Crunchy Tuna-Egg Salad ➕ Maple-Pepper Lemonade

This was the perfect breakfast!

I once saw a Chiropractor who often said a big steamy mug of lemon water with pepper was cleansing, anti-inflammatory and a wonderful way to start each day. I've added a bit of honey over the years, then I discovered Maple syrup dissolves so much better, even in cold water, so my take on this healthy, cleansing drink is at the bottom of this post.

This photo is pretty self-explanatory. Since I don't usually measure, I'm not giving exact amounts.

5-6 celery stalks

4-5 mini dill pickles

1 extra large green onion

Chop all these into a medium glass bowl then add a big dollop of mayonnaise, about 1/2T Dijon, a splash of good vinaigrette and a good shake of red and mixed seasonings.

Chop the eggs and tuna and gently mix with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.

2 pasture raised eggs

1 can of tuna - drained

I had a big scoop of this on a piece of really good, toasted, sourdough bread. A chopped campari tomato and part of a skinny English cucumber. This mug of hot lemonade really brought it all together!

Into a big glass picture, pour about 3/4" of pure Maple syrup. Add twice that amount of pure lemon juice. I buy this amazing stuff in a 2-bottle pack at Costco and now, since discovering it, get nervous when I'm down to that last bottle! I love this!

Next, fill the pitcher half way with cold water, sprinkle in a pinch of black pepper, and about 4 pinches or shakes of cayenne pepper. Stir well, fill the pitcher, stir again. Pour some into a mug, heat and drink. . .every drop! Then refill and drink some more.

If you'd rather have this iced, just be sure to stir well before pouring over crushed or cubes. . .Lin 

Sourdough-Coconut-Chia-Flax-Craisin-Nut Bread Pudding

I think I've finally found my source for Sourdough Bread! Last time I shopped at Costco, I discovered huge loaves of it that seem similar in quality to those I've bought in bakeries.

13oz. sourdough bread

Cut this in cubes then dry in the oven at 250° for about an hour.

In a big bowl, combine the following:

1c chopped pecans

1/2c sprouted pumpkin seeds

1T pumpkin pie spice

1t Himalayan salt

2T chia seeds

2T ground flax seeds

1T Mexican vanilla

1/2c brown sugar

8-10 oz. coconut milk

1T apple cider vinegar

2 Pasture Raised eggs

1c craisins

4oz. total - melted coconut oil and EVOO

Once the bowl of ingredients is well combined, add the dry bread cubes, mix well and quickly, then pour into a 9"x13" glass pan and bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes.

Mmmmm!
This turned out really well, and is probably one of the healthiest bread puddings I've ever made! . .Lin

Quinoa and Vegetables

Well now, it's been a while!

I actually thought I might be done here and ready for the publishing phase of all this, in regard to the cookbook series I had envisioned. I've been dragging my feet though. I don't have any of the original photos, since this blog began in 2010. Nor did I have the foresight to designate, in some way, which recipes I'd want to memorialize in cookbook fashion. Hard to remember specific recipes, when some of them could have happened 14 years ago, especially when I've posted over 1,980 of them to date. . .

So. . .I'm thinking I might be turning the page, or fast-forwarding to the next chapter, and focusing on next level, healthier recipes. I know, you might be thinking, with a blog named Slow Food—Healthy Food, that would already be happening. Yes, for the most part, that's the case. However, I'm now feeling strongly that I need to narrow that focus on more plant-based, really healthy creations. I'm not vegan or vegetarian, yet, although that could happen. There will be some recipes with animal protein, but just weed through those if you've taken that plunge. So here's to a bit of A New Beginning! 😃 (as always. . .if you need a recipe to follow, type in a couple key words in the search bar at the top left)

1/4c quinoa - light brown or tri-colored

1/2c fresh cold water

3-5 BIG Brussels sprouts - sliced

1 med. organic carrot - rough-chopped

1/4 big onion - chopped

1 colorful mini pepper - sliced

Put all the ingredients in a 2qt., covered pot. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa 'sprouts' and the water evaporates. Add a bit more water if needed. Season with your favorite seasoning and stir in 2T single-source EVOO, some apple cider or rice wine vinegar. Makes one big serving. . .Lin

Fruity-Nutty Coconut Granola

Combine everything - except the fruit - in a large glass bowl. I decided against the sesame seeds.

Preheat your oven to 275° and line a large, edged, baking sheet with parchment paper.

2c whole mixed nuts - then chop them

3c organic quick rolled oats

1c unsweetened coconut 

1/2T pumpkin pie spice

1//2 coconut sugar

a good shake (1/4t or so) of salt

1/4c ground flax seed

1T real vanilla or almond extract

1/3-1/2c unrefined solid coconut oil - melted, then measure

2c of your favorite dried fruit(s)

Bake this for about an hour, carefully stirring about half way through. When toasted and cooled to room temperature, add the craisins and tart cherries. Golden raisins, chopped dried apricots, papaya, or mango could also be substituted. Mix together well, then package in zip type bags.

This will be perfect with some plain, whole milk Greek yogurt. It's already pretty fruit-heavy, but, if you want, you could add some big beautiful blueberries now, frozen or fresh. . .Lin

Buckwheat Tabouli

Did you know that buckwheat is gluten free? I sure didn't, and wouldn't have guessed that of something called buckWHEAT! 

As I've stated before, Tabouli is one of my absolute favorite salads. I've been making it ever since first discovering it in Mollie Katzen's 'Moosewood Cookbook' back in the 1970's, but with lots of changes over the years.

Tabouli is a cold Lebanese salad usually made with bulgar wheat, but I love substituting other grains. Sorghum, Quinoa, Buckwheat, are all good gluten free options. Farro is another I've used, which is not gluten free. I'd like to try making it with rice, as well as an interesting combination of bulgar wheat and toasted vermicelli, popular in Palestine, that I discovered at an international market in the cities.

1c buckwheat

2c fresh cold water

Simmer this over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Gently stir in a couple tablespoons of a good single source EVOO to keep it from clumping.

Chop then put all the vegetables in a large glass bowl with the remaining ingredients.

5 tiny cucumbers

3 cloves of garlic

3 mini orange peppers

1 lg. Vidalia onion

1 lg. tomato

1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley

1-2T Swad Coriander Chutney

~ (omit if you don't like cilantro)

Lowry's Garlic Salt and finely ground black pepper

1 can garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

1 can of corn - drained

Make a dressing with EVOO, lemon juice and a garlic vinaigrette. Pour over everything, add the cooled buckwheat and toss gently. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. . .Lin

Roasted Spicy Tomato—Vegetable Soup

Scrub and rough cut the vegetables for roasting.

4 Roma tomatoes
3 mini bell peppers
3 red or Yukon Gold potatoes
6 big peeled garlic cloves
1 med.—lg. purple onion
4 carrots

Put this group of vegetables in a big bowl, drizzle with EVOO to coat everything then pour onto parchment paper lined baking sheets with edges. Roast at 375° until nicely browned.

After roasting, if possible, peel the skin off the tomatoes and peppers and throw that away. Transfer the roasted vegetables to the pot with the celery. 

3 ribs of celery

You'll want to keep the celery, and the other greens more fresh, so  those don't get roasted. Put the chopped-sliced celery in EVOO, in a 6 quart soup pot. and sauté a few minutes before adding the roasted vegetables. To this you'll add about 52oz. canned tomatoes:

1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
1 28oz. can diced tomatoes (not shown)

Rinse the cans, adding about 28oz. of that water, then stir in the seasonings and coconut milk:

2T± vegetable Better Than Bouillon
1T± Lowry's Garlic Salt
1t± powdered rosemary
1t± powdered oregano
2t coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 13.6oz. can coconut milk

Simmer this on low heat about 15 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender, then check the flavors. Blend in the following greens:

1/2 bunch of Italian parsley
celery tops
some fresh basil

Serve this with a dusting of fresh grated strong flavored cheese, and oyster crackers.

This will feed lots of hungry people. . .Lin

Black Cherry Frozen Yogurt

I wasn't sure how this would turn out so I didn't take an ingredient photo. I also didn't weigh or measure, so this is more an idea-inspiration post than an actual recipe.

In a blender or food processor, combine the following:

1 'Cutie' Mandarin orange and a few pieces of peeling
a cereal bowl amount ± of frozen black cherries
a little bit of frozen pineapple
1-2T coconut sugar
1T good vanilla

Add just enough water, fruit juice or coconut milk to process the fruit. To this, add:

about 1c whole milk Greek yogurt 

Now, this is where it gets a little tricky. When frozen for more than a few hours, it's like a rock! If you have cold-sensitive teeth, this might be something you'll want to avoid. This seems so much colder than regular ice cream!

For serving, my best advise would be to make, freeze this and serve after about 3 hours or when a sharp knife inserted in the center doesn't hit liquid. To make it easier to serve, stir it a few times while it's freezing. Be creative with different fruits and citrus. This made enough to perfectly fill a 16oz. freezer container. . .Lin

Quinoa Tabouli (gluten-free)

1c any 'color' quinoa

2c fresh cold water

2 huge cloves of garlic - smashed and minced

Simmer the quinoa on low until all the water absorbs. Remove from heat, add the garlic and stir gently. Cover while chopping all the vegetables. The heat will mellow the sharpness of the garlic a little.

Combine in a big glass bowl:

quartered grape tomatoes
2 yellow mini bell peppers
celery heart and tops
5 tiny cucumbers
5 green onions
1/2 purple onion
1 med. carrot - grated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
lots of good quality single source EVOO
1/2 bunch each: curly & Italian flat leaf parsley
2 cans of well rinsed-and-drained black beans

Add the slightly cooled quinoa and garlic.
Combine gently. Check the flavors and season. I used Lowry's Garlic Salt, ground black and red pepper. I was making this for our church potluck, so I forgot to take a pic of the finished bowl. Drop down two recipes. . .Yup, it looks pretty much like that Tabouli 😁 . . . Lin

Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein (gluten-free)

Slowly simmer three millet-brown rice ramen noodle 'cakes,' separating them as much as possible since they tend to stick together if you don't stir while cooking. I cooked them in fresh boiling water with a little lobster flavor Better Than Bouillon. Don't overcook this.

Drain and put in a big baking dish while still hot. Mix them with the snipped green onion tops and 4oz. frozen peas. Add some toasted sesame oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.

4oz. thin sliced carrots
2 mini peppers
3 baby bok chop
~ use the chopped, crunchy white parts now - thin slice the green tops to add later
2 big garlic cloves
~ crushed and chopped

Sauté-stir-fry these in some toasted sesame oil for a few minutes then add:

8oz. thawed Argentinian shrimp
~ cut each one in a 2-3 pieces
4 green onions
~ the white part
the green leaves from the bok choy
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

Cover and turn off the heat while making the sauce.

3/4c peanut or mixed nut butter
1/3c sweet chili sauce
1/3c mushroom soy sauce
2-3T finely chopped candied ginger

Stir these together in a small glass bowl. Heat 20 seconds in the microwave. Check the flavors. I added a little garlic salt and black pepper

Gently stir the vegetables into the noodles, add the sauce and fold together until everything's combined and coated with the sauce.

Heat this until steamy in the microwave. . .Lin

Bulgar Wheat Tabouli

If I had to pick one healthy salad to eat the rest of my days. . .it would be some variation of this. Tabouli is a Lebanese Wheat salad, heavy on tomato, onion, leafy greens and cucumber. To me, it tastes a lot like really great gazpacho, in salad form. You can make so many interesting changes and choices with this. I add carrot and either black or garbanzo beans to mine, which may or may not be part of an authentic recipe.

For the leafy, herbal greens, you can use curly parsley, Italian flat leaf parsley, cilantro, mint or finely sliced kale. Onions: purple, Vidalias, green onion. Swap out the bulgar for brown Jasmine rice for a gluten free option.

The first recipe I saw for this was in Mollie Katzen's "Moosewood Cookbook" which was very popular during the hippie-commune era of the 70's.

1/2 large bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley
2 mini English cucumbers
1/2 med. purple onion
2 Chinese shallots
1 big ripe tomato
1/2 bell pepper
2 carrots - grated
2 stalks heart celery + greens
zest and juice of one large lime
1/4-1/2c single source EVOO
Lowry's Garlic Salt
finely ground red and black pepper
1 can beans: black or garbanzo 
~ ~  (drain, rinse then let drain again in a big strainer)

'Cook' the bulgar according to package directions.

Chop or slice all the vegetables into a large glass bowl. Add seasonings, lime juice and EVOO. Gently stir to coat everything and let it marinate until the bulgar is ready to add. Mix together then gently fold in the beans. Serve in big Romaine lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with Feta cheese and garnish with Kalamata or big green olives. Keeps well,  stored in a covered bowl in the 'fridge for several days, but it probably won't last too long ... 😋 ...Lin

Spicy Olive-Jalapeño Cornbread

Preheat your oven to 375° and butter a 12"x9"x2" glass pan.

Whisk together, in a large glass bowl:

~ Whisk together, in a large glass bowl:
1/2 gluten-free flour

1c 'quick' rolled oats

1c corn flour (not cornmeal)

2T ground flax-chia seeds

1t ground cumin

1t-1T sugar

1T garlic salt

1t baking soda

1t baking powder

~ In another bowl, again, whisk together:

2 lg. pasture-raised eggs

1c sour cream

1/4-1/2c water

1/2c single source EVOO

1t white wine vinegar

~ Stir in the corn, chopped olives and jalapeños.

1 can corn - drained

1/4c Kalamata olives

1/4c jarred jalapeños

Combine this bowl with the dry ingredients in the big bowl. As soon as everything's incorporated, pour it into the buttered pan. Sprinkle smoky paprika over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Cool a while before cutting into squares. Serve with soup or chili. . .Lin

Orange Lentil - Flax Seed Rolls (gluten-free)

Measure 2c orange lentils into a big glass bowl. Cover them with fresh cold water to cover them, plus a couple additional inches. Let them soak and absorb 3-5 hours. Drain and rinse several times. Pulse them in a food processor until they're broken down. Put them back in the bowl, then add the following:

1c ground flax seeds

2T EVOO

1/2t salt

1/2c water

3T everything bagel seasoning

Mix all of this with a heavy wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Put the baking soda on the top and be sure to drizzle the vinegar directly on it.

1-1/2t baking soda

1T apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350° When the dough's all moistened and fizzing, work quickly to stir everything together. Take a big spoonful of the dough, roll it into a ball and place on a non-stick cookie sheet.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Cool on the countertop a half hour or longer before transferring the rolls to a cooling rack. Let them cool another hour or so before slicing. This made 18 rolls. . .Lin

Beef Soup-Stew

I wasn't going to blog this, so there are no ingredient pictures. It turned out pretty well though, and I may want to make it again. . .with new tweaks of course. . .so I'm doing this after the fact, on the last bowl.

2# well trimmed, seasoned Montreal Griller beef steaks

Mine were frozen, so I thawed them late in the evening, trimmed off the fat then cut them in small pieces. I marinated them in equal amounts -about 2/3c each- of single source EVOO and a good, aged Balsamic vinegar. Season with garlic salt, and a pepper based garlic and herb seasoning. Make sure the marinade covers all surfaces of the meat. Cover the bowl or pot, and refrigerate overnight.

This morning I started by sautéing the seasoned meat in the marinade, along with a couple big garlic cloves - smashed and chopped, stirring occasionally until it  all sizzles and snaps. Measure out 1-2 quarts of fresh cold water and add a little just before the meat browns completely, to keep it from sticking to the pot. Repeat this sautéing and deglazing a couple times. When this process is done right, it'll bring the flavors out of the meat so further seasoning is usually minimal. Next add the following rough cut vegetables in the order they're listed.

3 very big carrots

8-12oz. skinny frozen beans

Cover and let these two cook a bit before adding the rest:

3 big Yukon gold potatoes

3-4 additional garlic cloves

1/4 - 1/2 bell pepper

1-1/2c diced cabbage

1 med. onion 

4 bay leaves

1 28oz. can petite diced tomatoes

Beef Better Than Bouillon 

Once the vegetables have been added, bring everything to a low simmer, cover and cook 30-40 minutes, until the carrots and beans are the way you like them. This made about 6 quarts.  .  .Lin

Spicy-Healthy Vegetable Soup (gluten & dairy free)

Recently it was Chicken Bone Broth Day for me 😁

Chilled out on my deck overnight, fat scraped off the top, it was begging to be made into something healthy. Made with only skin, bones, bay leaves, 1/3c white vinegar and water, so it would be dog safe for my Oliver as well. This morning I got a call from someone close to me, who is sicker than sick! Alrighty-Then! Healthy soup it is. Sorry Oliver...next time 😉 

The chicken was used in a previous soup, and a 3-meat pasta creation a couple days ago. I didn't have any other meat thawed, so other than the chicken bone broth, this ended up vegetable only. Lighter for someone really sick, so it's actually better this way.

I started by sautéing  chopped carrot and celery in several tablespoons of avocado oil. Then added the rest shown, sliced or chopped, after about 7 minutes. About 1/3 of a medium head of green cabbage, 1/3 of a red pepper, 5 smashed-minced garlic cloves, 1/2 a big purple shallot. Sauté all the vegetables over low-medium heat in the covered pot, stirring often, for another 10 minutes. Measure  3c fresh cold water and add a little of this if needed to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pot. Take the stems off 12oz. fresh baby spinach. Gather this up into a clump and slice very thin. Add this to the pot for the final 5 minutes of simmering. 

Sprinkle the vegetables with seasonings, to taste. I used about 1t ground turmeric, a good shake of ground cayenne pepper, 1-2t of a salt and pepper based garlic and herb seasoning.

Stir, then pour in the rest of the water and 3T± reduced sodium Chicken Better Than Bouillon soup base. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook another 5 minutes or so. 

Heat the big pot, containing 2-3 quarts of bone broth, to a low boil. Stir in 5oz. thin rice noodles and simmer a few minutes. Add the pot of vegetables to the noodles and broth, stir gently to combine, simmer another minute or two and serve. Mmmm, this made about 6 quarts total, for me, and lots to share. . .

Stay Healthy Everyone! . .Lin

Beefy-Beany Crunchy Vegetable Chili

In a 6 quart, heavy-bottom pot, lightly brown cubed top round steak, in a couple tablespoons of EVOO. While this is happening, chop or slice the vegetables shown and add them to the pot.

Add about a quart of water, 2-3T low sodium beef Better Than Bouillon and 3 bay leaves and 28oz. petite diced tomatoes and juice. Simmer on low heat for a half hour.

Add the chili beans and 'gravy' from each can. Drain and rinse black beans and add those now as well. I used 2 cans of black beans.

Simmer everything another half hour. Serve with crusty bread or corn muffins.

This will keep well, refrigerated, for about a week and I find it tastes best on day 2 or 3, after chilling and reheating. . .Lin

Olive, Oat- Muffin-Bites - Gluten-Free

1c quick rolled oats
1c corn flour
2T raw sugar
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
1t ground cumin
1t smoky chili powder
2T ground chia-flax seeds
1-2T Everything Bagel Seasoning

⅔c chopped pecans or walnuts
⅔c sour cream
⅔c warm water
1 can of corn-drained
⅓c EVOO
1T white vinegar
8 finely chopped jumbo garlic-jalapeno olives

In a medium glass bowl, whisk to combine all the dry ingredients.  Add the next group, stir then scoop batter by spoonfuls into paper-lined muffin tins.  Bake at 375° for 20-30 minutes.  These are good with chili. . .Lin

Quick Whole Grain Bread

3c all purpose, unbleached flour

1/2c whole wheat flour

1/2c corn flour

2T ground flax seed

2t each: sugar, yeast, salt

Whisk these together. Pour in 2c warm water. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the dry ingredients with the water. Cover and put in a warm place, away from drafts, for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Butter two glass 1-qt. mixing bowls, or one large glass bowl for round loaves, or use glass loaf pans. Transfer the 'dough,' which will be more like a doughy batter, to the baking pan(s). Put these in a warm place another half hour or hour until the loaf/loaves rise again. Drizzle the top with EVOO and sprinkle on some Everything Bagel Seasoning before baking at 375° 30-45 minutes, or until nicely browned on all sides. Cool several hours before removing from the baking bowls, or loaf pans, and slicing. This has a nice texture, similar to sourdough bread, without the tangy flavor. . .Lin

Tuna-Egg Salad - A Healthy Refresh

I'm always so happy when I think of an even healthier way to create foods that I love! I was craving this today so I started assembling ingredients. I realized I bought the wrong mayonnaise. Instead of one made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I had bought regular mayo. . .Hmmm. As I added the tuna packed in EVOO, an idea struck. What would this taste like with no mayonnaise -and- more olive oil in its place? 🤔 . . . Well, let's find out!

4 large Pasture Raised 'medium-hard' boiled eggs

1 big stalk of celery

6 green onions

4-5 small dill pickles

1/3 orange bell pepper

1 can EVOO packed tuna

single source EVOO

salt & pepper

Chop everything, break up the tuna, adding it -plus the oil- to a medium glass bowl. Mix together well, using enough olive oil to hold everything together, plus little more. Season, mix well once more, then serve. . .Lin

Lit'l Smokies, Corn, Beans and Crunchy Vegetables

I'm recovering from a big abdominal surgery and using up the ingredients I have here,  before attempting grocery shopping - which I'm very excited to do again! All Foodies love to grocery shop! 

Today I have a couple pots of soup in the 'fridge, but when I saw a pack of Hillshire Farms Little Smokies in the lunchmeat-cheese drawer in my 'fridge, I immediately knew I needed to have them for lunch.

Chop the vegetables. Sauté the celery in a 2-1/2 quart pot, in 2-3T good quality, single source EVOO. Cook and stir this a few minutes before adding the bell pepper, onion and Yukon Gold potatoes. Stir everything to coat with the oil, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes. 

Increase the heat and add the chopped Lit'l Smokies and some water or chicken broth if needed. Stir-fry everything a while, make sure nothing is sticking to the pan, reduce heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse the corn and beans. Add them to the pot, stir then let simmer another 5 minutes to heat everything through. Serve as is or with a crispy green salad and/or corn muffins. This was quick and SO good. Makes about 4-6 servings. . .Lin

Gluten Free, Seedy Lentil Protein 'Bread'

Well this continues to surprise me. The European recipe I used as a guide, used orange split lentils, which I thought I had, but mine were yellow mung bean lentils. I soldiered on, determined to try this interesting recipe. You'll need to use a kitchen scale that gives results in ounces and grams for this one since weights don't translate well to measurements with dry ingredients.

60g lentils - Grind these to flour consistency in your blender, food processor, or coffee type grinder, then combine with the following in a medium glass bowl:

6oz. warm-hot water - The recipe said 'a glass' of warm water, this amount worked for me, but you might need a little more. Let this soak a while, stirring occasionally until it cools a bit, then whisk in:

1T EVOO

2 eggs

~ Mix all this well, then add the following:

1t baking soda that's been stirred together in a small cup, with 1T apple cider vinegar

40g of ground flax and chia seeds (I didn't have my favorite mix this time so only used flax. Make sure they're ground though, not whole.

Mix all this together again, then let it soak for 10-15 minutes.

~ In a small, non-stick frying pan, dry toast until lightly browned and releasing their nutty scent:

30g EACH - sprouted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, or 60g total of either. I only had the pumpkin seeds, so I chopped those up a bit before dry toasting. Mix the toasted seeds well with the ingredients in the bowl. Transfer the batter to a well buttered loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds, or a light shake of Everything Bagel Seasoning. Bake at 350° until risen and lightly browned on the surfaces, about 1 hour. Cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.

I had some of this ↑ for breakfast with a boiled egg, a little chicken salad and a sliced McIntosh apple. Then again for lunch with some mixed nut butter combined with jalapeño jelly. The finished 'bread' is mildly savory. It's a recipe I'll make again, which is rare for me, and also a huge surprise. When I first tried it, I almost chopped it up and put it out for the birds and bunnies! So glad I didn't, I can already tell, this is something I'm going to actually crave!! Next time, I'll use the orange split lentils and probably make a couple other changes. (of course I will) . . . Lin

Sweet-Savory-Crunchy Chicken Salad

Lately, I haven't been cooking as much as usual, nor posting the results. This one turned out really great but I didn't weigh or measure every ingredient, so this is more of an idea than an exact recipe, but hey, it's chicken salad! I've rarely met one I didn't like! Give this combination a try.

8oz. roasted chicken meat
1 can (drained) diced water chestnuts 
4-6 green onions
2 ribs of celery
3 small dill pickles
5-6 lg. garlic olives
a BIG handful of craisins
a BIG handful of walnuts
mayonnaise - to hold it together

Chop or slice the ingredients and mix everything together in a medium glass bowl. For a Chicken Waldorf variation, omit the olives, pickles and craisins, and substitute a couple of your favorite apples, peeled and diced. . .Lin

Roasted Tomato - Vegetable Soup

Sometimes I get an idea for a recipe and it meets or exceeds my expectations. This was one o.f those times ☺️ It's not an exact recipe though, more just a photo illustration.

I had to slow-roast everything since I could not figure out how to get the oven temperature higher or lower than 350° on this fancy oven where I'm currently staying, here in Arizona.

I lost track of the time it took to get everything roasted properly, but as usually the carrots are the last to soften, so they were my guide. At that temperature, I'd guess the process took around an hour and a half, give or take a bit.

First scrub everything, then cut it all into big or medium chunks. Toss it all together in a big soup pot with a generous amount of good quality -single source- EVOO, a bit of garlic salt, lots of black pepper and whatever seasoning or herb blend you choose. 

Pour that onto a big sheet pan and roast until the carrots cooperate. Cool all this slightly, peel the tomatoes if you can, then put everything into a blender jar.

Pulse until rough-chunky or all the way to baby-food-smooth, whatever your preference for this particular soup happens to be today. Mine here isn't chunky but also not smooth, somewhere -just right- in the middle.

Pour this into that same big pot again. Rinse the pan and blender jar and add this water to the pot. Heat it to a simmer, taste and make any corrections in texture, viscosity and seasonings. More of everything? More water? Chicken soup base? Want it dairy free -?- then serve it now. 

If you want it a bit softer, and appreciate dairy, add heavy cream or a big spoonful of sour cream, just a little at a time until you get it right. Stir gently to combine everything and heat it back to a simmer before serving.

I had this with a piece of Cloud Bread and a fresh green side salad. . .Mmmm. Remember. . .it's always soup season. . .Even here in Arizona with the outside temperature at 91° . . 🥰 . . Lin