ARF/5-A-Day #9 – The Mardi Gras Edition

It’s that time again… my weekly ARF/5-A-Day round-up.

To start us off this week, we have a newcomer to the round-up. Taste Corner from North Carolina brings us Vegetables in Coconut Milk. Great way to start us off!

Next up is Farmgirl Fare from Missouri with her take on turnips:

Patti from Adventures in Food and Wine in Indiana joins us with Edamame Corn Chowder:

Faith from Blog Appetite in California brings us a two-for-one with her Let Them Eat Bread with their Soup Soup AND Butternut Squash and Greens Braise.

Chef Michele from Arizona brings her delicious-sounding Taco Soup to our round-up.

Nupur from One Hot Stove in New York sends in a dish that’s just bursting with ARFs and veggies galore – her Chipotle Burrito:

Kalyn’s Kitchen in Utah serves up some great tummy warming food with her Goulash Soup with Red Peppers and Cabbage

Paula from The Cookbook Junkie in my neighboring state of Pennsylvania makes Ditalini with Zucchini – now there’s a fun name to say!

Sailu’s Food in India makes Pav Bhaji – Medley of Spiced Mashed Vegetables with Toasted Buns with TEN, yes, you read right, TEN veggies in it. Can’t get much more ARF/5-A-Day friendly than that!

Susan from Fat Free Vegan in the Deep South brings a “sure glad she made it, because I probably would have passed right by it” recipe with her Beet Chocolate Cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce recipe. Alanna, it looks like we have another Sneaky Mom on our hands … and I’m all for that!

And speaking of Alanna, I’m snagging her Sun-Dried Tomato and Fennel Salad and entering it into the round-up myself.

The Chocolate Lady from New York never fails to bring vegetables that I rarely eat, much less see … all the more reason for round-ups like these. Presenting her Mustard Greens:

Zabeena from A Lot on My Plate in the United Kingdom whipped up Red Camargue Rice Fry-Up – now there’s a rice I’ve never heard of…

Next, check out Aspiring Annapoorna from Arizona where she’s serving up Tomatoes with Sev.

And lastly, in the “excuse the fuzzy picture” category, my own entry. I made Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a side of Easy Fried Spinach. Both were new recipes and I’d definitely make both again.

And that, folks, is tonight’s edition of ARF/5-A-Day#9 … 15 participants. I believe our record was nearly 30 … where’d all my regulars go? Oh forget it, I’ll just go and kidnap a few more participants myself. Here we go, I’ve wrangled a couple more up for your drooling pleasure.

Dragging in Joe from Culinary in the Desert (and that “Desert” would be Arizona) with his Apple, Almond, and Mixed Greens Salad with Zinfandel-Cranberry Vinaigrette:

Got another one … it’s Alysha from The Savory Notebook with her Mushroom Spinach Stroganoff. That’ll work – yummy!

And to fulfill our “dessert category” that Stacey usually takes care of, I’ve brought along Kit’s deliciously drunk Strawberry Trifle (hey, strawberries are fruits, remember!). She’s from Mango and Ginger in Maryland.

And speaking of Stacey, here she is … Just Braise in New York with Skate au Buerre Noir & Sweet Potatoes Crisps w/ Balsamic Reduction – check out the gorgeous presentation!

OK, that’s a bit better now – for now. To the rest of you, c’mon out and play and fill our bellies with your ARF/5-A-Day fruit and veggie goodness next week. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a recipe you made today; recent is A-OK. We need inspiration in all forms, particularly in the doldrums of cold Winters.

Now it’s your turn … rock out the Comments tab and talk back to me. Until tomorrow, I’ll leave you with this week’s…

Hot Health Hint #2: To help keep your wrinkles at bay, add grated carrots to spaghetti sauce. You won’t notice them and their carotene will feed your skin.

P.S. To those of you that subscribe to receive my posts daily, I understand it’s not working and you’re not getting your daily Sweetnicks fix … I’m working on it. Not sure what’s wrong, but waiting to hear from Bloglet. Hang in there…

Editing post to add … P.P.S. Alysha, you are too funny. Her comment brings up a good point that might need refreshing. You can get all the details ARF/5-A-Day info here, but any recipe that has ANY antioxidant rich ingredient, fruit, or veggie qualifies for our round-up. Top 20 ARFs are awesome, but it doesn’t have to be on that list — those are just jumping off points. Got a fruit recipe you just made? Send it in. Something with veggies? A-OK! An ARF? Perfect! A Top 20 ARF? All the better. No more excuses. :)