Italian Fiesta Vegetable Soup

So, WHY am I making soup on this hot, Hot, humid day?

Well, I roasted up some gorgeous Cornish Hens a while ago and the leftover bones, brownings and scraps were too beautiful to just toss.

I made almost 4 quarts of bone broth, using a 2-day process, and needed to turn it into soup.  I can, and do, give it to my dogs and cat mixed with their dry food, but it's just too good not to put some in a big pot of something!

~.         ~.         ~.         ~.         ~.         ~.         ~. 

Vegetables: 6 stalks celery, 3 carrots, 1/4 green pepper, a big handful of garlic cloves.

Later, 6 stalks of Swiss chard, 1 can black-eyed peas-drained, 1 can diced tomatoes, 2-6oz cooked chicken - optional. 

Chop and sauté the first vegetables listed, into a 5 quart pot with 2T of EVOO.  Season and simmer until sizzling and lightly cooked.  Add the tomatoes, bouillon soup base, black-eyed peas,  and the chopped chard stems.  Cover and let simmer together, 15 minutes, add bone broth a little at a time when needed.  Slice the Swiss chard leaves into long 1" wide pieces, then cut into thin ribbons.

Add this to the pot along with half a big bunch of fresh Italian parsley, sliced.  Simmer on low another 10 minutes, check fl.  Meanwhile, cook up some thin pasta noodles, drain and add to the soup.

Serve topped with fresh grated strong, hard cheese and crusty buttered Italian bread. . .Lin

Salad For Breakfast

I've been reading and watching lots of YouTube videos during  our COVID quarantine time. In particular, those on the Mediterranean Diet and life in The Blue Zones. If you're not familiar with these and are interested in eating in a healthier way that promotes longevity, please check them out.

Yes, this really was breakfast today here at Mi Casa. If, like me, you practically gain weight just looking at waffles, pancakes and packaged cereal, you're probably familiar with soup, leftover meatloaf and vegetables, chicken chili, etc. as natural choices for breakfast. This went together quickly. I drizzled it with my Lemon-Olive Oil Dressing * 

• 
  1 quick-blanched peeled tomato
• 1 handful baby kale or arugula
• 3/4c garbanzo beans
• 3 big mushrooms
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 12 minute egg

Tear, slice, chop then arrange or toss together in a bowl, dress, add a little more fresh cracked black pepper and some coarse Celtic sea salt. I skipped coffee this morning and had this with lemon water, but a big steamy mug of tea is sounding really good right now! Be creative. . .have fun with your cooking! . . . Lin

Potatoes and Chard with a Side of Beans

Potatoes and Rainbow Chard

1 5" Yukon Gold potato

1 bunch Rainbow Chard

1-2T minced jarred garlic

2T EVOO

2T fig vinegar

salt and pepper

Wash the chard.  Cut the stems in 1" chunks.  Scrub and slice the potato.  Cut it lengthwise, then in ¼" slices.  Coat with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, steam, adding a little water if needed.  Cook, covered this way, over low-medium heat for 7-10 minutes.  Meanwhile, gather up the chard, roll it like a carpet, cut lengthwise a couple times.  Cross-cut in ¼" slices.  Add a little water if needed, cover and steam over medium heat, another 10 minutes.  This made 4 big servings. . .Lin

Small Mixed Beans

1c black beans, navy beans and black-eyed peas

6c water

Potato-Chard with Mixed Beans - 500 Calories

Simmer on medium until it comes to a boil, then turn the heat to a low bubble for 20 minutes.  Drain, rinse in cold water, put the beans back into the pot.  Cover with fresh cold water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a low bubble again for an hour.  Try the beans to be sure they're done.  Drain, rinse in cold water.  Put the beans back in the pot and soak them in very cold water 5 minutes.  Drain again and let dry a while.  Use now or refrigerate for up to 5 days.   This was breakfast-lunch today.    The calorie count is based on ⅓ less beans than shown. Beans are very nutrient dense.  High in calories, but full of great protein and fiber.  I connected with a nutritionist a couple times, who makes a very convincing case for the value of beans in our diet.  According to her studies, 2+ cups of beans a day, will give a healthy person great nutrition, plus they'll pull lots of toxins from your body.  Check her out The Bean Queen. . .Lin

Anti-Viral Vegetable Soup with Chicken

This is my current version of a soup I've made many times for people who were sick as well as those of us who want to do all we can to stay healthy.  I never use a specific recipe, so it's never the same twice.  However, it's really important to include lots of greens, garlic, onion, lemon and good healthy broth.  Use this as a guide to make you own healthy version.  I wasn't going to add tomatoes, but when they're cooked, they're high in lycopene, which is another good compound to add to this fresh anti-viral mix.

To start this, chop, then slow-sautéed 4 skinny, dark green stalks of celery, 2 big carrots and a little yellow and purple onion in 2T of avocado oil. As it begins to sizzle, sprinkle with finely ground black and cayenne pepper. Sauté for just a few minutes to release the flavors a bit. Add the rest of the vegetables, chopped or sliced the way you like. Peel the ginger, slice it very thin, then mince it. I used about 3T of minced ginger. With all the vegetables in the pot, lots of fresh cold water, ½T Old Bay Garlic and Herb seasoning, 1t ground rosemary, 4-5T Better than Bouillon. As you can see below, it completely filled an 8 quart pot!

After simmering everything, for 20 minutes, take the garlic out and let it cool.  I only used 2 bulbs for a total of 22 big cloves.  These will go in at the very end for just a few minutes of simmering along with the chopped, precooked chicken and a half bunch of chopped Italian parsley.  There wasn't room for the rice noodles this time.

I also started with the zest and juice of only one big lemon.  When I try this later, if the lemon is too weak, I'll add the juice of the second one and simmer the zest for a couple minutes in a little water before putting that in the soup.

After everything's had time to simmer and blend flavors in the pot, share some with your friends and family. In a health crisis, we need to take care of one another! Have a big steamy bowl of this, at least once a day, for as long as it lasts. . .Then make another big pot! Have fun with your Soup Adventures!
Stay Healthy Everyone! Wash Your Hands and Eat Lots of Good Soup! .🍜. .Lin

Rice, Beans and Greens

Rice and Beans

3c cooked, or canned, black beans

⅔c black, red, brown rice blend

1 sm.-med. yellow onion

2 celery stalks

1-2T butter

2t fresh ground seasoned salt

1⅓c water

⅓c mild ajvar

1T turbinado sugar

1-2t garlic & herb spice

1-2T vegetable soup base

I was in Tucson, AZ in May.  In our travels, we went to an old fort - now a great area with shops and a restaurant.  At one shop I found some beans that were originally grown in that area by indigenous Native American tribes.  What a find!  Dry, they have a variegated black-dark grey-light grey color.  Sort of like a brindled dogs coat!  They're larger than regular black beans.  I rinsed, then boiled them for a few minutes.  Removed the pot from the heat, covered and let it stand several hours.  I repeated this process three times, draining, rinsing and using fresh cold water each time.  The last time I added 1t baking soda to the water once it boiled and stirred that in.  It's supposed to break down the gasses in the beans and make them easier to digest.  They turned out well.  I made these one day and did the rest the next.

In a 2 quart saucepan, saute' the rice, chopped onion and celery in the butter.  Grind the seasoned salt over this as it begins to simmer.  Stir and saute' 5-10 minutes.  It'll begin to brown a bit and have a wonderful popcorn scent!  At the end, you can start to add the water to keep it from sticking.  Pour in all the water, the ajvar, sugar, seasoning, and soup base.  The rice was really stubborn!  It simmered on low heat at least an hour and was still chewy.  Once it's done the way you like, gently stir in the beans, make sure they're heated through completely and serve. . .Lin

Butter Lime Kale with Onion

small bunch of light green kale

½ lg. white onion

1-2T butter

½ lime - juice

½-1t good quality lemon pepper
~ salt should not be the first ingredient ~

I've never seen this type of kale!  I got it at our Community Garden, at a church near me, and it was just beautiful!  I snipped the stems and put it in water, like a bouquet, for a couple days.  Used some in a gazpacho I made and saved the rest for this.

Finely chop the stems, then slice the leaves a couple times, lengthwise.  Cross cut them into thin strips.  Combine with the chopped onion and butter over medium heat, stirring to keep everything from sticking.  When the onion is translucent and the kale starts to wilt, add the lime juice and lemon pepper.  Stir, cover and let it steam on a lower heat setting.  Serve with the rice and beans and warm, buttered cornbread muffin tops.  Dill pickles are always good too.  Mmmm! . . . Lin

Green Power Salad

¼c toasted (brown) sesame oil

½c fruity balsamic vinegar

1T honey

½t applewood smoked salt

½t fresh ground pepper

Brussels sprouts

kale - chopped

½ med. white onion
½ med. purple onion

1 lg. carrot

4 lg. radishes

1c smoky almonds

crushed sesame seeds

crispy "fried" shallots

In a large glass bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk together, being sure sugar and salt are dissolved.  Thin slice the sprouts and combine with the chopped kale - then massage them, breaking down the fibrousness a bit, for several minutes.  Put this and sliced or chopped onion, into the bowl.  Add thin julienne slices of the carrot and radish slices.  Next rough-chop the almonds, and add them as well.  Toss, cover and chill for a couple hours.  Just before serving, add the crushed sesame seeds and toasted-dried shallots, toss again and serve. . .Lin

Another Great Big Salad - And Sautéed For Breakfast

2 romaine hearts quartered lengthwise - chopped

1 med. Vidalia onion - halved and sliced

⅓ sm. head green cabbage - sliced

⅓ sm. head purple cabbage - sliced

1 med. mini English cucumber

½ med. tomato - chopped

½ avocado - chopped

½ can drained-rinsed black beans

your favorite dressing and croutons

This make one very big salad or 2-3 side salads.  Start with your ingredients for a good, hearty, lettuce mix.  Lately Romaine is my go-to lettuce base to mix with the heartier cabbages.  Onion also adds such a nice flavor when combined with the greens.  I store this in the spinner bowl, in the refrigerator after it's all put together.  This has worked so well for me.  It keeps the mix fresh for at least 5 days, sometimes 7.

This morning I decided to steam, then sauté some of the lettuce mix in a little butter, to go with a couple eggs for breakfast.  I hope it's clear to each of you that I feel 'thinking outside the box' is ALWAYS a good thing when it comes to food choices.  Most people would pair eggs with toast, potatoes, bacon or sausage.  While those can be good options, eating a bit lighter, with different ingredients, can really be a nice change.   

Tomato Pesto, Beans, Greens and Pasta

1/2c sunflower seeds

1 can garbanzos

beet greens

dandelion greens

1-2t Hot smoky Hungarian paprika

10oz. water ± - adjust as needed

2 chopped tomatoes

4-6oz. sun dried tomato pesto

ground garlic, salt and fresh ground pepper

1-1/2c corn rice pasta cooked 

This is one of the best things I've made in a long time.  Ohhh, so good!  Dry toast the sunflower seeds in a big pan for 5-10 minutes.  The heat will bring out the oils, browning them very nicely.  Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta.  Stir, simmer until the water evaporates, greens are cooked and there is a remaining, nice sauciness.  Add the pasta, stir and serve.  This was just excellent!  You could also add some chopped Kalamata olives or capers for a bit more flavor.  Comfort food! . . . Lin

Greens and Shallot Scrambled Eggs

1T butter

1 lg. shallot

2 XL organic eggs

a big handful of greens

grated hard cheese

sea salt and fresh black pepper

In a non-stick pan, melt the butter and add chopped shallots.  Saute' a minute or two then crack in the eggs and stir.  Once they're almost done the way you like them, add chopped greens, and the grated cheese.  Cover, turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Slide onto a large plate and garnish with sliced-chopped tomatoes.  Season and serve. . .Lin

Vegetable Chowder

4 big ears of corn

(not skinny young ones)

1 bunch of beet greens

3 carrots - scrub and chop

1 Anaheim or Poblano pepper - seed and chop

1 onion - chopped

2T good, dark, gritty bacon fat

1/2-1t ground red and black pepper

1# fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes

3c strained corn water

2T chicken Better Than Bullion

2c half and half

(or - 1c plain Greek yogurt and 1c half and half)

1 sm. bunch parsley - chopped

Steam the corn in 4c water in a big covered pan.  Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Chop the beet greens and wash them well in a salad spinner.  When clean and dry, set aside until later.  Cut the corn off the cobs and strain the corn water into another container.  Next, chop the carrots, pepper and onion the way you like them.   Combine these with the corn in a 5 qt. pot with the bacon grease and pepper.  Simmer and stir until nicely brown.

Add finely chopped or grated potatoes, corn water and Better Than Bullion.  Stir and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and chill an hour or two.  Return to heat, simmer another 20 minutes.  Add beet greens and parsley, stir, cover and simmer on low 5-10 minutes.  Cool slightly, stir in half and half (or the combination of that and yogurt), heat to a simmer, check and correct seasonings and serve. . .Lin

Smokey-Spicy Beans and Greens Soup

¾c very small dry dark red beans

½t baking soda

1t smokey sea salt if no meat is used

-optional- ½# chopped smoked ham or

-Hillshire Farm Lit'l Smokies

3 carrots

1 yellow onion

1 big clove of elephant garlic

1-2T extra virgin olive oil

1-2T Balsamic vinegar

½ big bunch of kale

-optional- 1 can petite diced tomatoes

1-3 bay leaves

1-2t ground rosemary

1t Penzey's Black and Red Pepper

-optional- 1-2c cooked rice

Put beans in a small pot, picking out any odd ones or small stones. Cover with water. Boil, rinse, drain and repeat twice. On the second time, add baking soda and smokey sea salt. After bringing to a boil, do not drain and rinse. Turn off heat and let beans soak up the water for a hour. Drain and rinse with cold water then set aside until later.

In a five-quart soup pot, saute' chopped-sliced carrot, onion and garlic in the olive oil-vinegar mix. When onions are almost translucent, add chopped kale, stir and cook a few more minutes. Check flavors then add six cups of water (or chicken stock, vegetable stock, if more flavor is needed). Season and simmer an additional hour to blend the flavors and finish cooking the vegetables. Add beans, heat and serve. . .Lin

Kale and Beans, etc. . .

2 slices of deli ham - slice-chop

4 big Kale leaves - green, not the

   curly red shown in the first photo

   (the red cooked up too tough)

1 med. red onion - sliced

1 med. green kohlrabi - slice-chop

   also cut up some of the leaves

1/2 can light red kidney beans drain-rinse

Swiss cheese cut in small cubes

Put the ham, slice-chopped green kale, kohlrabi with some leaves,
and the onion, with a little butter in a big non-stick pan.

Add a couple tablespoons Balsamic vinegar,  saute' covered for 5-10 minutes.

Check the kale for doneness.  The kohlrabi is usually eaten raw, so that should stay crispy.  Add beans and continue to heat a few more minutes.  Stir, plate this and top with small Swiss cheese cubes.  Makes enough for 2 for lunch or 4 as a side dish. . .Lin