This is a favorite winter meal. Everybody I have made it for goes back for seconds. It is filling and thick with veggies including sweet potatoes which gives it a wonderful flavor.

California - Veggie - Chicken Soup

(Adapted from Carolina Vegetable Soup Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

Serves 6
Total Time: 1 Hour

In a large soup pot, warm the oil on medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, and celery and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the green beans, red kidney beans, stewed tomatoes and thyme.
Stir for a minute and then add the chicken broth and black pepper.

Cover and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for 30-40 minutes (until the sweet potatoes and green beans are soft. Sprinkle the basil over the top prior to serving.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots (diced)
• 1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (diced)
• 1-1/2 cup chopped fresh green beans (cut into about 1 ” pieces)
• 1-16 oz can red kidney beans
• 1-28 oz can stewed or diced tomatoes
• 1-32 oz  chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil (optional)

Optional – chicken
I use 2 chicken breasts or 4-5 chicken thighs. Simmer for about 20-25 min. Cool a little then cut up and add to soup.

I also add chopped cabbage and any other veggies that I have around that sounds good.

Enjoy!

NOTE: I typically dice the carrots, sweet potatoes and celery into large chunks and then use my Pampered Chef Food Chopper to really dice the veggies small so you get a wonderful mouthful of everything in each bite! (Any good food chopper will do. I love my Pampered Chef though, it is really sturdy!) I also use ORGANIC when ever possible.

• 1 (7 oz) can of tuna, drained and flaked
• ½ cup fine fresh bread crumbs
• ½ cup celery – finely chopped
• 2 Tbps onion – finely diced
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp chili sauce (find near the ketchup at the store)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Optional if too wet: 1 egg; additional ¼ c breadcrumbs
• 4 hamburger buns (I use whole wheat)
• Condiments, lettuce and tomatoes

Combine first 4 ingredients. Stir into tuna. Form into 4 patties. If too wet add 1 egg and about ¼ c additional bread crumbs.  (If you have time let sit in the fridge for ½ hour to absorb the bread crumbs – optional).
Fry patties in a skillet over medium heat about 5 minutes or until browned.
Put a patty on each bun with your favorite condiments as well as a slice of tomato and lettuce.
Serves 4 (depending on what size you make the patties)

NOTE: For 6 patties I doubled the recipe. My patties were large enough to fill the big wheat buns. I also added 1/4 cup of diced red bell pepper to the recipe. Yum!

This is a quick and easy dinner, great for those that do not eat red meat or just enjoy a change from the regular hamburger. I try to use as many whole and organic products as possible. I hope you do too. DO experiment and enjoy!

Cook tuna patties on the stove, flipping over when browned.

Enjoy this quick meal for lunch or dinner!

Tuna Burgers are great with condiments such as mayo, mustard, tomato, and lettuce.

Stuffed with spinach, cheese and sour cream, this turkey meatloaf is tasty and an excellent non-red meat version of an old American favorite.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup finely chopped onion (dry onions work also)
• 1/2 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons bacon bits (we never used that ourselves – sounds good though)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 1/ Tsp black pepper
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry or one pkg of fresh organic spinach – wilted.
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I have used jack as well)

Combine turkey, onion, bread crumbs, peppers, eggs, bacon bits, thyme, S&P, mix well. Typically, I take the spinach and put into a pan of water and heat on the stove to wilt a little, because I use fresh spinach. Either fresh or frozen will work.

In a separate bowl combine the spinach, sour cream, and cheese.
Build the base of loaf with a hollow and fill will spinach cheese and cream mixture.
Use rest of meat mixture to cover.
Bake about 50 minutes.

This recipe is great to improvise and you’ll find it easy to make your own version! I have used fresh spinach, fresh thyme and also different types of cheeses. I always try for organic products, but do what works best for you and your budget. Experiment and enjoy!  – Nancy

Loaves - Ready to Fill

Mixing the filling for the turkey meagloaves

Filling the Meatloaves (shown one filled and topped, one just filled and ready for the top).

Two Turkey Meatloaves topped with catchup and ready to bake

This version is also great for that meatloaf sandwich the next day!

Ingredients

• Red snapper (We look for about the smallest package, which is usually too much for a dinner for 2)
• 2 cloves garlic sliced thin
• 1/8 Cup olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 fennel (slice root up and save feathers for the uncovered cooking portion)
• 1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
• 1/2 cup tomatoes diced (canned diced tomatoes work great all year long and  tastes good.)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• Good pinch pepper and salt (may not be needed if you are trying to avoid salt)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Remove any bones in the fish if necessary. You should be able to just grab ‘em and pull ‘em right out. Find ‘em by running your hand again the grain.

Rinse fish then cut some slits along the body of fish and stuff with garlic slices. (If you are in a hurry just layer the fish with sliced garlic and chop up second clove adding it to step five

Rub fish with oil.

Pour remaining oil into a 9×11 glass baking dish along with the fresh squeezed lemon juice and half of the sliced fennel root and any remaining garlic.

Place fish into baking dish and top with diced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and pour over the wine. Top with remaining sliced fennel and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cover with foil and cook 20-25 minutes

Uncover and use the fennel tops(the fluffy stuff) to cover the dish and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!
Shaun and Val

I LOVE MY LATTE

I can’t help myself – I LOVE MY 16 oz triple shot skinny LATTE every morning. (Still nothing like the flat white I got in New Zealand a few years ago, but good enough.)

YUM! I am getting my own espresso machine at home so I can make them all organic!

I currently have become aware of two sites that I can I highly recommend – to my sisters in all walks of life – and my brothers, too. One is a friend of ours: Lani Rossetta. Lani has a passion for three things: yoga, raw food and labyrinths. I am focusing on the raw foods on my Happy Tummy blog. Lani had a class for us and a few other local friends and that is where we first learned about agave. She has a few raw food books available and guess what, my husband Bruce and I are in one! Anyway, I do have a sweet tooth and she made the most wonderful pudding with a base of avocados!

I was inspired to paint an avocado!

 I was unable to make that class and Bruce brought me a sample and asked me what I thought the secret ingredient was. All I could think of was CHOCOLATE! Yumm! It was the most delicious, creamiest pudding ever. You must visit Lani’s site. It is called Froga Yoga, Raw Food and Labyrinths. Do check it out. Thank you Lani for taking the time to help us live longer and healthier lives.

The other site, I just started perusing is Debra Lynn Dadd’s Sweet Savvy.com. This is only one in a few of Debra Lynn’s wonderful sites and I am finding them full to the brim with some of the best information: from using agave as a replacement for sugar (love that!) to green living, eliminating toxic chemicals from your home, and so much more. I can’t wait to read, read and read. She has a FREE newsletter that you may just want to subscribe to, also. I did. Thanks Debra for sharing and helping us help create in ourselves and our world a healthier, happy place for us to reside – body and planet. 

Blessings to you both,

Nancy

Eat well, live long and healthy. Cheers to you!

NOTE: Because of these two ladies and the info I am gathering going forward I will be experimenting more and more with eliminating processed sugar from my recipes.

It is fall tomorrow – September 22nd (2008). I live in Oregon in the Pacific North West right above the California border. I LOVE peaches! Peaches were being sold at the local orchards last week-end and I was in heaven…and still am!  We have a few left and some in the freezer for my blended smoothies. There is nothing like the indescribably amazing taste of a nice ripe juicy peach – the smell, the texture,… the juice running down the chin. AND there is nothing better than supporting your local orchard AND coming home with 21 pounds of delightfully fragrant ripe peaches.

I discovered this recipe online and made a few changes. The original was from Allrecipes.com. Search under “Southern Peach Cobbler.” (Thank you to the person that submitted the original.) I found there just wasn’t enough cinnamon or topping for me so have doubled the topping and the cinnamon both.

INGREDIENTS:

• 10 fresh ripe peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

TOPPING:

• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup boiling water

MIX TOGETHER:

• 6 tablespoons white (or raw sugar)
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Blanch the peaches in a pan of boiling water about 1 min. Remove from pan and run under cold water. Skins will then slide off easily, IF ripe enough.

Cut peaches in thin wedges or chunks, depending on your preference.

In a large bowl, combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 13 x 9 oblong baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips, or a pastry blender, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined.

Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes.

I would love to learn how to make this using agave nectar instead of sugar. It is a liquid so I will have to experiment with agave and maple syrup and see how it turns out. Agave is much better for those that cannot tolerate sugar, such as those with diabetes.
I found a great site called Sweet Savvy: Natural Sweetner Recipes which has a lot of information about the Agave Nectar. Here in Oregon, it is easy to find and reasonable in price. I find it at my local grocery store in the health food section. It is a must try for better health.

My husband, Bruce, makes the best granola ever! I am always counting calories, so I top my high fiber, organic breakfast cereal with a tablespoon or two for a little YUM, along with frozen blueberries, or add it to my yogurt or low fat frozen yogurt as a topping. What a treat!

Bruce writes: “I’ve been making this granola off and on since my college days; I think it might have originally been an Adele Davis recipe that my Mom modified, and I’ve created my variation here”: 

Ingredients: (fresh, organic preferred wherever possible) 
Liquid Ingredients: 
1 cup of honey (local if possible) 
1 cup of non-hydrogenated coconut oil (or other veg. oil) 
Solid Ingredients: 
5 cups of rolled oats 
1 cup sunflower seeds (hulled) 
1 cup sesame seeds 
Optional Ingredients: 
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans and/or your favorite) 
1 cup shredded coconut 
1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, pitted dates, and/or your favorite) 

Directions: 
In a large oblong pan, thoroughly mix all the dry and optional ingredients. 
Then mix in the oil thoroughly. Bake at 300 degrees F. for 20 minutes. 
Carefully remove (with hot pads  and thoroughly mix in the honey. 
Bake at 300 degrees F. for another 20 minutes. Check again; if needed, 
bake at 300 degrees F. or an additional 10-20 minutes. Allow to cool 
and store in a covered container.

My husband, Bruce, rarely cooks. Mostly he fixes salads for dinner, sandwiches for lunch and for breakfast, French toast. His sister, Gayle, who lives in So. California, sent this recipe to him and with a few little personal changes, this became a specialty all his own. (I am so happy he is cooking – and it is very good!) I am sure you could add chicken or cubed tofu, if you wanted to add some additional protein. We also use chicken broth, because the flavor is good.

12 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ready in: 55 minutes

Ingredients: (fresh, organic preferred wherever possible)

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  1 (1 Pound) package frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  2-3 Tablespoons ground cumin
  2-3 Tablespoons fresh or dried cilantro
  1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  3 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
  4 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth (or 2 cartons)
  1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn (or 1/2 bag frozen corn)
  1 can black beans or pinto beans
  12 ounces tortilla chips
  1 avocado diced
  optional: salt and pepper to taste
  optional: 1 cup shredded cheese (jack or cheddar)
  optional: sour cream as garnish

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the pepper and onion,
garlic, cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth, and season with
salt and pepper (optional). Bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, and simmer
30 minutes.

Mix corn & cilantro into the soup and continue cooking 5 minutes. Serve in bowls
over equal amounts of tortilla chips. Top with avocado. Optional: Top with
cheese and/or sour cream.

This will warm you up on a winters day! Eat and enjoy! – Nancy