A white bean soup, pureed, would fit the bill. You could have some pieces of ham in the soup that get pureed, too. Also, I recently made a tomato soup with some sauteed onions and garlic, add a little flour, then slowly add chicken broth and then diced tomatoes. Season however you like - I used allspice and basil. Puree the soup. At the end, add some heavy cream. One recipe said to add a T. of sugar. I used a whole box of chicken broth (32 oz.) and two 28-oz cans of tomatoes. One time I added mashed butternut squash. When DH had gum surgery, I gave him slushies made of ice and sprite pureed in the blender the first day. He had a lot of mashed potatoes and puddings. After a few days, he wanted beef pureed in the blender. I probably mixed it with mashed potatoes and some broth. If I recall, I probably overcooked egg noodles and served them with butter and parmesan cheese. I don't want to add to your worries, but he did not want to eat regular food for over a week. He was working and everything was normal except he still wanted to eat soup and mashed potatoes and other soft foods. We probably had scrambled eggs, overcooked pasta, and soups. He made a lot of milkshakes and smoothies. After he had beef pureed, I figured anything he had a taste for could be put in the blender and his appetite could be sated. Maybe if you think of the things you crave, you could adapt them to a pureed version. Kari

Well, I don't know about semi-healthy, but Ann T's cream cheese danish is delicious, can be filled with whatever fruit is good, or jam if you prefer, and it even freezes well if you only want to take half of the batch at a time. I often make four small ones with different fillings to have a variety: Cream Cheese Danish Coffee Cake =============================== Source: Home Cooking Magazine 1 c sour cream 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c butter 1 t. salt 2 packages dry yeast (4 1/2 t.) 1/2 c warm water 2 eggs beaten 4 c all purpose flour Over low heat in a small saucepan, heat butter, sour cream and sugar until warm and sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature. In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix sour cream mixture with yeast and add beaten eggs and flour. Will be a very soft dough. Put in fridge overnite to rise. (May be done same day. Put in fridge for about 2 to 4 hours, and then proceed. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead 6 or 7 times. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece out to 12 X 8 inches. Spread 1/4 of filling on to each piece and roll jellyroll style from long side. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place seam side down on buttered baking sheet and cut X's in top. (About 6 X's) (Danish should be slightly flatten, and about 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide and about 12 inches long. Cover and let rise until about double in size -approximately 1 hour Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Let cool on wire racks, Filling 2 packages 8 oz. cream cheese 3/4 c sugar 1 egg beaten 1 t. vanilla extract 1/8 t. salt Filling: To make filling beat together cream cheese with sugar, add egg and vanilla extract and salt Glaze 2 1/2 c confectioners sugar 1/4 c milk 1 t. vanilla extract toasted sliced almonds. Combine the first 3 ingredients for glaze and drizzle over loaves with toasted almonds Makes 4 Large Danish Muffins would be good and some are actually healthy. I like a "parfait" made of yogurt, fruit and granola, with a drizzle of honey if the fruit isn't terribly sweet. Annie

I have made all of these in the past and they have always been VERY weel received! Oh and I love sauerkraut balls that Linda mentioned, but mine have corned beef/ham bits in them so they really aren't veggie. Alexa **************************************************** Eggplant caviar From Kyra’s Secrets of Russian Cooking 1 large eggplant 1 large onion, chopped very fine 1 small can tomato paste 1 green pepper chopped very fine 1 tsp vinegar (or slightly more) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tsp powdered sugar salt & pepper to taste Bake the eggplant until tender. When cool, skin it and chop very fine. Saute onion and pepper in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add tomato paste and simmer 4-5 minutes, add in the remaining oil. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and chopped eggplant. Cook very slowly over low heat for 20 minutes, adding more oil if needed. Remove from heat and put in a container in the refrigerator. Serve very cold with thin sliced black pumpernickel and unsalted butter. ******************************************************** Roasted Pepper and Artichoke Puffs (about 4 dozen) 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 can (13 ¼ oz) artichoke bottoms, drained and cut into ¼ inch dice 3 oz thinly sliced prosciutto , minced 3 Tbsp finely shredded fresh basil 2 oz Parmesan, grated (about ½ cup) 2 oz Jarlsberg or Gruyere cheese grated (about ½ cup) 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice ½ cup Hellman’s mayonnaise 3 erd bell peppers 3 yellow bell peppers ¼ cup olive oil 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar Fresh ground pepper & salt to taste 1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until just softened about 2 ��" 3 min. Transfer to a med mixing bowl. 2. Add the artichoke bottoms, proscuitto, basil, parmesan and Jarlsberg to the scallions and toss to combine. Sprinkle with lemon juice and pepper. Bind the mixture with mayo and refrigerate at least 1 hour. 3. Prepare the peppers: Preheat the oven to 400F. Stem & seed each pepper, then cut into chunks about 2 x 1 ½ inches. Place the peppers in a single layer in a large shallow baking dish. Drizzle peppers with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the peppers 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and let cool. When ready to serve the hors d’oeuvres, preheat the broiler. Mound about 2 tsp of the artichoke mixture onto each pepper wedge. Arrange in rows on a baking sheet and broil 3 ��" 4 inches from the heat until puffed and bubbly about 2 minutes. Let cool a few minutes then transfer to a tray and pass with plenty of napkins. From Cold-Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase ********************************************************** Tapas Sherry Mushrooms Few tapas taste more Spanish than champiñones al ajillo (ajillo mushrooms), dripping with olive oil, garlic and dry Spanish Sherry. To make this tapa even more authentic, be sure to serve the mushrooms with plenty of fresh, crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices. Serves 4 10 minutes preparation + 12 minutes cooking Difficulty: Medium Ingredients 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil 4 cups (8 oz) mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons dry sherry 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile, seeded and crumbled 1/4 teaspoon Spanish paprika Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Preparation Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, sherry, lemon juice, dried chile, paprika, and salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic and mushrooms have softened. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve on small earthenware platters. *********************************************************** Spanikopita 16 oz Phyllo Dough,thawed in the fridge for 24 hours 10 oz Frozen Spinach,thawed and drained of all liquid 3/4 lb Feta Cheese,375 Grams 1/2 lb Cottage Cheese,pressed and drained about 1 Cup 1/4 lb Cream Cheese,Softened 3 Eggs 1/4 cup Fresh Dill,Chopped Fine Salt Pepper Nutmeg 3/4 cup Butter,melted In large bowl combine all ingredients except phylo and butter.Working with one sheet of phylo at a time, brush with melted butter and cut in 5 strips lengthwise. Place 1 spoonful of mixture at the bottom of each strip about 1 inch from the bottom, fold the bottom piece up over the filling and then fold up into triangles. Fold like you fold a flag, to the left, up , to the right ,up etc. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve warm Artichoke and Herb Tarts Ingredients 1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (2 sheets) 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces) 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke heart, drained and chopped 1/2 cup diced roasted sweet red pepper 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Directions Thaw the pastry sheets at room temperature for 40 minutes or until they're easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with vegetable cooking spray. Stir the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese until the ingredients are mixed. Stir in the artichokes, red pepper and parsley. Season to taste. Unfold 1 pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the sheet into a 12-inch square. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the edges of the pastry with water. Fold over the edges 1/2 inch on all sides, pressing firmly with a fork to form a rim. Prick the pastry thoroughly with a fork. Repeat with the remaining pastry. Divide the cheese mixture between the pastry crusts and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Sprinkle each with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm. Time-Saving Tip: Use 1/2 cup of shelf-stable grated Parmesan cheese for the fresh cheese. Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the cheese filling up to 5 days in advance. *********************************************************** Artichoke Heart and Red Pepper Bites These simple appetizers are something that we always have on hand for surprise guests. They freeze extremely well, are very easy to make, and are always popular. They go together very well with the rest of this festive Easter menu and require no preparation time at all on a very busy day. Simply defrost and eat! 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Cooling Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour *******************************************************

got a food processor? you can make a lot of different things soft that way. A 6 vegetable soup I like involves processing until smooth: 1 peeled cubed potato, 1 chunked carrot, 1 sliced zuchini, one chopped onion, 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed, 1 cup frozen peas, and a can of veggie broth. Toss all in a pan and add water to cover veggies, boil until soft, process til smooth, salt and pepper to taste, serve with a dollop of sour cream.