Sunday, November 9, 2008

Irish Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium to large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large bite-sized chunks
3 potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1/2 medium purple cabbage, quartered
3-4 small, bit sized turnips
2 bay leaves
handful of cilantro
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups hot water
2 stock cubes
2 cans worth of beans (mixture of kidney, black, chickpeas and other beans is good)
salt and pepper to taste

Best to do this in a pressure cooker, if you have one. If not use a heavy pot with a good lid. Heat the oil and add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the water and stock cubes) and saute for about another 10 minutes. Add the water and stock cubes and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. If you are not using a pressure cooker, then just bring to a boil, partially cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the veggies are tender. Serve hot.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Roasted Potatoe & Squash Soup with Sorrel

Roast up some veggies for dinner the night before - just prepare the veggies, drizzle with some olive oil and sea salt and bake for an hour at 425 degrees - you can use the leftovers the next day to make this delicious soup. Make sure to stab any big items like squash with a knife before you cook them or them may explode in the oven!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup of mixture of red onion and shallots, coarsely chopped
3-4 roasted potatoes
1 medium sized roasted delicata squash
1 cup chopped sorrel
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups of veggies stock, or 1 veggie cube and 4 cups boiling water

Heat the oil and cook the onions/shallot for 5 minutes over fairly high heat, stirring frequently. Cut up the potatoes in chucks and add to the onion. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds with a spoon and discard. Remove the flesh of the squash (without the skin) and add to the onion and potatoes. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently till the mixtures browns without burning. Add the salt and sorrel and cook for a few minutes more. Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes. Using an immersion blender, liquify, leaving the mixture some small veggies chunks if you like. You could also use a blender or food processor, but an immersion blender is the easiest. Eat hot. Yummy!!!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Sorrel Vegetable Soup

Yummy on cold days and great if you have fresh, organic veggies from your local farmer's market. If you don't have the exact ingredients below, experiment with what you have adding the slowest cooking veggies first, and the fastest cooking ones last. If you don't have sorrel and parsley, experiment with different fresh herbs.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions peel and quartered
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped into bite sized pieces
3 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into bite sized chucks
2-3 baby turnips, scrubbed clean, quartered if large
1 handful fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean, quartered if large
1 large golden beet, peeled and quartered
1 medium delicata squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced into chunks
1 cup of bok choy, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 bay leaves
3-4 leaves of sorrel
1 handful of italian parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt and then to taste
2 veggies stock cubes and hot water (or homemade veggie stock)

Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot that has a good lid. Add the bay leaves and all the vegetables as you prepare them, starting with the onions and working down the list of ingredients in the order above. Stir occasionally and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. The veggies should brown, but not burn.

Add the sorrel and parsley to a food processor and pulse till chopped. Add the herbs, including the oregano, and the salt to the vegetables and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add 2 veggies stock cubes and enough hot water to cover the vegetables well. How much water you add is a matter of taste and will determine how liquid your soup is.

Bring the soup to a boil, then partially cover it with a lid and simmer until the veggies are soft and begin to fall apart.

Remove the bay leaves, and using an immersion blender, partially liquify the soup, leaving some chunks of veggies and some texture in the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, put about 2/3 of the soup in a blender or food processor and just pulse a couple of times and add back to the soup.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Salsa

Very easy to make, fresh and good for you!

2 vine ripe tomotoes, quartered
1 handful of fresh cilantro or italian parsley
Juice of 1 lime or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 white onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed (or more if you like salsa hot)
1 dash sea salt.

Add jalapeno to food processor and cut up finely. Then add onion and cilantro (or italian parsley). Finally add tomatoes, lime juice (or apple cider vinegar) and sea salt and pulse till the tomatoes are cut up, but still chunky.

Chocolate Tart with Strawberries

Very easy, quick, healthy, and delicious.

Crust

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup dried coconut
1/8 cup dried apricots
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1 pinch sea salt

Put coconut in food processor and grind up. Then add nuts and grind. Then add the fruit and nuts. Mix till it looks like breadcrumbs. Pour into a tart pan and press down with a spoon to form a crust. Put tart crust into freezer while you make the chocolate filing.

Chocolate Filing

3 ripe avocados (remove skin and pit)
1/2 cup agave nectar (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 pinch sea salt

Mix well in food processor. Stop and scrap sides of processor with spatula and mix some more.

Spread the filing into the pie crust and top with fresh fruit such as raspberries, bananas, or strawberries.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Papaya with Mint

1 papaya
2 limes
2-3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 bunch fresh mint

Wash the papaya. Cut the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut away the skin of the papaya. Cut the papaya flesh into bite sized pieces and place in a dish.

Squeeze the juice from the limes and add to the papaya.

Wash the mint, chop it, and add to the papaya.

Add the agave nectar and stir. Enjoy!

Arugula and Tomatoes

1 bunch of arugula
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil in skillet.

Cut the tomatoes in bite sized pieces and add to the oil. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add arugula and cook for about another 5 minutes

Seasoning with a little sea salt.

Beet, Walnut & Orange Salad

6 fresh beets (try a mixture of golden and reds ones)
1 head of red leaf lettuce
1 cup walnuts, chopped
2 oranges

(Dressing - see the receipe for Basily Balsamic Dressing)

Remove the greens from the beets, cut of the tops and bottoms of them, and scrub them well. Cook in a pressure cooker. Depending on size this should take about 5-7 minutes on high pressure. When cooked, remove skins, cut into bite sized pieces and leave to cool.

Wash and dry lettuce and tear into medium pieces.

Take a knife and cut the skin and pith away from the oranges. Cut orange flesh into bite sized pieces. Remove any seeds. Squeeze any juice from the orange skin into a bowl.

Put the lettuce in a dish, add the beets, orange pieces, and chopped walnuts. Pour on the orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with salad dressing.

Hummus

1 can chickpeas (use about 1/4 cup of the liquid)
1-2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 clove garlic minced (more if you like garlic)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh basil (optional)

Mix all ingredients (except basil) well in the food processor. Taste to make sure the chickpeas are ground up enough for your taste. If you want to use basil, tear it into pieces and stir in at the end. The basil flavor will increase if you allow it to sit in the hummus for a little while before eating.

Lovely served with slices of cucumbers, slices of apples, pears, carrots and other fresh veggies.

Options: Leave out garlic, and when finished making this, add fresh basil and kalamata olives (pitted) and pulse through the hummus using the food processor. Or do the same with sun dried tomatoes or roasted peppers.

Basily Balsamic Dressing

1 big handful of fresh basil
1 small handful of fresh parsley
1 shallot
1/2 clove garlic
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons capers
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash the herbs. Chop herbs and shallot finely in a food processor. Add all other ingredients to the food processor and mix.

This is delicious with the Beet, Orange & Walnut Salad in the Salads Section!

Minty Peach Tea

1 box Celestial Seasonings County Peach Passion Tea
1 large handful of fresh mint
6 Tablespoons Agave Nectar (or to taste)
1 liter hot water (approximately)
1 liter cold water

You'll also need a large container for the tea (preferably glass or porceline) and something to hold the mint.

Wash the mint, tear it up a little and wrap it in something you can drop in the hot water. Try stuffing it in a piece of cheesecloth wrapped with cooking twine. I use paper tea filters from www.finum.com

I use a very large, glass Ice Tea container that I got a Crate & Barrel. If you use glass, but a spoon in there before adding the hot water to prevent the glass from cracking.

Add the mint (wrapped in cheesecloth or what every you use), 10 tea bags and 1 liter (or a kettle full) of very hot water to the glass container. Let sit for about 20-30 minutes.

Remove the tea bags and mint and add in the agave nectar. Taste and add more agave if you like your tea sweeter. Stir well.

About about the same amount of cold water (about another 1-2 liter depending on your taste). Sort in the refrigerator. Serve with lots of ice.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Papaya Berry Smoothie

This is a variation on the Papaya Berry Sorbet recipe in the Desserts section.

2 cups fresh chopped papaya
2 cups mixed frozen berries
3 cup soy milk (or any milk alternative)
1/4 agave nectar 
Liquid Vitamins (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Serve cold - yummy!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Cornbread (with corn) - Lickety Split!

This cornbread it quite dry, which is why I like to serve with the collard greens recipe below so, when you eat it, you can dunk it in the collard greens liquid to moisten it.  

1 package of Bob's Red Mill GF Cornbread Mix (make sure you get the GF mix - they make another kind that is NOT GF! - you can order Bob's products at www.bobsredmill.com)
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups soy or rice or almond milk
1/3 cup olive oil and some to grease the pan
2 ears of corn (using a sharp knife, shave the corn kernals off the ears)
1 jalepeno pepper, minced (optional)

Heat oven at 375 degrees.  Put mix in a mixing bowl or food processor.  Add wet ingredients and blend.  Add corn (and jalepeno if using) at the end so it gets mixed in, but some of the corn kernals stay whole.

Grease a cast iron pan with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat well on the stove.   When well heated, spoon in the cornbread mixture and move pan to the oven.  Cook 20 minutes.  Eat with Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas (see recipe in this blog).

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas


2 bunches collard greens, stems removed, and chopped into big pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cloves of garlic, minced (use 2 cloves if you like them garlicy)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb frozen black eyed peas
Salt

Boil a big pot of salted water.  Plunge collard greens into water and cook for 10 minutes.  While they are cooking, move to the next step.

Use a pressure cooker if you have one.  If not, use a big pot for the next step.  Heat onion and saute onions for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and red pepper and cook for one minute.  Add 4 cups of water from the collard greens pot, the collard greens, and the black eyed peas and stir well. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.  Cook for 30 minutes (or if using a pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 7 minutes and do a quick release on the pressure).  Taste and add more salt if needed.  

Serve hot with lots of liquid like a soup.  Great with hot pepper sauce and GF DF cornbread!

French Onion Soup


3 tablespoons olive oil
6 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
8 cups of veggie stock (homemade stock is best, if you have time)
salt & pepper
6 slices gluten free white bread
some slices of GF soy cheese (optional)

Heat oil in a very large soup pot. Add the onions and cook over very low heat for about 90 minutes with the lid off, stirring frequently.  You want the onions to be dark and caramelized, but not burnt.  Add the stock and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the crusts from the bread and cut into a shape that will fit the bowl you plan to use.  Toast the bread under the broiler or in a toaster oven.  

Warm some bowls first, then add soup and top with the toast.  If using cheese, add on top and melt under the broiler until the cheese begins to melt.  Serve and enjoy!

Spinach That Never Tasted So Good!

This recipe is the one most often used in our house.  The ingredients are easy to come by, and the spinach is so good for you.  This is another great recipe for when you only have 5 minutes, but want a gourmet dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bag washed spinach
1 cup of water
Juice of a lemon
Salt

Heat oil in a pan and add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook till garlic gets golden brown.  Add spinach and stir till covered with oil.  Add cup of water and cook just for a minute or so till all the leaves have just started to wilt.  Serve sprinkle with freshly ground sea salt and a good squeeze of lemon juice.    

Yerbe Mate Delight

One of my favorite restaurants, R. Thomas in Atlanta, serves a delicious hot drink called the "Blue Moon".  This is a variation of that drink - it's not quite as good, but it's pretty close.

2 bags GF yerbe mate tea
1 bag chamomile tea
1 bag ginger tea
1 bag peppermint tea
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 GF soy milk
1/2 GF rice milk
3 cups boiling water
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat the soy and rice milk.  Add all ingredients and let steep for 5 minutes.  Stir well and serve hot.  Add more or less lemon juice and maple syrup according to your taste.  This makes about 4 cups.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage & Maple Syrup

Roasting the squash ahead of time speeds up this recipe considerably.  

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 roasted butternut squash (see roasting technique under "Roasted Spaghetti Squash".)
1 handful of sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
3 springs of thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 cup fresh parsley
4-6 cups of veggie stock
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt & pepper

Saute onions for 5 minutes in a big soup pot.  Add sage, thyme and parsley and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove the squash seeds and skin and add squash flesh to the pot, with the garlic, stock and maple syrup.  Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Puree with an emersion blender, or in a food processor or blender.  Add salt & pepper to taste.


Roasted Spaghetti Squash

I often cook a spaghetti squash and a butternut squash at the same time on a Sunday night and keep them whole in the fridge till I'm ready to eat them during the week.  Follow the same roasting technique for Butternut Squash and use it to make Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - so delicious!

1 spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Clean squash and puncture it several times  with a big knife.  Cover baking tray with tin foil (makes for easier clean up!) and cook squash for an hour.

When cooked, either eat right away, or store whole in fridge for several days.

When ready to eat, slice in half, remove seeds with a spoon and use a folk to pull out the "spaghetti" strands.  Put in a dish, heat up and top with lots of "Good Ol' Tomato Sauce" (see recipe in this blog).  Top with freshly ground salt & pepper and freshly chopped parsley.


Good Ol' Tomato Sauce - secretly packed with veggies!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sized onion
2-3 medium carrots
1 large stick of celery
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of fresh or dried basil (throw in parsley too if you have it handy)
1 box of Pacific Foods Tomato Sauce (or other brand that is gluten-free)
1 box of Pacific Foods Diced Tomato (or other brand that is gluten-free)
salt & pepper to taste

Mince onion in food processor.  Heat oil and cook onion for 5 minutes.  Mince carrot and celery in food processor and add to onion mixture.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic (mince it wil a garlic press) and basil.  Cook 1 minute.  Add tomato and salt and pepper to taste and cook about 5 minutes.

Serve over gluten free pasta or spaghetti squash (see spaghetti squash recipe).

Risotto with Asparagus, Peas, Mushrooms and Zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion or equivalent quantity in shallots, chopped
1 small carton (8oz) mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 teaspoon sea salt
5 cups of hot veggie stock
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (throw stringy end pieces away)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup zucchini, diced

Use a pressure cooker if you have one.  If not, heat oil and add onions and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.   Add garlic, 1/2 the parsley, and all the basil and saute for 1 minutes.  Add rice and saute for 3 or 4 minutes - keep stirring so rice doesn't burn.  Add salt and add 4 cups of stock and cook for 45 minutes.  (Or if using a pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 6 minutes and then do a quick release.)  Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of stock and asparagus, peas and zucchini.  Cook about 5 minutes - test vegetables to make sure they are cooked, but crispy - you want them to be bright green, not wilted and dull.  When serving, sprinkle remaining fresh parsley on top of each plate of risotto.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Mango Sorbet - Super Easy and So, So Good!!!

2 ripe mangos
1 lime (you'll just need the juice)
1/2 cup agave nectar

Peel the mangos and remove as much of the flesh as possible.  Put mango flesh in food processor or blender with lime juice and agave nectar.  Blend till smooth.  Put in an ice cream maker for 20-30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Fava Beans - Super Quick, Satisfying and Delicious!

Not to be confused with Lima Beans (which are much more bitter), Fava Beans are meaty and delicious.  This is a great dish if you only have 5 minutes and want something delicious!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bag of frozen Fava Beans
1 lemon (you'll need the zest and the juice)
2 tablespoons of fresh or dried dill
salt & pepper

Heat the oil, add the beans, cook five minutes over medium heat.  Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and cook another couple of minutes.  

Serve with warm rice.  Delicious!

Papaya Berry Sorbet

2 cups fresh chopped papaya
2 cups mixed frozen berries
1 cup soy milk (or any milk alternative)
1/4 agave nectar

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Put in an ice cream maker for 20-30 minutes and enjoy.  Great in a gluten free waffle cone (try Barkat's Gluten-Free Waffle Cones!)  Yummy!  If you don't have an ice-cream maker, this is also terrific as a smoothie.  

Minty Lemon & Lime Elixer

1 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup of fresh mint leaves
1 cup boiling water
2 cups filtered water (cold or room temperature)

Wash the mint and remove thick stems.  Crush mint with a mortar and pestle to release mint juices.  Place mint in a small glass jar with teaspoon (to absorb heat) and cover with 1 cup boiling water.  Let sit for 1 hour and add agave nectar.  Place this minty syrup in refrigerator overnight.  Mix 4 tablespoons of minty syrup with 1 tablespoon of lemon and 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and 2 cups of filtered water.  Serve over ice.

Vegetarian Chili

My absolute favorite recipe!  I love to make a big pot of this on Sunday's nights - it will keep several days in the fridge.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion chopped
2 carrots diced
1 small red pepper cored, seeded and diced
1 small green pepper cored, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno minced
2 cloves of garlic crushed in garlic press
3 large tomatoes chopped and seeded
2 cans of beans drained (mixed of kidney beans, black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas is great)
1 tablespoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 or 2 cups of hot water

A pressure cooker works well for this recipe if you have one.  If not, just cook in a big pot on a regular stove.  Heat the oil and add onions and carrots.  Saute 5 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally.  Add bell peppers and jalapeno.  Saute 5 more minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add all other ingredients.  If using a pressure cooker, cook under high pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick pressure release.  If not using a pressure cooker, cook for about 30-40 minutes.  

Serve with warm rice and a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley or cilantro and salt and pepper to taste.  Or try serving with the cornbread recipe (above) and some guacamole.

Babycakes Bakery, New York City

Babycakes Bakery, New York City
"I'll have one of those, and one of those, and..."

Lovely food market in Dublin

Lovely food market in Dublin

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