#14 Carrot Relish

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14 Carrot relish
In November my parents, brother and sister-in-law went to a Hart’s Turkey Farm in Meredith, NH for Thanksgiving. They were served crackers with a carrot relish before their meals. They loved the relish and decided to try to replicate it and came up with this recipe which is quite good.
Carrot Relish
4 medium carrots, shredded
½ cup pickle relish-sweet or dill whichever you prefer
1 Tbs fresh garlic, chopped
1 tsp  sea salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs onion
1 Tbs celery seeds
1 Tbs mustard seed
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
4 Tbs olive oil
Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate overnight. Serve with butter crackers.

January 1, 2014 – My 1st New Habit

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My first new habit of the year 2014 actually sounds quite simple but it isn’t always as easy as it seems. My habit will be to drink more water! Yup, that simple. While I typically drink plenty of water, I find myself drinking less when it’s cold outside. I opt for hot things like coffee & tea more often only drinking small sips of water here and there throughout the day.

If you’d like to join me, here are a few tips:

  • Drink at least 6 ounces of water first thing in the morning, before coffee, tea or food. Keep a glass by the sink to remind you.
  • Keep a water bottle or glass close at all times all day, when you see it you will grab it because it’s convenient and a reminder.
  • Flavor your water with lemon juice-this helps alkalize your body too.
  • Drink warm water as if for tea, except plain or with lemon only.
  • Drink at least 6-8 ounces of water right before bed.

Cheers! Bottoms up!

Ryan’s Night to Cook

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Ryan chose to cook tonight, kind of a last-minute decision because he wanted to make cabbage soup that he saw on the internet.

The weather today has been very cold, low 20’s, with a few hours of light snow flurries so of course a warming homemade soup was welcomed!

This is how his version of the recipe came out – and it was delicious and warming!

Rustic cabbage soup-Ryan

 

 

 

 

Here’s the recipe website he followed 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/rustic-cabbage-soup-recipe.html

He made a few changes/additions….I love it when people are encouraged to use their creative freedoms when cooking! His additions were a dash of oregano, parsley and a small handful of dried porcini, woodear, shiitake, and oyster mushroom medley.

Cabbage is an extremely healthy food so if you’re looking for something healthy, hearty and warming, try this one out but be sure to use your creative freedoms as well….just please, don’t add chocolate! ;) (save that for dessert and make sure it’s dark chocolate)

Hummus with a Nutty Twist

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13Hummus w a twist

This hummus like many is earthy tasting. It’s all natural and healthy of course and goes well with a variety of vegetables or crackers.

1 – 15 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (it can be found in the peanut butter aisle)

4-5 Tbs. olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic

small handful of fresh parsley

2-3 Tbs. lemon juice

Paprika

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy adding more olive oil if needed. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle paprika over top, cover and chill several hours or overnight to let flavors blend.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Dip

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12Veggie Dip

Sometimes I want to splurge a little because it brings back happier times and so I allow myself a little freedom. Allowing yourself freedoms every so often is healthy as long as you stay within reason and when you stay focused and pull yourself back into your healthy lifestyle.

One of my favorite dips is sour cream & vegetable dip, the kind that was around when I was younger and made with Knorr Vegetable soup dry mix. Since I’m no longer a fan of processed foods and chemicals in my food I needed to come up with one that is as good or better without the chemicals.

The following recipe was made with sour cream and a spoonful of mayo but for an even healthier dip you can use organic plain Greek yogurt or even a soft white bean instead of sour cream. (Sour cream was my real freedom and I’m proud to say, I only had a little bit and was fully satisfied)

1- 16 oz container sour cream

1 Tbs. mayonnaise

1 large peeled carrot, grated

1/2 small onion or 3 scallions chopped fine

8 cherry tomatoes, chopped fine (or for a tangy flavor, 8 sundried tomatoes)

1/4 cup frozen peas (optional)

1/8 tsp salt, paprika, chili powder, onion powder & garlic powder

small handful chopped parsley and cilantro

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl – chill overnight to let flavors blend.

Serve with chips or assorted vegetables.

 

 

 

#11 Craving Buster Carrot Dip

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11-carrot dip

If you get a craving for something sweet during the day at work or at night but want to stick with your intentions of cutting out junk foods and sugar, this is the dip for you! It’s simple to make and as with most of my healthy dips promoted here, it’s easy to pack in your lunch and go.

The recipe:

4 large carrots, peeled & cut into halves or thirds

salt

Olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Parsley

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. Basil

Wrap carrots in foil, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and bake until soft-about 40 minutes

Remove from oven and cool. Mash by hand or in a blender with a bit more olive oil, black pepper & thyme. Pour into bowl, add basil and parsley, mix well. Divide among several small mason jars with cut veggies or add entire dip to a serving bowl and serve with a variety of veggies for guests.

This is simple to make ahead of time and refrigerate for a week of healthy snacking!

11-carrot dip for work

#10 Healthy Peanut Butter-Honey Dip

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Need a snack? Make it a healthy one with this fast fix.

-1 cup organic smooth or crunchy peanut butter at room temperature
– 3 Tablespoons local honey
-1 Tablespoon organic un-sulfured molasses
-1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
Bring peanut butter to room temperature.
Mix all ingredients well and serve with fruit or celery sticks.

*if you prefer it thinner, add a small amount of water to desired consistency

# 9 Roasted Red Pepper Dip

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Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1, 15-oz far roasted red peppers (or you can roast your own 2-3 large red peppers, de-seeded/cut in half)

1, 15 oz can white beans or chickpeas

1-2 cloves garlic

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp celery seed

dash chili powder

dash paprika

dash salt & pepper

splash olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If mixture looks too thin you can thicken it with chickpea flower or as I did 1/4 cup ground flax-seed meal.

Chill for at least an hour to overnight. Serve with assorted vegetables, crackers, pita chips or toasted baguette slices.

Festive Roasted Beet & Garlic Dip

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Who needs Red Velvet cake when you can have this savory, beautiful, garnet red dip with fresh, healthy vegetables…and quite festive too!

8-Roasted Beet Dip

Beets are very healthy for you, garlic & beans are too. This dip is almost fat-free; the fat that is in it, comes from the olive oil which is good for you as well.

This is another simple recipe, after baking the beets for 45 minutes, the dip only took me 10 minutes to pull together.

This recipe will serve 4-6 people so if you have a larger crowd be sure to double it.

Roasted Beet & Garlic Dip

3 fresh beets, about the size of a plum though any size will do

2-3 cloves garlic unpeeled and roasted along with the beets (you may need to remove them from the oven sooner than the beets though)

enough olive oil to coat beets in roasting pan

sprinkle of salt (I always use Himalayan pink salt for the 84 essential minerals it offers)

1/4 tsp. sage

1/8 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp  rosemary

a few grinds or dash of black pepper

1 cup white beans (I used cannellini – it adds creaminess without dairy or fat)

a few tablespoons olive oil added during blending

Oven – 400°

Wash beets, cut ends off, cut beets into quarters, toss in baking pan with enough olive oil to coat, sprinkle with salt-add garlic cloves.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove garlic cloves if they get dark, set aside to cool.

Remove beets, let cool 10 minutes.

Add beets and remaining ingredients a few at a time, leaving beans until last, to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Put into bowl, cover and chill at least an hour. Serve with fresh vegetables such as peppers, carrot sticks, celery sticks, broccoli & cauliflower crowns or any other favorite veggies.

# 7 New England Clam Dip

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7NEClam Dip

While this one isn’t completely healthy, it is a comfort food sort of dip that has been a local hit for as long as I can remember. I’m dedicating this one to my brother who was mentioning recently that he couldn’t find it in stores anymore. While this might not be the healthiest of dips I’ve been sharing, this homemade version is definitely more healthy that a store-bought brand.

I wasn’t brave enough to create my own version so I searched and found one closest to what we’re familiar with out of the Yankee Magazine site. There are only two things I’d do differently which is add a second can of clams (or another 6 oz. if you’re using fresh) and cut the lemon juice back to 1 TBS. instead of 2. I also didn’t have onion juice, though I wonder how easy it is to make?, so I used 1 TBS. onion powder with 2 TBS. clam juice since I saved it in a bowl until I was done mixing.

Here’s the recipe from yankeemagazine.com

  • 1, 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1, 7-ounce can minced clams
  • 1/2 pint sour cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons onion juice
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Drain the clams, reserving some of the liquid, and mash into the softened cream cheese. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.
If a thinner dip is preferred, use 1 or 2 tablespoons of the reserved clam liquid to thin the mixture.
Serve with corn chips or potato chips.