German Inspired Kale Soup with Whole Wheat Spaetzle

After canning a bushel of peaches today I really wasn’t much in the mood for cooking tonight, so I made soup. This is one of those clean out the refrigerator meals (like most soups) but it is different since it is flavored with German herbs. The German influence was driven by the desire to use the seitan beer brats. Once I had decided to make a German type of soup then I knew I wanted to make spaetzle.

Before today I had not made spaetzle without egg so I wasn’t quite certain it would work. My first attempt didn’t use tofu and the spaetzle texture wasn’t right. In fact, I hated the texture and immediately through it away. After considering the composition of egg (protein and fat) I decided to try the silken tofu and tahini dip I had in the refrigerator in place of egg. That substitution made a huge difference in the texture. The other change I made was to make the dough texture thicker (like a stiff waffle batter) and that should have also helped. Next time the only change I would make would be to add a little onion and garlic powder to the dough to give it more flavor, beyond that I think the recipe is perfect.

German Inspired Kale Soup with Whole Wheat Spaetzle
Serves 6

Soup Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, finely chopped
3 green onion, finely chopped
6 carrots, finely diced
1 bok choy, finely shredded (or green cabbage)
10 kale leaves, finely shredded
8 cups of water (or enough to cover the vegetables)
1 ½ teaspoons of caraway seeds
½ teaspoon of poppy seeds
½ teaspoon of dry mustard
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
3 seitan beer brats, cut in half lengthwise, sliced into ½ moons

Spaetzle Ingredients:

1 cup of whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons of silken tofu, tahini, garlic sauce
6 tablespoons of water
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon of dry mustard

Directions:

Sauté the leeks, green onion, and carrot in the olive oil until tender. Add the remaining soup ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup simmers make the spaetzle. Bring a pot of water to the bowl while you make the dough.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and dry mustard and whisks to combine. Add the tofu and stir with a fork to combine. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, stirring with each addition until the dough resembles a waffle batter.

Using a spaetzle maker, large holed grater or strainer, scrape ¼ of the dough to the top of the spaetzle maker. Use a silicon spatula to press the dough through the maker and into the boiling water. The spaetzle will fall to the bottom of the pot and will rise when they are cooked (about a minute). Remove the floating spaetzle with a strainer to a bowl of cold water to keep them from sticking together. Continue making spaetzle using one quarter of the dough at a time until you are finished.

To serve the soup, place the hot vegetables and broth in the bottom of the bowl and top with spaetzle. The hot soup will warm the spaetzle. You don’t want them to cook the second time in the soup or they will be overcooked and mushy.

Refrigerate the soup and spaetzle separately so the spaetzle do not get water logged.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 323.6
Calories From Fat (16%) - 53.18

Total Fat - 6.1g
Saturated Fat - 0.83g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1089.28mg
Potassium - 1039.96mg
Total Carbohydrates - 46.19g
Fiber - 7.23g
Sugar - 8.35g
Protein - 22.94g

Comments:

Much to my surprise my husband loved this soup. This was unexpected since he isn’t thrilled by kale and doesn’t like vinegar. When I asked what he liked about dinner tonight he told me it was caraway since I don’t normally cook with it.

Lentil Carrot and Walnut Salad

This is a salad I have made a few times but never documented. Both my husband and I like lentils and carrots so it was natural that we would like this salad. It is a great winter salad when the vegetable choices are bleak. I have made this dish without the fresh parsley and while it is still good, it is much better with the parsley if you have it.

Lentil Carrot and Walnut Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup of lentils
5 cups of water to cook the lentils
4 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon of walnut oil (or canola)
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
6 large carrots, grated
½ of walnuts, toasted and chopped
½ cup of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

Pick through and rinse lentils. Cover the lentils with the water and cook until tender. Over high heat this took 20 minutes for me. Drain the lentils and move to a large bowl with a lid.

Add the sherry vinegar, walnut oil and kosher salt to the hot lentils so that they absorb the dressing more readily. Allow the lentils to come to room temperature before adding the carrots. Once the carrots have been added the salad can be refrigerated until ready to serve.

Stir the walnuts and parsley into the salad at the last minute so the parsley remains fresh and the walnuts remain crunchy.

Serve this salad at room temperature or cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 196.02
Calories From Fat (30%) - 59.01

Total Fat - 6.96g
Saturated Fat - 0.68g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 282.75mg
Potassium - 541.71mg
Total Carbohydrates - 25.52g
Fiber - 11.46g
Sugar - 3.71g
Protein - 9.53g

Comments:

This may have been my favorite dish from dinner tonight. The lentils are acidic from the sherry vinegar but not too acidic. Grated carrot adds a nice sweet crunch. The walnut flavor is subtle but adds a little omega three as well as fatty mouth feel that all dishes need. Chopped parsley adds a nice freshness to the dish. If you are looking for a different salad this one is a good option.

Eggplant tomato sauce

Dinner tonight was Italian for a few reasons. First. Italian food is always welcome in my family. Second, I have been on such a Middle Eastern kick recently I have been neglecting my roots. Today we returned to a Sicilian inspired dinner. This is the sauce I used tonight.

I made my tomato and eggplant sauce, and I made a vat of it. If you shop at Costco and know those giant cans of tomatoes, that is what I turned into sauce today. I will put the leftovers in the freezer to use over the next month or so when I want a little sauce.

Eggplant tomato sauce
Makes 16 cups

Ingredients:

½ tablespoon of canola oil
3 cups of red onion, finely minced
4 carrots, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic minced (allow to stand 10 minutes so the allicin can develop)
102 ounces of diced tomatoes
5 cups of eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes (2 medium eggplants)
6 ounces of pitted black olives, sliced into 1/8 inch rings
1 ½ tablespoons of dried oregano, or to taste
½ tablespoon of dried thyme, or to taste
½ tablespoon of kosher salt, or to taste
½ tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or to taste

Directions:

Sauté the onion, carrot and garlic in the olive oil until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over a low simmer for at least an hour. Stir occasionally to make certain the sauce doesn’t try to stick on the bottom.

Nutritional Information (per 1 cup):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 76.99
Calories From Fat (22%) - 17.2

Total Fat - 2.03g
Saturated Fat - 0.29g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 247.95mg
Potassium - 568.49mg
Total Carbohydrates - 14.51g
Fiber - 4.77g
Sugar - 6.35g
Protein - 2.64g

Comments:

This is a good all purpose Southern Italian tomato sauce that works on pasta, pizza or anywhere else you use tomato sauce.

Beet, Apple, Carrot and Cucumber Juice

For breakfast this morning we had a piece of two whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana slices. Since the bread was posted previously I didn’t bother to take its picture or post the stats again. However, I did make a vegetable and fruit juice this morning that I have not posted previously.

Those of you who know me know how much I love my Vitamix blender. I use that blender everyday, and sometimes more than once a day. That blender makes the best smoothies, juices (with the fiber) and quick soup. If you haven’t tried a Vitamix I highly recommend them. I waited a few years to buy one due to the price tag and now I can’t imagine not having this blender.

Since our breakfast was devoid of vegetables I decided to make a vegetable and fruit juice. My husband is not crazy about tomato based juices so I didn’t want to use tomatoes. Then I remembered the baby beets I bought to make a salad. Two little baby beets were enough to make this juice a beautiful magenta color. This juice tasted mostly of apple.

I really enjoyed this juice and particularly the nutrition it packed. One serving of this juice contained over 6900 IU of Vitamin A (the RDA is 3000 IU’s for adult males). Vitamin A is required for normal functioning of the immune system and plays a critical role in the development of white blood cells, which is important for preventing and fighting disease. Studies in cell culture and animal models have documented the capacity for vitamin A to reduce carcinogenesis significantly in skin, breast, liver, colon, prostate, and other sites.

To increase the nutrition of this juice, I used organic products and scrubbed the skin, but left it on the vegetables when they were “juiced”. With all the nutritents in and just under the skin I think it makes a big difference in terms of overall nutrition to leave the skin on the fruits and veggies.

This juice is mild in flavor and tastes mostly like apple, with a little beet flavor in the background. We liked this juice enough that I may make it everynight and keep it in the refrigerator to have with our breakfast. This juice is a tasty way to get a little extra vegetable nutrition in each day.

Beet, Apple, Carrot and Cucumber Juice
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 baby beets, scrubbed
1 apple, scrubbed and cored
1 large carrot, scrubbed
4 inches of seedless cucumber
1 cup of filtered water

Directions:

Cut fruit and vegetables into chunks and place in your blender with the water. Blend until completely smooth. You may need to add additional water depending on the power of your blender. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 85.69
Calories From Fat (4%) - 3.3

Total Fat - 0.4g
Saturated Fat - 0.08g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 66.21mg
Potassium - 490.55mg
Total Carbohydrates - 21.1g
Fiber - 4.46g
Sugar - 13.59g
Protein - 1.89g

Comments:

This juice tastes like apple with a little beet in the background. The overall flavor is mild, but pleasant. Both my husband and I liked this juice. I plan to make this juice regularly and keep it in the refrigerator so that we can add a little extra nutrition to our diet when we are thirsty.

Mexican Inspired Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat Berries are one of the healthiest grains available. I like to include whole grains where I can in our diet since they are a good source of B vitamins. In the summer my body seems to crave cold food and raw vegetables. I am always looking for new ways to combine whole grains and raw vegetables.

If you are unfamiliar with wheat berries they are a chewy grain whose texture is not like the other common grains we see in America. I like the somewhat “meat-like” chew of the cooked berries. This salad can be served alone, over a green salad, in a lettuce cup, or sprinkled on a whole wheat wrap that was spread with hummus.

Mexican Inspired Wheat Berry Salad
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups of pressure cooked wheat berries
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 tablespoons of lime juice (or apple cider vinegar)
1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
½ teaspoon of ancho chili powder
1 tomato, diced
4 stalks of celery, finely minced
4 inches of seedless cucumber, finely minced
1 carrot, grated
¼ cup of cilantro, finely minced

Direction:

Combine all the ingredients and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 140.78
Calories From Fat (19%) - 27.08

Total Fat - 3.1g
Saturated Fat - 0.29g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 18.7mg
Potassium - 255.31mg
Total Carbohydrates - 25.13g
Fiber - 4.87g
Sugar - 1.71g
Protein - 5.47g

Comments:

This salad has a mild flavor. The garlic flavor is subtle, and the vegetables do not overpower. If you like a lot of flavor in your salad I would recommend you add a little finely minced red onion and a little more ancho chili powder. You could also add a little cayenne if you want some “heat” in your cold salad.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Lime and Vanilla Dressing

When the weather is warm I don’t like making mayonnaise based salad dressings. Today I felt like making a slaw, but it turned into this salad. In my opinion what separates this salad from a slaw is the absence of the acidic hit you typically get from the vinegar in most slaw dressing.

I wanted to use cabbage today because it is a cruciferous vegetable and they are known for their cancer fighting abilities. Citrus fruit is high in flavonoids and is also reported to fight cancer.

This salad is light and refreshing. It is also somewhat sweet from the fresh pineapple. The vanilla gives the salad a floral note that I particularly enjoyed. We thought this salad was much better than the sum of its parts.

Tropical Cabbage Salad with Lime and Vanilla Dressing
Servings 6

Ingredients:

½ head of green cabbage, finely shredded
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
¾’s of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and finely julienned
1 red apple, cored and julienned
1 carrot, grated
1 pink grapefruit, supremed and cut into bite size pieces
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

Toss cabbage with kosher salt and refrigerate for 3 hours. After three hours place the cabbage in a wire mesh strainer and rise thoroughly to remove the salt. Spin the cabbage dry in a salad spinner. Place the cabbage in a large bowl big enough to allow you to toss the ingredients. Add remaining fruit and vegetables to the cabbage. Whisk together the lime juice, canola oil and vanilla. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to thoroughly combine. Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 122.47
Calories From Fat (19%) - 23.28

Total Fat - 2.65g
Saturated Fat - 0.21g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 12.51mg
Potassium - 282.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 26.55g
Fiber - 3.98g
Sugar - 17.7g
Protein - 1.36g

Comments:

This is a very interesting salad in a good way. I hesitated to call this slaw because the dominant acid that is standard in slaw is missing. The salad is crunchy and slightly sweet. The floral note from the vanilla is more obvious than I intended, but is quite nice. The combination of lime and vanilla is much better than I anticipated. Everyone enjoyed this salad today, even my very picky omnivore parents who kept all the leftovers.

Gazpacho with Olive Oil

It was late before we had dinner last night so I didn’t want to make something heavy. I wanted gazpacho, but we were out of avocados. I love my gazpacho with avocados but since we were out of them I made a more traditional version of this cold soup.

This version of gazpacho is lower in fat and calories than my avocado version. I still prefer my avocado version, but this is a good substitute. The soup is packed with flavor (I used the higher amount of hot crushed peppers) and nutrition. I like soups that are a complete meal. Cold soups are a particular favorite of mine because the only thing you need to clean is the blender.

The lycopene in the tomatoes, combined with the olive oil, is thought to protect men from prostate cancer. The fresh garlic helps to reduce your cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancer. Red bell peppers are packed with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. I added the carrots to this version of gazpacho to add a good source of beta-carotene to the soup. I wasn’t able to taste the carrots in the final soup. I will be continuing to add carrots to my gazpacho from now on.

If you need a quick dinner and want something cold this is a good option.

Gazpacho with Olive Oil
Makes 2 entrée sized servings

Ingredients:

28 ounces of diced tomatoes
3 carrots, cut into chunks
¼ of a red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 –2 tablespoons of hot crushed peppers (wet hots)
½ - 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
½ seedless cucumber, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine everything except the cucumber and bell pepper in the blender and process until it is completely smooth. Begin with the smaller amount of hot crushed peppers and salt and taste once the mixture is smooth. Add more if necessary.

Store the soup in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Chill bowls to serve the soup. Pour the soup into the chilled bowls and top with diced cucumber and bell pepper. I always add a little grind of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to the top of the soup before serving.

You can top the soup with fresh minced cilantro and/or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you like.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 283.88
Calories From Fat (46%) - 131.98

Total Fat - 14.98g
Saturated Fat - 2.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 579.47mg
Potassium - 1615.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.84g
Fiber - 10.69g
Sugar - 20.56g
Protein - 6.23g

Comments:

This makes a large amount of soup that is enough to be an entire meal. If you want a little more protein in the meal, you can include a little cooked and cooled edamame or a bean dip with raw vegetables to dip.

My husband and I both think this makes a nice dinner when the weather is warm. We do prefer our avocado version for its creaminess, but this one makes a great substitute and has fewer calories and fat grams.

If you are concerned about the fat in this version of gazpacho I would suggest you don't order it when you are out. Most traditional recipes for gazpacho use 3 or 4 times the amount of olive oil compared to my version. So that you have a comparison, each tablespoon of olive oil adds 14 grams of fat and 120 calories, which is most of the fat in this recipe.

Spicy Tomato Vegetable Juice

Question: What do you do when you get a nasty summer cold with a sore throat and blocked sinuses?

Answer: I suggest a spicy tomato based vegetable juice with raw onion and garlic.

I have been fighting a cold for a few days and late last night the cold won. This morning my throat was sore and my sinuses were blocked. In the old days I would have made a pot of chicken soup. Since chicken soup is out I turn to vegetable juice, which is much quicker and easier to make when you feel lousy.

Today I made a tomato based vegetable juice with raw onion and garlic to open my sinuses. Within 5 minutes of my first sip my nasal passages were open and I could breathe through my nose. Being able to breathe normally makes a cold so much easier to tolerate. I keep this juice in the refrigerator and will sip on a small glass every few hours so that I can keep my sinuses open.

This juice is best for people that enjoy big flavors and bit of heat. There is a lot of “bite” from the raw onion and garlic that comes through in the flavor. The hot crushed peppers add heat to the juice. You can tame the assertiveness by adding less of the onion and garlic, but that is the part that I believe opens the sinuses. However, if you don’t have a cold and just want to make your own tomato juice I would reduce the onion and garlic by half to start.

Garlic has been used for hundreds of years as a natural antibiotic. Since I am not a scientist I cannot prove that it does any good, but I do know that I feel better when I consume garlic at the first notion of a cold.

Spicy Tomato Vegetable Juice
Makes 4 – 6 ounce servings

Ingredients:

14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 carrot, scrubbed and roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, scrubbed and roughly chopped
¼ of a red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon of hot crushed peppers (wet hots)
½ teaspoon of dulse flakes
¼ teaspoon of celery seed
½ cup of filtered water

Directions:

Toss everything in the blender and process until it is completely smooth. Store in a sealed jar until ready to drink. This juice is best served very cold.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 33.19
Calories From Fat (6%) - 2.14

Total Fat - 0.26g
Saturated Fat - 0.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 175.69mg
Potassium - 312.46mg
Total Carbohydrates - 7.69g
Fiber - 1.99g
Sugar - 3.64g
Protein - 1.24g

Comments:

I would describe this as tomato juice with the volume turned up. The juice is spicy from the raw onion, garlic and hot crushed peppers. It has a nice thick texture, which is still drinkable. I make juices like this when I have a cold and want to open my sinuses without medication. The raw onion and garlic are great for sinus relief.

This juice is also good with jarred roasted red peppers and smoked paprika. There are many variations of cold vegetables juices that you can make in the blender. Once you get started making them you may not buy the canned varieties any longer.

Bulgur and Vegetable Salad

I love a cold grain and vegetable salad. This one combines the benefits of whole grain with added nutrition from the raw vegetables. This salad is packed with vegetables and flavor. It has a little heat from the hot crushed peppers and flavor from the lemon juice and zest. The crunch of the cold vegetables add a nice textural counterpoint to the cooked grain.

Bulgur and Vegetable Salad
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups of bulgur, uncooked
4 cups of water
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
2 lemons, juice and zest
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of edamame, shelled
1 seedless cucumber, cut into quarters lengthwise and then sliced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 carrots, grated
2 tablespoons of hot crushed peppers
½ teaspoon of dulse granules
1 pound of raw asparagus, sliced fine
½ pound of sugar snap peas, sliced

Directions:

Cook bulgur in water with salt in a covered pan until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes on medium heat). Add lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil to warm bulgur. When salad has cooled, add the prepared vegetables and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 205.31
Calories From Fat (14%) - 29.71

Total Fat - 3.46g
Saturated Fat - 0.49g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 148.35mg
Potassium - 589.13mg
Total Carbohydrates - 38.44g
Fiber - 10.82g
Sugar - 5.49g
Protein - 9.15g

Comments:

This salad has a little heat from the hot crushed peppers, and plenty of flavor. It travels well, and makes a great lunch with some raw baby spinach, broccoli sprouts and sunflower seeds. I added the spinach and broccoli sprouts for the additional cancer fighting benefits.

Vegetable and Black Fungus Stir Fry

Sometimes I want a quick meal with items that I have on hand. This stir fry is that type of recipe. Since I had the cooked brown rice in the refrigerator from making the brown rice milk yesterday this meal came together in about 15 minutes.

The dish is a little high in sodium, but it is not as high in sodium as it would have been had I used soy sauce. If you are unfamiliar with liquid aminos you should look for it in your store. It tastes like soy sauce but has less sodium than even the popular low sodium soy sauces on the market.

This dish is low in calories, but is very filling from all the vegetables. We had a huge bowl of this dish, which left us both full.

The garlic, ginger and onions are high in antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory. Consuming mushrooms has been linked to a lower incidence of breast cancer. The varied colors of the vegetables in this dish maximize the vitamins and nutrients you will be consuming. You will notice the dish doesn’t have a lot of green. I have been a green binge lately so decided to give the green a little bit of a break tonight.

Vegetable and Black Fungus Stir Fry
makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

10 dried black fungus mushroom
4 cups of water to rehydrate mushrooms
1 red onion, slivered
1 carrot, cut in half and sliced
1 red bell pepper, slivered
2 stalks of celery, slivered
1 inch of ginger, julienned
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of sriracha
3 tablespoons of liquid aminos
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
2 cups of cooked brown basmati rice

Directions:

Put dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl with the water and microwave for three minutes. Allow to sit while you prep the remaining vegetables.

Slice red onions, carrot, red bell pepper, and celery.

For the sauce, julienne the ginger, mince the garlic and put them in a small bowl. Add the sriracha, liquid aminos and roasted sesame oil.

Drain the black fungus mushrooms and cut into bit size pieces.

Put the sauce into a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions, celery and carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes on high to heat all the ingredients.

Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 368.44
Calories From Fat (21%) - 78.16

Total Fat - 8.93g
Saturated Fat - 1.36g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1612.03mg
Potassium - 569.74mg
Total Carbohydrates - 64.84g
Fiber - 8.45g
Sugar - 8.83g
Protein - 7.14g

Comments:

This dish is very filling and flavorful. It also has a little bit of heat to it from the sriracha. If you don’t like a lot of heat in your food, begin with half the amount of sriracha. I make similar dishes to this monthly. I like that you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. The only thing I keep the same is the sauce. Sometimes I add a little agave to the sauce to reduce the heat a little. You can also remove on tablespoon of the liquid aminos and replace it with fresh lime juice if you want to reduce the sodium without losing flavor.

Collard Wraps with Roasted Garlic Hummus, Walnuts and Grated Carrot

Tonight I decided to make an easy dinner from things I had in the refrigerator. I like to experiment with food and today I made collard wraps. I had purchased the collards from the farmers’ market this weekend because they are part of the cruciferous vegetable family. I love to include as many cancer fighting foods in our diet as I can.

This was my first time to make collard wraps and it was a little more difficult than I expected, but I think that I have figured it out. Take the collard leaf and remove most of the thick stem (but not all). I sliced the bulk of the stem from the leaf. It is important not to slice out the stem completely, or it will be more difficult to keep the filling inside the wrap.

When the stem is mostly removed I smeared the bottom half of the collard (the end near the stem) with roasted garlic hummus. I put chopped walnuts, finely diced celery and grated carrot on top the hummus. Next I rolled up the filled collard like a burrito and sliced it in half and served it cold.

Collard Wraps with Hummus, Walnuts, Carrot and Celery
makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

4 large collard leaves, bulk of stem removed so they are easy to roll
½ cup of walnuts, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2 stalks of celery, finely minced
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup of roasted garlic hummus

Directions:

Mix the walnuts, carrot and celery together. Add black pepper to the nut and vegetable mixture according to your taste.

Cover bottom ½ of the collard leaf with ¼ cup of hummus. Add ¼ of the nut and vegetable mixture on top of the hummus. Roll the filled collard up like a burrito and cut in half. You can secure the wrap with a toothpick if necessary.

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 324.4
Calories From Fat (55%) 177.25

Total Fat - 21.14g
Saturated Fat - 2.06g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 495.08mg
Potassium - 625.38mg
Total Carbohydrates - 28.8g
Fiber - 9.17g
Sugar - 3.89g
Protein - 10.26g

Comments:

The collard makes a better sandwich wrap than I expected. It will take a little time to become proficient rolling the collard. However, since this is so much healthier than eating flour based wraps, I will be incorporating more collards into our diet in lieu of whole grains wraps. I think the texture of the walnuts was necessary to give this “sandwich” substance. I also believe that you need something “gooey” like a bean dip to help hold the filling in the wrap. The raw collard imparted less green flavor than I expected.

Next time I may add a few whole or lightly mashed chickpeas for texture. I also think a little lemon juice or zest would be good added to the vegetables on this sandwich.

Pasta with Peppers, Onions and Artichokes in Tomato Sauce

We eat a lot of pasta in our house. As I like to say, it is an Italian thing. Pasta makes such a fast dinner, and is a versatile food. About 5 years ago we made the switch to whole grain pasta and now white flour pasta seems too “squishy” and almost flavorless. Whole grain pasta is so much healthier for you that it is worth trying if you haven't made the switch yet.

This sauce is low in fat and calories and contains many vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene (a carotenoid) and have been widely studied for cancer preventing properties. It has been theorized that lycopene reduces most types of cancer. According to studies, the body is better able to absorb the lycopene when the tomatoes are cooked (as is the case for canned tomatoes) and are consumed with fat (olives, pine nuts and olive oil in this recipe).

The bell peppers are full of vitamins A and C, which are powerful antioxidants. Red bell peppers are also full of lycopene like tomatoes and consuming them is inversely related to many forms of cancer.

Artichokes are antioxidant powerhouses containing many different variants. They contain quercitin like onions, which is a flavonoid that is anticarcinogenic. They also contain rutin with is anti-inflammatory as well as helps to prevent cellular proliferation. The anthocyanins also lower cancer risk and promote urinary tract health. Besides tasting great, artichokes are very good for you.

Pine nuts are full of vitamins A, C and D. Pine nuts are also full of monounsaturated fat that is beneficial for the cardiovascular system. The vitamin D in pine nuts is known to help with the absorption of calcium and to boost the immune system

Pasta with Peppers, Onions and Artichokes in Tomato Sauce
Serves 6 as a main dish

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, diced
6 stalks of celery from the heart, diced
4 carrots, sliced lengthwise then cut into coins
3 red or yellow peppers sliced, 1/2" strips
1/2 cup dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
28 ounces diced tomato
14 ounces tomato sauce
15 ounce can of artichokes, drained and cut into 1/4's
4 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon, oregano - dried
1/2 teaspoon, thyme - dried
12 silican olives pitted and minced
1 tablespoon jarred crushed hot peppers (aka wet hots)
Salt and pepper to taste
13.5 ounce box whole-wheat penne, cooked according to package directions

For garnish - whole wheat panko, minced garlic, pine nut toasted in a little olive oil until lightly brown and mixed with fresh minced parsley, optional

Directions:

Sauté onions, carrot, celery and garlic in the white wine for approximately 5 minutes, or until softened slightly. Add the remaining ingredients (except pasta and garnish) and cook covered over low for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to marry. If the sauce starts to become to thick add more wine, vegetable stock or water to thin it out. Toss the cooked pasta with sauce and garnish with the breadcrumb mixture if desired.

Comments:

This is a light healthy pasta that is still somehow substantial due to the whole wheat. We eat a variation of this pasta at least once a month.

Carrot Cake Bran Muffins

In keeping with my prior post regarding breakfast I thought I should post a breakfast recipe. These muffins are moist and surprisingly tender given the amount of bran they contain. The secret to making these muffins moist is to soak the bran for at least 30 minutes. I frequently combine the bran and soymilk in a covered container and put it in the refrigerator overnight and make the muffins the next day.

If you are looking for a healthy whole grain muffin this one has a lot of flavor, and is much better for you than most muffin recipes you will find. Don't be put off my the amount of bran in the recipe. The muffin will not be hard or dry if you soak the bran as the recipe indicates.

Carrot, Raisin and Walnut Bran Muffins

Makes 12 large muffins

Wet Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups of millers bran
2 cups of vanilla soymilk
1 T of egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons of water (or 2 eggs)
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/3 cup of applesauce (no sugar added)

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 large carrot shredded
¾ cup of raisins
½ cup of chopped walnuts

Optional Ingredient:
½ cup of drained canned crushed pineapple, no sugar added (required if carrot cake like muffins are the desired outcome)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pans (makes 12 large muffins). If using metal pans they will need to be greased and floured. If using silicone pans place on half sheet pan, there is no need to grease or flour. Set pans aside for later.

Mix bran with soymilk and stir to thoroughly combine. Add remaining wet ingredients and stir again to combine. It is important to thoroughly soak the bran before making the muffins. The soaking seems to be what keeps the muffin from being gritty or dry. I have soaked the bran overnight which works great if you are the organized type.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon). Stir to thoroughly distribute the ingredients and break up any lumps of brown sugar. Add the carrot, raisins and walnuts and toss to coat the ingredients in the flour. If using the optional pineapple add it here. The pineapple makes the muffins sweeter and more like carrot cake. The muffins are good either with or without the pineapple.

Mix the dry and wet ingredients until the dry ingredients have been thoroughly combined. If you keep your flour in the freezer you may need to add as much as ½ cup of water the bowl the ingredient completely combined. This will not change the final texture. Do not mixture too long or your muffins will be tough.

Place mixture evenly in the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the interior cupcakes comes out clean. I typically check the muffins at 20 minutes, and put the pan back into the oven (in the opposite direction), for an additional 7 minutes.

When the muffins are done, cool them in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to a rack to thoroughly cool.

If you try to remove them too soon they will stick to the pan (at least that is what happens in silicon). Store in a closed container in the refrigerator. These muffins will last a week in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer if individually wrapped and sealed in a freezer bag.

Comments:

I have been using this recipe for two years. I make these muffins for my family, and for my parents (who are not concerned with healthy food). Everyone has enjoyed the muffins, and requests them with great regularity (pun intended). If you are looking for a high fiber muffin without egg and milk this one is very good.

Lentil and Artichoke Stew with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Sometimes the weather is cool and rainy and only a hot bowl of soup or stew will hit the spot. Today is one of those days in the mid-Atlantic region. We have had days of rain and today is dreary and gray and in the 50’s.

I make many different lentil soups. Lentils are great because they are fast and don’t require the soaking that most beans need. Fortunately I had all these ingredients in the pantry and had this stew ready in a little under an hour with most the work happening while I was out of the kitchen.

The cool tofu sour cream on the top of the stew is the finishing touch for me. I like the temperature variation next to the warm stew. You can use any grain as the base for this stew. The grain isn’t necessary, but it adds a textural counterpoint to the softness of the stew that I find pleasing.



Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 grated carrots
3 ribs of celery finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin (toast before grinding)
2 teaspoons ground coriander (toast before grinding)
1 cup dry (uncooked) red lentils (3 cups cooked)
1 bay leaf
3 cups water
juice and zest of 1 lime but you can use lemon
¼ cup of white wine (preferably pinot grigio)
1 24-ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted), undrained
3 cups artichoke hearts, quartered (2 9-ounce frozen packages)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
¼ - ½ cup of fresh minced cilantro

garnish: tofu sour cream
base: cooked millet/bulgur or quinoa

Directions:

Heat broth in a large saucepan. Add onion, celery and carrot and sauté on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add dried lentils, bay leaf, and water to pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add tomatoes and their liquid, and crushed red pepper (if using). Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add lime juice and zest, white wine and artichokes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Add salt and black pepper and minced cilantro, or to taste. Serve on top of cooked whole grain of choice, garnish with tofu sour cream and cilantro.

Comments:
The flavor was very nice, but could use a little more punch. Next time I will increase the crushed red pepper to ½ teaspoon. The millet added a nice contrast of texture under the lentil and artichoke stew. I liked the temperature contrast of the cool tofu sour cream on the top. I think I will save a little minced cilantro for the top of the dish the next time. Overall this was a good start, but there may be a little tweaking of this in the future.