Red Cabbage & Cranberry Salad

"No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat.  Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office."  George Bernard Shaw

  OK.  I'm back from the holidays and my diet of appetizers washed down by mint fudge.  Time to concentrate on a few energy packed foods.

This is a recipe I found and changed to add a more healthy oil and eliminate the sugar.  And then, being the curious person that I am, I decided to explore the nutritional difference between red and green cabbage.  Big WOW!

While both red and green cabbage contain Vitamin A, a cup of green cabbage supplies 3 percent of your daily value while red cabbage supplies 19 percent.  For vitamin C it's a difference of 47 percent versus 84 percent, with red cabbage, once again, coming out on top.

And bonus!  Red cabbage contains anthocyanins.  Are you as excited as I am?  You will be once you learn that anthocyanins are known for their cancer fighting and memory improvement abilities.  Green cabbage does not contain anthocyanins.  And, super bonus, anthocyanins may contribute to healthy WEIGHT LOSS by helping your body release hormones that metabolize fat and suppress your appetite.  OK.  I know it's dirty pool to put WEIGHT LOSS in capital letters, or upper case as us moderns say, but we're all going to make that New Year's resolution to get into those clothes that have been taking up half of our closet space for the last five years.  Really.

But on to the recipe that will give you one more tasty way to get some of this terrific veggie into your eating plan, she said, carefully avoiding that awful word, diet.

Ingredients:
  2 T olive oil
  1 T apple cider vinegar
  Speck of stevia powder
  dash of salt
  pepper to taste

Whisk all together in a bowl and set aside.

  red cabbage, 1/2 small head finely chopped, or as fine as you need it to be
  1/2 cup dried cranberries
  1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Distructions:
Mix the veggies with the dressing.  Let sit overnight.  Yes, this is one of those recipes where the flavors really need time to get to know each other.  And once they do, they'll be ready to get to know you too.  Happy eating!

Loveya
The Mom

Coconut Curry Veggies

"The two basic items necessary to sustain life are sunshine and coconut milk."  Dustin Hoffman

This recipe was the result of an experiment with coconut butter and a restaurant dinner that I enjoyed.  The restaurant dinner was coconut curry veggies with noodles which I wanted to try and duplicate.  Perusing such recipes online I noted that most of them contained coconut milk.  I am the proud owner of a jar of coconut butter, which is simply ground up coconut.  Not wanting to purchase coconut milk when I already had a coconut product in the house I decided to experiment.

I figured that I could melt the coconut butter, add a thickener along with spices and liquid, and have the sauce for my dish.  Well, Sparky, it worked!

Ingredients:
  Carrots, peeled and chopped
  Onion, peeled and chopped
  Celery, sliced
  Mushrooms, any kind, I used baby bella 
  Peppers, red or green cut into strips
  Broccoli, steamed and added just before serving

Distructions:
  Saute the veggies in a bit of olive oil.  Cover and let steam on low heat to the desired dente while you whip up the sauce.

Sauce:
  2 T coconut butter
  1 T cornstarch
  1 T curry powder
  1 T grated, fresh ginger
  1 1/2 cups water or veggie broth
  Dash of salt

Distructions:
  Melt the coconut butter, add the cornstarch, curry powder and grated ginger.  Ginger powder will also work.  Stir in the liquid and cook until a creamy consistency.  Adjust seasonings, including the coconut butter, curry powder, and ginger.  Play around with this until it's just right for you.  I added a bit more coconut butter to get more coconut taste into the sauce.  You could also whip up the coconut butter in water or broth in your blender.  This gives you a white liquid with a wonderful coconut flavor.

Finally, add the sauce to the veggies, top with steamed broccoli, and serve with rice.

DID YOU NOTICE?  I didn't give any measurements for the veggies.  Well, that means you can use as many or few as you'd like.  You could also include sweet potatoes or regular potatoes if you'd like.  Don't you just love choices!

CONFESSION:  I was in the middle of enjoying this dish with my son, who was visiting, when I realized we had consumed almost the entire dish and I hadn't taken a picture for this blog.  I gingerly shoved what was left on my plate to one side, spooned on a bit of rice, and snapped away.  I really need to get a bit more organized!

Loveya
The Mom

Sweet Onion Crackers

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them...well, I have others."  Groucho Marx, star of Animal Crackers

So that's as close as I could get with a quote that had to do with crackers.  And I do have a vegan cracker recipe.  It's not a crisp cracker, because I left out oodles of oil in order to make it lower in fat content.  Pretty logical for early morning!

This recipe is for a dehydrator but I'm betting it could also be baked in an oven at a low setting.  I'll have to research that possibility.

Ingredients:
  1 large sweet onion, Vidalia is great
  1 cup ground, raw sunflower seeds
  1 cup ground golden flax seeds
  3T olive oil
  1/4 cup Bragg liquid amino
  Splash of Agave nectar - optional


Distructions:
 Process the onion in a food processor with the S blade until very fine or whip it up in a blender.  I use my Vita Mix and whip it until it's mushy.

Pour the onion into a bowl and add the other ingredients.  Mix to blend well.  Spread the batter onto a teflex sheet about 1/4 inch thick for a more bread-like product and thinner for a cracker-like product.  Dehydrate at 105 degrees for about 5 hours.  Flip over the teflex sheet and remove the teflex from the crackers.  Dry an additional 4 hours or until the crackers are as dry as you'd like them to be. 

Variations:
The crackers in the picture that are to the front left are more orange because I added some salsa to make them a southwestern cracker.  Crackers to the right rear are a darker green because I added pesto.  The dish in the middle holds a variation of my Mock Tuna Salad (Sept. 14).  For use with the crackers I dressed the Mock Tuna Salad ingredients with a light vinaigrette instead of hummus.  Either would work well, including plain hummus.  I love choices.

Special thanks to my cat, Merle, who let me use his little yellow dish for the picture!

Loveya
The Mom

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad

"A rose by any other name still smells."  Anon

The most difficult part of this recipe was deciding whether to label it as a salad, a side dish, or a main dish.  It could be any of the above.  So that's my worst problem today.  What a great day it's going to be!

The Good Batch, on Spinach Leaves

Actually, there was that other problem.  The problem was with the first batch of the Sweet Potato & Black Bean Whatever that I made.  I overcooked the sweet potato and it came out as Mashed Sweet Potato and Black Bean etc.  Still had a great flavor, but I had to do a second batch for the picture.  More for me!

Ingredients:
  1 sweet potato, peeled, diced, cooked about 7 minutes, drained, cooled
  1 15 oz can of black beans, drained & rinsed
  4 T minced red onion
Dressing:
  2 T olive oil
  2 T apple cider vinegar
  1 t coriander
  1 smidgen stevia powder* 
  Dash of salt

Distructions:
  Mix together first three ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Combine all together and let sit for about an hour or overnight in the fridge.

* How to measure stevia powder.  Place a small dusting, barely visible to the naked eye, onto the palm of your hand.  Brush it into the dressing.  Stevia is so sweet that using too much creates a bitter taste.  Note - you could also use a dab of agave nectar or other sweetener of your choice.  You won't need a lot.

True Confession, which is good for the soul.  I like to eat this concoction on top of a mixture of raw cabbage and sauerkraut.  How did that happen!  I wanted to purchase a cabbage and the produce section where I shop only had cabbages the size of basketballs.  What the heck, I thought.  So I have a lot of cabbage in my fridge.

I also like to eat a bit of fermented food everyday to aid digestion.  Needing to consume my batch of mashed sweet potatoes and black beans I place some thinly sliced cabbage into a large bowl, tossed in a bit of sauerkraut along with some sauerkraut juice, and topped the whole thing with the aforementioned salad.  If you're not brave enough to try this on your own, you'll have to trust me that this is really delicious.  On the other hand, I've been eating my own cooking for about 50 years and my taste buds could be dead.  That could be a plus.

Loveya
The Mom

Steel Cut Oats - Simply Done

"I never drink anything stronger than gin before breakfast."  WC Fields

I recently heard a news item on Public Radio about school districts that are debating whether to serve chocolate milk to the students.  Some of the mothers were interviewed and said that they'd agree to have chocolate milk served rather than have their child refuse to drink milk.  Then, they added, they could be sure that their child was getting enough calcium.  We've all been told that calcium, from dairy products, is necessary for strong bones and teeth.

Did anyone ever notice that some vegetarians, such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, cows, rhinos, and horses do not consume dairy products as adult animals and their large bones are just fine?  Hm.  Something to think about.  But on to the breakfast recipe.

Trying to eat in a most healthful manner involves adding whole grains that require a bit of cooking.  That's where I was having a problem in the morning.  I really don't like to cook breakfast but I do like whole grain, cooked cereal in the morning.  What to do!?

Just for giggles I placed a third of a cup of steel cut oats, the organic kind, into a one-cup jar and then filled the jar with almond milk that I'd whipped up in my blender.  I covered the jar, gave it a shake, and placed it into the fridge overnight.  In the morning the cereal was soft and chewy.  It was actually tasty enough to eat right out of the jar, which is what I usually do. 

The softened cereal can also be placed into a sauce pan and warmed, or microwaved for a few seconds, if you need to go there.  A teaspoon or two of maple syrup on top makes it yummier, which is a word that my spell check accepts.  Happy whole grain eating!

Loveya
The Mom

Gypsy Soup Revisited

"I've been on a diet for two weeks and all I've lost is two weeks." Totie Fields

Gypsy Soup Sans Garbanzos

I'm going to revisit an old friend, Gypsy Soup, because I've tweaked the recipe since the last time I've shared this priceless gem.  Also, I recently heard information about vegetables that warmed the cockles of my little heart, and I've become very busy in my art studio these past few weeks.  If any of the above makes perfect sense to you I wish you'd explain it to me.  Just kidding.

The information I heard about vegetables came first from one of my dear friends who decided to take action and joined Weight Watchers.  She shared with me that when keeping track of points on the Weight Watchers plan, most vegetables are free and you can eat all you want without fear of gaining weight.  Second, I heard an NPR program, The People's Pharmacy, where studies have come out that show that certain foods cause people to actually lose weight while keeping them super healthy.  The foods were, you guessed it, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and yogurt.  It's possible that nuts were also on the list but don't quote me on that.

So where does my art studio fit in this scenario?  For the past few weeks I've been playing for 8+ hours in my studio every day.  Actually, I'm putting in as many hours as I can squeeze out every day.  So what does this have to do with vegetables?  I decided that cooking was getting in the way of my creativity.  Therefore, I dedicated a half-day to whipping up large batches of my five favorite soups and freezing them in individual containers.  The soups are carrot ginger, cabbage soup, vegetarian chili, gypsy soup, and a mushroom soup made with really good broth (see July 24) and shiitake mushrooms.

My freezer is now crammed with containers of frozen soup and I won't have to cook for about two weeks.  By adding barley or rice to any of the above and simmering the concoction while I create I can add some healthy whole grains to my diet.  Fruits are consumed at breakfast, along with some steel cut oatmeal just to fill my tummy with some good carbohydrates.  But on to the Gypsy Soup!

Ingredients:
  1 T olive oil
  1 onion, chopped
  1 red, yellow or green pepper, diced
  1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
  1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice
  1 t paprika
  1 t turmeric
  1 t basil
  1 t cinnamon
  Dash of cayenne pepper
  4 cups veggie broth
  1 T tamari or soy sauce or Bragg liquid amino
  S&P to taste

Distructions:
  Over medium heat in a large kettles saute the onion and pepper in the olive oil for as long as it takes  to peel and dice the sweet potato.  Stir occasionally if the spirit moves you.  Add the sweet potato and spices and stir to get all the flavors acquainted.  Add everything else except the S&P.  This will go in at the end when you adjust the seasoning.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer until the sweet potato pieces are tender, about forty-five minutes to and hour.   Adjust seasoning, which means to add salt and pepper to suit your taste.  Cool the resulting soup in the fridge in a large glass jar.  When cool, transfer to individual freezer containers.

You could also serve this immediately as a meal.  For the freezer batch that I just made I didn't have any garbanzo beans so I left them out.  Am I a master of logic, or what!  I did have great northern beans, which would have worked, but I didn't feel like opening the can.  Logical and lazy.  What's not to love.  By Christmas I should be 10 pounds lighter and able to twitch my nose like a rabbit.  It's a wonderful life!

Loveya
The Mom

Carrot Ginger Soup

"Are carrots good for your eyes?!  Did you ever see a rabbit wearing glasses?"  Dad

Another of my favorite soups.  Great flavor, can be frozen, and can be served hot or cold.

This soup also contains an ingredient with wonderful health benefits - fresh ginger.  Fresh ginger is that funny little tuber that looks a bit like a misshapen nose.  The most convenient way to store fresh ginger is in the freezer.  Just put it into a small, zip lock bag and toss it into the freezer with the rest of the mystery foods that you forgot to label.  Then, when a recipe calls for fresh ginger, simply take it out and grate as much as you need.  Place it back into the bag and toss it back into the freezer.  Just for giggles, label it "Nose".

Ingredients:
  1 T olive oil
  2 medium onions, chopped
  3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  2 T fresh ginger, grated
  4 cups veggie broth
  2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped or grated
  1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
  S & white pepper to taste

Distructions:
  In a heavy pot heat the oil over medium heat and saute' the onions for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and saute' an additional minute.

Add the stock and carrots and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and partially cover.  Simmer until the carrots are tender, 15 to 30 minutes.  The smaller the pieces of carrot the shorter the cooking time. 

When the carrots are tender put the solids into a blender with a bit of liquid and puree.  Do this in small batches so you won't end up festooning the walls and cabinets with hot soup.  Return everything to the pot and add the frozen orange juice along with the salt and white pepper.

Why white pepper?  According to discerning gourmets (not me) white pepper has a slight taste of ginger, which works well in carrot ginger soup.  Also, if you use black pepper it could look like little specks of dirt floating around in your light colored soup.

If you only have black pepper add some chopped parsley, which will hide the black specks.  You little genius!

Loveya
The Mom