Shrimp, Sweet Potatoes and Green Onions

I try to always have a 2# bag of wild caught Argentinian Red Shrimp, from Costco, in my freezer at all times. I love it and crave it regularly. It can be quickly made into a healthy lunch or dinner. . .or have it for breakfast!

2T good quality ghee (clarified butter)

1 med. sweet potato

3 or 4 lg. green onions

8-10 shrimp - thawed

2-3T lemon juice

Seasonings: red and black pepper, Lawry's Garlic Salt

Peel and cube the sweet potato and rough chop-slice the green onions while melting the ghee in a heavy-bottom frying pan over low-medium heat. Add the vegetables to the pan, stir a little then cover. After a couple minutes, stir in the lemon juice and the shrimp. Cover and simmer a few minutes until the shrimp curl and brown a bit.

Dinner is ready 😃 . . . Lin

Orange, Carrot, Sweet Potato, Coconut-Curry Soup

This turned out just as I had hoped it would!

1 lg. sweet potato

3-4 big carrots

1 stalk celery

1/3 lg. red bell pepper

1/2 lg. white or yellow onion

4 big cloves of garlic - minced

2T butter

Peel and cube the sweet potato. Put the cubes in a bowl of salted water to keep the surfaces from oxidizing and turning brown. Rough chop the carrots, celery, pepper and onion. Melt the butter in a 4 quart soup pot then add all the vegetables.

1/2t each salt and pepper

1T pumpkin pie spice

1 to 2T curry powder

Season, stir and sauté 10 minutes or so, until the vegetables start to scent your kitchen. 

Add the bone broth and soup base.

32oz. chicken bone broth

2T chicken Better Than Bouillon

Simmer this, covered, for about a half hour or until the carrots are tender. Blend now with your immersion blender. Check the flavors and add anything it might need.

I added 1T turbinado sugar to bring out the flavors.

If everything is cooked the way you like it, now is the time to turn off the heat and stir in the coconut cream and orange.

1 can coconut cream
zest and juice of 1 navel orange

Serve this with your favorite garnishes. You could use any of these: A little dab of sour cream -or- plain Greek yogurt, pine nuts, sprouted pumpkin seeds, a sprinkle of dry dill. . .Lin

Cooking For Oliver 🐶

My Sweet Boy, Oliver, has some shoulder joint arthritis that causes him pain. Our Vet put him on prescription dry food that's supposed to help with that. I didn't notice much, if any, improvement. So, at over $6.00 a pound. . .I switched him back.

I've cooked for my dogs in the past and it seems it might be a good idea to try that again. Even if it doesn't help with his limping, it'll be a great healthy way to supplement his dry food. He gets a cup of dry food in the morning. In the evening I'll give him 3/4c to 1c of this mixed with a little bit of the dry. This recipe today breaks down to $1.40 a pound.

The 4 quart pot I used was too small, so, in a 5 quart pot, lightly sauté the rice, olive oil and the meat until the meat starts to brown and the rice is snapping.

1# ground meat - turkey, beef or chicken

1/3c single source extra virgin olive oil

2c brown rice

Add 4c of fresh cold water and simmer, covered, 15 minutes before adding the following vegetables to the pot.

8oz. frozen California Blend vegetables

- - well chopped

8oz. frozen peas

8oz. green cabbage

1 chopped sweet potato

2 additional cups of water

Simmer this another 5 minutes then stir in 1 finely chopped Romaine lettuce. Cover the pot and turn off the heat. 

You can put this in portion-size small bags and freeze until needed. Thaw on the counter an hour before feeding time. Add the dry food and a little hot water. Stir then stand back and watch them gobble it up. . .Lin

Montreal Griller, Sweet Potato and Onion

What a great quick dinner!

Often, when I buy any sort of inexpensive steak, I regret it.

The package contained 4 steaks, each weighing 4oz. for under $5.00. A great find! I cooked one and froze the remaining three. I scraped the seasoning onto the meat, cut away all the fat and cut the meat into bitesize cubes. My dogs were so happy with the fat scraps 😋 

1 sm. sweet potato

1 sm. yellow onion

EVOO, water, salt and pepper

Scrub the sweet potato, cut it into 1/2" cubes and simmer it, covered, about 10 minutes on low heat, with the chopped onion, in a non-stick pan in a little water, EVOO, parsley-garlic salt and black pepper. Move the vegetables to the outside of the pan and put the meat cubes in the center. Add a little more water, EVOO and fresh ground black pepper. Cover and let simmer a couple minutes. Turn the meat cubes and cook another couple minutes.

This was excellent! . . . Lin

Colorful Roasted Vegetable Soup

Scrub all the vegetables well, then cut away any bad spots.

In a large bowl, combine 5-6T coconut oil, several grinds of fresh black pepper and about 1t of parsley-garlic salt. Microwave this until the oil is liquified, then stir together, dissolving the salt.

Brush this inside a kabocha squash, also known as a Japanese pumpkin, that's been cut open with the seeds and membranes scraped out. Toss those, compost them, or throw them outside for the bunnies, birds and squirrels. Cut the rest of the vegetables (see list at the bottom of this post) into big chunks. Stir them around in the seasoned coconut oil, to coat all the surfaces.

Preheat your oven to 375°

Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and arrange the vegetables on the sheets. The oranges, celery tops and garlic go in later (don't roast those) Roast the vegetables about 50 minutes, longer if needed, until the carrots are tender. They'll take the longest, so by then everything else will be done.

Use the parchment paper to transfer the vegetables to a 5 quart pot by sort of creating a tube of the paper, and letting them just slide off into the pan - with any seasoned oil, the vegetables didn't absorb, left on the paper.

Add the cut up tiny mandarins - including the peel, 12-15 cloves of roasted garlic, 1-2t pumpkin pie spice, a little pinch of cayenne pepper, half a bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley and a cup or two of vegetable or chicken broth. Stir and bring this to a simmer. Let it cook like this, at a very low bubble for 10-15 minutes giving the oranges and parsley a chance to warm up and blend with the vegetable flavors. Remove from the heat and chill in the fridge or out on your chilly deck if you live in the crisp-cold northern region.

It's been around 30°F here all day. Perfect temperature out there to utilize it as added food cold-storage 😉

After about an hour, blend the soup with an immersion blender, adding more broth if needed. Now would be a good time to add some sour cream if you'd like. For a pot this size I'd recommend starting with 6-8oz. If that's not enough you can always add more. I decided to stick with just vegetables this time.

This recipe made about 4 quarts of really flavorful soup! Now it will chill on my deck until Sunday and be part of an Easter Family Dinner. Serve garnished with (a dollop of sour cream) a sprinkle of dill, and thin slivers of orange peel. . .Happy Easter Everyone. .✞. .Lin

Salmon and Spiralized Vegetables + Tomato Pesto Dill Cream Sauce

First, spiralize the 3 zucchini and 1 big rose-orange sweet potato. The vegetable noodles will be very long. Cut them with a scissor if you'd like, then put it in a big roasting pan. Drizzle with 3-4T EVOO and sprinkle with 1t Himalayan pink salt. Roast this uncovered in a 325° oven for 20 minutes. Put this in a smaller baking dish as the bottom layer.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Begin by sautéing the first chopped vegetables in 2-3T EVOO over medium heat, then add the next ingredients. Simmer over low heat until soft, about 40 minutes, then remove from the heat and let it cool 15 minutes or so...

1 lg. purple shallot = 2c chopped

ends of the spiralized vegetables

1/4 lg. green bell pepper

5 big garlic cloves

1T dry parsley

1/3c tomato pesto

1t Penzeys Smoky 4/S

28oz. crushed tomatoes

1t Himalayan pink salt

2T dark Balsamic vinegar

1t sharp Hungarian paprika

Top left filet is skinned

While the sauce is simmering, put 20oz. of salmon filets grey skin side down in a non-stick pan. Slowly heat them until the color changes just a bit. Remove them from the heat, remove and discard the skin. 

Arrange the fish over the vegetable 'noodles.' Add a thin layer of the sauce as it is now. Set aside 1c. After 5 minutes or so, to this cup of cooled sauce, add sour cream, dill and stir this together. 

Shown before final 15 minute heating

2/3c whole fat sour cream

2t dry dill

Spoon the dill cream sauce over everything.Refrigerate the unused tomato-vegetable sauce to use over baked chicken, plain pasta or spaghetti and meatballs, in the future. Cover the sauced fish and vegetable noodles. Heat in a preheated 300° oven, 15 minutes or so before serving. . .Lin

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Generously butter a 9" baking dish. Put these dry ingredients in a large bowl:

1/2c corn flour

1-1/2c all purpose flour

1T ground chia-flax seeds

1-2t ground smoky cumin - optional

3-1/2t baking powder

2t brown sugar

1t salt

In a medium size glass bowl, whisk these together, then set aside:

1/2c oat milk

1/4c sour cream

1T white vinegar

3/4c baked, peeled, mashed sweet potato

6T very cold butter

Cut the butter into small cubes. Using a pastry cutter, combine with the dry ingredients until the butter is all chopped into flour coated, gritty little pieces.

Stir the sweet potato mixture into the butter-flour bowl. Using a heavy silicone spatula, cut through, scrape and combine best you can. Turn this out onto a floured counter, kneed it a bit, adding a little corn flour at a time, until it's no longer a sticky mass.

Pat it flat, on the floured counter, into a square about 3/4" thick. Cut this into 9 equal pieces. With floured hands, shape into balls and put in the greased pan, making sure each biscuit touches those around it. Chill in the 'fridge or freezer for an hour. After 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°.

1 egg yolk 

1-2t water

a sprinkle of smokey chili powder

Whisk those together and brush on the surface and edges of each biscuit. When the oven's up to temperature, bake for 45 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes. Serve with soup or chili, plain, or buttered. These would also be good with melted butter and jalapeño jam. . .Lin

Orange Curry Vegetable Soup

1 med. butternut squash

1 med.-lg. sweet onion

1 med. sweet potato
1 med. red potato
1 purple shallot
5 cloves garlic
3 stalks celery

1 lg. carrot
a little vegetable stock


1t smokey salt
1t turbinado sugar
2T ground cumin
1T curry powder
1T pumpkin pie spice

Chop and combine all the above in a 4 quart pot. Simmer-saute' on low for several minutes until everything's sizzling.  Stir in the seasonings-spices and  begin  slowly adding 4-6c water, a little at a time. Cover and bring to a boil when all the water is added. Reduce heat to a low-bubbling simmer and cook until the celery is beginning to soften. Remove from heat, uncover and let cool 15 minutes.

Blend with your immersion blender, adding 13.5oz canned coconut milk now if you'd like. This time I omitted it since I was cooking for people who prefer it without coconut* This turned out well, and saved a lot of calories, but adding coconut milk compliments the vegetable and curry flavors nicely.

(just before serving, add a dollop of seasoned sour cream if you want. To make this, I add ranch powder, dill and black pepper to sour cream. I've also done this with smokey sea salt, lemon pepper, and dill. -- Eliminate for a non-dairy, vegan soup.). Sprinkle each bowl with a garnish of sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds and dried date pieces. Mmmm, Curry Soup!! . . . Lin

Root Vegetable Casserole

2 golden beets

1 sweet potato

1 red potato

1 lg. turnip

¾ lg. onion

½ green cabbage

¼c butter

garlic sea salt

ground black pepper

4-5 lg. cloves garlic

Scrub all the vegetables but don't peel.  Just cut away any bad spots.  Using a spiralizer on only the root vegetables, slicing them however you like, using the ribbon or spaghetti blades.  Slice or chop the onion and cabbage, with a sharp knife.  Arrange in a medium black roasting pan.

Grate or finely mince the garlic and combine with the last group of ingredients in a small pan.  Heat and stir, just until the butter melts.  Pour over the vegetables, toss around a little to coat, then bake about a half hour at 350° checking frequently after 20 minutes so they don't overbake.  Transfer to a pretty serving dish if you want.  This would go great with roasted chicken, grilled fish or meatloaf. . .Lin

Thai Winter Squash - Sweet Potato Soup

1 med. butternut squash

1 lg. sweet potato

6 lg. cloves of garlic

extra virgin olive oil

fresh ground salt & pepper

1-2T coconut oil

½ lg. finely chopped onion

1c finely chopped celery
2T pumpkin pie spice
2T chicken soup base
2T Thai Seasoning
2T coconut sugar

5c water

Scrub the squash and sweet potato.  Cut the squash into 6 pieces and scrape out the seeds.  Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes.  Rub them with a paper towel soaked in a little olive oil.  Peel the garlic and put in the cupped hollow of the seed cavity.  Drizzle everything with a bit more olive oil.  Season with several grinds of salt and pepper.  Roast at 375° 60 minutes.  Turn the heat to 400° for the last 10 minutes, then shut the oven off for a half hour.  Take the pan out and let it cool to room temperature.

In a 3-5qt. pot, saute' the onion and celery in coconut oil until lightly browned.  Add the spices and soup base, toward the end of the browning time, stirring well to coat, then add 1 cup of the water.  Turn off the heat and just let the onion and celery soak up the flavors.

When the roasted vegetables have cooled enough to touch, scrape the squash away from the outer shell.  Cut the sweet potatoes and squash into pieces, and add them both, with the garlic, to the pot.  Now either mash with a potato masher - for a more textured soup - or - use an immersion blender to make it smooth.  Either way, adding water as needed.

Once the soup is the right consistency, taste it and add more spice, and / or soup base, if needed, to suit your taste, being careful not to make it too salty.  Now would be the time to add a little organic turbinado, brown, or coconut sugar to enhance, and balance all the flavors.  This time I used coconut sugar, which was a great choice!  Mash or blend well, to incorporate the sugar, spice and soup base.  Bring back to a simmer, cover and let cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with a little dollop of sour cream, croutons, some roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts or pecans, and a sprinkle of dried dill. . .Lin  

Tuna Steak with Savory Sweet Potato

1 med. sweet potato - chopped

a little water and butter

finely ground salt and pepper

1-2t coconut sugar

3 lg. cloves of garlic - minced

1 lg. purple shallot - sliced

1 sm.-med. tuna steak

The sweet potato was cooked in a small pot with the water, butter, seasonings and sugar.  Simmered about 7 minutes before adding the garlic and shallot.  At that point, turn off the heat, cover and let stand to steam and caramelize everything.  In a small pan, melt 1T butter until it begins to brown.  Add the tuna steak and let it sear for a couple minutes on each side.  Serve with a little drizzle of your favorite sauce.  Today mine was Thai Chili Mayonnaise with Cilantro Chutney.  Oh this was SO good!  It all came together in less than 15 minutes from start to finish. . .Lin