Avocado Bean and Corn Salsa

We're having a 'celebrate Spring's arrival' neighborhood get together at a neighbor's home across the street tonight. I originally said I'd bring Tabouli, but when I shopped, somehow a couple necessary ingredients slipped my mind. . .so I decided on a guac-type salsa instead.

Mash 2 ripe avocados in a bowl, add the seasonings you like.

Today I used about 1T of this guacamole seasoning containing lots of the usual dried vegetables and a drizzle of lemon juice. 

When I tasted it at the end, it seemed good, so I stopped with just that.

I poured in about 10oz. of the salsa, some finely chopped purple onion, a celery heart and tops, a can of drained and well rinsed black beans and then decided it also needed a can of corn, well drained and rinsed. 

It went together fast and I'm hoping the super thin and crispy chips will hold up to such a chunky 'salsa.' Happy Spring Everyone! . . .Lin

Beef Barley Soup 😃

This is today's version of one of my favorite all time soup creations, modeled after an old Campbell's soup called Scotch Broth. A simple beef barley type soup - but made with lamb. What a difference that makes! Lamb is a little like elk and venison with a stronger flavor that people seem to either love or hate. 

I started by partially thawing what looked like a beef roast I bought last fall in an International Market in the cities, but the label says Beef Knuckle! Strange, since it's boneless, but the meat looks like round steak only much thicker.

I cut off the fat, leaving 20oz. of meat that was mixed with part of a purple onion, finely chopped in a big pot with equal parts EVOO and Marsala cooking wine - about 3oz. each. Seasoned with my blend of finely ground black+cayenne, and a little garlic salt. After mixing, I let it marinate about an hour and a half.

Meanwhile, the vegetables shown in this photo were sliced or chopped. Heat the meat to sizzling, for about 15 minutes, stirring often, then add the celery and carrot pieces, which take longer to cook than the rest.

Bring everything in the pot to a sizzle again, cover and cook for another 15 minutes. Add a little water if needed.

Next chop half a green pepper and half a large purple onion and add those to the pot along with an undrained 28oz. can of petite diced tomatoes, 2 big spoonsful of low sodium beef Better Than Bouillon and a couple cups of water.

Bring this to a simmer then add 3/4c of long cooking barley that was rinsed several times, along with chopped celery greens and more water if needed.

Cover and simmer 40 minutes, or until the barley is done, if you're having the soup right away. If not, only simmer once the barley is added, for about 20 minutes, chill and reheat later. This turns the barley into resistant starch which is a much healthier option than when it's just been cooked.

Barley absorbs a LOT of liquid. You may have to add more water, and seasonings when you heat this or it could go from soup to a beef-vegetable-barley casserole. . .but that can be a good option too. .😉. .Lin

Orange Pecan Raisin Muffins

This is similar to the plum muffin recipe I created recently. I love muffins, so I'm always excited about dreaming up a new muffin recipe. Especially one that's diverse, in regard to ingredients, and healthy as well.

Here's my latest. . .
First, preheat your oven to 350°

~ Put this first group of room temperature ingredients into your blender jar ~

1c plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
2 lg. pasture raised eggs
2/3c melted coconut oil
2/3c pure Maple syrup

2T pure Mexican vanilla
10oz. orange or other fruit juice
1# whole Cutie mandarins cut up
~ check for seeds and remove centers

Pulse until everything is well blended and there are no big pieces of orange peel visible.

~ Whisk together in a BIG bowl ~

1c all purpose unbleached flour
1c quick cooking rolled oats
1c coconut flour
1/2c buckwheat flour

2T ground flax seed
2T baking powder

1T pumpkin pie spice

1t Himalayan pink salt

~ Stir In ~

1c raisins
1c chopped pecans

Pour the contents of the blender into the big bowl, about half at a time. Mix quickly, just until everything is incorporated. Spoon into paper-lined muffin cups -or- silicone muffin cups and greased loaf pans.

Bake the muffins 20 minutes and the loaves for about 30, or until each passes the clean toothpick test. . .Lin

Tomato-Vegetable Bisque - gluten + dairy-free

This one's been rolling around my brain a while now. It was such a fun soup to make!

Chop the vegetables however you want - you don't need to spend a lot of time on this. Everything will be combined and smoothed out with your regular or immersion blender, at the end of the cooking time.

We don't want the vegetables overcooked, so begin with those that require the most heat time, the celery and carrots. Sauté them in coconut oil, with your seasonings*, either in a frying pan -or- covered in your crockpot on high.

Chop the onions and 1/2 of the green pepper for later.


This was an especially fun recipe for me since I gave away my 6 quart Nesco crockpot several years ago and I finally missed it. This is the inaugural event for my new little 4 quart gem - it's a keeper!

Once the vegetables have sizzled for a half hour or so, I added the onions and green pepper and continue sautéing another half hour. Next, a cup or two of homemade chicken bone broth, or vegetable broth if you're keeping this vegan, 3 bay leaves and all the tomatoes (56oz. total) go into the pot. Cook on high, or like I did since I made this late in the day, on low overnight until the vegetables are blendable. 

Remove the bay leaves, then blend until everything's smooth, check the flavors and make any needed adjustments to the seasonings. Add 1 can Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk and whisk that in until everything's combined. Heat again to serving temperature.

I stirred in some dry dill and topped with a sprinkle of sprouted pumpkin seeds to go with a really great sourdough grilled cheese sandwich. . .Cliché but so good! . .Lin

*Better Than Bouillon Chicken-or-Vegetable base, bay leaves, garlic salt, black+cayenne pepper, 1T sugar

A Ranch Type Dressing + A New Take on a Lettuce Mix

I've been wanting to get back to trying to perfect a Ranch Dressing. It's one of my favorites and I have a couple go-to store brands, but I know those contain some unpronounceable ingredients that can't be the best, so I need to get serious about one - or several - of my own.

Today I used equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise as my base:

4oz. full fat sour cream

4oz. EVOO mayonnaise

1/2oz. apple cider vinegar

1/2oz. grainy brown mustard

Once those were combined I added:

1/4t of my black and cayenne pepper blend

1/2t garlic salt

1t dry dill

Mix everything together well, adding a little water if needed to get to the viscosity you like. Store in an airtight container in the 'fridge.

I recently had some allergy and sensitivity testing done in regard to environmental factors and different foods. One thing I'm 'sensitive' to is Romaine lettuce, which was surprising and hard, initially, since it's been my go-to for many years.

However, since my lettuce mixes are always so varied, I've quickly been able to switch to dark green curly leaf kale. Here's a good mix containing: kale, purple cabbage, yellow onion, sliced sugar snap peas and cucumber.

The lettuce mix will keep well 3-4 days. The salad dressing will last much longer, at least a couple weeks. Today I added tomato, avocado and some sprouted pumpkin seeds before the dressing. . .Lin

Quick and Delicious Coleslaw

~ Grate 2 medium carrots into a medium glass bowl along with the following

~ 4 chopped inner stalks of celery - save those big darker ones for soup or stew

~ 1 finely chopped small yellow onion, or 4 or 5 green onions

~ 6-8 Brussels sprouts - slice these very thin

~ 1c or more raisins - golden or regular

Mix together then add dressing. Chill an hour or so before serving. My favorite dressings for coleslaw are either a good poppyseed dressing (sweet) or my favorite that I created ages ago, this Lemon EVOO Salad Dressing (zingy - savory)

This coleslaw goes together fast and tastes wonderful. Alone, as a quick salad or especially with grilled chicken, fish, steak or a burger. I love having a bowl of this in my fridge. It will stay fresh many days, but usually doesn't last that long. The dressing you use really makes a difference. Both have very different flavors. Maybe each one and see what you think! . .Lin

Plum Orange Walnut Raisin Muffins

2c plum sauce (or applesauce)
~ I posted a recipe for this previously

1c plain whole milk Greek yogurt

2/3c single origin EVOO

2 lg. pasture raised eggs

2/3c pure Maple syrup

2T Mexican vanilla

just the skin of 2 Cutie mandarins
~ finely chopped

1c all purpose flour
1c buckwheat

1c rolled oats
1/2c rye flour

1t baking soda

2T baking powder

1T pumpkin pie spice

1t Himalayan pink salt

1c raisins
1c chopped walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350°

Whisk together the first group of ingredients in a large glass bowl. Whisk the dry together then add, a little at a time, to the big bowl. Don't over mix and work quickly. Stir in the raisins and walnuts. Fill the muffin cups almost to the top and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The loaf pan took about 15 minutes longer.

Cool, then transfer to a rack, or when completely cool, a big bowl or airtight container. . .Lin

Liver Sausage (Braunschweiger) Cream Cheese Spread

I've made this before using plain cream cheese, so this one had really nice heat and texture dimensions added using the jalapeno and garden vegetable cream cheeses.

Put equal parts of cream cheese and liver sausage, probably 3oz. each., in a bowl and mash together until blended.

Add a little salt - smoked sea salt, onion or garlic salt would be good, as would smokey paprika and some dry dill to bring out more depth of flavor.

I'll make this often I think. It would have been even better if I had toasted that really good oat bread I just made, but it was still excellent. . .Lin

Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Yogurt, Flax, Egg Bread

This recipe is the result of my ideas, and many changes made to a couple recipes I found online. First, preheat your oven to 350° and butter a glass loaf pan. 

Whisk all this together in a large glass bowl:
145g - 1½c Oats*

*pulse in blender until consistency of flour

1/2T baking powder

1/3c ground flax seeds
1T Everything Bagel Seasoning

Whisk these together in a smaller glass bowl:
2 lg. pasture raised eggs

3+T - 45g EVOO

1T apple cider vinegar
1T raw, unfiltered honey
1c - 240g whole milk plain Greek yogurt

Combine and stir well, in the large bowl. Pour into the loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with some seeds or Everything Bagel Seasoning if you'd like and bake for about 35 minutes until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.

This bread is healthy, gluten free and full of fiber. . .Lin

Egg Bake with Chicken & Lots of Vegetables

This turned out SO well, in spite of forgetting to set my timer and going past my estimated baking time by about 20 minutes! 😯 No doubt about the vegetables being well cooked, that's for sure!

Preheat your oven to 350°

CHOP or SLICE:
1-2 lg. carrots
3-4 ribs of celery
a big handful of broccoli florets
6oz. roasted chicken
a generous amount of fresh greens
~ I used baby arugula and spinach
SHRED: 6-8oz. strong flavored cheese

Next, put the following in your blender jar:

8 lg. pasture raised eggs

1/3-1/2c liquid - I used coconut milk. Chicken broth would also be good.
3T Buckwheat flour - in spite of its name, this IS gluten-free!
1/2T baking powder
a big shake of smoked sea salt
- or- smokey paprika
1t± oregano leaf
1t black+cayenne pepper
1/2T good quality curry powder

Layer the vegetables in a buttered 9-13" pan. Add the chicken and greens. Pulse everything in the blender, just until smooth. Pour over the vegetables. Gently move everything around with a spatula to coat everything with the egg mixture without disturbing the layers. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over everything. Bake ? probably 35 minutes or until sides are browned and the center is firm.

I omitted onion from this recipe since I'll be sharing it with my Old-Man-Puppy Oliver 🐶 . . . Lin

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Wide Egg Noodles

I've found that the secret to avoid mushy noodles is not putting them right into the soup pot while all the other ingredients are simmering.

I cook them separately until half way done and still quite chewy. Drain, rinse and soak them in icy cold water. When they're very cold to the touch, drain again and put aside for now.

Another wonderful benefit to doing this is the noodles become what's know as Resistant Starch.

The method I outlined above is the quick version. Click on this ↑ link for directions and the science supporting this chilling and reheating technique.

Chop-slice all the vegetables then separate them by cooking time. Start with those that require the most time in the pot. Here, it's carrots, celery sauteing in a generous amount of single origin EVOO, with a little of the purple onion.

Next, when everything in the pot has sizzled, over low-medium heat, for 10 minutes or so, add the chopped cabbage, the rest of the onion and sliced kale-making sure to strip the leaves off the tough center stem first.

Add seasonings. Today I added 3 bay leaves, about a 1/2T of Orange Pepper, some garlic salt and a couple big spoonsful of Better Than Bouillon soup base, along with about 48oz. of my most recent chicken bone broth - also about 1/3c of cooking Sherry that I forgot to include in this photo.

Simmer over heat just high enough to create a slow bubble, for about 40 minutes. Check the carrots and stop now or continue to simmer until they're cooked the way you like them.
Stir them into the pot, heat again to a low bubble and. . .Soup's Ready. . 😃. .Lin

Gluten Free Almond-Greek Yogurt Bread

I find lots of interesting recipes, using ingredients similar to these, so often now on YouTube, where the videos are just a wealth of information.

A simple version of this caught my eye, but of course I had to make additions. Ground flax was not in the original and I used the Everything Bagel seasoning in place of the salt called for. I love this salt based seasoning and it seemed the perfect addition for a little more color, nutrition and texture. Let all your ingredients come to room temperature before combining. Preheat your oven to 350°

In a medium glass bowl, whisk together:
2c (200g) almond flour
2t (10g) baking powder
3T ground flax seed
1T Everything Bagel Seasoning

In a large glass bowl, whisk together:
14oz - 400g plain, whole milk, Greek yogurt
2 large pasture raised eggs

When combined, add the dry ingredients a little at a time until everything is well mixed. Pour into a buttered loaf pan and bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the whole loaf is nicely browned.

Cool completely before slicing. This turned out really well and I'll definitely make it again. . .Lin

Vegetable-Beet Juice & The Fibrous Vegetable Solids

Phase II Of The Previous Recipe Below

The juice strained easily right out of the fiber, and it tastes wonderful! 😃 I divided the solids in half, about 10oz. each, for two future muffin recipes.

A big glass of this vegetable juice was perfect for lunch today with a cottage cheese roll and a big tossed salad.

This salad was a mix of greens, with tomato, avocado and cheese drizzled with a honey-mustard variation of my Lemon-EVOO salad dressing. . .Lin

A Blended 'Juice'

These ingredients are so interesting to me, especially in this particular combination! All have wonderful health promoting properties. 

I made my variation of this just now, not in a juicer, but in my blender. But. . .in spite of the addition of more lemon juice and some herb tea (a drizzle of honey and a good shake of sea salt, turmeric, cinnamon and my black and cayenne pepper blend) the viscosity of this was heavier than a smoothie, more like junior baby food.

However. . . All is not lost. . .The flavor was good and the nutritional value is excellent which gave me an idea.

The lemon cake I made Monday was a big hit and now it's gone. I was thinking I'd try a variation of that recipe for muffins.

Instead, I'll put this in a fine strainer to eliminate some of the moisture and use a couple cups of it, plus chopped pecans, golden raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon to make some muffins, maybe tomorrow. So stay tuned! .😊. .Lin

Roasting Chicken Thighs and Making Bone Broth

 

Monday morning I woke up in sort of a funk. Then when feeding my dog and cat, I opened the 'fridge, saw the 5+ pounds of chicken thighs I bought Saturday. . .and. . .suddenly I was in my happy place!
~ ~ It's a Cooking Day! ~ ~

I'm roasting these with NO ONION OR GARLIC so my sweet old pup Oliver can have some of the bone broth. I'll add other seasonings later, to the recipes I use it in. I've got a simple soup rattling around my brain that'll happen later today or early tomorrow so I can bring some to my Bible study.

I drizzled the chicken with a good amount of Moroccan EVOO then sprinkled them with turmeric, smoked sea salt, Chinese 5 Spice and my mix of black + cayenne pepper. I've roasted chicken several different ways, starting with low oven temperatures for 2/3 of the time then raising it to crisp it up. I've also done it in reverse order. This time I roasted these, uncovered, at 375° for the whole hour and a half.

Now that they're cool, it's time to separate all the meat, returning the skin, bones and cartilage to the pan. I ended up with 2½ pounds of chicken - ready for future recipes.

Then I filled the pan 2/3 of the way with fresh cold water, 1/4c apple cider vinegar. I added the cabbage, celery and carrot shown then remembered the 'tired' baby arugula I had, plus extra kale from a huge bunch I just bought for my next soup.

This is everything just before reaching a simmer.

Once the cooking time is finished, remove all the solids, strain a couple times using finer strainers each time. For a clearer broth, line a big strainer with cheesecloth for the last straining. Chill well until the fat rises and solidifies, probably overnight, and can be removed from the gelled bone broth below.

Heat to a simmer and pour into clean quart canning jars or other similar size glass jars with lids that have a soft ring round the inside to insure a seal.

These are not room temperature - shelf stable, but will keep a couple weeks in your 'fridge and make great soup or a healthy addition to your dog or cat's food. Originally this made almost 6 quarts of bone broth, but after making a big pot of soup, this is what was left. Oliver will be happy! .🐶. .Lin

A Protein-Fiber Breakfast Bowl

I love putting leftovers together for breakfast. . .

Today it was 3 pieces of Spicy California Rolls cut in half, part of an avocado and a couple ounces of roasted dark meat chicken.

Topped with Everything Bagel Seasoning and a drizzle of Sweet Chili Sauce and Mushroom Soy Sauce. . .it was just perfect!

Be adventurous and think outside the 'traditional breakfast food' box. You might be surprised. . .Lin

Lemon—Orange Blender Cake

This is another recipe where I went to Google and typed in the ingredients I wanted to use and asked for amounts. I use soft butter or ghee to grease the pan and instead of flour, I sprinkle coarse turbinado sugar over the pan, to give the exterior a nice little crunch. This works really well.

1 Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix
1/2T baking powder

4 lg. pasture raised eggs
1/2c single origin EVOO
1/2c plain whole milk Greek yogurt
2 unpeeled chopped Cutie Mandarins
2± T Italian lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350° Butter and sugar a 9x13" glass baking pan. Shown here all mixed and ready to bake.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry cake mix and baking powder. Put the next group of ingredients in the blender jar and pulse-blend until smooth. Pour this into the dry ingredient bowl and whisk hard until everything's well combined.

Pour into the prepared pan, sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar. Bake 40± minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I let this cool, then drizzled with a thin glaze of powdered sugar and lemon juice.

This turned out SO well! The EVOO and yogurt worked perfectly to create a wonderful moist crumb texture. 

My next attempt at a lemony-orange cake will be to omit the cake mix and have A.I. create a healthier recipe using organic all purpose flour (or maybe almond or coconut flour-?) and baking powder. . .Lin

A Fresh Spring Salad Mix

This started with 2 petite Romaine lettuces, 1/4 of a large head of cabbage and some fresh dark green kale. That was washed and spun dry in the salad spinner.

Then I added the vegetables shown on the cutting board. Part of a purple onion, 3 colorful mini peppers and some chopped snap pea pods.

Today, I added 3oz. freshly roasted dark chicken meat, 1oz. of the cheese shown, a handful of sprouted pumpkin seeds and a big splash of the latest version of this old standby. . .my Lemon EVOO Salad Dressing.

Just like Soup Season, I believe Salad Season is all year 'round. We only have this one body and it's never too late to start eating healthier! It's Monday — Why not today? . 😊 . .Lin

A Quick Healthy Dinner, Salmon and Sweet Potato

 

I've decided this is my favorite way to fix sweet potatoes. I take one or two big ones, scrub well then only cut away bruises or other bad spots from the peeling. Slice them lengthwise, 1/2" thick, and put them on a parchment lined baking sheet drizzled with EVOO. Flip and season the oiled top side.

I buy frozen salmon with the skin on. I put the meaty side down first, then flip them and season. This keeps the skin on the bottom and easier to pull off before serving. Bake these together until a fork slides in and out of the sweet potato.

And yes, I'd eat this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I don't have a problem with gluten, but I've decided in general, it's not good. Traditional breakfast foods are full of it and not healthy for anyone. They're loaded with GMO's, processed grains, sugar and bad carbs. This was SO good! A little ranch dressing and dry dill on the salmon and some pickled asparagus rounded out the plate just right. Think outside your current 'box' and put a new twist on breakfast. . .Lin

Avocado 'Toast' . . . for a healthy quick breakfast

 

Today I woke up really hungry and Avocado Toast was just what I needed.

Sadly, I was all out of the only bread I ever buy these days. . .this amazing sourdough bread from Aldi's. Since I had a crabby looking 1/2 of an avocado sitting on my counter and found a couple questionable rice cakes, I pressed on! I mashed the avocado with the following:

2T Moroccan EVOO

a big shake of:

~ my black and cayenne pepper

~ Trader Joe's onion salt

~ dry cilantro

This made just enough for one and a half raggedy rice cakes 😊 The tomato and purple onion were great final touches. . .Lin

Tuna Salad

2 cans EVOO packed tuna

carrot and celery + tops

a little bit of purple onion

6 spears pickled asparagus

3T sun dried tomatoes

2T grainy mustard

enough mayonnaise to hold everything together

Put the tuna and its oil in a medium glass bowl. Chop and add all the vegetables and the rest of the ingredients listed. Mix well. 

This could be served in a wrap, on sourdough bread, with crackers, or on some baby arugula like I did this morning. Paired with chopped tomato and cucumber and a cottage cheese roll was just the perfect combination. . .Lin

Colorful Coleslaw w/ Honey-Mustard-Lemon-EVOO Vinaigrette

1/3 lg. head of cabbage

several leaves of kale

3 red mini peppers

3 sm.-med. carrots

1/3 med. purple onion

Wash the kale well, remove the rib. Thin slice the cabbage and all the ingredients shown into a big glass bowl.

Poppy seed dressing is usually my go-to for coleslaw, but this time I made a honey-mustard type variation of my Lemon-EVOO Salad Dressing adding some Maple syrup, stone-ground mustard and substituting Italian seasoning for the rosemary.

This is always a good choice for a salad. It can be made a day or two in advance and keeps well for 4-5 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. . .Lin