Whole 30 - Bacon-Vegetable Egg Bites (for dogs and humans 😁)

Well, this was fun!

And I'm sure my old boy Oliver will appreciate this breakfast addition to his little bit of morning dry food. The 6 on the left are his. The ingredients in the little white bowl: chopped green onion and pimentos, weren't added until AFTER I made his. Dogs can NOT have onions.

12 lg. pasture raised eggs

6-8oz. of my coconut and almond milk mix

I blended these together well with an immersion blender.

Grease the baking pan. Into each cup and the pan, I put crumbled bacon, finely chopped mushrooms and kale that were sauteed together until about half cooked. That's all that goes into those intended for dogs. Mix the ingredients in the little bowl with a spoon, then put equal amount in each of the remaining 6 on the right and the glass pan.

Pour egg mixture into the 6 for the dog, then blend seasonings into the rest for the humans👨‍👩‍👧‍👦. I used a little Himalayan pink salt and my black+cayenne mix. Pour that into the cups and pan. I had about 6oz. of that mixture leftover. I put it in a sealed jar for scrambled eggs in the next day or two.

Bake in a preheated 350° oven. About 15 minutes for the cup-bites and a half hour or so for the pan. When the center is firm, they're done. Cool then store in zip-lock bags. I haven't tried freezing these, but that might work.

I just had a couple of the bites, and they turned out great. Have fun cooking for yourself, the people and pets in your life. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Fruit Salad

Often a new recipe creation just hits me when looking in the 'fridge, freezer, on my pantry shelf, or like today - in the fresh fruit corner of my countertop.

Also, as a bit of an aside, in the past - the recent past, like right before Whole 30 - I'd make a fruit bowl like this and top it with turbinado sugar, "for crunch." Lots of sugar provided lots of crunch, but it also negated a lot of natural benefits of the healthy fruit. So as I assembled this I thought of that and wondered how the flavors and texture would be in this new, healthier approach. Well, for a big surprise, read this post to the end!

1 lg. Envy apple

1 med. banana

1 yellow or green kiwi

1 Cutie mandarin + peel

Dark seedless grapes

5-7 dried dates

juice of one lime

Wash everything well.

Peel the kiwi, don't peel the Cutie, and juice the lime. Cut, slice or chop, each of these fruits, into a medium size bowl. Drizzle with the lime juice, gently combine and distribute, making sure everything is coated with the lime juice.

I ate half of the fruit in the little bowl and was so surprised at the flavors the lime juice brought out! However, I had an idea. . .

I went back to the kitchen and sprinkled the rest of the fruit in my bowl with pink Himalayan salt and some of my black+cayenne pepper mix.

Wow!! You need to give this a try! . .Lin

Whole 30 - Another Salad Mix + Lemon-EVOO Dressing

No matter the time of year, and even though I live in Northern Minnesota, I almost always have a BIG fresh greens and vegetable mix in my refrigerator, so a salad can be put together in only a few minutes. This is my current one for the next few days. 

Salad Mix:

1 big petite or regular Romaine

6 big green onions

2 carrots

1 big handful of chopped kale

2c sliced-chopped purple cabbage

1/2 of a long, skinny, bumpy English cucumber

Slice the Romaine lettuce lengthwise into quarters. Cut into 1" cross sections. Wash well in your salad spinner, starting with warm-hot water, then drain and wash in icy cold water. Drain, spin several times to remove all the water. Rinse and dry the outer container then fill with the spun lettuce. Wash and prep the other vegetables then slice or chop them into the lettuce. Use this as the base for a tossed salad, like mine, or grab a handful and top with chopped chicken or tuna packed in EVOO. . .think of other ways to use these greens and vegetables. Chop up some fresh fruit: an apple, grapes, a whole Cutie Mandarin orange, including the skin! Put these on a bed of the greens and drizzle with the dressing. Mmmm, so good and fresh! Add to a pot of soup - grab a handful (put the cucumbers back in the mix) chop it fine and throw it into the pot.

Lemon-EVOO Dressing: 

1c single source EVOO*

1/2c pure lemon juice

2t Himalayan pink salt

1t black+cayenne pepper mix

1/2 -1t granulated roasted garlic - optional

*I can't stress strongly enough, how important it is to read labels on extra virgin olive oil. If there's a 'code' at the bottom - telling which countries the oil came from - PASS on it!! It's been proven, through chemical analysis, that often these multicountry offerings test as substances other than olive oil!! Buy only EVOO from one country / point of origin, i.e.: California, Spain, Italy, Greece, or the best by far: Moroccan.

Combine in a 14oz., or larger, glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. This keeps in the refrigerator a long time, a month or more, but probably won't last long. In addition to using as a salad dressing, it would be a good addition, just a drizzle, to mayonnaise for coleslaw, egg salad, tuna salad and also as an excellent marinade for meats.

Today, my salad for a 1pm breakfast-lunch was a big handful of the salad mix, with the addition of 1/2 medium tomato, 1/2 large avocado, 1 hard boiled egg and a handful of walnuts. Drizzled with a good amount of the dressing. Don't worry about this type of 'fat'. It's the absolute best type for your body. So many nutrients here! The fresh vitamins from the greens and tomato, the protein and fiber from the avocado, egg and walnuts. This is anti-inflammatory and it all tastes so great. . .Lin

Whole 30* - Orange-Berry-Banana — Coconut-Almond Ice Cream

Ohhh, Boy!

This Whole 30 recipe creating has really stirred my interest!

Someone in one of my Whole 30 Facebook groups mentioned ice cream and was sad she couldn't have it for a while. I thought, hmmm, yeah, 'I'm on it!' I used to make frozen yogurt quite often, but since dairy is off the table right now, I started thinking of cream and whole milk Greek yogurt alternatives. I've heard of coconut based yogurt, but I already grocery shopped twice this week, and I never go to the store for just one or two items. Then I remembered the coconut-almond milk I put together for a dairy-free coffee creamer and also used it in mashed potatoes a few days ago, so I needed to make more. Just in time to experiment! *I just discovered that Whole 30 says 'no treats' yet. . .the coconut-almond milk and all the fruit is compliant, so. . .I guess proceed at your own risk.

For the 'Ice Cream'. . .

Fill a blender container half way with frozen fruit. 1½ big bananas (or 2 sm.-med.), 1½-2c frozen strawberries and blueberries and after I took the picture, I also cut up a Cutie mandarin orange, including the skin, and added that. ( I thought about adding a handful of chopped dates for sweetness but decided against that.)

I then poured in about 10oz. of the coconut-almond milk and blended. I actually had to let it just sit there and thaw 15 minutes or so before it would blend - so be patient - don't add any more liquid! Blend this well, then pour into a 32oz. container and freeze.

Adding bananas helps to keep it a bit softer and *easier to scoop, not to mention all the nutrients they add to this type of ice cream. I'll be making varieties of this recipe far into the future!! . . . Lin

EDIT: *The bananas might keep this soft if they were the main ingredient, but sadly, this froze hard as a rock. The flavor and health aspects of it however, make working with this worthwhile. Put the container on your counter, at least a half hour before scooping.

Whole 30 - Beef-Brussels Sprouts-Kale-Zucchini Stew

I grew up on beef stew as a child and didn't really like it much. I'm always looking for ways to change it up.

Also, other than when I'm making a big meatloaf, I rarely buy ground meat. However, I saw these black angus burgers and somehow just had to snap them up! I've quick pan fried them for dinner with steamed vegetables a couple times recently and they were excellent! 

Yesterday I decided to partially thaw two (1/2# total) and cut them into chunks. Leaving them like that almost makes this a meatball stew!

I stir-sauteed the carrots and celery, until everything was sizzling, in a little ghee, or you could use a good single source EVOO. Then added the ground beef chunks (resist the urge to break them up!) and sizzled everything a little longer. Meanwhile, I slice-chopped the green and yellow zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and green pepper. * After 5-10 minutes of sizzle time, I added those vegetables and a drizzle of bone broth to the pot. Simmer for several minutes.

Add 2c of bone broth, and turn up the heat so everything gets well warmed to bring out the flavors and the aromas start to waft your way.

I seasoned with about 1T of a salt-free ground vegetable blend, Himalayan pink salt, black + cayenne pepper and 2 big spoonsful of pure tomato paste. Last, I stirred in the chopped kale and green onions. Simmer everything until the kale wilts.

This was perfect for a late dinner last night with a big mug of ginger-turmeric herb tea.

This keeps and reheats well for several days in the refrigerator and would also freeze nicely. Then after a really busy day with work or with your children, it can be slow simmered for a hot, healthy dinner when you're just too tired to cook.

You could also add some *cubed Yukon Gold potatoes for a more hearty version. I didn't think of that when these ingredients were being prepped. Mmmm, this is good! . .Lin

Whole 30 - Langostino Bisque

This was a fun recipe to create! 😃

The end result was a little too thin - too much bone broth - as well as a bit too lemony. Nevertheless, it's really a great bisque, but I think my favorite of all has been each of my Crawfish Bisques.

Saute the chopped carrots, potatoes, green pepper 2 of the garlic cloves-minced, and celery into a couple tablespoons of butter or ghee, in a 4 quart soup pot.

Sprinkle this with Himalayan pink salt, black + cayenne pepper and Old Bay seasoning, then saute and let it sizzle together a few minutes. Add some bone broth, cover and simmer 7-8 minutes.

Next add 2-3T of lobster Better Than Bouillon, 2-3T pure tomato paste, the kale, celery tops, 5-6 chopped green onions and the other 3 crushed-minced garlic cloves and 5 oz. of the langostino to the pot. (If you're not restricting alcohol, 1/2c or so of a good cooking Sherry could be added now.) Stir, cover and simmer, on low heat, another 7-8 minutes. Then remove from the burner to cool just a little.

Cut the remaining 7oz. of whole langostino into smaller pieces, drizzle with a little pure lemon juice, and set aside until after the bisque has been blended.

Once everything except the lemon-marinated langostino has been added to the pot and simmered, then cooled slightly, pour in the can of coconut milk, then use your immersion blender to blend everything - a little bit, or smooth, your choice.

At the very end, stir in the langostino and the lemon juice they were marinating in. 

Reheat, just until barely bubbling, stir and ladle into bowls. Garnish and serve accompanied by whatever crunchy things you like. This would pair nicely with a Chef's Salad or just a big bowl of chopped mixed greens (and crusty bread if you're not restricting grains.) . . . Lin

Whole 30 - Chicken-Mushroom-Zucchini Stew

Saute 10oz. sliced mushrooms in ghee until lightly browned.

Add cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and zucchini and a little chicken broth. Stir in 1-1/2c chopped peppers and onion, 1T mild Japanese curry powder, 1c marinara, 1c coconut-almond plant milk (recipe posted below) and 8oz. roasted chicken.

Stir everything together and gently simmer until the vegetables are done the way you like. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Citrus Infused Water

This is a great cleansing drink for whatever food plan you are, or aren't, following. We should all be getting half the number of our weight in ounces each day to keep "all systems 'GO'." (i.e.: if you weigh 150# aim for 75oz. water daly) 

Fill a pitcher with 8-12oz. pure lemon juice. Squeeze additional Cuties and limes. Add this juice and the squeezed fruit to the pitcher. Fill with filtered tap water. Serve over ice or hot. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Scandinavian Woman's 'Shepherd's Pie'

I recently made a meatloaf using only Whole 30 approved ingredients:

1# ground chicken, 1# ground bison, lots of chopped celery and onion, 2 extra large pasture-raised eggs, 12oz. marinara sauce, Himalayan pink salt, black and cayenne pepper, granulated roasted garlic.

Nothing grain-based to hold it all together, but even without that, although this was looser than usual meatloaf, it worked out well. I baked this at 350° about an hour. Originally, I served it as is, with potatoes and vegetables, then decided to crumble it for this recipe.

Whole 30 Shepherd's Pie:

First, scrub, chop and simmer several baby red or Yukon Gold potatoes. Drain, mash, add a little ghee, Coconut-Almond plant milk (see previous post) salt and pepper. This went into the bottom of a 9"x9" glass baking pan. For the next layer, crumble the meatloaf mixed with a little marinara and the plant milk. Spread this over the mashed potatoes. Then top with lightly cooked vegetables sauteed in ghee. I used sliced Brussels sprouts, sliced carrots and cubes of green cabbage. Heat in the oven or microwave, cut into squares and serve.
This would pair nicely with a crispy green salad. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Coconut-Almond Plant Milk / Coffee Creamer

Pour the can of coconut milk into a quart jar. Fill the can with almond milk and add this to the jar. Stir well and store in the refrigerator.

This is an excellent alternative to cow's milk to be used in recipes or in your coffee. Similar, almost identical to plant based coffee creamers found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, but far less expensive.

Happy Substituting! .😊. .Lin

Whole 30 - Coleslaw with Snow Pea Pods, Raisins and Almonds

Since being on Whole 30 I've been more careful about reading labels. I'm shocked at how much sugar, dairy and grains sneak into our cooking under various names. These ingredients are all approved for the plan.

Finely slice about 1/3 of a large head of green cabbage and 1/4 medium head of purple cabbage into a large bowl. Add 1 large shredded carrot, 5 or 6 chopped green onions, some sliced crispy snow pea pods, 3/4c golden raisins, 2±oz. toasted slivered almonds.

In a little bowl, whisk together: 1/2-3/4c mayonnaise, 3T red wine vinegar, 3T dijon mustard, a sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt and some black and cayenne pepper.

Pour over the vegetables, toss, refrigerate an hour or so to blend the flavors before serving. This is good by itself or as a compliment to just about anything that needs a little freshness, protein and crunch. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Chicken Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Lemon and Dill

Today is March 12th. While only 37° it's a beautiful, crisp, sunny Spring day! I have some crisp, fresh ingredients, so it was the perfect inspiration for this soup. Since I'm following the Whole 30 detox-elimination program, this contains no sugar, dairy or grains and is compatible with that plan.

I made a pot of chicken bone broth yesterday from a big, perfectly roasted chicken. Strained it repeatedly, then put it outside on my deck to chill. This morning I skimmed off the fat then simmered it with a few bay leaves. Meanwhile, I chopped the longest cooking vegetables to saute before putting them in the soup pot. 4 celery stalks and 3 medium carrots. While simmering those for 10 minutes or so, separate the fennel bulb from the fluffy fennel fronds and slice the bulb. Put the fronds aside for now.

Chop 1/4 large green pepper, slice-chop the fennel bulb and add both to the pot to simmer while chopping the potatoes, 5 large garlic cloves crushed and minced and snap peas. Stir in 2T± of chicken low-sodium Better Than Bouillon, half-1t black+cayenne pepper blend, 1t Himalayan pink salt, stir then cover and simmer on low. Chop the fennel fronds. Add those and 8oz. roasted chicken chunks. Stir, check the flavors add or balance the seasonings, adding 1-2t dry dill, 1/2 squeezed lemon putting them in the pot. Add water if needed. edit: I froze a quart of this and refrigerated the rest.

edit: When I scooped out some to reheat, the bone broth had gelled perfectly! For some reason this is always unpredictable. I don't vary my technique, nor the basic ingredients, so it must depend on the chicken. The more it gells, the more collagen it contains. Collagen is a very important protein to keep our skin and connective tissues healthy. Our bodies produce less of this as we age, so it's good to find a natural way to supplement. Well-gelled bone broth is an excellent source.

Heat to just bubbling, check doneness of the vegetables.
Ladle into soup bowls and serve. . .Mmmm. . .Happy Spring! .😊. .Lin

Pepper-Garlic Pita Chips -with- Olive-Pesto Chicken Salad

The chicken salad was going to be the headliner in this 2-for-1 recipe, until I tasted these crispy pita chips. Ohhh, where have these been all my life! 

For a brief history, they began as only a glimmer of a recipe idea since discovering them, freshly baked at Falastin, our sweet little Palestinian restaurant-bakery-deli and market, a mile from my house, in the recently redone building that was previously The New London Cafe.

I've been buying their packs of pita pocket bread for about a month now and it's been a great discovery for toasting, then making my favorite PB&J - organic fresh ground peanut butter and jalapeno pepper jam. I also use them for grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and onion. Everything has been so good made with this interesting bread! 

PITA CHIPS

2  8" pita pockets

single source EVOO

black + cayenne pepper

Lawry's Garlic Salt

Cut each pitas in half, then cut the layers apart as shown. Cut each half-circle into 2 pieces - this will make 16 chips. Brush inner surfaces with EVOO, arange on a baking sheet then sprinkle with seasonings. This photo shows them brushed, seasoned and ready for the oven.

Bake at 375° for about 15 minutes or until the surfaces start to turn golden brown. Serve with chicken or tuna salad, hummus, red pepper dip. . .you decide! Be creative! (These are savory, if you want, you could make them sweet by brushing with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.)

CHICKEN SALAD

See the first photo for ingredient amounts, 6 oz. roasted chicken dark meat, only half of a medium purple onion, some large garlic-jalapeno stuffed olives, a little green pepper and a celery heart. Chop everything into a medium glass bowl then add mayonnaise, sour cream or your favorite dressing. I used about 1T Dijon mustard and just enough of the Garlic-Pesto Ranch Dressing I made recently to hold everything together.

Served with the amazing crispy pita chips and some salt and peppered tomato and cucumber was a great late lunch. . .Lin

Garlic Pesto Ranch Dressing - Tuna and Egg Salad

I love ranch dressing. Actually, my favorite is an off-brand buttermilk-peppercorn version, but recently I went big. Bought this ranch then realized it was a bit boring and needed a little help, so here's what I did.

4-5oz. ranch dressing

4-5oz. basil pesto

1T coriander chutney (a spicy cilantro chutney)

1t granulated garlic

I stirred these together and loved the results. So much that, in addition to a salad dressing, I decided to use it in place of mayonnaise this morning to make tuna-egg salad.

2 hard boiled eggs

2-3 stalks of celery and tops

1/2 med. white onion

2 4.5oz. cans of EVOO packed tuna

Chop the eggs, celery and onion into a medium glass bowl. Add the undrained tuna, chop it up then stir all the ingredients together. Add as much of the basil ranch dressing needed to make everything cohesive. 

Today I had this on half a large pita, split and toasted.

It was excellent. . .Lin

Lotsa Stuff — Healthy Muffins

Combine in a large bowl:

1-1/2 ripe, mashed banana

1 lg. diced, unpeeled Envy apple

1c chopped pecans

1-1/4c dark brown sugar

3 lg. pasture raised eggs

1T pure Mexican vanilla

3/4c single source EVOO

3/4c plain Greek yogurt

zest of 2 oranges - juice of 1 or 2

In another large bowl, whisk together:

1-1/2c unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4c corn flour (not cornmeal)

3/4c organic rye flour

1+T ground flax seed

1+T chia seeds

1T pumpkin pie spice

1t each: salt, baking powder, baking soda

Preheat your oven to 350° When the wet and dry ingredients are well mixed in their bowls, add the fruit mixture to the dry bowl. Stir well to combined then spoon into paper-lined muffin pans. Bake 20 minutes or so until a toothpick inserted into one of the muffins comes out clean. Makes 36 muffins or 24 + a small loaf of quick bread. If making the second option, allow extra baking time for the batter in the loaf pan. . .Lin

Another Blended Tomato-Vegetable Soup

This turned out so well! I tasted it with and without the coconut milk, and it's great both ways.

Chop the celery and carrot and saute in Greek Kalamata extra virgin olive oil. When the aromas start to release, add 1 medium onion and lots of fresh garlic, chopped. Add the seasonings of your choice, I used black pepper, smokey paprika, garlic salt, a blend of ground-dried vegetable seasoning, from Costco, and some vegetable Better Than Bouillon.

Stir in the stewed and diced tomatoes. Rinse the can's with fresh, cold water and add 36oz. or so to the pot. Simmer everything, over low heat, for an hour or two. Blend with an immersion blender, then check the flavors. Add a little coconut sugar if too acidic and make any other adjustments to the seasonings. 

Let this cool a bit if you're adding the coconut milk. Just stir that in and reheat to a very low simmer. Serve with oyster crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich. The next day I made some stir-fry steak, potatoes and asparagus and served that in a bowl with a scoop of this soup over the top. That was also excellent! Like a chunky tomato-cream gravy. . .Lin

Coconut-Maple-Vanilla Coffee Creamer

I found a vanilla-coconut-almond coffee creamer I really liked at our local Co-Op, but it was $6+ for a not so big carton. I decided to try making some.

1 13.66oz can coconut milk
2T± pure Maple syrup
1T± pure vanilla

Whisk these together and store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. This will keep well a week or longer.

Just 3 ingredients and it turned out really well, for about 1/3 the cost of the brand at the Co-Op. If you're staying away from dairy, you might want to give this one a try. . .Lin

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