Menu: Care for Her

The recipes for the Care for Her party were created by Becky Rosenthal of  The Vintage Mixer. We were thrilled to collaborate with her on this kit. She put together the most delicious menu – seriously the melon coolers below are the perfect thing to be sipping on for a spa party! To learn more and find other fabulous recipes, visit her blog here .

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (I used whole milk Greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup herbs, chopped (combo of mint, basil, parsley and dill)
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely dice the half cucumber and sprinkle with salt, then place in a colander over the sink to let the juices drain while you make the rest of the salad.
2. In a bowl mix together the shredded chicken, yogurt, herbs, lemon juice, and minced garlic.
3. Add in the cucumber.
4. Serve over greens or in a sandwich. Top with feta cheese or extra cucumbers and herbs.

BEET, WALNUT AND HONEY DIP 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 beets
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

 DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop off beet greens right at the stem and reserve for another recipe (try them chopped in a salad, sautéed with toasted nuts or with eggs). Wrap each beet in foil (keep skin on) and place then on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes dependent on their size. For the last 8-10 minutes of roasting add the walnuts to the baking sheet. Check the beets’ doneness by sliding a knife into the beet. It should go through smoothly and easily. Let beets and walnuts cool.
2. To get the skin off the beets, hold one of the beets in a paper towel and use the edges of the paper to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn’t, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer. Peel the remaining beets.
3. Place peeled beets and all of the other ingredients in a food processor or high powered blender and process until smooth.
4. Serve with bread and extra walnuts and honey.

HEALTHY PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE BARS WITH DATE CARAMEL

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 6 large medjool dates
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup*
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
• 2 cups puffed brown rice cereal
• 1 cup rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
• 1/2 cup nuts, roughly chopped (I use almonds and walnuts)
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9 x 9 inch baking pan.
2. In a food processor blend together the dates, peanut butter, maple or brown rice syrup and 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil. Blend until it forms into a ball.
3. In a separate large bowl stir together the dry ingredients – puffed rice, rolled oats, nuts, salt and seeds. Add the blended peanut butter and date mixture to the dry ingredients and use a spatula and your strong arm to mix the two together (this make take a little bit to get it all combined).
4. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool completely . Melt chocolate and remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and pour over the top of the cooled bars. Place in the fridge to further harden then loosen with a knife around the edges, turn out onto a cutting board and cut into 16 square bars. Store in the refrigerator in an air safe container.

MELON COOLERS

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups cubed melon
• 2 cups limeade*
• 15 mint leaves, plus a few extra to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in chilled glasses and garnish with extra mint leaves.
2. For homemade limeade mix 2 cups water with 1/4 cup simple syrup and 1/4 cup lime juice (about 3-4 limes).