I've been cooking soups daily (and filling my freezer).
Currently, I have containers of Cauliflower Soup, Broccoli Soup, Lentil Soup, Mushroom Barley Soup,
Cream of Mushroom Soup, Black Eyed Pea Soup, Cannelini Soup.
They are great in the fall and winter seasons.
I find that as long as I have soup ready, making lunches, dinners becomes less of a chore.
Having a large salad and fruit salad also helps:)
It is no longer "what will I make for dinner". I just pull out a large bowl, gather my goodies from the veggie drawer, the pantry shelf and make a salad out of it.
If I have a good dressing - it is ALWAYS well-received by family.
Speaking of dressings: I stopped buying them a while ago. If I don't have anything made up, it's a breeze to put together something with the help of Olive Oil and Balsamic, Sherry, Rice, or Apple Cider vinegars.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
More Fun in the Kitchen
Napa Cabbage -
who would have thought?
In my quest to increase leafy greens in my diet, I picked up a head of Napa Cabbage. OK - it's a bit pale but it's good for variety.
Here is what I did with it:
(I don't want to forget, that is why I'm posting it:) )
I cut (most) of it into 3/4" strips,
chopped a couple of stalks of celery and a bunch of green onions into tiny pieces
added a good handful of sunflower seeds
mixed it, then:
created a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and Rice vinegar.
Mixed it well - then let it sit in the fridge for a while.
Delicious: the seeds and the celery add a bit of crunch to it. The rice vinegar (no sugar/salt) - is mild and pleasant.
The remaining piece of cabbage gets chopped and will be added to a soup to keep that interesting:)
who would have thought?
In my quest to increase leafy greens in my diet, I picked up a head of Napa Cabbage. OK - it's a bit pale but it's good for variety.
Here is what I did with it:
(I don't want to forget, that is why I'm posting it:) )
I cut (most) of it into 3/4" strips,
chopped a couple of stalks of celery and a bunch of green onions into tiny pieces
added a good handful of sunflower seeds
mixed it, then:
created a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and Rice vinegar.
Mixed it well - then let it sit in the fridge for a while.
Delicious: the seeds and the celery add a bit of crunch to it. The rice vinegar (no sugar/salt) - is mild and pleasant.
The remaining piece of cabbage gets chopped and will be added to a soup to keep that interesting:)
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
My First Tomato Soup
... I think...
a little olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 Hot red pepper, stem cut off, chopped, seeds and all (or a sweet pepper if you prefer)
1 carrot, grated (to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)
1 can Eden Crushed Tomatoes
1 Imagine Vegetable broth
Heat olive oil, add onion, stir, and cook until it softens. Add garlic, cook for a couple of minutes, then add hot pepper and grated carrot. Stir frequently. Let them soften.
Add the tomatoes, stir, then add the Broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to LOW, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes. I use my immersion blender to blend it.
Fresh Basil would be a nice addition.
a little olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 Hot red pepper, stem cut off, chopped, seeds and all (or a sweet pepper if you prefer)
1 carrot, grated (to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)
1 can Eden Crushed Tomatoes
1 Imagine Vegetable broth
Heat olive oil, add onion, stir, and cook until it softens. Add garlic, cook for a couple of minutes, then add hot pepper and grated carrot. Stir frequently. Let them soften.
Add the tomatoes, stir, then add the Broth and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to LOW, cover and cook for about 25-30 minutes. I use my immersion blender to blend it.
Fresh Basil would be a nice addition.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Spinach Salad
Simple, fresh and wonderful:
4- 6 cups of fresh Baby Spinach
several sliced radishes
a handful of raw sunflower seeds
a handful of raw pumpkin seeds
a good dose of Lemon Tahini Dressing
The combination of the seeds and the radishes provides a wonderful crunch.
4- 6 cups of fresh Baby Spinach
several sliced radishes
a handful of raw sunflower seeds
a handful of raw pumpkin seeds
a good dose of Lemon Tahini Dressing
The combination of the seeds and the radishes provides a wonderful crunch.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Reading
Current reading: Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman.
I'm giving it a lot of thought. My first response is to increase the leafy greens and fruits in my diet while I reduce my reliance on breads and pasta.
Is it hard?
Yes and no.
The hard part is to stay conscious of what I'm eating. (a good idea any time:) )
The easy part:
not much preparation required. A lot of it is just wash, chop, eat:)
I'm giving it a lot of thought. My first response is to increase the leafy greens and fruits in my diet while I reduce my reliance on breads and pasta.
Is it hard?
Yes and no.
The hard part is to stay conscious of what I'm eating. (a good idea any time:) )
The easy part:
not much preparation required. A lot of it is just wash, chop, eat:)
Thursday, July 5, 2012
R & R
Ricotta -
for some strange reason, I've been craving Ricotta. I buy the low fat version and give into the craving.
I make a couple of things with it:
Baked Ricotta and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
Baked Ricotta is the world's easiest way to enjoy the cheese:
you simply drain the Ricotta in a strainer suspended over a bowl.
Add whatever you wish to add to it - my latest had a couple of tablespoons of Black cherry jam that I needed to finish. Mix well. Spread on a greased Pie Dish. Add any fruit topping you wish (mine had cherry halves.) Bake at 375 F for about 35 min. Let it cool before you cut it.
Running-
I am back at it:)
well, as long as the weather cooperates. Currently, it's just too hot to run.
for some strange reason, I've been craving Ricotta. I buy the low fat version and give into the craving.
I make a couple of things with it:
Baked Ricotta and Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
Baked Ricotta is the world's easiest way to enjoy the cheese:
you simply drain the Ricotta in a strainer suspended over a bowl.
Add whatever you wish to add to it - my latest had a couple of tablespoons of Black cherry jam that I needed to finish. Mix well. Spread on a greased Pie Dish. Add any fruit topping you wish (mine had cherry halves.) Bake at 375 F for about 35 min. Let it cool before you cut it.
Running-
I am back at it:)
well, as long as the weather cooperates. Currently, it's just too hot to run.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Modification
Clafoutis was a big hit...
Then, I had quite a bit of Asparagus from the market. So, I whipped up some pancake batter - clafoutis style - minus 1 egg and minus sugar, vanilla- roasted some asparagus, cut it into pieces, added a pinch of salt, poured the batter over them, baked them at 425F for 20 minutes and Voila! - another lovely dish:)
Then, I had quite a bit of Asparagus from the market. So, I whipped up some pancake batter - clafoutis style - minus 1 egg and minus sugar, vanilla- roasted some asparagus, cut it into pieces, added a pinch of salt, poured the batter over them, baked them at 425F for 20 minutes and Voila! - another lovely dish:)
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