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

Spicy-Yummy Tomato-ey Chicken Soup

I'm running out of names for recipes. This started out to be Chicken Fajita Soup, but evolved in a couple other directions before it was finished. The only 'mistake' I made this time was using Chili Tomatoes that were fire roasted. I didn't see that on the label until it was too late. The burnt flavor is what dominates, at least in this brand. 

Chop or slice the vegetables and saute in a generous amount of single source EVOO:

3/4 each - 1 lg. orange and green bell pepper
5 lg. garlic cloves
1-1/2 yellow onion
several celery heart stalks

~ I also added some mixed cabbage I had previously shredded: Napa cabbage, purple, green and a little shredded carrot.

Saute the vegetables only a short time, so they're still crisp, just enough to release their scents into your kitchen. Next add:

4oz. chopped sun-dried tomatoes + the oil they're packed in
chopped celery tops
28oz. seasoned crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (enormous) or 3 med. bay leaves
2 cans of corn - 1 drained, 1 w/liquid
1 lg. can 19oz. drained-rinsed black beans
12oz. roasted chicken
1 quart well-jelled chicken bone broth
2-3T powdered chicken bone broth base
1 pkg. Cilantro-Lime rice

Gently stir this all together then simmer 20 minutes. You can stir in 1c of sour cream now, or leave it out and just garnish each bowl with a big dab and some fresh cilantro leaves.

I still really don't know what to call this soup. . .Maybe Chicken Taco Soup. . .but whatever I call it, I like how it turned out! .😊. .Lin

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

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

Buckwheat Tabouli

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

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

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

1c buckwheat

2c fresh cold water

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

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

5 tiny cucumbers

3 cloves of garlic

3 mini orange peppers

1 lg. Vidalia onion

1 lg. tomato

1/2 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley

1-2T Swad Coriander Chutney

~ (omit if you don't like cilantro)

Lowry's Garlic Salt and finely ground black pepper

1 can garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

1 can of corn - drained

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

Roasted Tomato - Vegetable Soup

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chicken Salad

6-8oz. roasted chicken

2c chopped celery

1/2 lg. onion chopped

sweet-spicy pickle relish

mayonnaise 

Chop up the chicken, add celery and onion and a couple tablespoons of pickle relish and enough mayonnaise to hold everything together. This would be great wrapped in a Romaine leaf, on a tortilla or with cloud bread, right out of the oven 🙂 . . .Lin

Curried Pollock Chowder

3 big carrots

5-6 stalks of celery

1 medium onion

2T coconut oil 

Lowry's garlic salt

salt free pepper seasoning

Start by sautéing the lightly seasoned sliced-chopped celery, carrot and onion, in the coconut oil. Cover and reduce the heat to low for 10 minutes. Stir a couple times to prevent sticking.

Take the strings off the pea pods, slice those, chop the potatoes and add them to the pot with 4 lg. smashed, chopped garlic cloves (not shown). 

Add 16oz. cold fresh water, the 15oz. jar of curry sauce, a couple spoonfuls of Lobster Better Than Bouillon and 3 big bay leaves. Cover and simmer again for 15 minutes.

9-12oz. pollock filets

Cut the fish into bite size pieces and stir into the pot. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in an additional 16oz. cold water, 1-1/2c craisins or other dried fruit and the coconut milk. Bring back to a quick simmer and serve with oyster crackers or crispy garlic bread. Or, if you'd like, make a recipe of jasmine rice in a separate pot. Stir it into the curry just before serving, or use it as a base to ladle the curry on top. . .Lin

A Make-Ahead Shrimp Scampi

I'm not always a fan of cooking right up until the time my guests arrive. This is one way of avoiding the last minute hassle, yet still making something really yummy with lots of time to breathe, and relax with people I love. An added benefit of making anything-pasta ahead of time - cooking, chilling then reheating - creates what's known as resistant starch. A very health technique. (this applies to all other starches as well, ie.: potatoes, rice, cooked cereal, starchy vegetables. . .)

Begin by cooking 8oz. of angel hair pasta, only until about half done. Drain, rinse then let stand in ice water a few minutes before draining again. In a small wok or frying pan, cook and stir together:

1/2 stick butter

2/3c each: chopped green and red bell pepper

10oz. sliced mushrooms

1 med. onion

Lowry's Garlic Salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper

When the vegetables are almost done, add the zest and juice of 1/2 big lemon and 14oz. jumbo Wild Caught shrimp, cut into smaller pieces. Increase heat and stir all of this only until the shrimp are about half way cooked.

Cool slightly then add the sauce -sorry no pics- I wasn't planning to blog this recipe. It turned out so well though, I wanted it here for future reference. For the sauce, whisk together:

12oz. sour cream
12oz. Sonoma lemon-herb-ricotta pasta sauce (Costco)
1/2c Sherry cooking wine

Check flavor, add more of the above seasonings, some dry dill -and- a pinch of sugar, if you'd like, to reduce the acidity a bit.

Layer the pasta, then vegetables and shrimp twice, adding half the sauce to each and folding everything together gently.

When ready to serve, reheat on 60-70% in the microwave, until everything is steamy. 

Serve with crusty garlic bread and a simple green salad. . .Lin

Crawfish and Shrimp Bisque

Chop this group of vegetables then sauté until translucent.

2 onions

3 big ribs of celery

1/2 orange bell pepper

1 stick of butter

Next add these vegetables, stir and sauté until everything begins to brown, then add the chicken stock.

4 big cloves minced garlic

finely chopped garlic chives

chopped celery tops

a shake of cayenne pepper

1.2t finely ground black pepper

1/2-1t garlic salt

1 quart chicken broth or stock Simmer everything together for 15 minutes. Stir in 2oz. of golden or light brown roux, then blend with an immersion blender*

Bring this to a simmer for just a few minutes. It should thicken a little. Stir in:

12oz. rough chopped crawfish meat
6oz. cut up cooked shrimp
*If you want the crawfish and shrimp blended, add them now. I decided to keep the seafood a little more chunky this time, but it's good both ways.

Simmer just a few minutes to warm everything up and bring all the flavors together. Stir in:

1/3c sherry cooking wine

Cool to room temperature then whisk in:

1c sour cream

Check the flavors, then bring it back to a quick simmer before serving. This goes well with some crusty bread or oyster crackers. . .Lin

Crunchy Tuna-Egg Salad

I woke really hungry this morning. 
This is unusual for me because I often don't eat anything at all until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Since I'm still tying to stay strong with a 16-8 or 18-6 intermittent fasting schedule, I know the earlier we eat, the more efficiently our bodies process whatever food we put in them. So. . .today seems like a good day to initiate a time shift! It'll require much discipline though, since once I start eating...my body's like a crazed food disposal system...I'm sure anyone near me can hear it growling: Give Me MORE! But, hey, it's Monday, and I'm up for the challenge!

For me, going way back to my stressful days working as the Department Secretary for a small city Police Department in Wisconsin, I've found tuna salad to be a surprising comfort food. When my energy was low, or I could feel the grey cloud of anxiety or depression approaching; like the leading edge of a low pressure storm front; I'd take a break - walk down to Subway - and buy a tuna sandwich. With lots of added onions, olives, tomatoes, a big drizzle of EVOO, and sometimes cheese. I swear it worked like a charm, every single time, to restore sanity, balance and calm. Their tuna salad was really good and I was told by a couple employees that it was nothing more than tuna and mayonnaise! Since I'm not a minimalist in regard to food prep, that's a hard concept for me.

This time I stopped to taste it after combining tuna, eggs, mustard and mayo. Yes! It was good! But, I kept thinking how much 'better' it would be with sweet pickle, dill pickle, green onion, yellow bell pepper and of course celery - lots of celery. And I was right, it's great. But, as I said, it was also really good at the first taste test! So, feel free to add as much or little, of all these accoutrements, or even others, as you like. Chopped Kalamata olives are good too. Use this as a guide, rather than an exact how-to-type recipe.

In a bowl, chop together, crosscutting with 2 steak knives :

2 hard boiled eggs

2 5oz. UN-drained cans of tuna in EVOO

1T+ spicy brown mustard

1/2 - 2/3c EVOO mayonnaise

Try it now and stop if the flavors are what you like, or you're short on time and want to keep this simple. Proceed if you want something crunchier with other flavors. Chop and add:

1/4c yellow bell pepper

1 celery heart + greens

4-6 green onions

1/3c sweet pickle

1/3c dill pickle

This was great as breakfast at 8:00 this morning with a side of seasoned grape tomatoes, avocado and tiny sweet potato-corn crackers. Mmmm. Happy Monday Everyone! . .Lin

A Simple Basic Coleslaw

1/2 lg. head of green cabbage

1/2 lg. Vidalia onion
1/4 red bell pepper
2 celery heart ribs 
1 big carrot

2T white vinegar
garlic pepper seasoning
Brianna Poppy Seed Dressing

I love coleslaw and I make it a lot, with only a couple variations.

Slice-chop all the vegetables into a medium-large glass bowl. Add the vinegar, seasoning and dressing. Stir to coat everything.

Let the flavors combine for an hour or so before serving.

This is great to offset overly rich foods. . .Lin

Post-Holiday Turkey and Stuffing Casserole

Our Family Christmas dinner gathering, after church, was small this year.

Afterwards I had a LOT of leftover turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries. . .I've taken all the meat off the bones and am simmering a big roasting pan of turkey bone broth now. After straining, chilling it overnight, then skimming the fat off - I'll have lots of bone broth. I'll use some for a big pot of soup tomorrow. However, instead of the usual reheated leftovers, I have an idea formulating...something I've never attempted.

This will be sort of a savory, turkey bread-pudding type egg-bake. Using the stuffing, gravy and turkey from yesterday's dinner. 

I have about a cup of leftover homemade chicken bone broth that I made recently. I'm going to combine that with the gravy, and other ingredients, to extend that. Some fresh celery, onion and garlic also. I'll cool this a little then add a few beaten eggs and half and half. . .

So, this isn't an exact recipe, more a suggestion of what to combine for an interesting take on Thanksgiving-Dinner-For-Christmas leftovers. And, if you're seeing this, it turned out well! 

Put 2/3 of the leftover stuffing in the bottom of a 8"x12"x2" glass baking pan. Top that with about 10oz. of the turkey, cut into bite size pieces.

To the leftover gravy, in a 2 quart pot, add a cup of chicken broth and 1c each of chopped onion, celery and 3 big cloves of minced garlic. Simmer this on low heat about 5 minutes, add chicken bouillon, about 2/3c of a thick flour and water roux, stir until bubbling. Check the flavors and make any needed adjustments. Add more water if it's too thick, simmer again, then cool to room temperature. Whisk the eggs with half and half, then stir this into the cooled gravy and vegetables. Pour half of this over everything in the pan. Add the rest of the stuffing then the remaining gravy-egg mixture. 

Bake in a preheated 350° oven, about 45 minutes, until it's done bubbling, browned and 'set'. Scoop, right away, onto plates, or let cool just a few minutes, before cutting into squares. I had this tonight, with leftover mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and Swedish Lingonberries. This would also be good for breakfast or lunch. Tomorrow I'll make this again, for my nephew and great grandson, with a side of some yummy glazed carrots...Mmmm.

Happy Holidays Everyone. .😊. .Lin

Gluten Free Gyro -Lamb and Beef- Stroganoff

Cook 6-8oz. gluten free, corn and rice spaghetti pasta, to al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water until it's no longer hot or warm. Leave it in a colander or strainer until fully drained. Chop-slice the following and sauté until lightly browned:

1 sm. yellow onion

1/4 lg. red bell pepper

3-4 lg. cloves of garlic

8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms

2-3T single source EVOO

Combine the pasta and sautéed vegetables in a small roasting pan. Sauté lamb-beef Gyro meat in some EVOO until sizzling and lightly browned, then add to the pasta and vegetables.

10-12 oz. frozen Gyro meat cut in bite size pieces

Whisk together the following and pour over everything:

1/3 - 1/2 c warm-hot water

2-3T Better Than Bouillon - beef

1c or a little more full fat sour cream

fresh ground black pepper

cayenne pepper

garlic salt

Bake, uncovered, in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve with a fresh mixed green salad. . .Lin

Quick Pickled Beets and Carrots

4 med. golden beets

2 big carrots

1-1/2c water

1c apple cider vinegar

1/2 - 1t fresh ground black pepper

1t pumpkin pie spice

1-2 bay leaves

1/4c turbinado or brown sugar

1 sm. - med. yellow onion - sliced thin

Scrub and chop or slice the beets and carrots removing any bad spots, but don't peel. Combine with all the above ingredients except the sliced onion. Heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a low boil, cover and simmer on low heat, 20 minutes or until the vegetables are just starting to get tender. Stir in the onion for the last 5 minutes of cooking, cover and shut off the heat. Let this cool to room temperature on the burner.

This can be eaten cold, warmed on a green salad with feta cheese, or heated as an accompaniment or 'side' to meat and potatoes. . .Lin

Smokey Goat Curry Stew

Ahhh, as always, I wish I had bought WAY more goat meat on my yearly trip to a favorite international market in The Cities.

Today I thawed 4# of these chops about halfway, then cut off as much of the outer fat and marbling as I could. I didn't buy smoked chops this time, they just didn't look as good as these. 

So, to fix this, I drizzled them with a good amount of EVOO, then seasoned with smoked sea salt, smoked Spanish paprika and the peppery, smokey, Arizona garlic chipotle seasoning. 

Roasted them for 40 minutes at 350° then turned the heat to 400° for an additional 20 minutes.

Chop, slice or 'chunk' the following vegetables:
4 med. carrots
2+c chopped celery
1 med. purple onion
2 big Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 head of green cabbage
1/2 big green pepper
2c cauliflower forets
5 big garlic cloves

5 bay leaves
14oz, - 28oz. canned diced tomatoes
48oz. vegetable broth
8-10oz. Thai curry sauce
2-3t mild curry powder
2-3t ground cumin
2T Better Than Bouillon - low sodium beef

I put the chopped vegetables in a 6-8 quart pot, drizzled them with EVOO and sautéed and sizzled them while stirring regularly, for several minutes. 

Add the next group of ingredients, and the roasted goat chops. Stir, then simmer covered for an hour or so until the carrots are cooked the way you like them and the meat is tender. Hopefully the meat will be tender. . .Goat is a challenge, but the flavor is great. Similar to venison and lamb. . .Lin

2# Bottom Round (beef) Roast

I used a marinate-rub on this by first washing and drying the meat. Mix 1t of Trader Joe's dry Sofrito seasoning with 1T Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning and grind them up with a mortar and pestle. Mix that with a splash of wine vinegar and a generous amount of EVOO.

Cut some or all of the fat cap off, rub the seasoned oil mixture all over the roast, cover then refrigerate overnight.

Bake uncovered, in a preheated 425° oven for 20 minutes. While the meat is roasting, wash and rough cut some stew vegetables. I used baby white turnips, celery, carrots and onion. Mix them in a bowl with EVOO and Roasted Garlic and Herb Seasoning. Put these over and around the roast and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven, leave it covered, in the pan on the stove or countertop, another 20 minutes to rest the meat and set the juices.

If you're making this ahead, cool on the stovetop and refrigerate. When you're ready to serve it, put it again in a 425° oven for 10-15 minutes to heat everything through and wake up all the flavors. Let the roast rest, covered for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with the vegetables, with the au jus, or make a gravy while the roast rests. . .Lin

Pepper, Ham and Onion Manchego Egg Bake

Preheat your oven to 350° In a big, well buttered or oiled baking pan, put the following chopped-sliced ingredients you've sautéed for 5 minutes:

3 mini peppers + 1 green bell pepper

1 lg. onion

2-3 big garlic cloves

Add 6oz. smoked ham cut in small pieces or some cooked, crumbled bacon.

In a large bowl combine the egg mixture:

1 dozen large, pasture raised eggs

6oz. sour cream

3/4c chopped sun dried tomatoes in EVOO 

1/2T - 1T crushed Italian Sofrito seasoning

1/2c corn flour 

1-1/2t baking powder

Whisk these together until everything is well combined. Pour this over the vegetables in the pan, then top with cheese.

8oz. Manchego (sheep's milk) cheese - cut in small cubes

Bake 25-30 minutes, until browning at the edges, the egg are set and the cheese has melted. Cool 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with fresh fruit, toast, crackers or just as is. This makes a lot, but you can also freeze any leftovers. . .Lin

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Wash and chop-slice the mushrooms into a big soup pot. Sautè them with the following ingredients:

20oz. crimini - baby portabella - mushrooms

2T finely chopped onion

1 minced garlic clove

4T (1/2 stick) butter

fresh ground pepper

Stir occasionally over low-medium heat until the liquid in the mushrooms evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown a little. Add the rest of a large onion, sliced. Cover and simmer a half hour or so until everything is nicely caramelized. Take 2/3 of the mushrooms and onions out of the pot. These will be added at the end and not blended with the other vegetables.

Make a roux with 2 heaping tablespoons of unbleached, all purpose flour and 1/3c± cold water and add that to the mushroom pot.

In another pot, combine the remaining chopped vegetables shown, part of a poblano pepper, 3 bay leaves, 3c water, and 1 package of beefy onion soup mix. Simmer, covered 30-40 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Remove the bay leaves, add the simmered vegetables to the mushrooms to be blended. Blend as smooth as you'd like with an immersion blender.

Stir in 1c half and half, and the chunky mushrooms. Bring this to a low bubble.

Serve with a drizzle of truffle-infused EVOO and some freshly chopped herbs. . .Lin