A BIG Power-Packed (Vegan) Salad

A good, healthy salad is a Food Treasure! 

Year-round, my salad spinner is always in my 'fridge, filled with a fresh lettuce mix. If you don't have a good salad spinner, that would be my first recommendation. Washing the leafy greens and spinning them dry is easily accomplished. Mine was around $10.00 at Walmart, made by Progressive. The new ones look a bit different, but they work so well. "A good salad spinner" doesn't always equate to spending way more than this. 

My lettuce mixes alway include Romaine lettuce, cabbage, onion and other greens. If the mix will be used within a couple days, I'll add cucumber. Today my other greens are half a big bunch of fresh curly parsley. To that I added: half a red bell pepper, one sliced carrot, and -since I just ran out of cabbage- I used 4 big Brussels sprouts, sliced very thin, in place of that. 

About 1/3 of this fond its way into a big bowl for lunch. Then I added quite a few things. Drained, rinsed garbanzo and black beans - 1/2 a can of each, so I'll have the same left over for another big salad. There are also mushrooms, sprouted lentil, seasoned almonds, grape tomatoes, and half a big avocado.

The fresh, raw vegetables are good sources of vitamins A & C for sure, as well as many other nutrients. The canned beans, sprouts, almonds and avocado are full of protein and the entire salad has lots of great plant fiber.

I topped it with this favorite dressing, of mine and others, that I created long ago. I always have a 12oz-32oz bottle of it in my 'fridge. I'll graze on this for the next several hours.

If your stomach is sensitive to raw, you could steam the hard vegetables, then cool them a bit, before adding them to your bowl. In this salad it would be the carrots, onion and peppers. Salads are a great, clean reset for your body, if you find yourself eating less than healthy, and to get your food plan back on track. . .Lin

Peanut-Craisin Vegetable Curry

3 stalks celery (save tops for later)

2 big carrots

1 medium 'winter' onion

2T coconut oil

Chop the 'mirepoix' and sauté over medium heat, in a 5 quart pan for a few minutes.

Chop and add the rest of the vegetables shown in the second photo except the tomatoes. Note that I opted for fresh Campari tomatoes instead of the canned shown in the first photo →

Colorful mini bell peppers, 4 med. red potatoes, 5 lg. cloves garlic, 2 big purple shallots, 1½# green cabbage, 1 lg. brown radish

Seasonings: 3±T mild curry paste, ¼t cayenne pepper, 1t fresh ground black pepper, 1t salt, 1t sugar, 1-2T ground cumin.

Add 2c cold fresh water and simmer on low heat until the carrots are tender. Meanwhile, put a covered steamer basket over the pot once it begins to simmer.

Add tomatoes and steam for 3 minutes. Plunge them immediately in a big bowl of ice water. The skins will now peel off easily. Core and peel them, then dice and add to the pot along with the celery greens. 

You can also add 1c roasted-salted peanuts and 1c chopped dried fruit: craisins, apricots, prunes, or golden raisins, or even chopped apple if you'd like. Today it was craisins.

Continue simmering for a total of an hour or so. Stir in 1 can of coconut milk, or coconut cream. Stir, then bring back to a low simmer for just a few minutes before serving. Perfect for a crisp fall day. . .Lin

Clean-Out-The-'Fridge Vegetable Soup

Ahhhh, but don't let the name fool you. This is one of the best vegetable soups I've made in ages! In addition to what's shown, I added a little white balsamic vinegar after the first group of vegetables sautéed a while. At the end, to liven it up a bit, some Southwest Cajun Seasoning and a big spoonful of Better Than Bouillon - Vegetable flavor.  Ohhh, this is good!

2T EVOO
1 lg. onion - chopped -- use 1/3 now and the rest later
3 carrots - sliced-chopped
salt and pepper

1-2T white balsamic vinegar
bottoms of a bunch of asparagus - chopped
2c fresh cold water
28oz. can of diced tomatoes
tiny potatoes - quartered
3 big bay leaves

5 big cloves of garlic - sliced-chopped
1t turbinado sugar
asparagus tips

Sauté the first group of ingredients until everything browns a little and the onion starts turning translucent, adding a little water if needed.  Add the next group and simmer 20 minutes.  Put the final ingredients in the pot, stir, check seasonings and make corrections then simmer again another 20 minutes.

I've been either on the road; or flying, for the past 12 days; for a  visit with my sister and brother-in-law near Tucson, Arizona.  When I left town I had a bunch of onions, tiny potatoes, 4# of carrots and a beautiful bunch of asparagus I decided to just leave it and hope they'd all still be good when I returned.  Today soup sounded good, so into the pot they all went, at the appropriate time. . .and the results were just great.

Remember. . .Soup Season is all-year-long!
😁 . . . Lin . . . 😋

Zuppa Verde Con Orzo — (green soup w/ barley)

Somehow, this soup reminds me of Italy 😃 so I gave it an Italian name. Zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach. It's all red, green and white - Italy's national colors. 

Simmer the barley for about half an hour until still chewy, but plumped up. Drain, rinse in cool water, to get rid of the excess starch off, then set it aside in the strainer.

• 2/3c pearled barley
• 1-1/2c± water

In a 5-6 quart pot, combine the following rough-chopped vegetables with the EVOO and simmer-saute, stirring often, for about a half hour. 

• 2-3T good quality EVOO
• 5 cloves sliced garlic
• 2 med. zucchini
• 1 sm. onion
  
• 2-3T sliced poblano pepper
• 1/3 lg. head of green cabbage
• 10-12oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
• celery heart (keep the greens for later)
• 1t fresh ground pepper
• 1T dried herbs and garlic
• 2T BTB chicken or vegetable soup base
• 6c fresh cold water - a little at a time

• 1 can of stewed tomatoes
• 3 green onions
• celery greens
• 6oz. frozen chopped spinach

At the end of the half hour, add the cooked-rinsed-drained barley, chopped tomatoes with juice, and the rest of the chopped-sliced ingredients. Bring again to a simmer, cover and remove from the heat.  Let the flavors blend 15 minutes before serving. This is so good! Perfect with some crusty, whole-grain Italian sourdough bread or Norwegian crispbread.

Mmmm!

It's Cold Outside ❄️ Perfect Soup Weather! . . Lin

Whole Grain No-Knead Egg Focaccia

• 2c unbleached flour
  
• ⅓c each:
• corn flour
• hazelnut flour
• ground chia and flax
• ¼t instant yeast
• 1t salt

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large glass bowl, then combine the first two ingredients in a small glass bowl:

• 1c fresh cold water
• 1t organic honey or Maple syrup

Stir half the water, then microwave 15 seconds to dissolve the sweetener, then add the other half cup of water and:

• 1 lg. egg - omit to keep this Vegan
• additional water to total 12oz. total liquid in the bowl

Whisk everything together well. Wash you hands, then test the temperature with your finger. It should feel warmer than body temperature, ideally about 110°.  If not, microwave again another 10 seconds and repeat if needed to get this mixture warm.  Pour this into the flour bowl, mix with a heavy wooden spoon until it's blended and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. I let mine rise 15 hours. It will have almost doubled in volume, and be bubbly as shown in the next photo below. . .

This is an exciting little adventure for me! I'm really picky about bread, and don't eat much of it. Maybe 4 loaves a year, and usually whole grain bread made with sprouted grain flour. The other day I stumbled on a video series called The Vegan Corner. In the first episode, the first segment I think, was the information and demonstration of their No-Knead Italian Focaccia. It looked SO good, I immediately started thinking of all the possible options and flour combinations! So this is a possible return, back to bread making for me. I have made it in the past, but it's been decades since I attempted it. I'm not opposed to kneading bread by the way, it's just that the texture and look of this great flat bread really caught my interest. . .Will my deviations from the original recipe work out? It's after 9pm here now, so I'll be back tomorrow, to jump into the next step, I'll bake it, and then, we'll find out!  Here's the video and RECIPE

.~*              .~*              .~*              .~* 

When the dough has risen, after 15 hours, as shown here ——>

mix the following, in a tiny container: 1t total, of your favorite herbs that pair well with the grain-flavors in the bread, 1t EVOO and 1t water, or 2t water. I used ½t each of a dried roasted garlic-herb blend, and one with black pepper and dried bell pepper. Set this aside.

Uncover and transfer the risen dough in the bowl, into a floured parchment-covered baking pan. Flatten the dough a little and make indentations on the top with your fingers. Spread the herb-oil mix over the top and into the indentations. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of coarse or flaked salt. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake, in a preheated 425° oven, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10-14 minutes, turn the pan 180° halfway through this crisping up time. Cool completely before cutting and serving. 

 

This healthied-up version turned out so well!! I can't wait to try changing this in other directions.  Lighter nutritious additions to keep it fluffier and whiter, possibly a focaccia with more garlic, Italian seasonings and sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Maybe a breakfast version with grated orange peel, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, chopped pecans and coarse sugar on the top before baking, all with or without the egg. . .SO many options!

Be Creative! — Happy Cooking! . . .Lin

A GIANT Pot Of Purple Vegetable Soup

I decided to clean out the vegetable drawers in my refrigerator.  This is what's Soup Worthy!  On the left are the ingredients for this recipe.  On the right those for another day very soon.

The first thing I did was scrub, cube and simmer the beets. Changing the water several times during cooking, then drain and run them under very cold water several minutes while they were still a little crisp. Be careful not to overcook them. I've made vegetable soup before where I put the beats in at the beginning, and everything ended up looking like beet colored vegetables. This time it wasn't as purple. I sliced or cubed all the rest shown here. I started with the onion, green cabbage, purple cabbage, 3 carrots, celery and tops, sautéing those about a half hour on medium in 2T EVOO. When it sizzles, add a couple cups of water and stir occasionally.

Add 2+ quarts of water after the original vegetables sautéed, then I put 3T orange ginger spices, 3T vegetable soup base, a good amount of fresh ground pepper and 2t of sugar into the pot and then simmer everything on low about a half hour, then continued with the simmer another half hour after adding the beets, chopped kale, 6 big cloves of minced garlic, half a zucchini, purple potatoes and butternut squash. The last group of vegetables takes less time to cook. Turn the burner off, cover and remove from the heat and let the soup stand 10 minutes before serving. The beets are definitely dominant, but also The Star of the Soup! They taste awesome simmered minimally, this way.

Remember . . .  SOUP!  =  It's Not Just For Winter Anymore!  Forage in your pantry and 'fridge - Make some today! . . Lin

Asparagus And Friends - Vegetable Soup

"Hi...My name is Lin and I'm a Soup-O-Holic!" I won't bore you once again with yet another rendition of 'how much I love soup!'  I will remind you though, how versatile, healthy, quick, easy, and generally - just wonderful it is - to have a pot or two in your 'fridge, all year 'round!!  It's the best thing ever when friends or family drop over, or to share with a sick friend or neighbor. . .So, here's my most recent soup creation.

3 sm.-med. yellow onions

3 med. scrubbed carrots

3 stalks celery + tops

2T good quality EVOO

1-2T Penzeys California Pepper

~ it may sound like a lot, but this is a very mild blend of tellicherry black peppercorns, dried red and green bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Use your favorite seasoned pepper in the amount you like.

Chop the first group of vegetables, or as these three are known in France - the mirepoix.  Sauté only a little of the onion at this time, with the carrot and celery, saving the majority of it for later.  Simmer 7 minutes, covered.

1 lg. bunch asparagus

3 med. Yukon Gold potatoes

sliced-chopped celery greens

5c cold fresh water - add gradually

remaining onions - rough chopped

1 14.5 can stewed tomatoes and juice

2-3T Better Than Bouillon - mushroom or vegetable flavor

2c cooked small red or black beans - optional

Wash the asparagus well then snap off the very bottom part of the stalk.  It will naturally break where the tender part starts.  I didn't do it this way today and ended up with a few very tough, fibers sections, lesson learned!

Separate the tops for later.  Add the stalks, cut in ¾" pieces, and the potatoes cut in cubes to the pot, along with a cup or two of the water.  Simmer this all together for another 5 minutes then add the onion, chopped tomatoes and soup base.  Simmer low and slow another 10-30 minutes.  I cooked some tiny red beans earlier so I added those to the pot.  That's always a good idea for the great protein beans contain.

Serve with some Norwegian grain-seed crisp bread.  Mmmm. . .Soup! . .Lin

Whole Grains, Lentils and Greens

¾c basmati brown rice

⅓ yellow pepper-chopped

5 cloves of garlic-minced

2T black truffle EVOO

¾-1t Penzeys California Seasoned Pepper

3c fresh cold filtered water

½c quinoa, millet, buckwheat mix

½c brown or green whole lentils

2t Better Than Bouillon soup base

1 bunch of dinosaur kale

Sometimes I revert back to my vegetarian-vegan ideals and all I want is some really good grains and greens! Today is one of those days. Sauté the first group of ingredients, adding just a little water at the end, when everything starts browning, to prevent it from sticking. Next add the quinoa mix, the rest of the water, lentils and the BTB soup base - I always have several flavors, but for this, mushroom sounded good.

Wash the kale first in warm soapy water, then in cold water until the water is clear. De-vein the leaves by pulling or cutting them away from the center stalk and throw that away or out for your bunnies and squirrels. Bundle the leaves together, slice them and cross-cut the slices if they're too big. Add them to the pot. Stir this, cover and let it simmer slowly until the water absorbs, the grains are tender and the kale is nicely cooked.

Add the sliced cilantro leaves and stems, cover to keep everything warm. Fluff it up and check the seasonings just before serving.

Mmmmm, Grains and Greens! 😊 Lin

~ ~ SPROUTS ~ ~

I've already started Sprouting! 😃 WooHoo!!

I usually wait until a warm spring day, but, since we're still practically knee deep in snow here in Duluth, Minnesota, I have to conclude that Spring Fever has hit me early this year.  I keep looking at my snow-covered deck, overlooking the frozen creek, wishing I could be out there reading a book with a big mug of tea. . .

I'm so grateful to my sweet, hippie sister-in-law, Carole, who introduced me to avocados, macrame', sun tea, and especially sprouting.  She's no longer with us, but at least daily, I'll see or do something that brings her right back to me, in memory.  RIP Sweetie. . .Until We Meet Again!

My favorite seed, bean, grain to sprout would, hands down, be lentils!  This time I used fancy, $$ French lentils, but the green or brown whole lentils you can buy for under $1.00 a bag in the grocery store are wonderful!  I started these on Friday and they're ready today.  The smaller the seed or bean, the quicker they're ready for a salad, sandwich, or to top a big bowl of soup.

You've probably heard of Ezekiel Bread * The inspiration for this sprouted grain bread goes all the way back to the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament of the Bible!!  It's in the freezer section of co-op's, health food stores and even most supermarkets.  It's not gluten-free, and also not cheap, but the slices are thin and it's a very heavy bread, so a little goes a long way.  It's made from sprouted grains that are ground into powder, not regular flour.  I love a slice of it toasted, with crunchy peanut butter, drizzled with honey - or as a crispy-healthy base for avocado toast.

This link ** tells you what you need to know to sprout lentils.  If you dig a little deeper, she also has other great tips, ideas and recipes.

Today I added vegetables (cauliflower, purple shallot, cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds) to a big handful of lentils and called it Lunch! Have fun with this! Even if you're not into plants or gardening, this is a simple, gratifying way to grow something really healthy, right in your own kitchen. . .Lin

Orange and Green Vegetable Curry Soup

2T coconut oil

½ green pepper

1 lg. purple shallot

12 cloves of garlic

1½ c chopped celery

4 green onions

3 carrots

2 med. sweet potatoes

1 T cumin

1 T curry powder

2 t pumpkin pie spice

½ t ground black pepper

½ t Himalayan pink salt

1 t turbinado or brown sugar

4 c cold filtered water

1 T Better Than Bouillon - vegetable

½-¾ c raisins

1 can coconut milk

Melt the coconut oil in a 4 quart heavy-bottomed pot.  Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots before chopping, then add all the chopped vegetables.  Sprinkle on everything in the seasoning group, pour in about a cup of the water, stir well, simmer while stirring, until most of the water is absorbed.  When it starts to stick to the pot and sizzle, pour in the rest of the water, stir, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Taste the broth and add the BTB soup base in small amounts until it tastes as you'd like.  Put the raisins in a tiny bowl and ladle some hot broth over them and set aside for now.

Blend everything in the pot with an immersion blender.  Stir in the coconut milk, add the raisins and blend again, just enough to chop them a bit.  Bring back just to a slight simmer.  Serve garnished with some pumpkin seeds and chopped parsley or cilantro.  If you're not a vegan or vegetarian, chop up some cooked beef, chicken, lamb, venison or goat and pour the hot soup over it - Mmmm. . .Lin

Minestrone - Italian Vegetable Soup

4-6 ears of corn

1c black eyed peas

2 lg. ribs of celery

3 med.-lg. carrots

½ lg. purple onion

2T extra virgin olive oil

¾ red or yellow pepper

4 med. green zucchini

1 28oz. canned tomatoes

2T Better Than Bouillon

1t-1T ground rosemary

2-3 quarts cooking water
from the corn and beans

Simmer the corn for 12 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack, strain the cooking water into a 4 quart pot.  Cook the beans according to package directions, changing the water 2-3 times, replacing it with fresh cold water.  Save and strain the first water, adding it to the corn water.

In a 6-8 quart pot, saute' and stir the celery, carrots and onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes, seasonings, water and bring to a low boil.  Cover and simmer over low-medium heat for another 30-45 minutes.  Meanwhile cut the corn off the cobs.  Gently rinse the beans in cold water and drain into a colander.  Add the corn and beans when the other vegetables are almost cooked.  Simmer everything an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with croutons or crusty Italian garlic bread.  Soup. . .It's not just for winter anymore!  I almost always have a big pot of it in my 'fridge, year-round . . Lin

A Complete-Protein Vegetable Soup

Ahhh. . ."Soup, Soup. . .My Kingdom For Some Soup!"

When I get really run down and my body's struggling, due to a lapse in good food choices or a virus trying to take hold,  if I just pay attention, I know what will help.  Today it's This Soup.  People have asked me where I get these recipes - Here, on my blog, they're all my originals, unless otherwise noted.  They also want to know how I decide on the ingredients for a particular recipe I'm creating.  Often times, the nudging, craving, prompting to the kitchen is the first step.  A scan of the 'fridge, pantry and freezer and things start coming together. . .  I did a little research, then ordered some 'ancient grains' a few weeks back.  Interesting stuff!  This started out to be just vegetables and a little seasoning, but then kamut called my name!  I also, just before the whole-pot-simmer, added an equal amount of lentils, which aren't shown.  This time I used the whole, brown, grocery store variety.  The combination of this grain and legume creates a complete protein such as that found in meat and eggs.  This, however, is a whole-food-plant-based, vegan, vegetarian recipe, and a great healthy, cleansing, yet protein-packed, soup.

½c kamut - shake in a strainer and take out any tiny rocks

2T avocado or other oil with a high smoke point

4 lg. cloves garlic - minced

½ lg. purple onion - diced

fresh ground black pepper

Himalayan pink salt

Combine these in a large heavy-bottomed pot.  Everything is now simmering in my 4qt. hmmm - possibly a bit small?!  This will make a LOT of soup!  You can clearly see the ingredients here, so I won't even list them.  Duplicate this - or listen to your resident vegetables as they ask to be part of YOUR lovely soup!

Prep Time!  Cut your vegetables any way you like them, small or chunky.  I find I usually cut each one in a different manner.  This time, the tomatoes and onion were cut in a basic chop.  I diced the celery, diagonally cut the carrots, sliced the peppers and cubed the cabbage.  Somehow this feels to me, like honoring each individual one's contribution to the final product and recognizing their uniqueness within the mix.

After the first group of ingredients sizzled, snapped and popped themselves to a beautiful brownness, I added everything else to the pot along with 5½ cups of water.  I brought it to a quick boil, then reduced the heat to a low simmer, covered and now I'm savoring the scent while listening to it gently bubble its way to doneness.  Simmer, low and slow like that, for an hour or so, until the kamut is done.

Remember that heat destroys water soluble vitamins - the B's and C - so the less cooking time for your vegetables, the better.  Therefore, with this in mind, you might want to simmer the kamut separately until cooked and add it at the end.  When it's ready, check the flavors.  Mmmm, mine is already developing a wonderful, nutty sweetness!  I might just leave it that way.  The sodium content would be negligible.  Alternately, you could add some Better Than Bouillon - Vegetable or Mushroom flavor - to zing it up a bit...

Be Creative! 😋 - 🙃 - 😉 Happy Cooking! . . Lin

Vegan Potato-Pea Soup

2 sm. onions

6 cloves of garlic

2 med. carrots

4 stalks of celery

3 med. potatoes

2T Italian flavored olive oil

1c split peas

6c water 

½t ground red pepper

½t ground black pepper

¼c fried shallots *

1-2T Italian seasonings

3T vegetable soup base

1 15oz. can white cannellini beans - optional

Finely chop or cube all the scrubbed vegetables into a 5 quart pot.  Add the olive oil and stir to coat everything.  Saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring all the while.  Add the next group of ingredients.  * I found the fried shallots at an International Market.

Bring this to a boil, then turn the heat to low-medium.  Simmer, covered for 45 minutes.  Check the vegetables to see if they're done the way you like.  If not, cook a little longer.  Add the drained-rinsed beans if you're using them.  I changed my mind about the beans.  Instead I used a can of golden hominy.  At this point, you can either serve as is, or blend with an immersion blender for a smother soup. . .Lin

Vegetable Curry - Vegan 'Sick' Soup

3 carrots

2 stalks celery

5 little red potatoes

1 very little yellow onion

¼ med. head of green cabbage

1T butter or coconut oil

4 c water
 bay leaves
1t dried cilantro
1t dried tarragon

1T dried minced onion
2-3T vegetable soup base

1T AROY-D red curry paste

8oz. AROY-D coconut milk

This soup was made for someone I love who's been sick for about a month with a persistent virus, or possibly something more sinister.  When I cook for a sick person, I love to pray for them and everyone who tastes what I'm making, that this food will impart special healing energy to them from God, through me.

Slice, chop the vegetables however seems appropriate for your soup today.  Saute' them in the coconut oil just a while after the whole pot begins to snap and sizzle.  Add all the remaining ingredients - except - the coconut milk.  Simmer over medium heat an hour or more.  Taste the liquid, if it's on the too-hot side for you, mash the vegetables a bit.  They'll absorb some of the heat.  At the very end, just before serving, stir in the coconut milk.  Stay Healthy!! . . . Lin 

Roasted Root Vegetables

3 sm.-med. red beets

2 med.-lg. sweet potatoes

2 med. red potatoes

1 med. Vidalia onion

5 lg. cloves garlic

fresh ground garlic salt

fresh ground pepper

*3-4T butter

Scrub vegetables and remove any odd spots.  Slice the red potatoes and sweet potatoes a little bigger than the beets, since they'll cook faster.  Combine with chopped onion, crushed-sliced garlic, seasonings and *butter in a large casserole dish.  Cover and bake at 400° for 15 minutes.  Take out of the oven, turn vegetables over with a large wooden spoon to coat with the melted butter and seasonings.


You could add 3/4c cashews, sunflower seeds, slivered or smoked almonds now for extra protein if you'd like this to be a vegetarian main dish.  *Swap out the butter for extra-virgin olive oil, to make it vegan.  Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 10 minutes or so, until everything is cooked the way you like it.  This is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, by itself, or as a side dish to meatloaf, grilled chicken, fish or steaks.  .  .Lin