already had some cooked chicken in the fridge, so I just shredded that and used it. I also added matchstick carrots, since they were in the fridge.

After the filling was cooked and warm, I melted the cheese and finished off our quesadillas in the microwave. That is how make quesadillas for my kids most of the time. My husband requires that his quesadillas be cooked in butter, so they are nice and golden on the outside (since he is an adult, he can get away with unhealthy demands sometimes) and he doesn't like whole wheat anything, so we used normal flour tortillas.
Hubs said " it's pretty and seems fancy and healthy. Doesn't taste bad either." (He really isn't that demanding, he puts up with a lot of wierd food, when he would rather be eating McDonalds.)

We dipped ours in the best jarred salsa out there- Herdez, it is the only jarred salsa I like. We used greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

We liked these. A nice way to get some vegetables into something that usually is just full of cheese and chicken. Plus, there were enough other things inside of these that I wasn't too bothered by the mushrooms.

Go see what the other Ellie's thought by checking out the CEiMB Blogroll!



Recipe for Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

One Year Ago-Weekly Lunchbox

CEiMB-Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza

The recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly this week was Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza. This recipe was chosen by Joanne and you can find the recipe over at her blog- Apple Crumbles or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. Joanne amazes me every week because she cooks so many variations of each recipe to satisfy the people in her family. Make sure you check out her blog.
I was excited to try this recipe because the black bean dip that you use as the spread for this pizza sounded really tasty. I made these for dinner last night and luckily, Kayte made them for lunch, so she tweeted about how good they were, just the way the recipe was written. Since she raved about them as is, I didn't change anything about these when I made my first batch.

I even got out my little cookie cut and made tiny little tortilla circles and I think this would make a great appetizer or party dish. Very delicious.
I could not keep my fingers out of this black bean dip. It was good. Plus the whole thing took maybe 20 minutes to make- blending up the dip, throw the pizzas together, cook and clean-up. I can handle that.

For my hubby and kids, I added some shredded chicken before I put the cabbage (I used angel hair coleslaw from the bag, which is just cabbage, but already thinly sliced) on top and then melted a little cheese on top. No complaints from any of my family members. They actually really liked this dinner too.
I will be making the dip again and hope that maybe there will be some left to make another pizza. I am not making any promises about that. Go to the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about these Mexican Pizzas!

Recipe for Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza


One Year Ago-Lunchbox #3

CEiMB-Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This week's CEiMB recipe- Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, was chosen by Pam, whose blog- Cookies with Boys, is a really great one- she always has great healthy recipes and delicious treats. She just seems like the kind of person that you would really want to have living next door. She has 2 adorable little boys and I am sure if she was your neighbor she would probably bring you a plate of cookies or invite you over for a lunchdate.
You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

The night that I made these for dinner my husband walked into the kitchen, looked at the pan I was cooking in and asked, "What is that?"
I said "BBQ for sandwiches."
He replied, " Well, I know what it is, but you don't ever cook stuff like that."

So, I guess that was his reaction when he saw me cooking something "normal". I thought it was pretty funny.

I don't really know that much about BBQ. I don't have a certain taste that I am looking for in the sauce or anything like that. I can't tell the difference between vinegar-based or whatever. In fact, the word BBQ meant to me growing up, that we were going to have a BBQ in the backyard, cooking something on the grill.
When I moved to the south, I soon realized that BBQ is actually a food. The confusion with words and phrases didn't stop there, but I won't go into that.

So, anyway- I made this sauce as is, because I wouldn't really know how to change it and I am not that particular about this stuff anyway. I left out the liquid smoke because I don't have any and this dinner was enjoyed by all. If I did make it again, I might mess around with the sauce and add something to give it a little heat and I would probably cook my own chicken to shred because the rotisserie chicken I found was quite pricey.

I had some of the BBQ leftover and I ate it the next day over some salad greens. It made a pretty tasty salad.

Check out the other CEiMB members by going to the Blogroll!
And if you haven't already entered my giveaway, go and comment for your chance to win a cookbook!
Recipe for Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches


One Year Ago- Lunchbox #2

CEiMB- Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

Today's CEiMB recipe- Chicken Sate with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, is one that I have been wanting to try for awhile now. I am so glad that Cathy picked it! You can find the recipe on her blog- The Tortefeasor, which I highly suggest you start reading, if you don't already or you can find the recipe HERE.

Now, I know my chicken is looking kinda sad, without any grill marks, but for some reason I decided to broil mine. Not really the best idea, since I put the broiler pan on the very top rack and even though I soaked my skewers, we still had some flames. Unbelievable!-especially since the day before my neighbor's kitchen was on fire. I stayed right there and watched them, but it was still a bit scary.

I moved the rack down to the next notch, a little bit farther from the heat for the next batch and luckily we didn't have any more flames.

My whole family liked the chicken. It was tender and flavorful, thanks to the marinade and the kids really enjoyed the whole eating-something-off-of-a-stick-that-you-can-then-turn-into-a-weapon-at -the-dinner-table idea.
Review on the peanut sauce- my husband said it was good. My son didn't like it, my daughters did. It was good, but not my favorite peanut sauce that I have ever made or tasted-It was a little too thick. Maybe I am too picky about peanut sauce. Maybe I have made too many different peanut sauces-idk. I don't want you to think it isn't good, it is! (This one is my favorite so far)

Overall though, we really enjoyed this recipe. Go see what the other CEiMBer's thought by checking out the Blogroll!

I also revisited the Oven Baked Onion Rings that I picked a couple weeks ago. The recipe uses Baked Lays Originals for the coating and I thought it would be fun to try it with some of the other Baked Lays flavors. We tried Cheddar & Sour Cream, Sour Cream & Onion and Barbeque Flavor. The Sour Cream & Onion were the fave and the BBQ were the least fave, a little too sweet, but it was fun to try other flavors.
Pam tried the onion rings again recently too- check out her post-HERE!

One Year Ago- What's in your Lunchbox #1-Finger picking chicken balls, mini caramel apples, mini bagel sammies, and fruit parfaits with homemade granola

CEiMB- Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese, stuffed inside a turkey burger (I used 93% lean), in my opinion, these couldn't be better- Peggy was the one responsible for this yummy choice; go visit her blog to see what she thought, to get the recipe (or go to the link below) and then, make one more quick stop at the CEiMB Blogroll to see what others stuffed inside their burgers and what their results turned out to be!
(Sick of the 1-sentence posts yet? or do you prefer short and sweet?)

Recipe for Stuffed Turkey Burgers

One Year Ago- Cheese-Stuffed Chicken in Phyllo and Dorie's Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes with Praline Buttercream and Ganache Filling

CEiMB-Cobb Salad

This week's Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe, Cobb Salad, was chosen by The Feast Within.
I haven't ever made Cobb Salad before. I decided I would serve this when my dear friend came over for dinner with her 3 kids. I prepped all the different ingredients- chopped cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado, crispy ham, bell peppers (not called for in the recipe, but I had some, so I chopped them), cooked chicken, chopped hard-boiled egg, and placed each of them in a little bowl with a serving spoon. Then, I mixed the romaine and baby spinach (the recipe called for watercress) and placed them in the center of the table.

I let everyone "make" their own salad and dress it with the delicious dressing if they wanted to.
My hubby thought the layout on the table was really pretty and asked me if I had taken a picture of it. I didn't, but I was impressed by his comment. Thanks, honey!

I instead took a pic of an individual serving, minus the fabulous dressing.

This was a really great dinner. Everyone was really happy with the salads they created and I found out my 4-year old loves blue cheese.

Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see the other tasty salads this week!



Find the Recipe for Cobb Salad here

CEiMB- Oven Baked Onion Rings

I like onion rings. Well, more than like.

I have never attempted to make them at home- I don't fry things very often. I save them for an indulgence when we go out, sometimes.
I chose this week's CEiMB recipe- Oven Baked Onion Rings.

I have been interested in making onion rings, so, I thought this was the perfect chance to try them out.

I didn't change the recipe at all. I made it exactly as it was printed. Sara, on the other hand, has made this recipe multiple times and has worked out a version that she prefers, which adds a few more spices to the coating.

I made these on the 4th of July, for our meal that we enjoyed before we went to the National Mall to get ready for the festivities.

I should have tripled the recipe. These were marvelous. All the kids LOVED them. And so did the adults.
My 7 year old said, "These are better than the Varsity." Coming from a kid, who was comparing my baked rings to the greasiest ones on the planet, I thought that was a pretty impressive compliment.

My kids have begged for them again and they will be making their way into my cooking rotation. What's not to love about a onion ring that tastes great and isn't bad for you?

Hopefully everyone else loved them as much as we did. To see what the rest of the Ellie's thought, go check out the CEiMB Blogroll!


I also made a couple of the recipe I have missed in the past 2 months.
I made the Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce and they were good-warm or cold.
I also made the Vegetable Cheese Strata when I was in DC. We enjoyed it before we set out to hike the Billy Goat Trail.

(Don't you just love the beautiful dishes my sister brought back from Portugal? It is kinda obvious I love them.)


Oven Baked Onion Rings by Ellie Krieger

• Cooking spray
• 4 cups baked potato chips
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet slightly with oil and set aside. Place potato chips in the bowl of a food processor and process into crumbs, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a shallow bowl, add cayenne, and set aside. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and set aside. Slice onions into 1/2-inch circles and separate into rings, keeping only large, whole rings (reserve rest of onions for other uses). You should come out with about 12 to 14 rings.

Place the remaining flour in a sealable plastic bag, then add onions, and shake to coat. Dip onions 1 at a time into the buttermilk mixture, then dip into potato chip crumbs and place on baking sheet. Spray canola oil evenly over rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until coating is crisp. Season with salt, to taste, and serve immediately.

Recipe for Vegetable Cheese Strata

Recipe for Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

CEiMB-White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Almonds

When I saw this week's CEiMB recipe, White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Amonds, that was chosen by Lauren over at I'll Eat You,
I wasn't sure how it was going to go over at our house. This was actually one of the last recipes I made and took pictures of, before our move. I figured since it was so easy and took about 5 minutes, it really wouldn't be that hard to get out of the way.
I threw it together and we had it as an appetizer before we ate our dinner. The verdict was split right down the middle. Half of us loved it. I mean really, really loved it. Half of us-not so much. Some adults loved it and so did some kids. The opposite was also true.
My gazpacho really didn't turn out white at all. I think it is because I didnt peel all of the skin off the cucumber. The color of the gazpacho in the cookbook, is much lighter.
It was fast and quite elegant looking (in my opinion), so if you love cucumbers and vinegar, try it out.
To see what the other CEiMBer's thought, check out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

White Gazpacho with Grapes and Toasted Almonds
2007 Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
2 large English cucumbers (or 3 large regular cucumbers), peeled and roughly chopped
3 slices white bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup warm water
3 cloves garlic
6 scallions, whites only, divided
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or Sherry vinegar, plus more, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup green grapes, halved
Directions
Set aside 1 cup of chopped cucumber for a garnish. Soak the bread in water until soft, about 2 minutes.
Place soaked bread, the rest of the cucumber, garlic, 3 of the scallions, vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the almonds, salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until cucumbers are completely blended and liquid and almonds are almost completely invisible, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Season with additional salt and vinegar, if desired.
To serve, ladle 1 cup gazpacho into a bowl. Mound 1/4 cup reserved chopped cucumber, 1 tablespoon scallions, 2 tablespoons grapes and 1 teaspoon almonds in the center of the soup.

Up Next- Vegetable Soup- Warm or Cold