Island Popcorn

This one is unique in that it isn't quite sweet and definitely not buttery or salty.  My cousins who hail from Hawaii showed me how to make this special treat.

Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a pan and add 1/4 cup popcorn. Place the lid on the pan and shake it while it pops. Once that stops, pour it into a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Toss to blend. Guilt-free, simple, and a great snack for kids.

- Kim Fielding

Savory Popcorn

Popcorn is fun.  We used to eat it in the movies, when we were at amusement parks, and on weekend nights when we stayed in and played games or watched something on the television.  Popcorn, at least for me, is associated with something involving family and friends.

We started making popcorn when the boys were growing up and we would stay in to watch a movie.  Granted, I always had to drag the vacuum out afterwards to swoop up the mess on the floors, but I think of it as a guilt-free snack.

Over the years we have devised several recipes for popcorn which are a deviation from the norm.  With two vegans and a lactose-sensitive individual in the house, we don't use butter or cheese.

Last night's offering was popcorn made the old-fashioned way with basic vegetable oil, in a saucepan with a lid, popped, and then tossed into a bowl.  The seasoning is what makes it something special.

Let's just say truffle salt is an awesome addition.  Then, sprinkle with a little Nutritional Yeast to make it feel buttery without adding anything else.  We made two batches and it is all gone.

Serves: at least four
Prep and cook time:  maybe 10 minutes

Start with a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan that has a lid.  Add a half-cup of raw popcorn and let it explode!  Dump it into a larger bowl and toss with seasoning.

Other option include herbs such as dried thyme and lemon pepper.  If you like southwest flavors, sprinkle with dash of chile powder, salt, and maybe a hint of cumin.  I know someone who adds taco seasoning to her popcorn.  Oh, and boy #3 simply sprinkles garlic powder on his.

Popcorn is a blank palette.  Add whatever flavors rock your boat.

Or NOT...  Sometimes people like popcorn just plain.  Set some aside for the purists in the group.

- Kim Fielding

Carrot Ginger Soup

Our "Loyola Cookies", aka members of our own Loyola Cooking Club, have done it once again.  The host of our recent club lunch has a friend whose daughter is a food blogger.   The Loyola group is loyal to friends and we always want to support those kids who are venturing into projects that they love.  Like this blog.

Pink Brandywine is the name of a tomato.  Our blogger was treated to this little gem and fell in love with the taste, the smell, and the experience of something that she found divine and which inspired this blog.  If we think back through our lives, we have all experienced an "aha"! moment with a food or recipe.  Taste is innate and special taste experiences stay with you and form how you feel about cooking and eating.

The pinkbrandywine.tumblr.com blog has tons of recipes.  Dishes presented yesterday featured Kale Winter Super Salad, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce, Beets with Almond Mint Pesto and Goat Cheese, Spicy Balsamic Honey Mustard Chicken, Cauliflower Alfredo and Zucchini Noodles, and Creamy (creamless) Carrot Ginger Soup.

Every recipe prepared was really, really good.  Some took a little license with the recipes (like me), and some altered how the recipes were presented. For example, the beet salad on the blog shows the beets cut into cubes and served, whereas our beets were sliced and layed out in a line on a narrow plate.  The pesto was drizzled over in a line and the goat cheese sprinkled around.  Very pretty.  (I can't seem to remember to take pictures when we are wowing over all this food!)

My Carrot Ginger soup recipe was super simple to prepare.  I doubled it thinking it would serve six small cups at lunch and four men at dinner.  Next time I will triple the recipe because that soup pan was scraped bare.  That is a testament to how good it is.  Since there is no dairy in the soup, it should freeze nicely.

Since the soup will be pureed, there is no need to fuss about chopping everything just so.

Serves:  6
Prep and Cook time:  One hour of which 40 minutes is just simmering

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
A knob of ginger root, grated or chopped
4 large carrots, chopped (just less than 3 cups)
Better than Boullion vegetable base broth
Salt and pepper
Fresh mint, chopped, for garnish

Saute the onion and ginger in the oil until softened.  Add the carrots and just enough broth to cover the carrot mixture.  Cover pan and simmer about 40 minutes or until the carrots are thoroughly softened.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  Blend the soup with a hand-held device or in a regular blender.  Be careful of hot soup splashes.

To serve, top with a sprinkle of fresh mint.

My family enjoyed this soup as a starter for dinner that included grilled salmon, rice pilaf, greens salad with avocado and a light vinaigrette, and steamed cauliflower with lemon.

Calories per serving of soup is approximately 60 with 8.5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, and about 2.5 grams mostly monounsaturated fat.  Two-thirds of your vitamin A requirement for the day is met with just one serving of this yummy soup.

- Kim Fielding

http://pinkbrandywine.tumblr.com/

Raspberry Vinegar

Great for gifts or just to have in the pantry, raspberry vinegar adds something special to vinaigrettes and marinades. We love raspberries and this is a great way to enjoy a hint of them anytime of the year.

The raspberries start to look bleached after a few days and the vinegar turns
a brilliant red.  The smell is divine.

There are several recipes for making raspberry vinegar.  A most basic recipe is one pint of raspberries to 1 cup white wine vinegar.   In a large jar, place your rinsed and dried raspberries in the container and add the white wine vinegar.  Let sit for a minimum of two weeks.  When you are ready to bottle the vinegar, first strain the mixture into a bowl to remove the berries and extra particulate matter.  Use a funnel to fill your bottles and enjoy.

Tonight's salad dressing featured raspberry vinegar, sunflower oil,
salt, and pepper.  That's it!  Toss with butter lettuce, pecans, and sliced
scallions.  Boy #3 loved this one.

The following website has some fun raspberry vinegar recipe ideas;
http://www.theyummylife.com/raspberry_salad_dressings

- Kim Fielding

I found these glass jars at Cost Plus.  I hear you can get them
on Amazon too.

Potato Leek Soup - Vegan Style

Guilt-free comfort soup.

Potato Leek soup is one of those classic winter dishes that warms your tummy during cold winter months.  Traditionally made with cream and including lots of calories, this one bypasses the dairy fat and tastes delicious.

Serves: 6 - 8
Prep and cook time:  about 35 minutes

3 leeks
1 Tblsp. olive oil
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 C. vegetable broth
1-2 C. water, if needed for thinning
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped chives or green onion for topping
Olive oil, optional drizzle for topping

Trim the tough dark green tops and root bottoms off of the leeks. Slice lengthwise and rinse under cold water to remove any dirt and sediment.  Thinly slice.

Heat the oil in a stockpot and add the sliced leeks.  Cook until softened, about three minutes.

Add in the potatoes and garlic.  Stir together then add the vegetable broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 18 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until creamy.  If you need to add a little more water, do so now and heat through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  A regular blender may also be used, but let the soup cool a little first as it may slurp out and burn you.

Each serving provides approximately 180 calories, 2.5 g fat (most of which is monounsaturated), 4.5 g protein, over 3 g fiber, about 1/3 your daily requirement of vitamin B6 and copper, and no cholesterol.

- Kim Fielding

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash topped with fresh marinara.

Spaghetti squash is one our favorite foods.  The boys love the flavor and I like its versatility and low calories.  We serve it with spaghetti sauce, mixed with a little butter or olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, tossed together with other veggies, or whatever we feel like.  As a main dish or side, spaghetti squash can easily accommodate different types of sauces and flavors.

There are two ways to cook this vegetable.  Cut the squash in half and scrape out the seeds before cooking, or, after baking.

Spaghetti squash is hard-skinned (a typical winter squash) and is usually a couple of pounds. To start, rinse the squash.  Use a very sharp knife and and cut the squash in half length-wise.

Scrape the seeds out and remove excess strings.

Place the squash flesh-side down on a baking sheet.  I usually put a little water on the pan.  Cook at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the squash feels soft to the touch.

Use a fork and gently pull the strings of squash away from the sides.

Go around the entire squash and remove the vegetable "noodles" into a bowl.  Discard the shells. Sometimes the squash feels a little too watery.  When that happens, I place a towel in the bottom of the bowl I am transferring the squash to, and that helps with excess moisture.

One cup of plain spaghetti squash offers approximately 75 calories and over 2 grams of fiber.

- Kim Fielding