Sunday, January 23, 2011

Creamy Cauliflower Soup


Tonight for supper, I had a yummy cauliflower soup. Cauliflower (and kale) is from the brassica family of vegetables which all offer great support for healthy liver cleansing, so this soup is a great cleanse meal!

Here is the recipe for Creamy Cauliflower Soup (see picture to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1/2 leek, chopped, 2 celery ribs, chopped, 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, 2 cups vegetables (I used zucchini, portobello mushrooms, and shitake mushrooms), chopped, 1 head of cauliflower, chopped (this was approximately 2- 3 cups of cauliflower), 6 cups vegetable broth/water (I used water with 1 tsp of sea salt), 1 1/2 cups nuts (I used cashews, walnuts, and pine nuts), 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1/2 cup water, 2 green onions, chopped, 2 cups leafy greens (I used black kale), chopped, 2 cups cooked beans (I used chickpeas, but a smaller bean, like a navy bean, may be a better fit), 1 cup cooked rice (I used short grain brown rice), 1 avocado, sliced

Heat olive oil in soup pot and saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add leek and celery and saute for 2 minutes. Add basil and saute for 1 minute. Add assorted vegetables and saute for 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and saute for 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth/water, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. In a food processor, combine nuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and water and blend to a smooth consistency. Once 15 minutes have passed, remove soup from heat, add nut blend mixture, and mix well. Blend soup (I used a hand blender) to a chunky consistency. Mix in green onions, leafy greens, beans and rice. Garnish with a few slices of avocado and serve.

Once the soup was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt. It was a rich, creamy, and delicious meal!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Stir Fried Broccoli with a Lemony Twist!

I recently got a great new cookbook called Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who is one of my favorite cookbook authors. This stir fry is inspired by a broccoli and chickpea bake recipe in her new book.
Here is the recipe for Stir Fried Broccoli with a Lemony Twist (see pictures to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 5 cloves garlic, minced, 1 green onion, chopped, 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, 2 cups assorted vegetables (I used a mixture of carrots, zucchini, snow peas, shitake and portobello mushrooms), chopped, 2 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 cups broccoli, chopped, 2 cups leafy greens (I used collard greens), chopped, 2 cups cooked brown rice (I used long grain brown rice and cooked the rice while the stir fry was being prepared), 2 cups cooked chickpeas (the chickpeas were soaked for 4 hours prior to cooking and they were also cooked while the stir fry was being prepared)
Heat olive oil in a large pan and saute the onion, garlic, green onion, and parsley for 5 minutes. Add assorted vegetables and saute for 3 minutes. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, and sea salt and saute for 2 minutes. Add broccoli and saute for 3 minutes. Add leafy greens and saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat and serve with rice and chickpeas.

Once the food was dished up, it was seasoned with sea salt and flax oil and was a delicious and refreshing meal on a cold winter night!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Cashew Cream Sauce


Tonight for supper, I had a delicious Cashew Cream Sauce that livened up a simple supper of stir fried veggies, chickpeas, and brown rice pasta.

Here is the recipe for Cashew Cream Sauce (see picture of full meal to the left):
3/4 cup cashews, 1 cup warm water, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1/8 tsp sea salt

Soak cashews in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain cashews, saving 1/2 cup of the soaking water for the sauce, and place cashews and water into food processor/blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend to desired consistency.

The Cashew Cream Sauce can be served over grains, legumes, vegetables to add an extra sparkle to any meal!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Butternut Squash and Almond Cream Stew


Tonight for supper, I had a delicious butternut squash stew that was a wonderful winter treat. The squash was baked along with the Butternut Squash and Portobello Mushroom Delight recipe that was posted last week which made for a much easier and quicker cooking process.

Here is the recipe for Butternut Squash and Almond Cream Stew (see picture to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 celery rib, chopped, 1 1/2 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped, 1 cup zucchini, chopped, 1 1/2 cup sweet potato, chopped, 2 medium carrots, chopped, 1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used mild curry powder), 1/2 tsp sea salt, 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth/water, 1/2 cup almonds (blanched, de-skinned), 3 cups baked/mashed butternut squash, 2 cup leafy greens (I used a mixture of black kale and collard greens), chopped, 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated, 1 lime, freshly squeezed, 2 cups beans (I used a mixture of black beans and pinto beans), cooked, 1 cup of rice (I used a mixture of short grain brown, long grain brown, and wild rice), cooked

Heat olive oil in soup pot and saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add celery and shitake mushrooms and saute for 3 minutes. Add zucchini, sweet potato, carrots, curry powder, and sea salt and saute for 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth/water, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup of stew, mix with almonds, blend (I used a hand blender) and return to soup. Mix in butternut squash and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and partially puree stew (I pureed approximately 25% with the hand blender). Add leafy greens, ginger, lime juice, beans, and rice and serve.

This stew was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt and was a warming and filling cleanse meal.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Butternut Squash and Portobello Mushroom Delight!


Tonight for supper, I had a delicious multi dish meal. There are lots of steps, but each one is relatively simple.
Here is the recipe(s) for Butternut Squash and Portobello Mushroom Delight! (see picture to the left):

To prepare the butternut squash, preheat oven to 350 degrees. With the squash, cut in half, scoop out seeds, drizzle each half of the squash with canola oil, sprinkle with sea salt, rosemary, and sage (a pinch of each for each half of the squash), place in covered casserole dish (I always put some water in the bottom of the casserole dish to help the squash cook and to prevent it from burning) and place in oven. While squash is in oven, chop 1 small onion and 2 crimini mushrooms and then add to hollowed out center of squash after it has been baking for 30 minutes. Return squash to oven for another 30 minutes (or until squash is fully cooked). Remove from oven.

To prepare wild rice, place 1 cup of wild rice and 2 cups of water in small pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat.

To prepare lentils, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add 1 cup lentils, 2 bay leaves, pinch of sea salt, and 1 small chopped onion. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes (or until lentils are tender). Remove from heat and remove bay leaves before serving.

To prepare portobello mushrooms, wash thoroughly, remove stems, place in casserole dish, and brush both sides with sesame oil. Add 1 minced garlic clove to each mushroom and cover casserole dish. Place in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, then remove, add 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon, and then place back in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

To prepare simple stirfry, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in pan and saute 1 chopped leek, 2 minced garlic cloves for 3 minutes. Add 2 cups chopped vegetables (I used zucchini, shitake mushrooms, and portobello mushroom stems) and 1 tsp oregano and saute for 4 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped carrots and saute for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups chopped leafy greens (I used collard greens) and saute for 1 minute. Remove and add 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon.

To prepare sauce, add 2 tbsp tahini, 1 freshly squeezed lemon, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp water, and 1 tsp nutritional yeast in bowl and mix thoroughly. Drizzle sauce over wild rice, lentils and squash when serving.

After all the dishes were finished being prepared, the food was dished up, seasoned with flax oil and sea salt and the meal was a delicious late week treat!


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Simple Chickpea Curry


Tonight for supper, I had a delicious chickpea curry. I generally don't eat very spicy food, and this curry was a good fit because it was only mildly spicy.

Here is the recipe for Simple Chickpea Curry (see picture to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds, 1 medium onion, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 2 - 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated, 1 cup mushrooms (I used shitake and crimini), chopped, 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp curry powder (I used mild curry powder), 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 2 cups vegetable broth/water (I used a mixture of water and 1/2 tsp sea salt), 1 cup carrots, chopped, 2 cups yams, chopped, 1 cup broccoli, chopped, 2 cups cauliflower, chopped, 2 cups collard greens, chopped, 1 lime, freshly squeezed, 1/2 orange, freshly squeezed (lemon is also fine), 2 cups cooked chickpeas (which were cooked while the curry was being prepared)

Heat olive oil in large pan and add mustard seeds, cover pan, and let seeds pop for approximately 1 minute. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini and saute for 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, curry powder, cumin, and sea salt and saute for 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth/water, carrots, and yams, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. Add broccoli and cauliflower and simmer for 3 minutes. Add collard greens, lime juice, orange juice, and chickpeas. Remove from heat and serve.

I had the simple chickpea curry with short grain brown rice (which was cooked at the same time as the curry was being prepared - brown basmati rice would have been an even better fit, but I didn't have any!) and it was a lively and warming meal.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Pinto Bean Mash Up!



When I first became a vegetarian in the 90's, my mom gave me a cookbook (called the cookbook for people who love animals) which was written in the early 80's and had great, simple, healthy recipes. This pinto bean mash up recipe is inspired by this cookbook which I still use on a regular basis!

Here is the recipe for the Pinto Bean Mash Up (see pictures to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 2 onions, chopped, 2 celery stalks, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, 2 cups additional vegetables (I used zucchini, green beans, crimini mushrooms), chopped, 1 cup collard greens, chopped, 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 2 cups cooked pinto beans, mashed, 2 - 3 tbsp
tahini, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1
cup cooked rice (I used a mixture of japonica and short grain brown rice)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in large pan and saute onions and garlic for 5 minutes. Add celery and saute for 2 minutes. Add carrots, additional veggies, collard greens, parsley, cumin, sea salt, and turmeric and saute for
5 minutes. Remove from heat and combine with mashed pinto beans, mixing well. Add tahini and mix well. Transfer mixture to a lightly canola oiled casserole dish, sprinkle with paprika, and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

Once the mash up was baked, it was served with rice, seasoned with flax oil, and sea salt, and was a tasty and fortifying meal!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Yellow Split Pea Soup


Tonight for supper, I had a delicious split pea soup. Split peas are very easy to work with because they do not require any soaking, so they are a great protein option if one realizes they haven't soaked any legumes and it is already time to make supper!

Here is the recipe for Yellow Split Pea Soup (see picture to the left):
1 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1 celery stalk, chopped, 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped, 2 cups additional veggies (I used zucchini, crimini mushrooms, shitake mushrooms), chopped, 4 tsp paprika, 2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp sea salt, 6 cups vegetable broth/water (I used water with 2 tsp of sea salt mixed in), 1 1/4 cup spilt peas (yellow or green is fine), 1 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 cup leafy greens (I used collard greens), chopped, 1 cup short grain brown rice (which I cooked while the soup was being prepared)

Heat olive oil in soup pot and add onions and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add celery and saute for 2 minutes. Add carrots, additional veggies, paprika, thyme, and sea salt and saute for 5 minutes. Add water and split peas and bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and partially puree soup (I used a hand blender), creating a chunky texture. Add lemon, greens, and rice.

Once the soup was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt and was a tasty and filling meal!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!!


With the start of another year, I am also starting my yearly January cleanse for 2011. Because I don't think I can come up with another 31 brand new recipes, I will be posting less often with this cleanse, but I will be sure to share any yummy new recipes that I try.

During the cleanse, I will be starting my day with a morning smoothie (see Jan 1, 2010 blog post for recipe) - I recently picked up some frozen cherries and they are a great addition to the smoothie! To reduce the amount of cooking/food preparation required during the cleanse, I will be generally having leftovers from the previous night's supper for lunch.

Tonight I had a pretty simple supper (see picture to the left) of chickpeas, rice soba noodles (I have recently discovered a new gluten free soba noodle by King Soba - tonight I had the pumpkin, ginger, and rice variety and I added fresh parsley and green onions to the noodles after they were cooked), stir fried veggies (which consisted of onions, garlic, crimini mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, green beans, and collard greens), and a ginger lime almond butter sauce (which consisted of 1 lime, freshly squeezed, 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed, 1 - 2 tbsp of ginger, freshly grated, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1/8 tsp sea salt, 2 tbsp almond butter, all mixed together in a glass bowl). After the meal was dished up, it was seasoned with flax oil and sea salt and it was a quick and delicious way to start the cleanse!