Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans & Swiss Chard

Here's another tasty soup recipe. I generally don't like tomato based soups, but this one has won me over. This soup has a little bit of a kick to it, so if spicy isn't your thing, just cut back on the red pepper flakes. This soup is thick. If you like a brothier soup, I would simply increase the vegetable broth.

I can't wait for the farmers market (and my garden) to get going so I can make this soup with vegetables fresh from the garden! Can't you just taste the freshness? Better get tending to my garden...........Enjoy!

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans & Swiss Chard:

2 Tbsp EVOO

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 small zucchini, sliced (1 cup)

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can small white beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped, plus 2 tbsp oil from jar

1/2 bunch (6oz.) Swiss chard, chopped (kale will work too)

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 cup torn fresh basil

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in onions, carrots, celery, zucchini and rosemary, and cook 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Add veg. broth and one can of the diced tomatoes, and beans. Scoop 1 cup mixture into food processor or blender, along with the remaining can of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and the oil. Puree until smooth, then stir the mixture into the soup, and season with salt and pepper - if desired. Simmer 10 minutes.

Add Swiss chard and thyme, simmer 5 minutes more, or until chard is wilted. Remove from the heat, and stir in basil.

Serves 6-8 (depending on how hungry your guys are :)

See the link below for information on Swiss chard.

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/swiss-chard.html

Cauliflower Chowder

As you may recall from a previous blog of mine, I have never been a big fan of cauliflower. So again to my surprise, I have a cauliflower recipe for you that taste great and is healthy too. My husband came across this recipe - he was getting tired of me making the caramelized cauliflower all the time!

Here it is....

Cauliflower Chowder:

5 Tbsp. EVOO

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

6-8 scallions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped thinly

2 medium cauliflower, cored and broken- you could use broccoli in place of part of the cauliflower

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

4 cups skim milk

4 cups water

2 Tbsp Vegetable Broth Base

1/8 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

Lightly saute onion and garlic in bottom of pot with 2 tbsp olive oil. Then add all the other ingredients and bring to a very light boil. Let simmer until the cauliflower is soft (about 20-30 min). Stir frequently. Serves 4.

Can you believe how simple this is? Fast, easy, taste great, and it's not loaded down with a lot of fat!

Happy eating to you and your family!

If you'd like to learn more about the health benefits of eating cauliflower and broccoli, check out the links below.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/04/13/broccoli.benefits.wmd/

Pecan-Crusted French Toast

It's important to me to make a special breakfast for my guys on the weekends. They are important to me and this is one way that I try to show that to them. The catch is that in my household, we have a omnivore, a vegetarian (me) and a vegan, so breakfast can get a little tricky.

Recently I came across this vegan French Toast recipe and thought I'd give it a try. It was a hit! The vegan of the house gave it a 4.1 rating and the carnivore of the house rated it at a 4.8 and said it was "The best French toast I've ever eaten." (scale is 1-5, with 1 being the most disgusting food you've ever eaten and 5 being that you'd like to eat it as often as possible).

The only change I would make to the recipe would be that I would add vanilla extract - something I always add to pancakes or French toast. :)

Here it is......

Pecan-Crusted French Toast:

1-1/2 cups soy or rice milk
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons chickpea flour or brown rice flour (found in the natural foods section - good source of protein)
1 cup finely chopped pecans
6 to 8 slices vegan whole wheat or whole wheat raisin bread
Maple syrup for topping

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy or rice milk, corn starch and cinnamon. Whisk in the chickpea or brown rice flour. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl. Place the pecans in another shallow bowl.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp canola oil to pan. One slice at a time, dip the bread in the milk mixture, turning to soak both sides. Dip one side in the pecans, pressing to coat. Arrange the bread in the skillet (you might have to do more than one batch), pecan side down. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the pecans are well-browned. Carefully turn the bread, and continue cooking until the second side is browned, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine did!

Hummus

Hi everyone! Are you looking for a quick, easy and healthy snack? May I suggest some hummus? You won't believe how easy hummus is to make, and the variations are endless.

What is hummus? Plain and simple, it's a bean dip. It can be eaten with veggies, bagel chips, whole grain crackers, pita bread, etc.

For those of you who have tried store bought hummus and found it not to your liking, I would encourage you to try these recipes. I know they will change your mind about hummus!

Here are my 3 favorites to get you started...

Traditional Hummus:

2 cloves garlic

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans

4 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp tahini

1 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth. Add additional EVOO to get the desired consistency. (I always add more to make it smoother).

Black Bean Hummus:

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp Thousand Island dressing

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Italian Red Feta Hummus: (my favorite)

1/2 cup roasted red pepper (from jar)

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 4-oz container tomato basil feta cheese

1 Tbsp EVOO

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. There will be bits of feta in the hummus. Chill for several hours or overnight to let the flavors blend. Also good served hot.

Makes 2 cups.

* I have found that with any of the hummus recipes, it always taste best if it has time to chill so that the flavors have time to blend.

Snack away!

Black Bean Taco Bake

This recipe was given to me by a coworker a couple of years ago and has become a family favorite. I have made some changes to the original recipe... The original recipe is made with meat, but was a piece of cake to make into a meatless main dish. I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as our family does.

Black Bean Taco Bake:

1 can (15 oz) black beans, undrained

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, undrained - or kidney beans

1 package (1.25 ounces) taco seasoning

1/2 cup chunky salsa

1 cup Monterrey Jack or Cheddar Cheese (I've used mozzarella too)

1 cup broken up tortilla chips

diced onion, tomato, avocado

sour cream (optional)

jalapeno peppers (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, combine beans, taco seasoning, and salsa and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a 9"x13" baking dish, sprinkle on cheese and tortilla chips and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven.

Once out of the oven, top with diced onion, tomato and avocado on top.

You may also add sour cream, jalapeno peppers and a touch of additional salsa as you like.

Makes about 4 - 6 servings.

Add a simple lettuce salad on the side, and you're set to go.

Enjoy!

Oatmeal

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. Before I met my husband, you couldn't get me to eat oatmeal. Not anymore....

It's simple:

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 - 1 cup blueberries (or other fruit)

milk

walnuts, slivered almonds, or pumpkin seeds

cinnamon

Put oatmeal in cereal bowl and just cover with water. Microwave for 3 minutes. Take out of the microwave and add blueberries and milk (enough milk to get desired consistency for you). If you are using frozen blueberries, put back in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

Next, stir in cinnamon and some nuts. Enjoy!

If you really don't like oatmeal - you can make a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast by adding some berries and nuts to a high fiber cereal such as All Bran. Read the labels and watch for all that added sugar. If corn syrup is listed as an ingredient - put it back!

Watercress and Avocado Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

This recipe was a hit last night. The bell peppers on the grill were fabulous as well. The bean burger wasn't such a hit though. :( The search for a good non-meat "burger"continues.....

Here is the recipe for the salad. I hope you enjoy.

2 bunches fresh watercress, hand shredded

1/2 medium red onion, cut into very thin half-moon slices

1/3 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, blanched for 30 seconds

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Basil Vinaigrette:

4 Tbsp EVOO

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp brown rice syrup (you could use a different sweetener if you want)

1/2 tsp sea salt

Generous pinch cracked black pepper

1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil leaves

2 oranges, peeled and segmented

Combine watercress, red onion and corn in a bowl. Lay avocado slices on a plate and drizzle with lemon juice to preserve color. (I skipped this part).

Make vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until emulsified. (Could it be any simpler?)

To serve: Add vinaigrette to salad and toss to coat. Add avocados and orange segments on top of individual salads and serve. (Serves 4)

Enjoy!

**So perhaps you are wondering what Brown Rice Syrup is and where you find it and why use would want to use it. Well, here's the scoop. First, it can easily be found in the health food department of your local grocery store.

Brown Rice Syrup is a alternative to other sweeteners, and can be used in place of sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, corn syrup or any of those artificial sweeteners on the market.

Why would you want to use brown rice syrup instead of those mentioned above? First of all, it is natural and second of all, it is a complex carbohydrate rather than a simple sugar. Why does it matter if it's complex carbohydrate? It's all about the Glycemic Index (GI), which is all about what affect a food has on your blood sugars. Simple sugars have a higher GI and cause blood sugars to spike and then crash - not a good thing. On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are released slowly into the blood stream, so you don't have the "spike and crash" affect.

For more information about this check out this website: http://www.fitsugar.com/Glycemic-Index-Where-Do-Sweeteners-Fall-3031565

Until next time....Eat well, Live well, Be kind.

Watercress and Avocado Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Tonight Stephen and I are going to our friends Sheryl and Mark's for supper, cooked on the grill :) My contribution to the meal will be a Watercress and Avocado Salad with Basil Vinaigrette. This is a new recipe for me, so I hope it tastes as good as it sounds. I think I'll bring some peppers (red, orange and yellow) for grilling as well. Sheryl is making Falafel for grilling (I think the guys are eating meat). Finish it off with a slice of whole grain bread and your set! I can hardly wait. I can practically taste it all already!

Here's a little inside information on Watercress. First of all, you'll find it in the produce section of most grocery stores by the greens, parsley, etc. I found it at Festival Foods - Mega Foods didn't have any.

Possible Health benefits: It's a good source of iron, calcium, folic acid, and vitamins A and C.

It has been suggested that it is a great digestive aid, and is thought to help defend against lung cancer. Because of it high iodine levels, it helps strengthen the thyroid gland - great for persons with hypothyroidism. Check it out for yourself.....

I'll let you know how the meal turns out. If the recipes get a thumbs up, I'll share them with you. If not, well. on to the next recipe :)

Healthy eating to you!

Cauliflower made tasty

OK. So prior to a few months ago, there was no way to get me to eat more than a small bit of cauliflower - unless of course it was smothered with some kind of cheesy, buttery sauce. Or perhaps a nice creamy fattening veggie dip.

Well, now one of my favorite veggie side dishes is Carmelized Cauliflower, and you won't believe how easy this is to make.

Here it is:

Take a head of cauliflower (cut the core out) and cut into 1/4" slices. Don't worry if some it crumbles - no big deal. Put the cauliflower into a bowl and drizzle with Olive Oil or Canola Oil (I tend to go with Olive Oil) and toss until the cauliflower is lightly coated. Then spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt (I use sea salt). Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Enjoy.

It's a great side dish to a burger!