Split pea soup of a cold fall day

I never liked split-pea soup when I was a child, just ask my mom. I hated it in fact and when I told my mom recently then I found an amazing recipe for it and I loved it she was not happy. What can I say though your tastes definitely change over time. Especially as you become an adult more and more can change that you would thought you would never have tried.


This pea soup is wholesome and pure nutrition in a bowl. I love it. It is getting quite cold in Maine and its perfect for this time of the year. Plus you can put it in the crock pot and let it sit all day and when you get home dinner is done.


So on with the recipe!


You will need:

2 cups of split peas
2 cups of chopped black forest ham
4 celery stalks with leaves chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic chopped up
1/4 cup of fresh parsley chopped
2 bay leafs
5 1/2 cups of vegetable broth



Small note if you completely withhold the ham this soup is completely vegetarian. Maybe add a dried bean to it like cannellini beans or another white bean that will hold up to the cooking process.



Then pile all your ingredients into your crock pot and set it on low for 8 to 10 hrs.

Then serve it up with a grilled cheese sandwich and you have dinner done! It is an amazing healthy meal to have at the end of a long day. Give it a shot!

Enjoy !!!

Hippie Chow ! ....what?!?! That's right I said it Hippie Chow!

If you ever want a giant boost in how your feeling. Or if you ever want a meal that you know just by looking at it that it is good for you.....try Hippie Chow. This amazing recipe comes from one my favorite food blogs Bread and Honey. You first start by getting all your vegetables together.

You will need

A bunch of Kale

2 zucchini

2 yellow squash

2 beets

3 carrots

2 red potatoes

onion

garlic

You will want to chop everything up besides the kale, onion, and garlic then put it on a baking tray like you see below and drizzle some olive oil and salt and pepper on top of it. Then roast your vegetables at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

While your vegetables are roasting you will want to prepare the quinoa. I usually make it in my rice cooker. But you can cook it on your stove top by putting 1 cup of quinoa per 2 cups of water.

Then you will want to cook the onions and garlic until they are fragrant and translucent. Then take your kale and separate it from the stem that runs up the middle of each piece of kale. Rinse your kale then add it to the onions and garlic. Put 1/4 cup of water in the pan then put a cover on the pan and steam the kale through.

Then you should assemble your masterpiece! Put about 1 cup of quinoa on your plate. Then some of your roasted veggies and then the kale/onion/garlic mixture. I also grill some chicken and slice it up and put it on top too.

I cant tell you the calories that are in this dinner -- well I could, but why waste the time. I can tell you all the glorious nutrients and benefits you will get by making this for dinner one night.

Kale = referred to as a nutritional powerhouse, lots of calcium, iron, it also has 7 times the amount of beta carotene as broccoli

Carrots = mass amount of beta caraotene

Zucchini = This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Niacin and Pantothenic Acid, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

Squash = fiber, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C

Beets = folate, magnesium, potassium

Chicken = good lean protein

Quinoa = good dietary fiber, 12-18% protein, and iron!

How can you deny yourself this great nutritional meal ???

Most delicious turkey meatloaf !

Outside of my mom's turkey meatloaf this one is pretty amazing. My mom's is pretty stellar and every time I have tried to make it's not the same. Let's face it's mom's meatloaf it's the best nothing beats it. I got this recipe from an old issue of a real simple magazine that was laying around at work. I think it was from back in 2002 and sitting in a dusty bin full of magazines. It is everything meatloaf should be...healthy, filling, not dry and appealing to the eye.

You will need 1.3 - 1.5 pounds of ground turkey, 2 tbs of Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup of ketchup, 1 large egg white, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, 2 cups of chopped spinach, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs.

Put all your ingredients into one bowl. Mix them thoroughly with your hands. I know I know, but just do it. It is an easy way and quick way to mix it all up completely.

Then put it into a loaf pan until it is even on top. Then put it into a 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. It will come out all bubbly and delicious. I served it up with some red potato mashed potatoes with the skins left on for more nutrition with some added buttermilk that gives it a bite that was to die for and some baked brussel spouts. This was such a filling meal and it was perfect for a 40ish degree day when all you want to do is crawl into your comfy clothes and watch movies with your other half.

Give it a shot!

Enjoy !!!!!

fruit finds

I just wanted to showcase one of the local farmers I found has amazing fruit this time of the year. It is Avalon Acres Orchard and Farm Store they are part of the Maine Highlands Farmers Association. They are located in St. Albans, but come to the Brewer Farmer's Market weekly.

They recently had these amazing pears. I had to buy some and put some pictures up as they are just the not typical pear you find in your local grocery store. The other great part about it is that the price was 4 pears or apples for $1.00. This time of year I urge you to take advantage of your local growers. The price of most fall vegetables and fruit frequently becomes lower as the fall season goes on.

How can you not want to get some of these?

I must say Im pretty proud of my fruit bowl this week....

quick and easy pasta salad

If you ever need something quick to take to a party or a work lunch try this pasta salad. It is always a pleaser and it so so so easy to throw together. You need 1lb of cooked capellini pasta, 1 can of sliced olives, 3 carrots grated, 1 red bell pepper chopped, 1 cup of crumbled feta, 1 large head of broccoli. Then add in the cold cooked pasta into the chopped vegetable mixture. Then add 1/2 a bottle of Newman's Own family recipe Italian dressing and your done.

It is very easy and is delicious. Sorry for the simple recipe that isn't very interesting, but its good!!!

Enjoy !!!

beef and bok choy

Bok Choy has always interested me. I have to admit that I never really knew how to use it. I guess that may sound a little weird, but I just never had a recipe that it would make sense for. I recently made this beef and bok choy stir-fry and it was great. This would work just as well with chicken or tofu! I strongly suggest doing this. If you want to try a new vegetable but you unsure of how to use it look it up! Just try and you probably will be pleasantly surprised.

You will want to pick up a head of bok choy. You can find it next to the cabbages in the produce section of your local grocery store. You will want to clean it up a bit. If there are any brown spots or small holes you will need to chop those off. Then put all your cleaned up parts of the bok choy in a strainer and rinse thoroughly.

Then you will want to brown your meat or protein of choice. Whether it is beef, chicken, or tofu brown it in a fry-pan on both sides like in the picture below.

Then mix your sauce together. You will need to mix 2 tbs of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbs of ginger, 1 tbs of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of soy sauce.

Once your sauce is mixed thoroughly take your cleaned bok choy and return it back to the fry pan then add 1/4 cup of water cover and steam the bok choy through.

Slice your beef, chicken, or extra-firm tofu top that on top of some brown rice. Then add on the steamed bok choy. Then the sauce that you mixed up earlier. This is such a clean meal that you will completely feel good once you eat it!

Give it a shot!

Enjoy !!!!!

quick frozen yogurt

This happened because I really wanted some form of a dessert after dinner and I didn't have anything in the house. I started to look around and I had some frozen strawberries, a frozen banana, a plain Greek yogurt, honey, agave nectar, and some vanilla.

There is no real recipe here, but a lesson. See what you have in your house and make do before you go out and buy more groceries.



So I put all of the above items in my magic bullet blender and let it do the work. Then I froze it up until it got frozen yogurt got frozen yougurty....It helped to check on it every hour or so until we were ready to enjoy it and scrape the surface and stir it up a bit so it doesn't solidify too much.


Then you have some delicious frozen yogurt like you see above. It was pretty good and satisfyingly sweet enough for dessert!

any questions let me know ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Enjoy !!!

sweet and spicy thai chicken

I have been using lemongrass and turmeric more and more in my cooking....all I have to say is Thai food is something else and making it in the comfort of your own home is even better. It makes for an extremely comforting and satisfying meal. Give it a try!

This marinade is amazing. I must say that even though I did it on chicken I think it would be literally amazing if it was used as a marinade for tofu. It was so delicious I think I want to make a veggie noodle with this marinade used for tofu. Its on the list for next week! This does have a lot of ingredients in it, but they are readily available and you most likely have several of them in your pantry right now! So use up what you have and put them into this awesome marinade!!!

Put 2 chicken breasts or one slab of extra-firm tofu in a ziploc bag or a reusable container. Then put it 2 garlic cloves minced, 3 tbs of finely minced lemongrass, 3 1/2 tbs of coconut milk, 1/2 tsp of white pepper, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1 tbs fish sauce, 3 tbs brown sugar.

Then mix it up with your hands so it gets thoroughly mixed and coated well like in the picture above. See its not even cooked yet and it looks good doesn't it???? I would let it marinade in the fridge overnight. I baked this chicken, but it would be even more tasty if it was grilled. I know its getting a little cool in most areas of new england now, but fire up the grill and try it!

Then cook it in an oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. I cooked it along with some israeli couscous and some zucchini and yellow squash it was one heck of a meal!

Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

granola

This granola bar recipe is adapted from Alton Brown. If you don't know who Alton Brown is let me just say this.......your crazy! Alton Brown is a proud member of the Food Network Team and he is wonderful. His approach to cooking is actually real and while watching his show Good Eats you learn lots and lots about the science behind cooking.

If this recipe appears unhealthy I assure you it is not. It is delicious and there is lots and lots of great healthy things in it. If you feel that there is anything unhealthy about just remember moderation!!!! Don't eat 1/2 the tray the night you make it. I suggest making it on a Sunday that way you have enough time and that way you can package them up in saran wrap so you can easily take they for a snack during the work day.

Before you scan down and see that there is m&m's in it don't have a panic attack over it. There is a small pack of m&m's in an entire tray of granola bars. So in each granola bar you may have 4-5 m&m's. I'd say that's okay!!!

So let's get started. I recommend finding some place you can buy these items in bulk. It will allow you not only to save money, but it will allow you to get exactly what you need. So even though there isn't much to see in the picture below it strongly illustrates the importance of getting items in bulk. It makes everything easier and in the end there is no waste.

You will need several items to begin.....

- one small pack of m&m's, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut, 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, 1 cup of slivered almonds, 2 cups of oatmeal, 1 cup of craisins, and 1 cup of raisins...

You start by toasting the almonds, walnuts, and oatmeal in 350 degree oven for 16-20 minutes. Check it about half way through so it is not getting to brown.

In a separate bowl put the coconut, sunflower seeds, m&m's, craisins, and the raisins then set aside. Once the the oatmeal and nut mixture is toasted mix in with the rest of the ingredients like in the picture below.

Holy cow I almost forget the healthiest part 1/2 cup of ground flax meal! Take the 1/2 cup of it and mix thoroughly with the granola mixture.

Then melt in a saucepan 2 tbs of butter (I used a low low fat butter and it still tasted great), 2 tbs of brown sugar, then 2/3 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of light corn syrup, and 2 tsp of vanilla. Melt through until the sugar and butter have completely melted and it is a smooth and creamy mixture.

Then reduce the heat on your oven to 300 degrees. Take the liquid honey mixture and mix it into the oatmeal mixture. Do this until all the pieces in the granola look wet. Then put a piece of foil in the bottom of a baking dish and put some pam on so it will be easy to remove your bars once they are cooked. Once it is in the pan press down with the back of your spoon. Put it the 300 degree oven for 20 minutes until it is nicely golden brown on top. When you take it out it has to completely cool before you cut it otherwise they will completely fall apart. I'm serious!

They are are delicious and if you think of the health benefits of the walnuts, almonds, craisins, raisins, flax meal, and natural sugars of the honey how can they not be good for you??? I think all those health benefits will let you not have a panic attack about the 4-5 m&m's you may have.

Enjoy !!!!

steak and caramelized onion sandwich

This is steak and onions 2009! This is such a good alternative to the regular sirloin steak with onion and mushrooms. Granted if you do like some occasional red meat then you probably are a fan of the mushrooms, onions, and steak combo --- but this is completely re-done or remixed and because of that it is so much more healthy for you.


You first should start out by grilling your flank steak. I usually do it on my handy dandy George foreman. It makes it quicker and to be honest it does come out tasting a little better.



Once it is done cut it on an angle to make sandwich sized pieces and cover with foil and set aside.
Like in the picture above....

Then you want to begin your onion mixture. You should heat 1 tbs of oil in a fry pan. Then add 2 onions sliced thin. Shake on 1 tsp of thyme and 2 tbs of sugar. Mix thoroughly and wait until the magic happens!!!

When they start to look like the picture below add in 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.

Then assemble your sandwich. I get these low-fat long sub roll buns at our local grocery store so I can feel a little better about eating a steak sandwich for dinner. But take a little look at the picture below and think of your food pyramid.....look at how well-balance that meal is!

I usually cut the bun open, put some mayo in, then salt and pepper, then some of the steak, then onions, then more onions, then top with some tomatoes. I cooked it this night with some baked broccoli and a spinach salad. It was amazing!!! I'm thinking about making it again next week!


Enjoy !!!!!

Speaking of panko bread crumbs .....

When I was a kid I loved fish sticks, which was probably not a good thing. I realized that more when I started cooking and once I found this healthy recipe for baked fish sticks how bad the frozen ones really were. I don't think I have ever eaten the frozen ones since I was a kid but now because of these baked ones I have erased the others from my memory. They are phenomenal and I wouldn't go back to the frozen sodium ridden mixed fish sticks for anything.



I will try to not go on a rant about frozen food, but its hard. Frozen food can be extremely unhealthy. More often than not frozen is capable of being frozen because of the amount of salt and extra preservatives that are in it. I am only referring to frozen dinners, quick burritos, pre-made appetizers that are frozen, and breakfast options that you know are unhealthy just by looking at them.



There are a lot of good options for frozen food too. Check out this article on Building Nutrition. It clearly outlines the great point of frozen food and the not so great.



So on with the healthy baked fish sticks !!!



You start by placing your breading supplies in three separate dishes. Put 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 2 tbs of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of pepper, and the zest of one lemon in the first dish. Then 1 egg and 1 egg white into the next dish. Then about 2 cups of panko bread crumbs into the third dish.





Then prepare your fish. I have only ever done this with tilapia. Not only does it taste great, but it really hold up well to the breading. I use about 3/4-1 lb for two people and it gives my husband and I about 5-6 smaller pieces each.





Once your fish is breaded place it on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. I have been cooking them about 13 minutes when I do it. I basically wait until they look golden brown to take them out and I made 3-4 times and it always works. Then you bread your fish first by dipping in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then the panko bread crumbs.






Then plate them up with some lemons, veggies, and quinoa or short-grain brown rice and you have a complete meal !!!


Enjoy !!!

thrown together dinner

Some days you just have to see what you have in the cupboard throw together dinner. This is it for us our stand-by meal that is insanely satisfying and good every season of the year. I also keep some tortiloni's in the cupboard and I always have chicken, eggs, flour, and panko bread crumbs.

This is so easy and simple. It also takes next to nothing to throw together.

Cook your tortiloni as the package says mix in sauce to coat the tortiloni thoroughly. Bread your chicken by coating it in flour, salt and pepper first. Then coat in eggs that have been beaten. Then transfer it into panko bread crumbs. The panko bread crumbs are far superior for breading things like chicken. It keeps the chicken much more moist and leaves it with a very crispy coating.

Try it some night it is quick and delicious....

Enjoy!!

Shredded Chicken Chilli

There is nothing better than a good chilli recipe. It is a great fall meal and I have even made this in the summer and its fantastic. This chilli is great bottom line. It's something I have made for a long time and I'm not actually sure where I got the recipe.

You should start by getting your spices together. Put 6 tsp of chilli powder, 5 tsp of paprika, 4 1/2 tsp of cumin, 3 tsp of onion powder, 2 1/2 tsp garlic powder. I know this may seem like a lot of spice, but trust me it is totally worth it.


Then you should add one 8oz can of tomato sauce, 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chillies, and one can of black beans rinsed into the crock pot. Then add to that one onion chopped and 2 chicken breasts.


Set on low for 8-10 hours in your crock pot. When its ready take two forks and shred the chicken up. Then serve in a bowl with a little shredded cheese and sour cream on top. Its a meal all in one.
Enjoy !!!

Chicken Floss Curry wait no veggie curry....

I have forever wanted to try making curry at home, but some reason I have always been a little timid and nervous to try. I must say this was so so easy and it was great! It has a little heat but it gives the curry a very warm feeling and not super spicy. I strongly recommend and if you were as nervous as I was to try... just do it. Its always a little scary trying a new recipe because if it doesn't work you don't want to waste the money. I will say this the more you try new ones the better you will become at cooking in general. You will start to get a sense for what flavors will make sense and what balances out a meal.

So on with the chicken floss curry!! I got this lovely recipe from yet again my favorite blog Crepes of Wrath (which was adapted from Almost Bourdain). Thank you crepes of wrath for giving me the wonderful recipe to battle my curry fears!

You will need

2 chicken breasts - 1 red pepper - 1/2 tsp ginger - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes - 1/2 coriander

1/3 cup of peanut oil - 1/2 turmeric - 1 tsp of sesame oil - 1 tbs of curry powder

1 stick of lemongrass or 1 tbs of lemongrass paste - 1/2 tsp salt - 2 shallots and 2 garlic cloves

1 onion - 1/4 cup coconut milk - 1 green pepper - 1/2 cup of water

You start by poaching your chicken. It should take about 15 minutes to cook through. Then get your spices together. You will need 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/2 tsp of ground coriander, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tbs of curry powder, 1/2 tsp of salt. Combine them in a bowl and set aside.

Then chop up all your vegetables - 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 1 yellow squash, 1 red pepper. Once all your veggies are chopped put them in a large bowl and add 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, 1/3 cup of peanut or olive oil (I used peanut oil and it was insanely good), 1 tsp of sesame oil, then some salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly then place on a baking sheet and bake them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Then once your chicken is cooked through place it on a cutting board and shred it up with two forks. This may seem like it will be difficult, but because it was boiled it will easily come apart.

Then you need to prepare your lemongrass. You can get lemongrass paste by the fresh herbs in the produce section or give the real stuff a shot. You take the one stick, which is all you will need for this recipe, and use something heavy to bruise or break it up like in the picture below. Once it is broken apart a little remove the outer shells and minced into fine pieces.

I forgot one of the pictures that had the sauce in it so you will have to bear with me. The next step would be to start the sauce. You want to heat 2 tbs of oil in a saucepan. Then add 2 shallots and 2 garlic and saute. Then add the lemongrass and mix through until its fragrant. Add the spice mixture you set aside earlier and add it to the shallot, garlic, and lemongrass mixture saute for another minute or two. Then add 1/4 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water to the spice mixture and whisk through. Then add your shredded chicken to the sauce.

All you have left do is assemble your chicken floss curry. You can serve it over some rice and just pile the rest on top and its delicious. I would like to point out for all my vegetarian friends that this can be completely vegetarian by just removing the chicken. You would just top it with the sauce and veggies and it would be just as great.

Enjoy !!!