Chicken-Mushroom-Vegetable Alfredo

6-8oz. pasta - Cook the pasta about half way, then drain and rinse in ice water until well chilled to turn this into resistant starch. While this is chilling, combine the following ingredients for the sauce.

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce

1/2-1c chicken bone broth

1/2c Marsala cooking wine

Simmer the sauce over low heat, season with black and cayenne pepper, granulated garlic and garlic salt until it bubbles and thickens a bit. Sauté 8oz. mushrooms over low heat in 2-3T black truffle oil. Add a little more Marsala. When the mushrooms are nicely browned add the chopped vegetables:

4 big ribs of celery
4 seedless mini peppers

1/2 large onion

Simmer over low heat, covered until the celery is crisp-tender. Add 1 can drained-rinsed diced water chestnuts, the chilled-drained pasta and 11oz. roasted chicken. Mix together gently, pour into a glass baking dish and sprinkle the top with 4oz. crushed salad croutons. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Serve with a big mixed green salad, which is what I'll have next time. This time it was some of those red white and green lemon-butter vegetables. . .Lin

Another Red White and Green Vegetable Adventure

After making this (of course) I hit on the right wording for my search line, to find my original post for these ingredients.

I did this today from memory and it turned out well. I'm a huge fan of really good radishes. The fresh, crispy, milder ones, not the ones that burn your mouth like horseradish though. These that I bought recently at Aldi were wonderful.

I had Brussels sprouts, little yellow onions, honey and lemon, so I decided to put this all together after talking (messaging) about it with my niece, Marie, who's also a huge foodie.

Wash and prep the following vegetables. Cut the radishes and Brussels sprouts in half and the onion in quarters:

11 big radishes

17 Brussels sprouts

4 little yellow onions

When those are ready and in an appropriate sized baking dish, put the following in a small pan to make the sauce.

4T butter or ghee

2T local organic honey

1 lemon - zest and juice

1t corn starch

about 1/2t good quality garlic salt

a big shake of black + cayenne pepper

Melt the butter / ghee and honey over low heat. Once that happens, be sure to whisk this continually until it thickens. Pour over the vegetables.

Microwave for about 15 minutes at 70% heat, stirring a couple times during cooking. Or bake along with the rest of your dinner, until the vegetables are cooked as you like them. Once the Brussels sprout core area is tender, and the other vegetables seem cooked, it's ready.

Serve with a burger plate, grilled or baked: chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp, etc. . .Lin

Crunchy EVOO Tuna Salad

I've switched from water packed canned tuna to only buying tuna packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

When combining it with the other ingredients, DON'T drain it! The olive oil will reduce the amount of mayonnaise you need, resulting in a healthier tuna salad.

Chop all the vegetables shown into a medium size glass bowl.

3 seedless orange mini peppers
3 stalks of celery
5-6 green onions
4 big radishes
also — 4-6 sweet hot pickles

Next add the tuna and oil, breaking that up with a fork. Add just enough mayonnaise to hold everything together the way you like, about 2T of grainy brown mustard, some black and cayenne pepper, and a little garlic salt.

Mix well and serve over fresh baby arugula.

I had this for lunch with one of those biscuit-muffins I made earlier and a side of cucumbers and tomatoes. . .Lin

Garlic and Cheese Biscuit-Muffins — Gluten-Free

Preheat your oven to 375°

In a blender jar, combine and blend these ingredients:

1½c cottage cheese

3 lg. cloves of garlic

3 lg. pasture raised eggs

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium glass bowl:

1c almond flour

½c corn flour

½T baking powder

½T oregano

1t dry dill

¾t garlic salt

Pour the blender ingredients into the bowl, add ½c shredded Dubliner cheese, stir to combine. Using a large serving spoon, spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tins or a silicone muffin pan.

Top each with a little more grated cheese for a chewier top, or omit to keep them fluffy.

Bake until golden brown, mine were in the oven for 35 minutes. These would be great with soup, vegetable casseroles or chili.  .  .Lin

Delicious Vegetables!

I so wish I had taken a picture of these gorgeous vegetables before chopping and cooking!

I was looking in my refrigerator, knowing I wanted to gently cook a big pot of vegetables for my dog Oliver, and also to go with different meats for dinner for myself.

So with that in mind I kept raw garlic and onion out of the pot, which are toxic for dogs. With so many beauties clamoring for my attention! I settled on these this time.

1# green cabbage

4 med. carrots

2 med. zucchini

1/2 orange bell pepper

2 big skinny sweet red peppers

Wash then rough chop everything into a 4qt. pot where you've melted 2T coconut oil. Sauté everything until it sizzles a while then add 1c of water. Also add seasonings. 

Today I used 2T Better Than Bouillon - vegetable, a good shake of my ground black+cayenne pepper blend, 1t or so of curry powder and a small shake of Lowry's Garlic Salt, not enough to cause any problems for Oliver. You could also just use sea salt.

Bring that back to a low boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Just long enough to release all the amazing flavors, yet not cook it all into a mushy mass. If you'd like, add some chopped nuts for protein to serve as a vegetarian main dish. The vegetables were cooked to a perfect 'crisp-tender!' Mmmm, SO good! . .Lin

Red and Green Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

This started as a vague idea - chicken and bacon, pasta with a thin Alfredo sauce. Then the vegetables came into focus, with the peppers barely making the cut, not even showing up in the photo, but they brightened and lightened this dish just perfectly!

• 4oz dry spaghetti
• 2c broccoli florets

Cook the pasta until about halfway done.

Add the broccoli, bring back to a simmer then cover and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, drain in a colander and rinse with icy cold water. Return to the pan and fill it with more icy cold water until the pasta and broccoli are chilled, then drain again.

The bacon came into the picture as it usually does for me. I cut up 1# and fried it for future recipes. This time, after transfering the crispy bacon pieces to brown paper bag to absorb the grease, I kept 2-3T of the fat in the pan.Heat it up and stir in 2T flour.

When this is well combined and bubbly, add some pieces of red bell pepper - about 1-1/2c. When that's once again bubbling, stir in a mix of 6oz. Alfredo sauce and 3oz. of water. Add 1/4c of cooking Sherry if you'd like. Continue stirring until this thickens.

Now add the drained broccoli and pasta and 6-8oz. roasted chicken. Combine gently until well mixed, season with garlic salt and a mix of black and red pepper. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Mmmm, I have to say, this one really surprised me! It went together quickly and is one of the best tasting things I've made in a long time. It's probably the bacon. . .Bacon makes everything better!

Be Bold. . .Be Adventurous. . .Happy Cooking! . . .Lin

Another Kimchi Adventure. . .

Today I realized I had lots of vegetables that would be great chopped up and naturally ferment into Kimchi.

when using cabbage and the right vegetables, combined with Kosher or Himalayan pink salt, no vinegar is needed and this natural method is more gut healthy

Ever since finding a milder version of Kimchi, at Northern Waters Smokehouse, a multi-faceted Duluth deli-sandwich specialty shop, I've been so intrigued and just love their  milder spin on this.

I've recreated something similar several times, but after this batch is gone, I think it'll be time for a trip over there to buy more of the Northern Waters version get myself back on track by reminding myself again what my original inspiration actually tastes like.
 
For the first part of the process, I chop-sliced the following into a big glass or non-metal bowl:

1 sm.-med. heavy green cabbage

1/2 sm. heavy purple cabbage
1 sm.-med. yellow onion
part of a purple onion
5-6 green onions
1/2 lg. green pepper
2 ribs of celery
2 carrots

Sprinkle 1/3c Himalayan pink salt over all of this and massage it into the vegetables for several minutes. It'll start pulling the water out and shrink the volume.

Let this just do its thing on the counter for a couple hours. Next add 10c of cold water and again massage the vegetables. Cover with a heavy platter to make sure everything is submerged and leave on the counter, if your kitchen is below 65°, or put in the 'fridge for 24 hours.

~ ~ Next Day ~ ~

Drain the vegetable and rinse well with fresh cold water, then let drain again. While this is happening, whisk the following ingredients in a small bowl:

2t finely ground black pepper
2t finely ground red pepper
1T granulated garlic
1T ground turmeric

1T ground ginger

1/3c soy sauce
2t sugar

Put the vegetables back in the big -washed and dried- bowl. Pour the sauce over everything and mix it all well, again with your hands, or a heavy wooden spoon. Fill quart jars. Be sure to push the vegetables down to release more brine. Use thick glass weights if necessary, to keep everything submerged.

Cover each jar with cheese cloth, using a rubber band to hold it tight on the jar. Or a circle of paper towel, secured with a canning ring or sprouting jar top. Not airtight - so gas can escape. Leave on the countertop 24-72 hours.

Check it each day and refrigerate when it until has the tang you like.

This will be best if chilled a week or so. It's fermented, so it will keep a while in the refrigerator. Great as a vegetable side dish, on a hearty sandwich . . . Lin

Cranberry-Orange Healthy Nut Muffins

If you don't like overly sweet muffins, this recipe might be what you're looking for.

1c organic rye flour

2c unbleached all-purpose flour

1T pumpkin pie spice

2T each: ground flax, chi seeds

1/2c each chopped: pecans, walnuts

1t each: salt, baking soda, baking powder

1T pure vanilla

1c coconut sugar

3 pasture raised eggs

3/4c each: single source EVOO

3/4c plain whole milk Greek Yogurt

2 whole Cutie mandarins - chopped

2c chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat your oven to 350°

Whisk the first group of dry ingredients together in the big glass bowl, then do the same with the next group in the other bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl. Mix well but quickly, only until all the flour is incorporated. Spoon into muffin cups and/or greased loaf pans. Bake the muffins about 20 minutes. The loaf pan will take an additional 5-10 minutes.

This made 24 muffins and a muffin loaf. Good for breakfast or a healthy snack. . .Lin 

Cottage Cheese Flagels (flat bagels)

Well now. . .I'm NOT a bagel person, but the picture of these I saw looked really good, and I'm still trying to create a couple go-to quick, savory bread, biscuit or cornbread type recipes. These look softer than a traditional bagels, browned tops and have chopped green stuff in 'em, so I had to try making them.

The ingredients were not all listed, nor were there any instructions. I Googled cottage cheese flagels, I found what I needed, but of course I made changes. . .

1c + a little more flour

~ I used about 2/3c all purpose and 1/2c rye flour

~ next time I might try corn flour in place of the rye

1t Italian seasoning

1t granulated garlic

1T baking powder

1/2t garlic salt

1c cottage cheese

2T single source EVOO

3/4c grated Dubliner cheese

2oz. finely chopped baby arugula

1 beaten egg for egg wash

Preheat your oven to 375°

In a big glass bowl combine all the ingredients. A recipe I found said to blend the cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, but I skipped that step and the cottage cheese stirred in just fine. Ideally, whisk together all the dry first, then add the rest. In putting all this into the bowl, I forgot to do the dry whisk, but after stirring with a wooden spoon and then mixing well with a little water on my hands, it all came together nicely. The recipe said 2oz. fresh spinach, but I had arugula that needed to be used, which gives these a more peppery flavor.

When well combined, form this into a fat cylinder about 6-8" long. Slice into 6 or 8 pieces, poke your finger through the middle of each one. Flatten each piece on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with a little Everything Bagel Seasoning. Bake about 22 minutes or until golden brown. These turned out well, the bottoms were also nicely browned and crispy.

Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Great with soup or a big salad. . .Lin

Brown Rice and Quinoa Tabouli

Traditionally, Tabouli - a middle eastern grain salad - is made with bulgar wheat, tomatoes, parsley, garbanzo beans, onion, bell pepper and cucumber. At least that's what Mollie Katzen included in hers in her Moosewood Cookbook. That was my first introduction to this amazing salad. If you put 'Tabouli' in the search line here, you'll see about 15 of my variations. Most people would stop at one or two, but I'm always finding new ways to make this and I don't think there's ever been one I didn't like.

Prepare the brown rice and quinoa according to package instructions then put it into a big glass bowl. To that add the following:

chopped onion - as much as you like

a big grated carrot (not shown)
1/2c hemp hearts
1-3 big ripe tomatoes - chopped

2-3oz. finely chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes
~ ~ you could omit this if you have enough fresh tomatoes
1 bunch Italian or curly parsley - chopped

1/2c each: lemon juice + single source EVOO
seasonings: black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic salt

Mix well, cover and refrigerate. Be sure to gently toss each time before serving. This will keep well for several days in the 'fridge. I didn't add beans this time since I had sprouted lentils. They were a great substitution.

Top with sliced avocado, crumbled bacon or gorgonzola cheese if you want. Tabouli (Tabbouleh) is amazing, by itself, or as an addition to any lunch or dinner. . .Lin

Steamed (hard boiled) Eggs

First of all, be sure to start with the best eggs.
Fresh, PASTURE-RAISED eggs are the only ones we should ever buy! 

Have you tried this method?

The eggs cook more uniformly and peel easier when done this way. Since I like mine a little less dry than most people, I only expose mine to the heat for 10 minutes. If you like them a little more 'done,' I'd leave them over the steam for 12 minutes.

Get the water boiling, then place the basket with the eggs over the steam. Cover and set the timer for however long works best for you.

Remove from the heat, carefully drain the hot water, run cold tap water over the eggs in the pot for a couple minutes. Leave them in the cold water another 5 minutes or so to be sure the cooking process has been stopped.

Dry them, then store in the refrigerator, where they'll stay fresh for about a week.

This morning I had one for my favorite kind of breakfast. Fresh ingredients, good protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats - all for a total of about 250 calories. Later, I'll use some to make a big bowl of tuna-egg salad. . .Lin

. . .And Yet Another Zuppa Toscana Variation

I'm sure getting lots of mileage from the one or possibly two times I ordered the Zuppa Toscana at the Olive Garden 15+ years ago! Sometimes it just works that way with those of us who are diehard 'foodies' You try something and just have to break it down, and analyze it so you can recreate it on your own whenever a crazy craving hits. And for me, every time I make it it's slightly different from the last!

This happened also after my first experience with Gazpacho at La Paella, a Spanish restaurant south of Madison, Wisconsin that's no longer in operation. Their's was different from most in that, in addition to the usual tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, etc., it had carrot, vinegar and a couple other unique ingredients. It was the best ever! I'll work on more Gazpacho again this summer. But, for now. . .it's Zuppa Toscana time! 

Heat a little EVOO in a heavy pot, then add:

1# pork sausage
1 lg. purple onion
~ use only 1/2c chopped fine right now

Saute these together until lightly browned.

Next the following sliced or chopped vegetables go into the pot:

1-2 lg. carrots

the rest of the purple onion
4 colorful -seeded- mini peppers
2 baby bok choy - white parts only for now
1-1/2# scrubbed potatoes - I don't peel mine
the sliced bok choy green tops
a bunch of dinosaur kale - take out the rib and slice

Sauté all this only until steamy and sizzling. Add 2c fresh cold water. Simmer a half hour, then stir in:

Several tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon - chicken or vegetable flavor. Also, (a couple bay leaves, dried oregano, marjoram, rosemary -or- a generous amount of some good Italian Seasoning) black and red pepper, granulated garlic and garlic salt. Add more water.

Next, add 2-3 drained-rinsed cans of your favorite beans, 3 tablespoons of finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes and all or part of a 22oz. jar of Alfredo sauce. Add more water again if needed and check the flavors until you feel they're right. Simmer another half hour or so to blend the flavors and throw in some chopped, fresh parsley now if you want. This is great on a chilly Winter day. By itself or with a simple, fresh green salad and some crusty sourdough garlic bread. . .Lin

A Winter Viral and Pain Tonic. . .

This recipe approach takes me back to stories of remedies from those who had the reputation of small town natural 'healers' in days gone by.

Having tried SO many of the Rx and IV chemo type approaches my docs have recommended for seasonal illness as well as the list of autoimmune diseases I deal with, with no success I'm going this route for the next couple months.

A good friend sent me a similar recipe, then I found this one when I scrolled beyond it. Since it's on Facebook, it might not open for all of you, so I'm posting my photo and the ingredients here. The ONLY change I made this morning was to add a big splash (maybe 2oz.) of fresh lemon juice to my mug. I'm hoping this will help all of us with whatever-ails-us on a daily basis.

1/2c natural unprocessed local honey

1/2t each: black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper
1lg. garlic clove - I crushed mine slightly then rough chopped it

Combine all the ingredients in a small glass jar. Heat the honey just a bit if necessary, to make it easier to saturate the spices and mix everything together.

The recipe says to 'burp' the jar daily, but since it can just stay on the countertop and I'll have a cup a day, I'm just resting a bigger lid on the top to keep out any dust, etc.

Once mixed well, it can be used right away. Just stir about 1/2t into a cup of almost boiling water. I'm having mine in the morning for pain and immunity, but if you need help with sleep, it might work to drink it an hour before bedtime. Here's to a healthy winter 😊
~ These spices can cause heartburn. If you're prone to that, be sure to eat something with your daily cup of this.

~ Also, put a little spoon in your mug and stir as you drink or you could end up with a big mouthful of settled spices at the end!

Just-About-Everything Healthy Muffins

I'm trying to keep gluten and sugar minimized, but the cravings are sneaky and pop up from time to time. Usually when I don't have good healthy options in the house.

Today I typed in a list of ingredients I wanted to use and ~VOILA~ A.I. presented me with a great base recipe to expound upon! Preheat your oven to 375° Put the dry and wet ingredients in two large glass bowls and combine them well within each bowl:

1c unbleached, organic all purpose flour

3/4c organic rye flour

1/2c organic corn flour

1c chopped walnuts

1c unsweetened flaked coconut

2T ground flax seeds

2T chia seeds

1-1/2T baking powder

1-1/2T pumpkin pie spice

3/4t baking soda

3/4t sea salt

3/4c organic granulated cane sugar

2 lg. pasture raised eggs
1/2c raisins

1/2c fresh orange juice (or orange and lemon)

~ using 1 lg. navel orange

1/2c single origin EVOO

3/4c whole milk sour cream

2 whole Cutie Mandarin oranges - finely chopped

1c+ fresh or frozen whole cranberries - finely chopped

1t -1T pure vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375° 

Combine the wet and dry ingredients until totally incorporated, with a heavy silicone spatula. Fill the paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown and they pass the toothpick test. 

Today, at 3pm, when these cooled I decided I was really needing some Fika time — Ginger-Turmeric tea, a little smoked goat cheese and 2 big muffins. They are SO hearty, I should have stopped at 1. I'm normally not an afternoon break person, but I know my Scandinavian ancestors did this every day. . .and these muffins smelled wonderful 😊

Fika is a Swedish term for a mid-morning or afternoon break, alone or with a neighbor or friend.

Today it's just me, but tomorrow these will go with me to my Tuesday morning Bible study. These turned out so well and are a healthy snack. . .Lin

Garbanzo and Green Pea Salad

The clear container holding 1/2 can of garbanzos kept catching my attention the last couple days. Hmmm, how to use them. . . This morning I decided those would go into a crunchy, bright salad.

To the garbanzos I added 1/2 can of leftover water chestnuts, from our Thanksgiving bean casserole, chopped up 1/4 green pepper and a celery heart. Seasoning was a little garlic salt, 1t good curry powder and a shake of my black + cayenne pepper blend. To hold it together I used about 1/3c each real mayonnaise and sour cream. Then it needed more fresh green color and flavor so I added about 10oz. frozen peas. After that's mixed together, top with homemade bacon crumbles. This went together quickly while I was working on the day 2 procedure for my Thanksgiving turkey, turmeric-oregano bone broth. Mmmm. . .Lin

Shrimp Bowl Surprise!

Wow, it's been a whole month since I last posted! I've taken some photos and created a few recipes, but somehow they never made it here. This one turned out so well and interesting. It makes me realize that if I just focus on an ingredient or two, then check the 'fridge and pantry to add what others I feel are needed, sometimes unlikely magic happens!

This idea started with wild caught Red Argentinian Shrimp. Then I wanted something fresh and green. I was thinking kale, but I finished that in another recipe a few days earlier. Then I spied tiny yellow-green cabbages. . .Brussels sprouts! Yes! Then I needed crunch, hence the walnuts and for a bland flavor and texture, garbanzos seemed right to bring it all together. . .

Slice then sauté the Brussels sprouts in a big spoonful of Costco's Kirkland Organic Ghee. (I've tried several brands and also made my own - this is the absolute best ghee!) As that starts to brown, add a bit of bone broth or a splash of cooking Sherry, then stir in about a cup of rough chopped walnuts. Simmer-sauté these together then add 6-8 big shrimp cut into smaller pieces and half a small, sliced onion. Stir-sauté this until the shrimp is almost done. Season - I use Lawry's Garlic Salt and my blend of finely ground black and cayenne pepper. Just before serving, stir in half a can of drained-rinsed-dried garbanzos. Cover, turn off the heat. Wait about 5 minutes, stir and serve. . .Lin

Healthy Vegetables For Your Dog. . .

Vegetables are an excellent addition to your dog's daily diet. However - NEVER GIVE THEM ONION OR GARLIC and do some research to be sure to avoid other foods that can cause them harm.

Typically, I feed my old pup, Oliver, twice a day. His first feeding, around 7am consists of meat plus a little 'healthy' dry food. Later, usually around 3pm, he gets a little more dry food with lightly steamed-sauteed vegetables added.

Chop everything well, add a little of the rendered chicken fat removed from the top of the chilled bone broth on day 2 of making that and also some bone broth. Simmer this just until the carrots are crisp tender.

When feeding this, I'll add a little warm water or heated bone broth to his bowl with the dry food.

He loves all three of these: carrots, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts! Oliver turned 14 in July. His hearing is mostly gone, and he has some arthritis, but I'm convinced keeping his diet healthy and his weight appropriate has added years to our time together. A big win for both of us! . . . Lin

Healing Chicken Vegetable Soup

I bought some BBQ seasoned chicken leg quarters a while ago. Roasted them, then made bone broth, which is the darker jar shown in this photo. I had also made another batch of bone broth using plain chicken legs. Both of these jelled perfectly, indicating a lot of natural, healthy collagen. For this recipe, I used all the darker bone broth and about half of the lighter jar, so about 40oz. total.

For both of these bone broths, I just simmered the skin and bones with a splash of apple cider vinegar in a couple quarts of cold, filtered water. No additional spices, seasonings or other vegetables added. I might just keep it simple like this in the future. This way, with no onion or garlic, the bone broth is good for humans or my dog and cat. Roasted legs and thighs have made the best bone broths.

I chopped-sliced-cubed the vegetables and added them to the pot according to cooking time needed. The 3 carrots need the longest, so they went in with a couple tablespoons of Ghee and a tiny big of onion. I sauteed these a few minutes, then covered for a bit longer over low heat.

Then I added some bone broth, 8oz. of frozen green beans and the Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed. This was covered and simmered about 15 minutes. Then more bone broth and all the chopped garlic, onion, 2/3c cooking Sherry and 10oz. of roasted chicken. Cover this and simmer another 15 minutes.

This turned out really well, with no additional seasonings! Just plain, healing chicken and vegetable soup! . .Lin

Chicken and Vegetables with Buckwheat

Did you know buckwheat is gluten free? The name is certainly misleading in this regard. I decided to toast some in the oven to use as a healthy grain in this casserole sort of chicken, mushroom and zucchini dish.

First, measure out the buckwheat you want to use, on a flat baking sheet. Toast this at 350° for a short time. Maybe 10 minutes, but stay with this, the buckwheat I finally used was my 3rd attempt. The first two went from light to dark and unusable, in no time.

The first photo shows bacon pieces frying. This is sort of an optional incidental. I just happened to be making that to transfer to paper towels, then to containers, just to have in the 'fridge. It sure tastes great as a crunchy topping to many things.

Once the buckwheat is toasted, transfer it to a pot with a lid and cook it like rice, with a buckwheat-to-water-ratio of 1 to 2.

Sauté the mushrooms in a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease until they start to brown. Add zucchini chunks, mix gently, cover and let cook over low-medium heat for several minutes before adding the chopped onion and mini peppers. When everything is crisp-tender, stir 6-8oz. of roasted chicken meat. Serve this with or over the buckwheat. After the first serving, I combined them in a casserole dish. It would travel well and be a unique addition to any potluck.

~ ~ Don't forget the bacon! . .Lin ~ ~

Crunchy Tuna Salad

Whenever possible, I buy tuna packed in Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Then I use it, without draining, for a healthier version of tuna salad. This minimizes the amount of mayo you need to hold everything together.

Use 2 cans with all the chopped vegetables and drained, diced water chestnuts shown in this photo.

Use about 2T each of a good, seedy, brown mustard and mayonnaise. This EVOO might take a little getting used to, but it really is a healthier way to make tuna salad.

If you like the combination of tuna and eggs, add a couple chopped hard boiled eggs for an added protein boost.

This went great with those corn muffins I made the other day. . .Mmmm! . . Lin

Turkey and Brown Rice Dog Food

Today, being a bit incapacitated due to a weird fall in my living room last night (I tripped over my pup, Oliver!) I decided to find some way to be productive in spite of my hobbley knee and achy body.

I cleaned out part of the freezer in my side-by-side 'fridge. There were 3 packages of turkey parts and pieces. All freezer burned, so they ended up in the garbage. . .for about 10 minutes. Then I decided they'd make great dog food and also bone broth for Oliver. (Remember no onion or garlic for animals - ever!! It's toxic to them! Simple is best, you can always add some raw, finely-chopped animal-safe vegetables as you fix their food each day.)

I roasted everything at 375° for about an hour until the turkey legs were cooked and nicely browned. Smells a little like Thanksgiving here!

When everything cooled a bit I separated the edible parts from the skin, bone and cartilage, with the latter staying in the roasting pan. I added 2-3 quarts of water and simmered that for a couple hours. Then strained and chilled it.

Tomorrow I'll scrape off the fat, into another container, to give him in small amounts, mixed with his food. The rest will be heated and poured into Mason jars, sealed and put in the 'fridge for use within the next couple weeks to heat and add to his food.

The edible parts - turkey meat, gizzards, hearts and livers - were chopped up while making a recipe of brown rice - 1c rice + 2c water. These were combined and almost filled my 4 quart bright yellow vintage Pyrex mixing bowl.

I'll put all this into containers that hold 3 days worth of food to mix with his dry food each morning and freeze them. It'll be nice to continue with the freezer clean out once this food is gone. I know Oliver will love it!..Lin