Category: recipe

Recipe: Minestrone Soup

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Minestrone soup is one of my all-time favorites! As with most of my soups, I love to make a big pot, eat for few meals and freeze extra in individual serving size containers to enjoy later. That way I don’t get bored with a good thing but also to have quick and healthy meals for reheating later.

Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1-14.5 ounce canned diced tomatoes
1-10 ounce mild Rotel
2 cups elbow noodles
1 cup frozen fresh corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cubed carrots
1 tablespoon black pepper (use less if you don’t like the spice kick)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (may be omitted if you’re a spice wimp)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons organic no-salt seasoning
1-15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed (red or white)
4 cups water

Directions:
Boil elbow noodles for 5 minutes, drain. Don’t wash the pot, just put empty pot back on the stove on medium-high heat.
Water sautee onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add water as needed, then add carrots and continue water sauteeing for 3 more minutes.
Add tomatoes, Rotel, and spices. Stir and heat together for 2 minutes.
Add water, corn, peas, beans and noodles. Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes, turn down heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Serve warm with fresh local bakery bread – ask the baker for something unique. For those family members who want traditional minestrone, serve individual servings with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Avoid those two ingredients and you have a wonderful vegan soup that’s much healthier!

Note: Minestrone always tastes better the second day, so if you plan well cook the soup the day before you want to eat. When reheating, make sure to not over boil, just slow bubble. Avoid microwave too!

I’ll see you at the table!

Recipe: Curried Quinoa

curried quinoaIngredients:
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 clove garlic, diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup raw cashews Lemon

Directions: Cook quinoa per package instructions. In another pan, water sautee garlic, onion, and bell pepper for 5 minutes. Add all ingredients to quinoa and mix through. Turn off heat, leave covered for 5 minutes. Squeeze juice of half of lemon over the quinoa and serve immediately. Great with veggies, like roasted Brussels sprouts.

Recipe: Polenta Artichoke Bake

c92e845087e911e38b820e7db094518e_8Healthy and easy recipe – great for families and individuals because you’ll want leftovers!

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
1-12 oz white beans, drained and rinsed
1-14 oz can diced tomatoes 1-20 oz spaghetti sauce (any flavor works)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cup celery,
1/2 inch slice
3 cups fresh frozen artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons organic no-salt seasoning
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 package polenta, cut into 8-1 inch rounds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more/less depending on your love of heat)

Directions:
In large pot, on medium-high heat, water saute garlic and onion for 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add celery and artichoke hearts and saute 3 more minutes.
Add diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, spices and beans, mix thoroughly and heat through for at least 15 minutes.
In 9×11 baking dish, place polenta rounds in two rows of 4.
Carefully pour sauce over the polenta, spread evenly.
Bake 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling on top.
Garnish with fresh basil Serve warm with green salad on the side.
Enjoy!

I’ll see you at the table!

 

Recipe: Roasted Brussels Sprouts

df7d42a8778d11e394a00ef4841a629f_8A vegetable with a bad name for itself, Brussels sprouts have historically been steamed and then served swimming in a butter bath to cover the bitter taste – no wonder most of us hated them when we were young. But we also know these little green rounds are packed with tons of vitamins… So, give this easy recipe a try and you just might fall in love!

Ingredients:
2 cups Brussels sprouts per person
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, which is about 180 degrees celsius (had to figure out conversion between Fahrenheit and Celsius while cooking in Spain!).
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. If you don’t have, bake directly on the baking sheet.
Cut off ends of washed Brussels sprouts, then cut in half. Place into a large bowl. Toss with 1/4 cup olive oil. Add more OO if serving more than 4 people.
Sprouts shouldn’t be super wet, just a little drizzle. Spread sprouts evenly on baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and black pepper over Brussels sprouts.
I use very little salt, or use non-salt instead. (One of my favorites is Costco’s Organic No-salt Seasoning).
Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are brown and some sprout leaves are crispy.
Serve immediately with meal. Great with couscous and green salad, as shown, for full dinner. Extra sprouts make great leftovers, but these taste so good it’s rare to have any left over!

Shopping tip:
When buying groceries internationally or in the USA, Brussels sprouts aren’t necessarily better when bought in bulk. The pre-packaged are usually just as good.

Enjoy and I’ll see you at the table!

 

Recipe: Lentil Vegetable Soup

Jen cooking soup in condo located in Marbella, Spain While traveling, I look for places to stay where I have access to a kitchen which allows me to cook healthy food and save money from eating out all the time. A pot of soup that is ready to eat whenever I’m hungry is a great way to eat healthy too.

On the first night of this two week trip to Spain, I headed to the grocery store and bought several items to sustain me for a few days. Perhaps I bought too much because while walking home, several times I had to set the bags down in order to give my arms a break!

Cooking for someone else can be interesting too because they don’t always like what you like to eat. But, luckily my travel partner is game to try anything I will cook on this trip. She is curious to know what it would be like to try some recipes that don’t have sugar, oil nor salt.

Lentil Vegetable Soup ingredientsLentil Vegetable Soup: (Yield: 2 quarts)
Ingredients:
Half red bell pepper, diced
Half broccoli head, rough chop
Half yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 small turnip, diced
5 small yellow potatoes, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk leek, white end sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
2 medium zucchini, diced
3 stalk celery, diced
1-12oz can diced tomatoes
2 cup cooked lentils
2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

  • Using a large soup pot, on medium high heat, water sauté the onion for about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and leek, continue water sauté for 3 minutes.
  •  Add carrot, celery, bell pepper, continue water sauté for 3-5 minutes or until celery is soft.
  • Add broccoli, zucchini, can diced tomatoes, lentils and seasoning. Stir thoroughly and bring to soft bubbling boil.
  • Use hand held blender to puree part of the soupIn a separate pot, boil diced potato and turnip for 10-15 minutes until soft. Strain and add to vegetables when they have reached the soft boil. Stir to thoroughly incorporate.
  • Using a handheld blender, purée about 1/3 of the soup mixture. If you don’t have a blender, then you can enjoy a chunkier style.
  • Add the frozen peas, turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • If you want it spicy, add 1 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes.

Serve  hot with bread or toasts. For a fuller meal, add a green salad and fruit for dessert. Enjoy!

Note from my travel companion: She added salt because is accustomed to eating food with added salt, but overall loved the soup and ate several meals from this one pot. Guess she liked it!

Soup is ready!In the comments section below, let me know what you think of the recipe. Thank you!

Healthy food close to home and far away tastes great and fuels your body to have the energy to enjoy the trip. I’ll see you at the table!

Holiday healthy eating tip

Happy holidays! Face it, you’re going to eat a lot of bad for you food during the holidays. With all the butter, sugar, flour and meat products, I think that it’s obvious our families are trying to kill us with traditional holiday favorite food. I thought our families were supposed to love us… sheesh!

Green smoothieSince the calories are going to happen, aim to eat healthy with any possible meal. For example, have a green smoothie for breakfast so that way you’ll get your leafy greens and fresh fruit taken care of first thing.

Easy Green Smoothie Recipe: (serves 2)
5 oz leafy greens (kale, spinach, collard)
3 pieces of fruit
2 cups ice
1 cup fruit juice
1 cup water
Blend until creamy

Make wise choices and you’ll feel better… which in turn will help you to enjoy the holidays more!