Friday, August 9, 2013

Carrot and Ginger Soup



Raw Carrot Ginger Soup

3 cups carrot juice
1 ripe avocado
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper or more to taste
¼ tsp sea salt or more to taste
2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil (for garnish)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Puree the ingredients not labeled garnish in a blender until completely smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Garnish the soup with a drizzle of olive oil and the chopped cilantro.  For full recipe go to Reboot with Joe website (love the movie, love the website, love the recipes):

Friday, August 2, 2013

Cauliflower and Apple Soup



I found the Curry Cauliflower and Apple Soup recipe on Ziplist.  Turned out to be one of my favorite soups.  I think it tastes good hot or cold.  I made some changes to the recipe.  Since I have arthritis and my hands don't always work the way I want them to, I bought pre chopped garlic in a jar.  I didn't peel the apples, just cored them, diced them and added them to the soup with the peel on.  I don't add the walnuts.  I added just water, no wine.  Although, I think chilled white wine would probably be yummy to drink with the soup.  I’m sure yummy is not the correct word to use with white wine pairings, but I like the word.  I didn't add sea salt or freshly ground pepper.  I usually freeze this soup in single-serving size containers for a "grab and go" lunch or a quick dinner. 

Cauliflower & Apple Soup
         2 tablespoons Olive or Coconut Oil
         2 cups chopped Sweet Onions (such as Vidalia)
         4 cups coarsely chopped organic cauliflower florets (1 head or 1.5 lbs)
         2 cloves garlic, chopped
         2 cups peeled, cored and diced apples
         1 cup chopped walnuts
         1 teaspoon curry powder
         1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
         1 (32 oz) carton organic vegetable stock
         2 cups water, or 1 cup water & 1 cup white wine
         1 tablespoon agave nectar
         1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
         sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a 3-4 quart stockpot over medium-high heat and add the onions and cauliflower. Saute until the onion is soft and cauliflower is crisp-tender. Add the garlic, apples, walnuts, curry powder, and turmeric and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, water (and wine, if using), agave nectar, and cilantro. Lower the head to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender. Add the salt and pepper to taste and serve. Add more salt and pepper then you think.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Juicing - O.Rp.Cau.Ci.To.Cu.Cel.Par.Cay

If you read the Ginger Soup post and the Cauliflower and Apple soup post, you may have noticed that I started not only a 30 day core challenge but a 30 day squat challenge, as well.  In my adventure to get in shape, I decided I better start introducing healthy eating habits.

Today is actually Day 5 of the core challenge and Day 1 of the squat challenge.  Today's workout was not bad.  I'm starting to think I should add some cardio to this.  Maybe after my Calculus 3 exam Friday.

Today I decided to mix juiced vegetables with other leftover vegetables (from the Curry Cauliflower and Apple Soup) and blend them together.

I juiced the following vegetables (Gazpacho Juice recipe from http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/)
4 plum tomatoes
1 large cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 red bell pepper
1/4 small red onion
2 cups parsley
1 lime

I poured 1/2 of the juice in the blender (saved the other 1/2 for another day) and added 3/4 cup cauliflower, 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper.  Blended well.  It turned out pretty good and I didn't waste the leftover veges from the soup.







Friday, July 19, 2013

Baked Beet Soup


Bought some fresh produce this weekend.  I basically followed the owner around the garden as he asked me if I wanted beets, carrots, cabbage, onions, and other vegetables.  The vegetables smelled wonderful on the 45 minute drive home.  I decided a soup would be good to try.  I googled a few beet recipes, then decided I would just throw something together.  Lately, I've been trying to add more tumeric to my recipes since it's supposed to be good for you.  Decided roasting the beets first would probably give them good flavor.

Peel 4 medium beets and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.Toss in baggy with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt, pepper, tumeric, onion powder, garlic salt to taste.  Toss around in the bag until well mixed.  Pour onto a baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F, stirring once or twice, until tender, about 35 minutes.


Meanwhile:


In a sauce pan saute ½ cup chopped onion, 1 clove garlic minced, and ½ cup celery thinly sliced.  Stir occasionally while dicing up carrots.  Add 1/2 cup carrots. Saute a couple of minutes then add 2 cups vegetable broth.  Simmer while chopping cabbage.
Add 1 cup chopped cabbage.Add roasted beets.1 can (1 ½ cup) Simple Truth Organic Tri-bean blend, drained.

Simmer until cabbage is starting to get soft.


Friday, May 3, 2013

Top Ramen with Kielbasa, chickpeas, spaghetti sauce


Time to go through the cupboards and use some of the items that have been sitting there for awhile.  I rarely make Top Ramen by itself.  

1 pkg Top Ramen chicken flavor
1 Johnsonville Polish Kielbasa, sliced into bite size pieces
1 can chickpeas, drained
¾ C Market Pantry traditional pasta sauce
1 can Santiam Classic Fancy sliced green beans, drained

Boil Top Ramen noodles for 3 minutes.  Add polish kielbasa, chickpeas and pasta sauce.  Boil for 3 more minutes.  Add green beans and serve.