Fresh Pesto

Fresh basil from the garden.

Pesto is super easy to make and freeze.  I feel a tremendous joy in clipping off the stems and leaves of basil as it smells sooo good! These stalks were gleaned from those that were "bolting" which means sending up flower stalks and going to seed.

After rinsing the leaves in the sink, I let them dry on the counter then picked the leaves off and placed them in a blender.

Traditional pesto is made with olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, basil (of course), and Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper (or even hot red pepper flakes) may be added as desired.

For freezing purposes, I leave out the Parmesan cheese and add it in later after the basic pesto sauce has defrosted and we are ready to use the pesto.  You can also leave the cheese out entirely for a vegan sauce and it is just as good.

One of the things I love about pesto, or any of the fresh herb pastes we make for recipes, is the ability to swap out ingredients, in this case nuts.

If you would prefer to use walnuts instead of pine nuts, go for it. Walnut basil pesto is delicious. Another fun thing to add more depth to your pesto is to lightly roast your nuts first to enhance their contribution to the sauce.

2 C. fresh basil leaves
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/3 C. pine nuts
1/4 - 1/2 C. olive oil
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese

Place the basil leaves, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and puree for a few seconds. Add the olive oil slowly while the processor (or blender) is running and until you get the consistency that you like. Note that you may not add all the oil called for.

If you prefer to freeze your emerald sauce, then stop now before adding the Parmesan and divvy it up into containers or zip-locks and stock it away for a future meal.  If you wish to use the sauce right away, stir in the Parmesan and enjoy.  (Or no Parmesan if going vegan.)

Experiment with consistency and enjoy.

- Kim Fielding

Chile Rellenos - Vegan Style

Cooked chiles stuffed with cashew
cream cheese, herbs, veggies, and spices.

Chile rellenos, traditional style, have always been a rare indulgence. With the time it takes to make them, all the fat and frying involved, and the guilt afterwards for eating way too much of this fatty yet yummy food, my family doesn't go there very often.

Along comes Kris Carr with one of her most recent cookbooks "Crazy Sexy Kitchen".  When we saw the picture of her Chile Rellenos with Red and Green Sauces, we just had to try it.  However, as I have said before, I have trouble following a recipe so I adapted a little here and there.  My past experience though tells me that all of her recipes are PERFECT just the way they are printed.

Chiles are abundant in our garden as end of season crops.  We have serranos, habaneros, cayenne, jalapenos, and poblanos.  That isn't counting the gentle black and red peppers which we will be stuffing this week.  This chile relleno recipe works well with poblanos or anaheims.

Serves: 6
Prep and cook time:  about an hour

6 poblano or Anaheim chiles
2 tsp. olive oil

Cashew-Jalapeno Cheese filling:
2 C. raw cashews, soaked in water about 30 minutes to soften
3 Tblsp. lime juice
3/4 C. water
2+ Tblsp, nutritional yeast
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 C. finely diced yellow, orange, or red bell pepper (or a mix)
1/2 C. finely chopped cilantro
2 shallots, minced
1-1/2 Tblsp cumin powder
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
salt to taste

Sauce:
Kris Carr uses two sauces in her beautiful book version.  An ancho pepper puree and a cilantro mint puree. Both are divine.  The cookbook will give you those recipes.  I chose to use one of my own salsa verdes which I had prepared with tomatillos from the garden.

Roast the chiles.  Preheat oven to broil.  Rub the chiles with the oil and place on a metal baking sheet. Broil for one minute on each side. Watch carefully!  You want the skin to soften and bubble but not burn. Remove the chiles from the oven and set aside.

While the chiles are cooling, prepare the filling.  In a blender, add the drained cashews, lime juice, and water.  Blend on high until completely smooth.  Pour mix into a bowl and add the nutritional yeast, minced onion, jalapeno, peppers, cilantro, shallots, cumin, oregano, and salt.  Mix together gently with your hands until blended.

Back to the chiles...

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Make a slice down the length of the roasted chiles and gently open up a pouch. Spoon the Cashew-Jalapeno filling into each of the chiles using up all of the filling.

These chiles weren't roasted first.  We decided we liked
them roasted after making this batch.  But hey, you
can skip this step if you like or want to save time.

Cook in an oiled baking sheet for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven.

The smell of these cooking is really nice.  Place a spoonful of sauce
on the plate and place a stuffed chile on top.

We made a salad with chopped greens and yellow tomatoes from the garden.

 Dress the salad with a light vinaigrette and place a portion over the plated chile with sauce.

The finished meal.

Serve with your choice of side dishes.  This meal features fresh melon and home-made bread.

This was devoured by my men who all loved this.  Even my carnivore husband ate every last bite.

Calories and nutrition for one large vegan chile relleno with 2 tablespoons tomatillo sauce and 1/2 cup dressed salad is approximately 600 calories.  This serving includes 8 g fiber, 21 g protein, and almost 43 g fat, most of which is mono- and poly-unsaturated with only 7 g being saturated.  Then there is a full compliment of vitamin C, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, and selenium. Oh, and lots of other minerals and vitamins too.

Don't be put off by the fat calories in this recipe.  A traditional chile relleno would be stuffed with cheese, breaded and fried, and paired with beans and rice.  There would be more fat calories, most of which would be saturated from the cheeses, not to mention the frying.  Beans and rice pile on the starches of which you honestly only need one serving.

Explore and enjoy.

- Kim Fielding

Garden Chards Stuffed with Risotto

Oh my, this was good.  Chards, collards, or any large leafy green
are great wraps for any filling.  

Many years ago, dear Dr. Mariam mentioned something to me that made such simple sense, I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of it myself.  We were enjoying someone's home-made dolmas.  They were soooo good.  I was marveling at the precision of the grape leaf wound around the filling when she said "...you know, you can use any leaf to wrap around a filling."  Or something like that.   Oh wow.  This opened up a whole new way to think about the chards, kales, collards, and even lighter lettuces in our garden.

Fast forward, I now use dark leafy greens in place of pasta for such dishes as caneloni or lasagna. For an elegant touch, I poach butter lettuce leaves briefly then wrap them around tender morsels of fresh salmon and bake.  Lettuces and dark leafy greens are prolific growers and we used to see them "bolt" before we had a chance to use them all up.  Thankfully we have found another way to use them. And, just like with regular pasta, if I am using these greens in an Italian-style dish, I double the recipe and freeze in portions for future use.

One basic thing though when using any lettuces as a wrap is to remove the tough spine.  Since chards and collards are large leafed, I run my knife along the edge of the spine and end up with two halves which means two wraps.  Same with the butter lettuce except that this lettuce leaf is smaller so I carefully cut around the thickest part of the spine but leave the rest of the leaf intact. After a brief dunk in simmering water, the whole leaf is softened and usable and we manage to gently wrap our parcels so no holes are left to let precious juices leak out.

Simply run your knife along the spine and remove it.  Voila!  Two usable halves.

The following recipe is inspired by Rosalind Creasy and her book the Edible Italian Garden.  She lives in our neighborhood and has conspired in the past with such notable chefs and growers as the Sebastianis and Paul Bertolli who was the chef at Chez Panisse restaurant for many years.

I followed a recipe for mushroom risotto (well not really because I always add my own inventions....) that was vegetarian.  Rosalind's recipe includes prosciutto and beef stock which I imagine is divine. This is the thing, once you are comfortable with preparing a filling and you have a vegetable wrap, you can create anything!

Serves:  6
Prep and Cook time: about an hour

Six or more large chard leaves, large stem removed
Risotto, recipe below
Tomato Sauce, I used organic canned from Costco with nothing else added
Cheese for topping, optional

Risotto:
2 Tblsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 portobello mushroom, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 - 4 cups vegetable broth, or more (I use water if more moisture if needed)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion and mushrooms until they are tender, about 7- 9 minutes.  Add the rice and stir so that the rice is coated with the buttery onion and mushroom mix. Add the white wine and stir for a few minutes until most of the wine moisture is gone.  Enjoy the heady aroma!

Start adding the vegetable broth, one cup at a time, stirring to incorporate the moisture throughout the rice.  Some people say you have to stir the whole time while adding the broth.  I don't do that because I am distracted by getting my baking dish ready, simmering the chards, and opening my can of tomato sauce....ya di ya.  Anyway, make sure you stir it often enough and note when it is starting to look dry and need another cup or so of broth.  When it is "to the tooth" (slightly crunchy but close to being creamy) add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly.  Remove from heat.

While the rice is cooking, bring a large skillet of water to a simmer.  Dip your halved chard leaves into the water to soften.  This takes a minute or so for each leaf.  Remove and set aside.  Your wraps are ready.

Prepare your baking dish by spooning tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Start wrapping!  For each chard leaf, add about 2+ tablespoons mushroom risotto mixture on the leaf and roll up.  Fill your baking dish with the rolls, seam side down, and top with tomato sauce until each roll is covered. The last topping of cheese is your choice.  The original recipe recommends Gruyere, however, I just used a bit of leftover Parmesan and some left-over Swiss cheese.  The topping is not the most important part of the recipe.  Once you bake this and eat it, the nugget is what is inside.

Ready to cook.  We didn't really need to add the goopy cheese on top.  It
would have been fine without it.  Or possibly just a fine grating
of Parmesan.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with a greens salad dressed with vinaigrette and, if you desire, a slice of rustic bread.  Hmmm.

Approximate calories per serving (considering about two roll-ups per person) is 285 calories.  Add in about 10 grams protein, 5 grams fiber, 10 grams fat of which the majority is vegetable based,   There are approximately 35 g carbs total for diabetics who need to watch those numbers.  A daily requirement of iron and vitamin A is included in this delightful bundle.

Vegan option:  replace the butter with preferred oil and eliminate the cheese.

Have fun with this recipe!

- Kim Fielding

Berry Coconut Smoothie

Fresh blueberries and strawberries were the inspiration for today's smoothie.

My super blender has a single serving option and I chose the smaller container to make this.  I filled it about 2/3 up to the max fill line with blueberries.  Then I added strawberries, 1 large spoonful of coconut oil, and 1/2 cup of applesauce.   Blended until smooth, this was yummy!

This became thicker the longer it sat so adding water might help keep it easier to drink.   No worries though if you like it thick because it makes a delicious pudding-style breakfast.

Son #3 helped himself - there is not much left!

1/2 batch of this berry smoothie offers about 140 calories and almost 1/2 your daily requirement for vitamin C.

- Kim Fielding

Filet of Sole with Mango Avocado Salsa

In our last post, we featured sea scallops with mango avocado salsa. Here we offer another dinner suggestion using the salsa.  Fresh filet of sole, served on lettuce, topped with salsa, and with a side dish of couscous.  Diced peppers and green onions added to the rice would be a nice addition.

Calories for 5 ounces filet of sole, 1/3 cup salsa, 1/2 cup cooked couscous (or other pasta such as orzo) offers 475 calories and over 100% of your RDA for vitamin B-12 and selenium.  Two important roles for selenium are to offer antioxidant protection and support healthy thyroid function.

- Kim Fielding

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Mango Avocado Salsa

Sea scallops are a rare treat for us.  They are somewhat expensive but each one weighs about 2 ounces so you only need to eat two or three for a main course.  Serve one scallop per person as a first course.

Mangos are everywhere in the stores right now and are one of our favorite additions to salsa.  They pair nicely with avocados and are a wonderful compliment to seafood or chicken.  This salsa is so sweet and good, I had to shoo my sons away from eating it all with spoons before dinner!

Serves:  2

Prep and cook time:  about 20 minutes

4 large sea scallops, patted dry with paper towel

1 Tblsp. butter

1 Tblsp. vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Mango Salsa:

1 mango, cut into cubes

1 avocado, cut into cubes

2 Tblsp. coconut milk (I used "Lite")

squeeze of half of a lime

dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes, optional

Prepare the mango salsa.

The pit of a mango is fairly flat.  Using a sharp knife, slice the mango
along the pit to create two halves and the center.  Cut around the edge of the pit
and cube the rest of the fruit to get every last bite.

Score each half into squares.

Invert the mango and slice off all the cut pieces from the peel.

Mango, avocado, coconut milk, lime and optional hot spices are
mixed together and set aside.

Heat the butter and oil together in a skillet and saute scallops about 2-3 minutes per side.  They should have a light golden color.  The texture will be soft and creamy on the inside.  

Lightly season with salt and pepper before adding to the skillet.

For a nice presentation, scallops were placed on baby lettuces with a side of limes.
Top with salsa and serve.  

A nice side dish for this main course might include rice salad with chopped vegetables, steamed broccoli, or mixed grilled summer squash.

Calories for the scallops and about 1/3 cup of salsa comes to approximately 540 calories.  1/2 cup steamed rice is about 100 calories.  This main course , including steamed rice, offers over 5 grams fiber, and over half your daily requirement for protein, vitamin B-12, selenium, phosphorus, and manganese.  Phosphorus is an essential nutrient and is found in every cell in our bodies.  Most of it is stored in our bones and supports bone strength and bone and calcium metabolism.  Phosphorus is a major component in ATP which provides energy to our cells.  Thankfully, phosphorus is found in most foods and dietary deficiencies are virtually non-existent.

- Kim Fielding

About My Cooking Style.....

Dear readers,

Thank you so much for your support and following.  I have a confession to make.

I cook "on the fly".  I prepare food by feel, smell, mood, what is freshest in the garden, and what is at the Farmer's Markets.  But it is with difficulty that I follow a recipe.  I love to feature, in Mariam's and my blog, foods that come lovingly out of my kitchen.  I can tell you how to make it but I may not always be clear on exact amounts.  This is where the "Experiment, Explore, and Enjoy" concept comes in.  I wasn't always a good cook.  Some say that there is an intuitiveness to my craft.  I say it comes from lots of trial and error.

Don't worry about mistakes made in the kitchen.  Unless you are burning it down of course!

Bring friends and family in to help with prep.  Someone can tend the BBQ grill while you toss a salad.  Others can slice the bread or set the table.

Our dinner tables are the place where we gather, talk about our days, share silly stories, raise our children, and turn off the outside world while we enjoy each other's company.  If something prepared isn't perfect, it will be better the next time.

A good dose of healthy food, family time, and laughter, is a great boost for anyone.

Servings;  I guess it depends on who shows up
Prep and Cook time:  We will see!

Nutritional analysis:  Nothing better than a happy dinner table to set the mood for the rest of the week.

Grilled Squash and Scallions

This looks like a messy splurge, and it is.  Totally yummy!

Fresh zucchinis and scallions from the garden are featured in today's salad.  Inspired to make something refreshing for dinner, a lemony vinaigrette seemed the perfect response for our hot summer nights.

Start by grilling zucchini and scallions.  I tossed both with a little olive oil and lightly seasoned them with salt and pepper.

These cooked up quickly.  Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

Prepare a vinaigrette.  2 parts extra virgin olive oil and 1 part lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Adjust the acidity of the dressing as desired.  (This means add more oil if you need to lighten the acidity).

Place mixed spring lettuces on a platter and arrange the grilled vegetables over.  Drizzle with vinaigrette and top with lemon zest and coarsely chopped hazelnuts or almonds.

Serves:  4
Prep and cook time:  15 minutes

Each serving offers approximately 250 calories, about 4 grams protein, 3 grams fiber, and a generous amount of vitamin E.  Per WebMD, "Vitamin E is an important vitamin required for the proper function of many organs in the body.  It is also an antioxidant.  This means it helps to slow down processes that damage cells."

Enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

Roast Potatoes with Avocado Garlic Sauce

Potatoes Are Us these days.  They can be quite dull after a while unless you take them to task and explore completely new ways to prepare them.  This particular potato recipe was adapted from another favourite blog "Oh She Glows" written by Angela Liddon. Love this site.  She is a genius and her blog is easy to read and her recipes are delicious.  

Angela Liddon's version uses new potatoes and smashes them. Super fun.  I was looking for a slightly more classical look and decided to simply slice russet potatoes and top them with her special sauce. Avocado Aioli Sauce.

Oh my.

The men in my family loved this.

Aioli is basically a Provence-style mayonnaise traditionally made with olive oil, garlic, and seasonings.  It includes egg yolks and is prepared just like our current mayonnaise that we buy in our stores.  The recipe below suggests adding Veganaise which doesn't contain eggs for those who are vegan.  Make sure the sauce is used up the day you prepare it because otherwise it will turn brown.

Slice the peeled potatoes into about 1/4 - 1/3 -inch slices.

Toss with olive oil.  The potatoes were roasted and the slices turned
 over half-way through cooking time to get a nice brown on both sides.

Serves:  6

Cook and prep time:  about an hour

3 large russet potatoes, peeled

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Fresh chopped parsley

Avocado "Aioli" Sauce:

Two garlic cloves, smashed

One large or two small ripe avocados

1/4 cup mayonnaise (Veganaise is preferred)

1/2 fresh lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potatoes and arrange them in a roasting pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and turn slices over so they are coated.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 15 minutes.  Turn the slices over to finish cooking.  They should be crispy on the outside and slightly puffed.

While the potatoes are cooking, whir together the aioli ingredients in a blender.  Start with the garlic then add the rest of the ingredients. You will want to make the sauce as creamy as possible.

One of many presentation ideas.  A great side-dish for any meal.

Plate the roasted potatoes and spoon the avocado aioli over.  Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over. Voila!

http://ohsheglows.com/2014/10/15/crispy-smashed-potatoes-with-avocado-garlic-aioli/



- Kim Fielding

Roasted New Potatoes with Garden Herbs and Garlic

You should smell my kitchen when these potatoes are cooking! Our continuing yield of new potatoes has me inspired to revisit good ole tried and true recipes.  This particular adaptation comes from one of our regional favourite cookbooks, Annie Somerville's Fields of Greens. Published in 1993, this is one of those books that continues to provide insipiration for cooking vegetarian.  Annie's restaurant, Greens, is still celebrated in San Francisco for innovative cuisine.  Located in Fort Mason, Greens restaurant is situated right on the bay and the views are exquisite!  Let's see, amazing food and amazing views....  this restaurant is a precious gem.

Cut potatoes are seasoned with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with your hands.  Place ten or so unpeeled garlic cloves around the potatoes and top with fresh herbs.  This roast pan includes fresh rosemary, sage, and oregano.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Even before baking, this smells yummy.

Fresh thyme is also a great herb to add to this mix.

The finished product.  

With fresh new potatoes, a dollop of olive oil, fresh herbs, and dashes of salt and pepper, there is nothing artificial.  Remove the roasted garlic and herbs before serving.  Top with fresh herbs for presentation.

This recipe features just over two pounds of potatoes.  Adding in about two tablespoons of olive oil, the entire recipe contains approximately 1050 calories.  Divide by six and that is 175 calories per serving.  Divide the recipe by eight servings, and that is only 130 calories each.  This recipe provides a substantial source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, and niacin.

- Kim Fielding

Fresh Tomato Salsa

One of our favourite uses for the beautiful cherry tomatoes in the garden is this simple salsa.  Simply cut the tomatoes into a uniform size.  We have several varieties so some are quite small while others are larger.  A handful of fresh basil leaves are chopped and added to the tomatoes.  You may season to taste with salt and pepper, but we find that the freshest ingredients don't need it.  Stir gently and place in a bowl.  Top with a sprig of flowering basil.

Fresh basil from the garden enhances the colorful mixture of our cherry tomatoes.

A French baguette serves as the vessel for our salsa.  Slices are about 1/3-inch thick and are rubbed with a fresh garlic clove.  I didn't use olive oil in this instance, but you can brush with garlic-infused olive oil if you prefer.  Bake at medium heat until just toasted.

This would look beautiful served on a Mediterranean platter don't you think?

An entire bowl of this salsa (just over one cup) offers 35 calories, almost a third of your daily requirement for vitamin C, a couple grams of fiber, and negligible fat.  Add four or five slices (about 2 ounces) baguette baked without oil.  The baguette provides 175 calories, another 2 grams of fiber, and brings the total protein count up to 9 grams.  Fat is is still minimal.  This could be a side-dish for a meal!

Hint:  Another idea is to make the flavors more "South of the Border". Swap out the basil and add cilantro instead.  A squeeze of lime if you wish and some finely diced red onion and you have altered the tomato salsa into another cuisine.  Again, super simple and refreshing on hot summer days ahead.

- Kim Fielding

Beluga Lentils with Fresh Garden Vegetables

Hmm, what to do with all this goodness?  Let's create something.

Some of the first vegetables to come out of the summer garden are squash, bell pepper, and new red onions.  Adding in some cauliflower and cabbage that needs to be used up, let's make a salad!

Lentils are a great base for all things added to it.  They provide an excellent source of fiber as well as trace minerals, protein, and B vitamins.  Add in the nutrition from the vegetables and you have a nutrition-packed side dish.

Serves: 8
Cook and prep time:  about 40 minutes

2 cups dried Beluga or black lentils, picked through and rinsed
Olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons
Fresh garlic, 1-2 cloves, minced
Your choice of vegetables.  We used the above combination of cabbage, orange cauliflower, crookneck squash, green pepper, and new red onion.  Cut them into a uniform size.

Cook the lentils according to package directions.

While the lentils are cooking, prep the vegetables.  Thinly slice the cabbage, cut the cauliflower into small florets, dice the crookneck squash and green pepper, and thinly slice the red onion.

I love the colors.

In a suitable pan, heat a couple tablespoons olive oil with garlic for 30 seconds. Add prepped veggies to pan and cook until wilted and fragrant.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

These are ready to be added to the lentils.

When the lentils are just tender, drain them and add in the cooked vegetables.

This dish was really easy to prepare.  Left-overs are delicious.

Nutritional analysis for 1/8 of the recipe:  about 300 calories, 12 g fiber, almost 9 g protein, 16 g fat with the majority being monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (only 6% saturated), 32 g carbohydrates, over half your daily allowance for iron, almost half your requirements for vitamin C, plus lots of other vitamins and minerals.

- Kim Fielding

Fresh harvested Yukon gold potatoes.

This is such a fun time of year for gardening.  We always say we will cook what is fresh-picked but sometimes I am suprised with what son #2 brings inside.  I had planned on making a pasta dinner with left-over chicken and some other veggies from the garden, but this was too good to pass up.

I am sorry I don't have a picture of this meal, but it played out like this:

Serves:  5
Prep and cook time:  about an hour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thinly slice 3 large Yukon golds.  Place slices in an oiled baking dish (I used a 7 x 10-inch size) and cover with either your choice of broth or gratin ingredients.  I chose to use gratin-style ingredients which included a little butter, a little half and half, and salt and pepper.  I wish I had chosen broth.

Bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your left-over chicken and the rest of your meal. I cubed the meat and set it aside.  We washed fresh lettuces and made a salad that included avocado, green bell pepper, sliced almonds, and a homemade vinaigrette.  Then, we sliced up a fresh melon and garnished the platter with fresh raspberries and blueberries from the garden.  (Our melons aren't ready yet but I found a couple of beauties at the Farmer's Market)

I no longer dress salads but put vinaigrette on the side with a small spoon so people can drizzle it over their greens if needed.  I found that we weren't eating all of our dressed salad in an evening and hated to see how much went to waste.  A dressed salad doesn't keep.  An undressed salad, if it isn't finished and everything is still fresh, can be the base for a salad the next night.

The cooked potatoes came out of the oven.  I spread out the cubed chicken over the potatoes and topped with shredded Comte cheese. Back into the oven, we waited until the cheese melted and then pulled it out to serve.

Voila!  Baked potatoes topped with chicken and cheese (not too much), fresh lettuces salad, fresh melon and berries, and left-over lentil salad with garden veggies.

To make this vegan/vegetarian,  cook the potatoes with broth and serve with our left-over lentil salad, fruit, and greens salad.

Experiment, explore, and enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

Quinoa Salad with Fresh Vegetables

Served on a lettuce leaf, this is a beautiful side salad. 

Son #3 was all about magnesium this morning.  He wanted to talk about the benefits, what it does for your body, how he takes a supplement, and ya di ya....  I know magnesium is really good for you so I cracked open my nutrition books and another book which I love, The World's Healthiest Foods by George Mateljan, to refresh my memory on sources of this wonderful element.  The best sources are dark leafy greens such as chards and spinach (but of course!).  However, it is abundant in many of our foods if you love to eat vegetables, beans, seeds, and cold water fish such as halibut and salmon.  Tofu is also a good source of magnesium.

Inspired by Taylor's enthusiasm, I decided to create a salad recipe using the food guides for magnesium.  Pumpkin seeds were added because they were in the "very good" category as a contributor for magnesium.  Quinoa and tomatoes also provide decent doses of magnesium.

In the salad here, I soaked red quinoa, drained it, and then forgot about it for a couple of days while we hosted a dinner party and, well, it got lost behind all the food in the fridge.  It was sprouting!  No worries.  I gave it a quick dip in hot water to soften it and it is delicious and sweet.



Red or white quinoa will suffice.

Servings:  3 as a main dish, 6 as a side dish
Prep time:  not counting the time I forgot it was in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes

1 C. quinoa, rinsed and drained, then cooked
A handful of mixed cherry tomatoes, quartered
Fresh corn shaved off of one cob
Several sprigs cilantro finely chopped, a few sprigs left for decoration
3 scallions thinly sliced, white parts only
1/4 C. pumpkin seeds
1/2 lemon juiced, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, salt, and pepper, added to dress the salad

The quinoa is underneath all the yummy additions to the salad.

Toss all the ingredients together with dressing.  People think I am crazy but I usually just squeeze a lemon or lime over the salad, drizzle with oil, then season with salt and pepper.  I toss with my hands and taste frequently to make sure the dressing or seasoning is right. 

Raw pumpkin seeds are a very good source of magnesium.

This salad provides about 220 calories as a side dish with about 4 grams fiber, 7 grams protein, and about 8 grams fat, most of which is mono- or poly-unsaturated.  Over half the daily required amount of copper, manganese, and iron are in this salad with magnesium coming in at about 1/3 the daily requirement.

So back to magnesium.  It is vital to bone health in that it helps with bone mineralization.  It is vital to the ATP cycle (think energy production in our cells), helps with myelin sheath health (nerves), heart health and immune function boosts.  Magnesium relaxes muscles and nerves.  It is hard to overdose on magnesium, but the common symptoms are diahrrea if you decide to up your intake of it. 

As always, your best sources of nutrients to stay healthy are in the food choices you make in your diet.

Experiment and enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

Creamy Mushroom Soup with no Cream



A drizzle of olive oil, a reserved sautéed mushroom, and a sprig of
fresh thyme make for a lovely presentation.

I can't rave enough about the My New Roots cookbook written by Sara Britton.  Plant-based recipes are beautifully photographed and easy to follow.  Sara has been writing a blog for some time and if you prefer vegan (mostly) foods, her inventions are divine.

This mushroom soup is an adaptation of the Oyster Mushroom Bisque featured in the cookbook.  I swapped out the oyster mushrooms for regular mushrooms and otherwise improvised where needed.  My sons and husband loved this.  Not a drop remained in their bowls.

The key to creaminess is the use of pureed white beans.  What a concept!  Pureed beans can be used in other recipes to add protein and fiber with none of regular cream's calories.  I will be making this for company because it is that good.

Serves 4 - 6
Prep and cook time:  45 minutes

3/4 lb. white mushrooms, wiped clean
1 Tblsp. coconut oil
3 medium onions, chopped
2 large leeks, sliced, tough dark green tops discarded
Fine sea salt
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, plus additional sprigs for garnish
3 large garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 quart vegetable broth
1 can white beans (navy, cannellini, Great Northern, butter), drained
Freshly ground black pepper
Cold-pressed olive oil, for drizzling

Make sure to remove any grit out of the leeks.

Chop mushrooms, leaving several slices for garnish.  Heat coconut oil in a large pot and cook the onions, leeks, salt, and thyme for about 5 minutes or until the onions and leeks are soft.  Add garlic to pot and stir.

This smells heavenly!

Sprinkle the lemon juice into the pot and stir to loosen any browned bits.  Stir in the mushrooms and cook on medium heat until mushrooms are soft, about 7 minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking, whir the vegetable broth and beans in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.

Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove your garnish mushrooms and set aside.  Add the bean/vegetable broth mixture to the vegetables in the pot and stir well.  Simmer for at least 5 minutes.

My reserved garnish.

Spoon the soup mixture into the blender.  Blend on high speed until completely smooth.  Add more broth or water if you think the mix is too thick.  Season soup with a generous dose of black pepper and more sea salt if necessary.  Mix again.  Pour the soup into bowls and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over, then top with reserved mushroom(s) and a sprig of fresh thyme.

Each serving (1/6 recipe) offers 200 calories, over 5 g fiber, 9 g protein, 5 g fat, lots of B vitamins, and almost half your daily requirement for copper, iron, and manganese.  Copper helps maintain the health of your bones and connective tissues, helps keep your thyroid gland functioning normally, helps utilize iron, helps preserve nerve's myelin sheath, and protects cells against damage by free radicals. 

My measure for a successful recipe.

- Kim Fielding

Buddha Bowl

This one dish meal hits all nutritional punch points: vegetables,
grains, and protein.  (I am so sorry for the dreary colors!  This
dish was exciting with it's rainbow of fresh foods.)

 "Buddha Bowl" seems to be the token name these days for "throw together" vegan meals with delicious flavors.  Some call it the fast-food of healthful eating.  My family is not vegan, but I do go through common phases where all I crave are vegan meals.  My meat-eater men have to suck it up and go along with what is presented at the dinner table.  And, luckily, they don't seem to mind.  We call it a cleansing meal or week.  No one feels guilty or bloated after these meals.  (Well okay, sometimes I get a whiner who wants meat.  I will cook something small for them on the side.)

The Buddha Bowl mix above is suggested by a favorite blog "Oh She Glows", written by Angela Liddon.  I swapped a few ingredients from the original but that is what is great about these recipes.  Use what is in season or what you have in the pantry.  This wonderful medley of farro, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, roasted garbanzo beans, and tofu, was dressed with a cashew nut sauce.  It made my family happy,  If you need to limit gluten, swap out the farro for quinoa, rice, or other grain or seed.  Just remember to keep it balanced.

We will revisit Buddha Bowls because I think they are the next generation of "pull-together" dinners for families on the go.  The idea that one can pull a can of beans out, line a bowl with lettuce, add different vegetable toppings, and whether it is vegetable only meal or animal protein included, this is a really healthy family meal concept.  My family really likes a lemony tahini salad dressing, but a basic vinaigrette works as well.

serves:  5
prep time:  30 minutes

Mixed lettuces
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and dried on a towel
1 block firm tofu, about 14  ounces, cubed*
2 Tblsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cooked Farro, 5 servings worth

Cashew Sauce

1/2 C. raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained
2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tblsp tahini
1 large garlic clove
1/4 C. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
6 Tblsp water, or as needed to thin out

*You can either serve the tofu raw, or roasted.  For roasted, place on a pan and toss with a little Tamari and oil.  Roast as you would the garbanzos.  They can even cook on the same pan.  They become chewy and my boys eat them as snack food.

After the cashews have been soaked, add all ingredients to a blender and whir on high speed until smooth.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place garbanzo beans on a baking sheet.  Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Stir garbanzos, then cook for another 15 minutes until golden and slightly crisp.

Start by roasting the garbanzo beans.

Roast broccoli and cauliflower the same way as the garbanzos.  Place on baking sheet, toss with olive oil, and season lightly.  Bake 15 minutes, turn veggies, and bake another 15 minutes or until they are roasted to your satisfaction.

In the same 400 degree oven, roast the cauliflower and broccoli.

Build your Buddha Bowl by lining a serving bowl with lettuces.  Then top with your choice of vegetables, in this case roasted broccoli and cauliflower.  Add a quarter cup of farro and a quarter cup of garbanzos.  Add a half cup of cubed tofu (this may be roasted or served fresh), then top with cashew nut dressing.

This is a simple side salad of avocado and tomato.  You may add this to the bowl,
or not.

  

Another side salad, this one fresh fruit.

For information on Oh She Glows Buddha Bowls, here is a link.... http://ohsheglows.com/2013/03/05/roasted-buddha-bowl

- Kim Fielding