Arugula-Basil-Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Today's Pesto Day!
Put these ingredients, in their group, into your blender jar and pulse just enough to blend each, starting with the first. Then add the greens and pulse until incorporated. Last add the cheese and pulse until everything's chopped and combined the way you'd like. Most people prefer doing this in a food processor which works great, but somehow I'd rather pulse all this in my blender. However, this took a lot of jar scraping to totally combine. . .Use whichever works best for you.

6oz. single source EVOO

2 big garlic cloves - chopped

zest + juice of a lemon

½T salt, pepper, garlic Kinder's Blend

½c± organic sprouted pumpkin seeds

68g - 2.4oz arugula

32g - 1.15oz. basil 

2½oz. total - of five microgreens:

- pea shoots, radish, kale,

- red cabbage and basil

3oz. grated Parmesan-Romano cheese

I wasn't planning this, but the photo below shows my late breakfast - early lunch when, after blending, I discovered it wouldn't all fit in my 16oz. container. This recipe made about 20oz. In addition to fresh basil, you can use just about any greens. In the past I've used curly as well as flat leaf Italian parsley, celery greens, spinach even some beautiful carrot tops one time! I have some beautiful chard right now, but decided I might steam that to go with salmon soon.

Now a word about pasta. . .
True Italian pasta is far healthier than our typical American variety. I've been ordering it online now since in Europe they don't use GMO wheat, no preservatives and their milling process for the wheat includes more of the healthy parts of the whole grain.

I cook my pasta using the resistant starch method. If you need pasta right away you can still accomplish this by cooking to al denté stage, draining, then rinsing and soaking a few minutes in icy cold water. Then drain, combine with the sauce and reheat. Or reheat the pasta only and add the sauce.

It's SO worth the extra steps to create a much healthier version of pasta! Happy Cooking! . .😃. .Lin

Coconut-Lemon Frozen Yogurt

In your blender jar combine:

1-1/2c whole milk plain Greek yogurt
1/2c canned coconut milk

*zest one lemon, then squeeze the juice
- set the zest aside

1/3c fresh lemon juice
4T raw local honey

a pinch of salt

1t pure vanilla**

Blend well, then add 1-2T lemon zest*
Pulse a couple times, just to distribute the zest, not to pulverize it. Pour into a 22oz. container. Freeze about 3 hours and serve. If frozen longer, you'll probably need to leave it on the counter awhile before it's scoopable. . .Lin

**Optional - Sometimes vanilla and citrus work well, sometimes they conflict. This time its warmth balanced the cool tartness of the lemon. Trust your instincts whether to include it or not. 

Roasted Beet and Orange Salad

Ohhh, no matter what variation of a Beet Salad I make, I always love it!
This might be the first time I've paired orange and beet, and definitely the first for the greens I used.

Cover the bottom of a glass pan with EVOO. Scrub and dry your beets with a paper towel. Don't peel them - root vegetables absorb so many great nutrients through the skin, so don't lose those. Cut them in similar size pieces and put them cut side down in the pan.

Brush the outsides with the oil from the pan and season with garlic salt, black and cayenne pepper. Roast in a preheated 375° oven about a half hour or until a fork inserted comes out easily.

While that's happening, make a bed of baby arugula and microgreens in a big salad bowl. Today I used red cabbage, kale and basil microgreens. Add sliced Vidalia onion, zest and segments of a Caracara orange, a big handful of sprouted pumpkin seeds and some sharp cheese (crumbled feta, blue cheese or shredded parmesan-romano work best). 

When the beets are done, cool just enough to touch and cut into chunks. Toss all this together and drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Don't make this one ahead of time.

It's better made-and-served right away. . .And then it will be
Perfect. . .and. . .DE-licious! . .Lin

Lingonberry - Lime Seltzer

I got back from a long walk with Oliver and we were both really thirsty on this humid day. Nice cool water for him.

This is exactly what I needed to rehydrate!

2oz. lime juice

1-2oz. Lingonberry syrup

a can of flavored seltzer

a pinch of salt

Mixed gently in a glass or jar, with some ice, this was pink perfection. . .Lin

Crunchy Tuna and Egg Salad

before dressings

2 regular cans of EVOO tuna - undrained

2 lg. pasture raised hard boiled eggs

1/2 med. Vidalia onion
3/4c chopped microgreens: radish, red cabbage and kale
3 stalks celery 
2 mini orange peppers
1/3c chopped sweet-spicy dill pickles
black + cayenne pepper
Lawry's Garlic Salt

Slice or chop all the vegetables, mix well in a medium glass bowl, with the eggs, tuna, the healthy oil in the can and seasonings.

Add enough mayonnaise and vinaigrette to hold everything together. Serve on toast or on a bed of greens as a salad. This was delicious! . .Lin

A Hearty Summer or Winter Stew

Never mind that it's been in the 80's with high humidity here in northern Minnesota. . .seems my body doesn't always go along with the concept of seasonal eating! I had some fresh green beans, small purple turnips and lots of mushrooms to turn into something. Here's what transpired:

In a 6 quart pot, sauté 16oz. sliced baby portabella mushrooms in 2 big spoonfuls of ghee or butter. When they're lightly browned stir in the following sliced-chopped ingredients:

10oz. beef-pork hot dog-sausages
13oz. fresh green beans
13oz. purple turnips
*garlic and onion
6 stalks of celery
2 big carrots
1/3c cooking sherry
2-4T beef Better Than Bouillon
1 14-15oz. petite diced tomatoes
~ I used this instead of the bone broth shown in the first photo
2/3c of a mild curry sauce

Stir this together, cover and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Stir again, continue to simmer, covered, on low heat for 15 minutes.

Stir in the sliced mini peppers and some chopped roasted chicken. Add water or broth if needed and continue to simmer until the carrots, celery and turnips are done the way you like.

*I left out garlic and onion this time, but those would also add great flavor. . .Lin

A Fresh Peppery Salad

This time, when ordering my Farm CSA box, I focused on pasture raised eggs, greens and microgreens. This salad turned out so well! Fresh, crunchy and full of a variety of green flavors. . .

I started with a big handful of spicy baby arugula then added these microgreens shown at the back of the bowl: radish, red cabbage, kale. I then chopped and added the other vegetables, drizzled it all with my latest lemon-EVOO-honey-mustard flavor vinaigrette. It was so good! I gobbled the whole thing before realizing I didn't take a pre-serving photo! But you get the idea. . 😉 . .Lin

Rhubarb-Raisin-Oat-Pecan Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350°

You'll need 8oz. of rhubarb for these muffins. Blending half and slicing the rest to add later for more color and texture. My rhubarb was partly green, and red closer to the root. I put the green pieces in the blender and the smaller cut red pieces into the dry bowl.

Put this first group into your blender jar and blend until smooth:

4oz. rhubarb cut in chunks
3 lg. pasture raised eggs
1-1/2c organic cane sugar
3/4c Chobani whole milk plain Greek yogurt
3/4c single source EVOO
1T± apple cider vinegar
2t pure vanilla

In a large glass bowl, stir together:

2c Caputo (Italian) Chef's Flour. . .
~ or a good American all purpose flour. . .
~ such as King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill
1T baking powder
1t Himalayan pink salt
3/4t black + cayenne pepper
3/4c quick cooking oats
2T ground flax seed
4oz. chopped rhubarb
1c chopped pecans

Pour the blender mixture into the dry ingredient bowl. Stir-scrape-mix together with a silicone spatula until all the flour is incorporated.

Using a big serving spoon, fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar which adds just the right amount of sweetness and crunch.

This made a lot of batter. I put the extra into a buttered-sugared oven-safe bowl, turning it into a little muffin cake. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes. The little cake will need an extra 10 minutes or so, until it passes the "toothpick test". . .Lin

Another Bone Broth your animals will love!

I was curious about which seasonings were beneficial - and not - for our animals. I've found A.I. to be a helpful resource for such things. This is what I learned. . .With these cautions and suggestions in mind, I made this bone broth:

I should note that I've found that, by far, my healthiest bone broth begins with really good quality, pasture raised chickens. If I don't buy a whole chicken, the leg quarters seem to have the most collagen and I prefer dark meat, so this works well for me. Regarding collagen, bone broth made without chicken feet is far more watery than one made with them (more solid = more collagen) so they are a wonderful ingredient to add to the process. If you've found some, do a search for the recipes here and refer to those instructions.

Having said all that, I have to admit, I really love Costco's rotisserie chickens. Sadly though, I'm pretty sure they don't fall into the healthiest category. I used one of those this time, but didn't have chicken feet, so on a scale of 1-10, even with the healthy seasonings, this one gets a 6.

I simmered the skin and bones with the A.I. suggestions: black + cayenne pepper, fresh ginger, turmeric, dried parsley, dry oregano and yes, a little ground cinnamon! This all simmered on low heat for a couple hours last night. Then I scooped out and discarded the solids, strained it well and chilled it overnight. . .This morning I scraped and blotted the fat off the top, heated the (not-very-well-jelled) bone broth to a steamy point, just below a bubbling simmer, then poured and sealed it in the glass containers shown.

This is not 'shelf stable' at room temperature, processed in this way, but will keep nicely a couple weeks in your 'fridge.

Despite the lower collagen content, this one will be a great option to use as a soup base, for sauteing meat or vegetables - or as I intended it - a great addition to my sweet dog and cat's daily food. . .Lin

Avocado Vegetable Salad or Toast Spread

I was going to make this as a vegetable-heavy spread for avocado toast, then remembered halfway through the prep that I was out of bread. . .Hence the salad! This would be good either way.

1 sm. ripe avocado

1 Campari tomato 

1/4 Vidalia onion

1 lg. clove of garlic
1 lg. orange mini pepper
2-3T sour cream
3/4c shredded Parmesan 
a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette 
black + cayenne pepper
garlic salt

Mash the avocado and finely chop all the vegetables. Mix together, season, add the sour cream and a little vinaigrette and the cheese. Stir until well combined.

Spread on toasted sourdough bread or serve as a salad over your favorite chopped lettuce. Today my green base was torn up pea microgreens and baby arugula. This makes enough for 2 servings of salad or toast. . .Lin

Toasted Sesame - Turmeric Sauteed Vegetables (dogs and humans)

Put the following in a 2-3 quart pot:

2T toasted sesame oil

1/4c± water

20 quartered Brussels sprouts

2 big carrots - sliced

2c cauliflower florets

1-2c fresh green beans - chopped

Sauté - steam the vegetables until the beans and Brussels sprouts stem areas are crisp-tender. Stir in a little more toasted oil for flavor, a sprinkle of black and cayenne pepper and a couple teaspoons of ground turmeric.

I had this tonight with some roasted chicken, just as it finished cooking and it was great! Oliver had it with a little bone broth and some of his dry food. He gobbled up every piece! . .Lin

Lemon -or- Orange Blender Cupcakes

Lemon Cupcakes

I've been on a quest for the perfect whole lemon or orange blender cake recipe for cupcakes or a pound cake. I found one I like the sound of but had to make several changes.

I gave 6 of these to my girls, and then for company one night, I cut 7 cupcakes into 8 pieces each, into a round glass pan wanting to make a Lemon-Berry Shortcake. I left them out on the countertop for 24 hours, to dry a bit.

I combined a couple cups of fresh, sliced strawberries and a cup or two of frozen blueberries, with about 1/3c of blueberry-lavender jam and a tablespoon or two of white Balsamic vinegar. This was sired together and heated slowly. When that juiced up I simmer it with 2t of cornstarch until it came to a low bubble and thickened. After cooling, I stirred in about 6oz. of sour cream and chilled it. To serve, this was spooned over the cupcake chunks, in little bowls, with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top of each, for crunch.

Now back to the recipe. . .First, preheat your oven to 350°

Put this first group into your blender jar and blend until smooth:
1 whole thin-skinned seedless lemon. . .
-OR- 1 lg. whole CaraCara Orange
~ scrub, cut off the ends
~ then cut it in about 16 pieces
3 lg. pasture raised eggs
1-1/2c organic cane sugar
3/4c Chobani whole milk plain Greek yogurt
3/4c single source EVOO
2t pure vanilla

In a large glass bowl, stir together:
2c Caputo (Italian) Chef's Flour. . .
~ or a good American all purpose flour. . .
~ such as King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill
1T baking powder
1t Himalayan pink salt

CaraCara Orange Cupcakes

Pour the lemon, egg, oil, sugar mixture into the dry ingredient bowl. Stir-scrape-mix together with a silicone spatula until all the flour is incorporated.

Pour into 24 paper-lined muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar. I used turbinado sugar for this and it added just the right amount of sweetness and crunch. Bake for about 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick. Mmmm, these are good, but still may need extra zest stirred in just before baking. . .Lin

A Loaded Grilled Cheese

I'm not a big sandwich person, but when I crave one. . .all I want is a really good grilled cheese! This one was made on my favorite bread - Aldi's Everything Bagel Sourdough. I used 1 slice each of Swiss and American, 3 thin slices of deli roast beef, spread the inside with homemade pesto, added thin sliced tomato and onion.

I fried it fast in EVOO in a hot pan then took it off the heat after flipping, covered and let it finish doing it's melting thing.  The peppers and cucumbers were a nice fresh addition. . .Lin

Chicken and Pesto-Avocado Toast

I made some great pesto recently that I combined with a mashed avocado and some chopped pea microgreens.

This was delicious on Aldi's Everything Bagel Sourdough Bread, toasted. I added a little roasted chicken, cucumber and tomato - peppered and garlic salted - for an excellent lunch. . .Lin

Swedish Pizza Salad

Have you heard of this?

Apparently in Sweden, this is served along with every pizza ordered in restaurants there. It makes total sense to me since it would balance out the starch and grease in the pizza quite nicely. I Googled it and there are a few variations. This is mine. . .I added carrot, and really struggled with NOT adding onion, since I love that in everything! (except maybe strawberry ice cream. . .or chocolate cake 😁)

Combine in a large glass bowl:

1/2 of a sm.-med. heavy head of white cabbage - finely sliced

1 lg. carrot - shredded

Dressing:

3T single source EVOO

3T white vinegar

2T fresh lemon juice

1T dry oregano

1T sugar

1-1/2t salt, garlic, pepper blend

I whisked these ingredients together but the oregano was stubborn, so I blended it on high for about 30 seconds. Pour it over the vegetables, mix gently then refrigerate at least an hour or overnight before serving.

I made a chicken, tomato, zucchini, mushroom, pesto alfredo sauce, cheese, pasta casserole just before this, that turned out great, according to the tiny little test bowl I tried. I'll serve both of these to some special people visiting me tomorrow. . .Lin

Broccoli-Cauliflower Chopped Salad

I've always love a great broccoli salad that others have made. For some reason, I've only attempted it a few times. I decided to make this one for our block party-potluck last night, for National Night Out. I loved it, and surprisingly, it was the only salad! Seems my neighbors are really into desserts and chips. Now, the day after making this, I realize I wasn't paying a lot of attention to exact amounts, so. . .trust your instincts 😉

SALAD:

1c+ slivered almonds - toasted
1 sm. Romaine lettuce

3c± broccoli + cauliflower florets

~ chopped or broken apart

1/2 med. purple onion

4 stalks celery

1c+ raisins - purple or golden

DRESSING:

1c olive oil mayonnaise

1/4c apple cider vinegar

2T raw organic local honey

1/2t black + cayenne pepper

1t Lawry's Garlic Salt

Toast the almonds. I started with a dry stainless steel pan but not much happened until I drizzled on a little toasted sesame oil! They browned up nicely and the oil added even more toasted flavor. Wash, spin and chop the Romaine into small pieces, slice the onion into short thin pieces. Finely chop the celery, stir in the raisins. 

Whisk the dressing together in a small bowl, taste it and make any additions you'd like then pour over the salad. Toss, mixing well. Chill an hour or longer before serving. This one is a keeper, and it travels well too. . .Lin

Healthy Fat and Protein Toast

I'm really picky about bread and try to keep it minimal in my diet. So when I do indulge, it has to be something really special. My all time favorite bread for sandwiches and toast is Aldi's Everything Bagel Sourdough Bread. Excellent!

Take a big piece of that, toast it and spread it with the following combination. This makes enough for two breakfasts.

1 lg. pasture raised egg - hard boiled

1 sm. avocado

a little spicy mustard

a big or little sprinkle of garlic salt

a big or little shake of a black and cayenne pepper blend

several tablespoons of EVOO or toasted sesame oil

finely chopped green onion

Mash everything together and spread on the toast pieces. Serve with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers or fruit.

After I made this I realized a couple sardines would also be great in this. I'll add those before breakfast tomorrow. Buy the good kind, in EVOO, not that soy stuff. If you don't eat all of them, combine them with your cat or dog's food and they'll love it! . . Lin

Blueberry-Banana-Orange Frozen Yogurt

1c - 230g Chobani whole milk plain Greek yogurt
1c - 150g frozen blueberries
1 sm. Mandarin orange
1 sm. - med. banana
a pinch of salt
1-2t± vanilla bean paste
1-2T raw organic honey

Combine everything -blending well on high- in your blender jar. If the ingredients don't move initially, wait a while until they thaw, but don't add any juice or milk. This 'ice cream' freezes rock hard as is, but would be even more solid with additional liquid.**

Blueberries and bananas seem to be the perfect base! Every frozen yogurt I've started this way has turned out so well, and this combination is excellent. . .Lin
**this is best after about 4 hours of freezer time

Chicken and Mushroom Curry -and- Bone Broth

Lately I've been hitting home runs, touchdowns, goals (at least in my opinion) with chicken recipes. It helps that chicken will probably always be my favorite meat to cook and eat. It's such a great blank canvas! Today this happened from a necessity to use 12oz. of mushrooms that were really wanting to hop into a pot of something savory.

I also roasted 3.25# of chicken thighs early today (to beat the predicted heat heading our way). A couple weeks ago, I bought a rotisserie chicken that I skinned and boned, but decided not to make broth at that time.

Once I removed the meat, I froze everything else for future bone broth.

All those bones and skin also went into this morning's pot, in addition to a big package of Chicken Feet, all now simmering into some really good dog-and-cat friendly broth for me and my furry boys.

This morning's chicken yielded about 18oz. of great meat that I divided into three 6oz. packages, using one and freezing the other two. At $1.66/pound, that I paid for this package of chicken, this breaks down to an actual cost of $4.80/pound of roasted meat. To me, (all my years of Home Economics coming to the forefront) this illustrates the necessity of using every part of each piece of the chicken whenever possible. So rather than throwing away the skin and bones. . .I make bone broth.

Now for the Curry!

12oz. whole mushrooms - sliced
2-3 T toasted sesame oil

~ Saute the mushrooms until they're golden brown, then add:

1/3c Marsala cooking wine

1c frozen and fresh sprouted peas
1 sm.-med. chopped purple onion
1/2c finely sliced garlic scapes

~ Saute this a few minutes then stir in:

6oz. roasted dark meat chicken
10oz. KFI Butter Chicken Curry Sauce - this is a very mild sauce - minimal heat but excellent flavor
3oz. thin rice noodles-prepared according to package directions and drained.

This turned out so well just as is, but for a little more dimension, you could also add 1/3c natural crunchy peanut butter and a handful of raisins or other chopped dried fruit.

This type of curry is more a winter food for most people. However, I've found that I love soups and things similar to this all year 'round. . .Lin

Chicken, Rice, Mushrooms and Greens - Casserole or Soup

This began as an interesting idea for soup but instead turned into more of a casserole.

With the addition of some sauteed celery, a can of diced tomatoes and some chicken bone broth, that might still happen in a couple days. . .but for now, it's really delicious the way it is.

12oz. white mushrooms - sliced

1/3 yellow onion - finely chopped

2T toasted sesame oil

2T ghee or butter

Stir and saute the mushrooms and onion together until lightly browned, then add:

1/4c Marsala cooking wine
chopped stems from a bunch of beet greens
the other 2/3 of the onion - rough chopped

Stir and saute everything a few minutes whisk together the first 3 ingredients, then add:

4oz. Lemon Artichoke Pesto (Walmart)
another 1/4c Marsala cooking wine
1/2c water

1 bunch sliced beet greens
1 pkg. Lemon & Herb Rice (Aldi)
8oz. chopped rotisserie chicken

Season with garlic salt, black and cayenne pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat until the greens are wilted. . .Lin

Simple Cabbage Salad

This sounded SO good to me, any variation of coleslaw always does! It went together in no time, since other than dressing there are only 3 ingredients. Thinly slice the following into a medium glass bowl:

1 lightweight head of green cabbage
~ tight heavy heads aren't as flavorful
1 med. Vidalia onion
1 med. carrot

Toss with my Lemon Olive Oil type vinaigrette and a little poppy seed dressing. Toss a couple times while it marinates, an hour or longer.

This is so good -just as is- or use it as a base for other ingredients. I did that just now, adding: chopped grape tomatoes, radishes, Italian flat leaf parsley and some rotisserie chicken. Just perfect for lunch on a summer day. . .Lin

LOADED Avocado Spread - for avocado toast

I just got my CSA farm box yesterday. Additionally my freezer is packed, as is my 'fridge.
Blessings of riches for sure, but the quantity of food in my house right now is over the top!

The 6 little avocados I bought last week went from rock hard to perfect in a day or two. I like them less ripe than most people, so they went into the 'fridge immediately. . .where they continued to ripen and soften! I decided to use 2 today then saw lots of other vegetables to add to the mix. . .

I often wish I could cook more simply but I doubt it will happen. As much as I admire all aspects of minimalism -so far- my brain just won't go or stay there.

So, for this recipe, it began with these ingredients all rough chopped into my blender jar:

2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
2 roma tomatoes
6-8 garlic scapes
1/3 large green pepper
1 big garlic clove
1 bunch of basil
1 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley

Use a vegetable peeler to take only the bright yellow layer of the lemon peel and added all the juice. Add 2-3T spicy ranch dressing. Blend that until well combined.

In a medium bowl, finely chop 2 avocados. (yes, I used 2, the second is tucked in between the basil and the bottle of dressing) Add 3oz. of sharp flavored shredded cheese and 3oz. of finely chopped pistachios (or walnuts) Sprinkle with Himalayan pink salt. 

Pour in the blender contents, fold everything together until well combined. Some of the liquid rose to the top so I tilted the bowl and absorbed that with a bunched up paper towel. It was great on toasted sourdough bread but could also be served like salsa or guacamole with tortilla chips. . .Lin

Triple Coconut - Citrus Olive Oil Cake

This is a current redo of a recipe I concocted and posted 4 years ago that I named Mediterranean Olive Oil Cake. I discovered, sadly -AFTER- my trip to Italy, that a lemon version of this is a classic all over Italy and neighboring countries. Wish I had known this in 2005, I would have tried several variations while I was in Florence. It's a not-too-sweet cake perfect for morning coffee or tea, or anytime. . .

Preheat your oven to 350° In a large glass bowl, whisk together:

1c unbleached all purpose flour

1/2c coconut flour

1/2 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
1c shredded, sweetened coconut 

In your blender jar, blend the following on high until smooth:

1 whole seedless lemon
1 whole Cutie type Mandarin orange
~ scrub and cut the lemon and orange in pieces
~ removing the ends, centers and any seeds

3 lg. pasture raised eggs

3/4c coconut sugar
~ or dark brown sugar

1/2c single source EVOO
~ or if you'd rather. . .1/2c melted coconut oil

1/2c coconut milk

~ from a half-gallon carton or canned

3/4t pure vanilla

When the oven is preheated, pour the blender ingredients into the flour mixture in the big glass bowl. Stir and fold together until everything's well combined.

Pour the batter into an 9" x 11" glass baking pan that's been buttered and sugared for a sweet crunch on the crust! Bake at 350° for 35 minutes - check for doneness with a toothpick. Cool before slicing and serving. . .Lin

Avocado Crumpet

This was interesting.

The flavors were good, but the texture of the crumpet, that I double toasted, wasn't crispy enough, so this was more like an Avocado Pancake! I'll stick to toast, but the avocado spread turned out well. . .

Mash together:

1/2 of an almost ripe avocado
. . .I don't like these mushy. . .

1/4 finely chopped onion

a little strong dry cheese - chopped up

dried parsley

salt & pepper

mayonnaise

. . .or enough of a mayonnaise based dressing to hold everything together

When combined, spread this on toast, crackers, a crumpet or use it as a vegetable dip. Sprinkle with a little smokey paprika. Today it was a great breakfast with a sliced tiny tomato and part of a white salad turnip, both salted, savory and crunchy.

This is a great breakfast or lunch, no matter what time that happens for you. .  .Lin

Crunchy, Colorful Chopped Salad

Sometimes I just open my refrigerator. . .

to see what jumps up and says, 'pick me, pick me. . !'

So it was today. Earlier I made my tweaked version of Martha Stewart's Tuna and Apple Salad. I also wanted to make a crunchy vegetable salad. So this happened - and I had both for lunch. . .

1-2 ribs of celery and some greens

1-2 carrots (-or- part of 1 giant carrot)

1/4 sm.-med. purple cabbage

1 white spring turnip

1 purple shallot

Chop everything into a medium glass bowl. Toss with a little savory, herby vinegar and oil. To balance this, add a little sweet dressing such as poppy seed or French.

I picked at these two until there was only a little of each left, then I rolled it all up in that crispy cabbage leaf I used to line the bowl.

Wow, so good. . .My kind of lunch! . .Lin

Blueberry-Lemon Frozen Yogurt

In your blender jar combine:

1c frozen blueberries

1/4 whole seedless lemon - chopped

1c Chobani whole milk Greek yogurt

2T raw organic honey

a splash of pure vanilla

Pulse and blend everything together until it's as smooth as you like. Freeze in a 16oz. container until scoopable. For future servings, take this out of the freezer 20-30 minutes before serving since it freezes rock hard!

This is one of the best I've made yet!

I was organizing my freezer, came across the blueberries with only a couple cups inside. I almost pitched them and now I sure am glad I didn't!

I have enough to make this again. Instead of honey, I'll spice it up, with Jalapeno Jelly! 🔵 🌶 🍦 😃. . .Lin

A Fresh and Crunchy Egg Bowl Breakfast

I think my body needed protein today.

I woke up thinking EGGS!
Perfect since I have a couple dozen pasture raised; of excellent quality, from the Farmer's Market and an Asian Grocery in the cities; I simmered 9, chopped 3, gave one to my pup Oliver, mixed with some homemade chicken bone broth for a 2nd breakfast 😊

To my two I added; chopped avocado, a small tomato, green onion, a handful of pistachios and 3 Brazil nuts; for selenium that our thyroids need. Some frozen peas would also have been really delicious!

Then a little drizzle of my spicy current mayo-sour cream pepper-garlic-dill dressing and it was ready. Quick, easy and SO good! . 😃. .Lin