Recipe of the week: Quinoa Tabouli

I've been craving Mediterranean food, I love it, it's just a little heavy on the wheat.  So I had some left over quinoa and decided I'd use that in my tabouli.  Quinoa is actually part of the seed family, it's high in protein and fiber and gluten free, I've been eating it for over 20 years, it's also one of two "grains" that are on the alkaline food scale (millet is the other).   I added some olives this time too.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 to 2 bunch(s) of parsley with the stems removed
3-4 tomatoes diced or 1 can of petite tomatoes, juice removed
1-2 cucumbers peeled and diced, depending on the size of the cucumber
3 green onions chopped (any onion will work)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 can olives drained
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (you want it room temp or cold)
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

In a large bowl add all of the vegetables, parsley, olives, and quinoa.  In a separate small bowl mix the lemon and olive oil, pour over and toss well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate or let it sit for about 30 minutes before serving so the flavors meld.   Eat by it self or serve with pita bread.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Lemony vegetable salad

I realize I've neglected my blog for the past couple of months.  I've been really busy and it's been a hard couple of months.  My daughter's best friend past away the end of April and we have all been devastated, plus it was the end of the school year and we moved.  Whew, finally trying to catch my breath here.  Anyway, I made this the other night, and it came out great.  It would make an easy and refreshing addition to your 4th of July celebration.  A Votre Sante!

1-2 peeled and thinly sliced cucumbers
1 zucchini thinly sliced (use 2 if yours is small)
2-3 thinly sliced tomatoes
2 thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 large basil leaves cut into tiny strips (Chiffonade)
salt
pepper

I used a mandolin slicer for the vegetables so they would all be the same thickness.  For a 1/2 cup of lemon juice I needed 3 lemons.  I put all the vegetables in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl stir the olive oil and lemon juice together, add salt, pepper, and basil.  Pour over vegetables and toss well.  The longer it sits the better it tastes.  Mine only sat about 30 minutes before we ate it.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Southwest Bean Soup

For over a year now I've been trying to come up with a vegan chili recipe, this is close but I don't know if it qualifies as chili.  I used what I had and was really happy with the result.  I had it for dinner with avocado and cheese (not pictured).  You could use bell peppers but I didn't have any and didn't feel like running to the store.  I did not use the seasoning package that came with the soup, I threw that away, it had all kinds of junk in it.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

1 package 16 bean soup mix
2Tbsp olive oil
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 shallot minced
1 onion chopped
3 med-large carrots chopped
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder


In a large pot add the beans and 2 inches of water.  I followed the directions on the package for the quick soak, then rinsed the beans and simmered for an hour with 1 cup of water before I added the vegetables.

In a separate pan saute the shallot, onion, and carrot in the olive oil, once the onion is soft, add to the beans, add the can of tomatoes.  Bring up to a boil, then turn it down to simmer for about an hour, maybe a little longer depending on how soft you want your beans.  Serve with avocado, cheese, sour cream, or whatever you like.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup and have for years, I think the first time I had it I was in high school and I've been trying to perfect the recipe ever since.  You can very easily make this vegan, which I sometimes do for my husband....instead of the chicken I will use more beans and more corn (1 can of kidney beans, 1 can of pinto beans, and the entire bag of corn and obviously vegetable broth).  I use Trader Joe's taco seasoning because there's no MSG or junk in it.  I have a friend who hates beans so she uses zucchini and yellow squash instead, if you want to do that, you just need to add them towards end so they don't get mushy.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!



Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
32oz/1qt chicken or vegetable broth
1 onion diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 carrots chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
2-3 small zucchini chopped
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1/2 package taco seasoning
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 bunch cilantro

Toppings:
cheese
lime
sour cream
avocado
salsa
tortilla chips

Cut chicken into small pieces. In a large soup pot, saute with onion, carrots, and garlic until almost done.  Add broth, tomatoes, black beans, taco seasoning, salt, sugar, pepper, and corn.  Bring to a boil and turn down to very low, after about 10 minutes and add zucchini and cilantro.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, serve with your choice of toppings.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Roasted Eggplant Soup

Recipe of the week:  Roasted Eggplant Soup


We had our first fall rain yesterday, and it's chilly today so I decided to make soup.  Sadly, this lovely fall weather isn't supposed to last, it's going to be in the upper 80's again next week.  Jade and I had a soup similar to this in Seattle a couple of years ago, it's a little like eggplant Parmigiana in a bowl, serve with some bread, cheese, and a salad and you've got lunch or dinner.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

2 small eggplants chopped into about 1 inch pieces
3 small or 2 medium zucchini chopped slightly smaller than the eggplant
1 onion sliced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil (or 1 tsp dried)
4 cups vegetable broth

Put the chopped vegetables in a 9X13 pan.  Add olive oil, red pepper, black pepper, and garlic.  Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a soup pot, add tomatoes, broth, sugar, basil, and add a little more salt, pepper, and red pepper if you want to.  Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 20 minutes.  You can stop right here if you want your soup really chunky.  I put mine in the blender on chop in batches until it was in very small chunks.  That's it, serve with some more basil and Parmesan cheese if you like.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Gazpacho

Last week I made this and my husband posted about it on Facebook saying how much he loved it but he called it martian salsa....silly.  I don't like cucumbers but after every one raved about it, I had to try some, it was actually pretty good.  I blended most of it, then chopped another cucumber and more tomatoes to give it some texture.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

Gazpacho

2 large cucumbers, peeled
1 jalapeno
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 red onion
6 tomatoes
3 stalks of kale, woodsy part removed
2 limes
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper


Cut one cucumber and 3 of the tomatoes, jalapeno, kale,  and red onion into chunks, and 1/2 of the cilantro (stems removed) put them in the blender and blend on the chop setting  Pour into a large bowl.  Chop the other cucumber and remaining tomatoes and add to blended mixture.  Add the juice of the limes, the rest of the cilantro leaves.  Salt and pepper to tasted (I used about 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper).  Let sit for about an hour, serve with chips and avocado if you want or just eat it plain.  The longer it sits the spicier it seemed to get.  (Remove some of the jalapeno seeds if you don't like a lot of spice)  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Kale Salsa

I'm a big fan of using what you have for dinner or any other meal.  We were out of salsa and I was too lazy to go to the store to get some so this is what I came up with....basically cleaning out my frig.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!


3-4 kale leaves, chopped
small handful of fresh basil leaves cut into small pieces or strips (Chiffonade)
3-4 green onions chopped, both green and white parts
2-3 tomatoes diced
1/2 cup fresh pineapple diced
juice of one lime
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 slices of pickled jalapenos (I had some in the frig)
1 tsp of pickled jalapeno juice
dash of cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Chop your vegetables, fruit, and jalapenos.  Mix in a medium bowl or larger if your doubling or tripling this...you might want to based on my families response!  Add the lime juice, spices, and jalapeno juice.  Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Pineapple Salsa

I saw a recipe similar to this awhile back and last night I thought I'd make my own. (It's similar to my orange salsa recipe from last May.) I ate some last night with grilled chicken and had a little tonight with mahi mahi...good stuff. If you try it let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

Pineapple Salsa
3 cups fresh pineapple cut into small pieces (about 1/2 of a large pineapple)
2 1/2 cups tomatoes chopped
2 cups chopped onion (I used a sweet onion)
1 large Anahiem chile diced (you could also use jalapenos)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp dried red pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 fresh ground pepper

Cook the onion, chile, salt pepper and red pepper in a large pan until just tender. Remove from heat and let cool. In a large bowl toss pineapple, tomatoes, onions, pepper and cilantro. Serve with whatever you like, enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Tomato & Avocado Salad

The first time I had this salad was 10 years ago when my Aunt was visiting for my sister's wedding, I've been making it ever since, with a few twists. Sometimes I use kalmata olives instead of black olives and sometimes I add a little feta cheese on the top. (I made it last night with tomatoes out of my garden and it was wonderful!) As always, play with it and find out what you like. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

4-5 large tomatoes diced
3-4 avocados cut into small chunks
1-2 can(s) black olives cut in half
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add the tomatoes and olives in a medium to large bowl, drizzle with olive oil gently fold in the avocado. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve right away so the avocados don't brown.