Daphne Oz's Smoothie

I've tried a couple of recipes for Smoothies, my favorite being Alton Brown's, but I still haven't found the perfect recipe.   This was from one of the first episodes of The Chew, which has become one of my favorite daily activities.  There actually haven't been that many recipes I've wanted to try, but I'm still constantly learning more about cooking and food!

The case:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup fresh fruit (Daphne used 1/2 cup blueberries)
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
1/2 banana (optional)
1 tablespoon psyllium husks
3 ester-c capsules (500 mg)
1 cup ice (if fruit is frozen, no ice needed)
Some water or juice to blend for consistency

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy (Note: Of the 1 cup fruit, Daphne used 1/2 that cup with blueberries. It's your choice what to make that 1 cup consist of). If you have trouble blending, try adding a little water to thin the smoothie. Make sure to have at least two 8 oz glasses of water with each serving of smoothie to help the psyllium husks expand so they digest properly.

The ruling:
This is the best smoothie recipe I've ever tried.  I didn't add the ester-c caps or psyllium husks, but used Greek yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup strawberries, and a splash of milk.

Grape Salad

This side dish is always a hit with my friends.  They go back for seconds and thirds.  My mother-in-law first introduced it to me, and I've made it countless times since!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs green seedless grapes
• 2 lbs red seedless grapes
• 8 oz sour cream
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup crushed pecans
  

Directions:

1. Wash and stem grapes, set aside.
2. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar until blended.
3. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour into a large serving bowl.
4. For topping: Combine brown sugar, and crushed pecans.  Sprinkle over tops of grapes, to cover completely.
5. Chill overnight or for as long as possible.   

Printable Grape Salad Recipe