Spaghetti Squash Soup

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1 Spaghetti Squash
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 Garlic clove
finely chopped
½ cup parsley
1 chopped onion
1 chopped tomato
Chicken or vegetable broth
Carrots and Spring onions
Pink sea salt
and pepper to taste

Cut the spaghetti squash in two pieces and clean it by removing all the seeds. Bake it in an oven at 350 degree for about an hour.
In a stock pot, heat olive oil, add the chopped garlic and onions, fry them till they turn golden. Add the tomato and the other vegetables with parsley and simmer it. Add the baked spaghetti squash and pour the chicken broth in the stock pot with the above ingredients. Heat the mixture on a low flame till the soup is of a thick consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like your soup a little spicy you can add red chili flakes. Top with a teaspoon of fresh grated parmesan or a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Roasted Winter Veggies with Maple Glaze

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This is a warming comfort food type meal with lots of great nutrition. Make this on a cold, damp, rainy day and you’ll feel warmed to the bones.
Choose any combination of fall/winter veggies such as: butternut, acorn, buttercup, pumpkin squashes, small purple turnip, carrots, green or red peppers, eggplant, cauliflower, big sweet or purple onions, sweet potatoes, yams, white potatoes and any other seasonal vegetable you desire. Amounts will vary depending on how many servings you’re planning…any always plan for leftovers for a quick, healthy lunch.

Chop the veggies into large chunks, toss in a large bowl with olive oil, pink sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and herbs of your choice. Sprinkling with a little bit of cinnamon adds a sweet, warming flavor as well as health benefits.

Place veggies in baking pan in single layer and bake at 350-400 degrees depending on what you’re coking with it, for about 45 minutes to an hour. About 5 minutes before it’s done, drizzle pure maple syrup onto all veggies and finish baking.

Enjoy! And let us know how yours came
out and what you did to make it special!

Acorn Squash with Fresh Cranberries

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Cranberries are a popular berry here in the northeast and cranberry bogs can be seen in various places especially as you get closer to my favorite place ever, Cape Cod. This dish is Fall at its best; it’s slightly sweet-tart and savory. It will also satisfy that sweet craving you might have.

2 small acorn squash, halved and seeded

dash of pink Himalayan sea salt

1/2 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1 medium apple, peeled and diced small

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Agave nectar

Oven: 350

Sprinkle squash halves with sea salt and coat cut edges with olive oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet/dish and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cranberries, apple, cinnamon and Agave nectar in a bowl. Remove squash from oven, turn over and spoon cranberry/apple mixture into each half. Bake 25 minutes longer then broil for a few minutes until squash edges are bubbling and slightly toasted.

Serves 4

Pumpkin Hummus

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This is the perfect fall dip especially if you can use freshly roasted sugar pumpkin!
It’s easy to do, just get the smallest sugar pumkin you can find, cut it in half and clean out the seeds and inside strings, brush cut sides with olive oil, place face down on cooking sheet, roast at 350 for an hour or until soft. Scoop out the flesh. Don’t forget to roast the seeds as well, they’re so good and so healthy!

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed
and drained.
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped-(omit or use less if you prefer)
1/2 tsp. pink sea salt-or less if preferred
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

Place all ingredients except the parsley into a food processor and blend
until smooth, add a teaspoon or two of water if needed to thin slightly. Add chopped parsley and pulse to just mix.
Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. Use as a dip for veggies, tortilla chips or pita chips.

My Water-Beads

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A few weeks ago my very good friend gave me 5 beaded bracelets and said to use them as “water-beads” (not to be confused with absorbing water beads developed for plants and decorative purposes). You may have learned in the past to put 5-8 elastic bands on your wrist and switch them as you drink to help you keep track. Elastic bands aren’t pretty, they pull your skin and arm hair if you’re a guy, and can sometimes be tight. Water-beads eliminate the cons and add pros. Sure guys can wear them too, just find colors/styles that suit you and string a set for yourself!

My friend has a set as well and each time she drinks 8 ounces of water she transfers a bracelet to the other wrist. These fun beads serve useful purposes, when you see or feel them on your wrist, it reminds you to drink up your H2O and you can keep track of your daily hydration.

What a great idea! Check them out!

(I add 3 sets of beads that I already owned to total 8 bracelets)

Eggs Baked atop Roasted Nightshade Vegetables

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1 lg. onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thickly

1 small-medium eggplant, peeled, cut into chunks

1 lg. zucchini

4-6 tomatoes – depending on size

2 lg. bell peppers – red green or yellow cut into 1” wide, long slices

4 cloves garlic – chopped

4 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Parsley & Dill for garnish

4 eggs

 

Toss all prepared veggies, including garlic, salt and pepper with olive oil in a large bowl and divide into individual casserole dishes or 1 8×10 casserole dish.

Bake at 400° for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from oven in order to add eggs. Gently crack 1 egg atop each casserole dish or in 4 spots in single casserole. Return to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes longer until while is cooked and yolk is still runny in the middle.

Remove from oven and garnish with parsley and dill and extra salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Raw Tomato Soup

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I had to use up a basket full of tomatoes that I had picked from my garden because I had another basket worth of tomatoes waiting to be picked again.

I’ve been growing several varieties of tomatoes including grape, cherry, roma, multi-color & yellow flesh heirloom.

I was considering making a traditional gazpacho like I did a few weeks ago but decided on a simple five ingredient fresh soup so I made the following raw tomato soup and it was every bit as good as any gazpacho or cooked tomato soup. Of course, I will advise that you only make this when tomatoes are in season!

Raw Tomato Soup

2-5 pounds of tomatoes

1 medium cucumber- half is you have a smaller amount of tomatoes

1 small chili pepper

1/2 sweet onion

Pink Himalayan salt

a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

Cut larger tomatoes unto chunks and toss them into food processor or blender, add cherry and grape tomatoes as they are. Pulse until smooth with small chunks for texture. Transfer into a large bowl. Add chunks of cucumber, onion and green and/or chili pepper to processor and process until mostly smooth then add to bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit 30 minutes or over night to blend flavors. Test for seasoning and add S & P if needed. Serve in a bowl with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or your favorite nut oil.

The Best Tuna Salad Ever

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Today I had the best tuna salad sandwich I’ve ever tasted. It didn’t come from a can and it didn’t come from a restaurant; it cam from my own kitchen.

A few days ago my neighbor gave me wild caught albacore tuna steaks from Trader Joes. I had never had tuna in any form other than canned tuna salad so this was different for me. I decided to marinate it in olive oil, pink salt and freshly ground pepper for only about 15 minutes then grilled it over medium until it just changed color to white. I squeezed fresh lemon on each steak immediately and let it rest while I whipped up a simple wasabi sauce which consisted of wasabi, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame oil-I didn’t measure so I can’t really share an absolute recipe; I will mention that it only made about 1/4 cup that we split in small dipping bowls.

As I tasted the tuna I was delightlfully surprised that it wasn’t fishy and strong tasting. Instead it was light and meaty. I dipped each bite into the wasabi sauce for a little kick-and what a sinus-clearing kick it was!

I had lots of vegetables and some roasted tiny new potatoes so my tuna steak turned out to be my side dish as most of my meals are, yes, less meat for me is best as I do indeed practice what I teach.

I was left with half a tuna steak and my thoughts of freshly made tuna salad for lunch the next day! I put the leftover tuna in a sealable bowl and added a bit of the wasabi sauce for that slightly spicy kick and then into the refrigerator to keep.

Fast forward to the next day’s lunch time. I chopped a stick of celery and a fresh from the farm sweet onion and added it to the tuna with a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. I used one of my favorite breads-seedy rye, and spread my tuna salad atop along with a few crispy leaves of dark green lettuce.

First bite, amazing!  There was no fishy taste, no metal taste, no shelf-life taste; just smooth, sweet tasting tuna. It was absolutely the best tuna salad I have ever eaten and I believe I have been converted and will NEVER go back to canned!

If you come across fresh (or frozen) albacore tuna steaks, buy one even if all you plan to do with it is make tuna salad. I guarantee you will love it like no other!

My How the Garden Grows!

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Come on in a sit a spell, talk to me while I pull weeds. Feel the sunshine on your face as I wipe the sweat from my brow.

My garden is growing in leaps and bounds! I’ve gotten a few goodies from it so far though my harvest will be late due to late planting after preparing the garden spot.

This year is certainly my learning year and next year’s crop will prove my experience. I’ve learned where not to put vine plants and where to put short plants too. Next year’s crop will be better!

In today’s garden I have tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, summer squashes, winter squashes, tiny cauliflower and tiny broccoli, green and hot peppers, cute, colorful eggplant, still a good bit of kale each week, and plenty of garden herbs.

I am enjoying picking my home grown greens and when I do, I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot!

Come on in and browse around…tell me what you think!

      

Silky Berry Smoothie

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One morning after walking the typical 3 mile hike with my next door neighbor, we decided to put our resources together and share our lunch time. Sharon came over with a blender carafe full of this oh so silky, healthy smoothie…she was kind enough to share the recipe with me and I hope she doesn’t mind if I too pass it along to you.

Here’s how it goes:

1 banana

6 ox. silken tofu (1.2 container)

1-1.5 cups milk (cow’s, soymilk, rice milk or almond milk)

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (if using fresh you can freeze them first for a cold smoothie)

1 Tbs. honey

1 Tbs. ground flax seed

2-3 ice cubes

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and silky.

Enjoy!