After a heart procedure last week, Master urged slave to get out and socialize. So a pot luck dinner was put together for the Apartment Building. Any excuse to cook and get together to talk lifts the energy level! Many seniors are put on a medicine for heart that limits their intake of green vegetables. Besides most get togethers like this end up with fourteen desserts and lots of chips & dip. Not very healthy.

Here we have both a wonderful savory & sweet vegetable mix that is great for any function and a sinful pie for their sweet tooth! Use either or both as you wish.

Directions: the night before:

White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 pre-made graham cracker crust (9 inch)

1 egg, whipped for egg wash

3 bananas, sliced thinly

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla flavor instant pudding
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) White chocolate flavor instant pudding

2 cups cold milk

1 8oz tub of frozen whipped (low fat) topping, thawed, divided

Directions:

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Always place a foil pie pan inside of a true metal one for strength!
Brush with a lightly whipped egg. Don't use the whole thing, just enough to make it shinny.

Bake in pre-heated oven for about 11 to 15 minutes. This strengthens the crust and improves the taste.

Let cool!

Place a layer of banana slices in crust.

Beat pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk for 2 min.
Fold in 1 cup of the thawed topping, gently. Spread about a third of this over the bananas. Lay another layer of bananas and top with remaining pudding mix.

Spread the plain topping over the pie. Use the clear plastic cover from the crust upside down to cover the pie.

Refrigerate 3 hours.

You will find the subtle flavoring of the white chocolate pudding mixed with the vanilla will intrigue your guests!

The day of the dinner:

Balsamic Cauliflower, Carrots, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

½ cup white balsamic vinegar

½ cup honey

2 tbs butter

1/2 teaspoon salt + ¼ tsp white pepper + ½ tsp ginger

½ head of garlic cloves, peeled (about 6 cloves)

1 head cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces

1 lbs baby carrots

1 quart cherry tomatoes

Directions:

The garlic cloves must be peeled. Their skin will peel off easily if you whack them with the flat side of a cooking knife. Slave reads that the cloves can be placed in a glass jar and shaken to do the same thing.

Still remember to cut them down the center and remove any green parts.

In large bowl mix the vinegar, butter and honey. Stir in salt, pepper, and ginger.

How to cut up and rinse cauliflower:

Unwrap head and cut in half from the stem (trunk) down to the crown. Then cut each halves the same way.

Cutting from the corner at an angle you can cut the stem out entirely.

At this point the florets can mostly be snapped off with you fingers. You just want the bushy part with a bit of the stem to hold it together.

Place in large bowl of cold water with about ½ cup of white vinegar mixed in to clean off the cauliflower.

Baby carrots come washed in a bag ready to eat, so cut into 1 inch pieces.

After about 15 minutes, rinse off the cauliflower. Then stir the vegetables (also garlic & tomatoes) into the marinade.

Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning the sheet front to back halfway through.
(if still too crunchy, add 5 minutes to time).

Be careful when you remove this from the oven as there will be liquid (sauce). You will find brown spots where the vegetable has started to caramelize and the cloves of garlic will have a wonderful nutty taste.

What a great way to fix a side dish for seniors who are on medicines that limit their intake of green vegetables!
Pot lucks can be a fun way to pull senior neighbors out of their apartments and share a laugh and good food.