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.

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.

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.

Cabbage, Carrot, Pea Soup

Time to clean out my fridge.  I've been juicing quite a bit lately and decided to use some of the leftover vegetables from that, plus peas from the freezer to make soup.  Cold, windy and rainy outside: soup type of day.

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup fresh chopped carrots

2 cups chopped purple cabbage

1 tsp garlic powder

1 TBSP Tuscan Roasted Garlic seasoning

1 tsp Carne Asada seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer until vegetables are soft.  Serve in a bowl with a little sour cream on top.  Enjoy.

Juicing – Be.Cel.Cu.DR.RR.RLL.GLL.CC

Trying to juice more lately.  I will make a batch and drink it within 48 hours.  This one was not bad.  Decided to put short abbreviations so I kind of know which juice I listed.

2 red beets

1 head of chinese napa cabbage

1 bunch red leaf lettuce

1 bunch green leaf lettuce

1 long diakon radish

1 bunch red radishes

1 bunch celery

3 cucumbers

Baked Acorn Squash with Sauteed Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic

 Squash sounded good.  Trying to eat somewhat healthy, I decided on stuffed squash.  Yep, had to add just a little bit of butter.  What is squash without butter?  Not sure, maybe I'll try that next.  Had a bag of quinoa in the cupboard.  Bought an Artichoke Garlic Paste from an olive and vinegar shop in the mall so I thought I would try that in this dish.  Measurements, of course, are estimates and cooking times are pretty close.

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 Acorn Squash

1 TBSP butter, unsalted

Olive oil

2 TBSP garlic

1 small onion

1 TBPS Artichoke and Garlic Paste

2 medium to large Portobello mushrooms

Cook 1 cup quinoa per directions on bag or box that it came in. (I cook quinoa in a rice cooker)

Preheat oven to 400.  Fill 9 x 13 glass baking dish with enough water to fill about ½ inch from bottom.  Cut acorn squash in ½, lengthwise.  Clean scoop the middle out.  Put in glass baking dish cut side up.  Add ½ tbsp butter to each ½.  Stick in the oven for about 40 minutes.

While the squash is baking, sauté garlic until it starts turning brown.  Add onions and sauté until they start softening.  Add Artichoke and Garlic Paste and Portobello mushrooms.  Sauté until everything is softened.  Of course, I tasted it and decided it was cooked enough, so basically sauté to taste.  Add cooked quinoa to the sautéed mix. 

Take the squash out of the oven, the top will be starting to brown and the water is probably pretty much gone.  Add sautéed mix to the pan and flip squash, cut side down onto the sautéed mix.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and about 1 cup water.  Put back into the oven for about 15 more minutes. 

Shrimp Mushroom Dish

Since I liked the mushroom snack from the other night, I went to the store and bought more mushrooms, more cilantro and of course some other things since I went to the store hungry.  Here's the result.

8 oz Arriba Medium Fire Roasted Mexican Chipotle Salsa Made from Smoked Jalapenos.
1-16 oz frozen package of edamame shelled soybeans
1-16 oz package of gourmet stuffer mushrooms, sliced (minus a few slices to snack on while making the dish)
½ Cup cilantro, chopped
½ lb cooked prawns, chopped into bite size (minus a few bite sizes snacked on while making the dish)
1 avocado

Pour salsa in a sauce pan and turn burner to medium.  Pour soybeans over salsa.  Simmer on medium while cleaning and slicing mushrooms.  Clean and slice mushrooms and add them to simmering soybeans.  Wash and chop cilantro and add them to simmering mix.  Remove tails from prawns, rinse and chop into bite size and add to simmering mix.  Simmer a little longer until.  Serve with sliced avocado.