Cucumber Soup

I thought we needed something refreshing on a hot summer day.  So I started making a chilled cucumber soup.  Then it stormed and it wasn't hot anymore.  Oh well, it was still good.  This soup is good hot, room temperature or chilled.  

The original recipe is from here and the changes I made were a from all the comments left.  I love all recipes just for that reason!

Surprisingly, everyone ate it - most of us even liked it =).  We're going to eat it again and probably use all the cucumbers in our garden to freeze a bunch of this for the winter!

4 cucumbers
1/4 cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons butter or oil

1 clove garlic
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
7 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tablesppons farina or wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1 cup sour cream

Peel, seed, and chop cucumbers. The healthiest part of a vegetable is the skin and seeds, so I peeled mine with stripes - only about half the skin and I didn't remove all the the seeds.  The quickest way to remove seed is to cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and then you can easily scoop them out.

Cook the chopped onion and garlic in the margarine until soft. Add the chopped cucumbers and vinegar. Pour in the broth, as much as will fit.  I held out a few cups because my pan wasn't big enough.  Salt & pepper taste, and add dill. Bring to a boil and wisk in the farina or flour.  Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cucumbers are soft.

Put the soup into a blender, and puree it.

Pour the puree into a bowl, and whisk in the remaining broth, 1 cup of milk and sour cream. Taste the soup for seasoning. Either eat hot or store in the fridge to eat cold.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

This is a great healthy snack for kids and adults.  

1 c. natural, organic peanut butter (I use whatever peanut butter I have)

2 ½ c. rolled oats or quick oats

½ c. flax seed meal

¾ c. honey (use local – helps fight allergies)

½ c. unsweetened coconut

3/4 c. raw cacao nibs (found in health food store or online) (or choc. chips – just not as healthy)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  It does get quite sticky, so I just use clean hands and mix it all together.  It should look like the consistence of thick cookie dough.  After mixed, wash hands and pour a bit of Canola oil on your hands so mixture won’t stick to you.  Scoop teaspoon size balls into your hand and roll.  I use a small cookie scoop. I like to put them on a cookie sheet line with wax paper to set in fridge for about an hour.  After that, just throw them into baggies and your set.  You could also freeze them if you will not eat in a week or so.  I often times double the recipe and then freeze them.