Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth
3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro


1. Peel the sweet potatoes and dice into 1 inch cubes. Boil in a large pot of water for about 15 minutes, till tender.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and heat for 1 minute, then whisk in the coconut milk and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

3. Add sweet potatoes to the soup and cook for 5 more minutes so they can soak up the flavor. Either puree in a blender or food processor, or use a hand blending stick. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little bit of cilantro.

Oatmeal Tortillas

So many healthy things can be placed inside a tortilla to create something delicious, but then you ruin the healthiness by serving it on a tortilla. I hate that. Try using these oatmeal tortillas. There's a bit of white flour, sure, but are still sneaking in some whole grains! My kids were fighting over these. Granted the little one will eat just about anything.

3/4 cup oats (grind into a powder using a food processor or blender)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 - 1 cup white flour
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cold water


1. Place ground oats, wheat flour, 1/2 cup white flour, and salt into a stand mixer using a dough hook.

2. Add olive oil and water and knead for 5 minutes. Add more white flour as needed to form a firm dough.

3. Allow dough to rest for at least 20 minutes.

4. Using a tortilla press, press golf ball size portions between parchment paper. On a dry griddle over medium-high heat, cook tortillas until lightly browned.

Spaghetti Squash Tacos and Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

De-lish.

One time when I was a little girl my mom made spaghetti squash for the first time. I don't know what she did to it, but that meal lives to this day in infamy. It was disgusting. No one ate it, including my mom. I've had mixed feelings toward spaghetti squash ever since.

Fast forward to today. I made spaghetti squash tacos for dinner and loved it! Who needs meat when you can make delicious, crave-able tacos using fresh veggies. I served the tacos on oatmeal tortillas with a fresh fire-roasted tomato sauce and a little bit of queso fresco. Oh.....my!

SPAGHETTI SQUASH TACOS

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Red Onion, sliced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin


1. Cut spaghetti squash in half. Scoop out the "guts." Put both halves face down in a 9x13 pan. Put enough water in the pan to cover the bottom of the pan twice over (this will keep your squash moist). Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

2. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute onion and jalapeno for 5 minutes. Add in chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Saute for another couple of minutes until fragrant.

3. Scoop out the cooked squash and add it to the onionhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif mixture. Mix it all up.

4. Serve on tortillas (preferably whole wheat or oatmeal tortillas to keep it healthy!) and a little fresh salsa.




FIRE ROASTED TOMATO SALSA

3 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt


1. Roast the tomatoes and onion under your broiler until they begin to blacken.

2. Toss everything into a food processor (or blender).

Zucchini Pasta

I feel like the incredible shrinking woman lately. I'm losing all my baby weight fairly quickly. I wasn't able to get the breastfeeding boost. It's all due to diet and exercise. One of the things I have been missing is pasta. So, when I came across the idea of zucchini pasta I jumped on it. My husband had been repeatedly requesting to have Cajun Chicken Pasta. I kept turning him down because I couldn't afford to eat the calories in the sauce AND the pasta! So, I made my zucchini pastas and made a dish out of that instead. Delicious! It totally fulfilled my craving for "pasta" and didn't scream zucchini either. I bet if you mastered the art of shaving off the "noodles" you could trick kids into eating a green veggie.


Zucchini
Olive Oil

1. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off strips/noodles of zucchini. Peel down the zucchini until you get to the core (that's the part with the seeds). Discard the core.

2. Saute the "noodles" in a little olive oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes until they begin to get translucent.

3. Serve with whatever sauce you'd like.

Quinoa and Black Beans

One of my new favorite ingredients: Quinoa. Seriously, where have you been all my life? Quinoa is one of those healthy ingredients that might scare a lot of people. If it is so healthy, how can it possibly be any good? Let me tell you, it is awesome. You could use it instead of rice in a lot of recipes. Let me tell you, it is a lot more palatable than brown rice. It is becoming more and more available. In fact, quinoa is probably better for you than brown rice. It is a complete protein and a good source of fiber among other things. You can pick it up for a good price at Trader Joes or Winco. Who knows, you may be lucky enough to find it in your local grocery store. This recipe is a great recipe to try it out. Trust me, it is delicious!


1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with chicken broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

***Serve with a small dollop of sour cream for added deliciousness.

Harvest Soup

This soup is really quite delicious and is a good way to utilize all the bounty of a Fall harvest. And guess what? It is pretty darn healthy to boot!


2 tablespoons butter OR 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup diced carrots
1 apple, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 quart chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Melt butter (or heat oil) in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in leeks and onions, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potato, sweet potato, squash, carrots, apple, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.

2. Carefully puree the soup in batches in a blender, or use a stick blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Once the soup has been pureed, return it to the pot. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper; simmer gently for 5 minutes.

Roasted Beets 'n' Sweets

I've got a new recipe that I'm digging. I stumbled across it when I realized that three beets don't feed five people. Coincidentally I had 10lbs of sweet potatoes to use and thought this recipe might turn out okay. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious! People are always saying they don't like beets. #1, most of you have never even tried fresh beets #2, beets are extremely mild (we're talking as mild as corn). Try this recipe, you might discover the beauty of beets!


6 medium beets, peeled and cut into chunks
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a bowl, toss the beets with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sugar in a large resealable plastic bag. Place the sweet potatoes and onion in the bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat vegetables with the oil mixture.
4. Bake beets 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix sweet potato mixture with the beets on the baking sheet. Continue baking 25-45 minutes (depends on how big you cut your chunks really), stirring after 20 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.

Greek Salad

I don't have a picture for this salad because I was just too hungry to stop and take one! This salad just screams summer. Light, seasonal, delicious. It is super quick to make too.

2 cucumbers, diced-ish
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 small red onion, diced
1 can whole olives
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup feta cheese (I used tomato basil seasoned feta)
1/4 c olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, toss.

Sauteed Chard with Parmesan Cheese

So you may hear "chard" and throw up a little in your mouth or immediately make a "yuck" face. Think again. Chard doesn't have to be bitter or nasty. It can be turned into a flavorful, colorful side dish. This recipe is actually pretty tasty, especially for a green vegetable. Give it a try, you may have a whole new attitude towards chard.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil (or use 4 T olive oil and omit butter to cut calories)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for about a minute.

2. Add the chard stems and the chicken broth. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Ful Medames Hummus

It's not the prettiest thing ever, but it sure is tasty. I used traditional ingredients for Ful Medames ( a traditional Egyptian dish featuring fava beans) to make a Ful Medames Hummus. Fava beans have a nutty flavor and are delicious even just eating plain.

About 2 lbs fava beans
1/3 cup Tahini Sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
several T olive oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spread out whole fava beans on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool enough to handle.

2. Remove beans from fava pods. They should come out of the pods quite easily.

3. Blend fava beans, tahini sauce, garlic, lemon juice and cayenne pepper in a food processor (or a blender). Add olive oil slowly until the mixture gets the desired dip like texture.

Serve with pita bread.

Quick Pasta

Sometimes I don't want to make dinner. I'll admit it. This is one of those dishes I throw together on those nights. It is quick and simple. 15 minutes from start to finish and healthy to boot! In fact, this pasta is so quick I failed to snap a picture of it.

1 package whole wheat thin spaghetti (I recommend Healthy Harvest, your kids will never know it is whole wheat)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 package of mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tomato, diced (or a can of diced tomatoes)
2 lemons, juiced

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan saute onion, zucchini, and mushrooms in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add in crushed garlic and continue to saute for another 2 minutes.

3. Add in tomato, lemon juice, and cooked pasta. Stir up and cook another 2 minutes so that everything heats through. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.


***Other vegetable ideas: artichokes, sugar snap peas

Asian Greens and Noodle Stir Fry

I got a mix of Asian leaf vegetables from my co-op. The mix included bok choy, choi sum (Chinese flowering cabbage), kai-lan (Chinese broccoli), and gai choy (Chinese mustard greens). What better way to use them than to come up with a stir fry! This turned out quite delicious and was definitely a hit.

Ingredients
- 1 lb Spaghetti noodles (you can use asian noodles, but spaghetti will do just fine)
- Favorite mix of stir fry vegetables
- 4 T Corn Oil
- 4 T Sesame Oil
- 4 T Soy Sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you want it)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1. Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a wok or large skillet heat oils and soy sauce. Add in stir fry vegetables. If you are using a mix of Asian greens cook them until they wilt and soften up. If you are using more americanized stir fry vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc) cook until they soften up a bit, but remain crisp. Stir frequently.

3. After vegetables are cooked, add in ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook 2-3 more minutes, stirying frequently.

4. Add cooked noodles to the wok/skillet and toss everything until well mixed.

Dang Hippie Soup

As a tribute to my brother Spencer, I am calling this recipe Dang Hippie Soup. Apparently anything that is healthy is hippie food to him.

It has finally gotten cold around here so I made a hearty, brothy soup last night and loved it. It really hit the spot. It is really healthy for you: lots of vegetables, low fat, low calories. Can it get any better?

4 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium size sweet potato, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp mustard
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 medium sized tomato, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed


1. Saute onion, celery, sweet potato, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. 5-7 minutes.
2. Add in paprika, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, mustard, bay leaf, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat. Simmer on low heat 15 minutes
4. Add black beans and tomato. Simmer until sweet potatoes are tender (about 5 more minutes).