Cashew Date Energy Balls (No-Bake)

Ingredients: 1 cup old-fashioned oats 3 tablespoons roasted, salted cashews, lightly chopped 3 tablespoons chopped dates (raisins or dried cranberries can be used instead) 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (room temperature) 1/4 cup honey Directions: In a medium bowl, combine oats, cashews, dates, ginger and salt. Stir to mix. Add peanut butter and honey; mix well to thoroughly combine. Cover and refrigerate 20-30 minutes until mixture is easy to handle. Shape into 1-inch balls. Store covered in refrigerator. Can be frozen in a single layer in a freezer container. Thaw completely before serving. Submitted by Suzanne Kestell

Swiss Chard Soup

Ingredients: 9 stalks Swiss Chard – stems and leaves finely chopped 4 Tbsp butter or margarine 2 cups onion – finely chopped 2 Tbsp flour 8 cups chicken broth 8 sprigs parsley – chopped Salt and pepper 2 bay leaves 2-4 squeezes of lemon Directions: • In an 8 qt pot, melt butter. Sauté onion and swiss chard – about 7-9 minutes • Sprinkle in flour and gently mix flour in • Add broth, bring to a boil, stirring constantly • Add parsley, bay leaves, & salt & pepper (no salt if chicken broth has salt) • Reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes • Cool slightly, remove bay leaves • Blend soup till smooth (caution – mixture should be cool) • Add lemon juice Can be served cold or hot. Add a dollop of sour cream on top. Submitted by Marci Eisenstadt