Easy Potato and Broccoli Soup

Easy Potato and Broccoli Soup

(4-6 servings)

2 medium potatoes (I used red potatoes), chopped

1 head broccoli, chopped into florets (about 4 to 6 cups)

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup skim milk

Cheddar cheese, shredded, for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring potatoes and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes).

2. Add broccoli florets. Cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. In batches, blend until smooth in a blender.

4. Add pureed soup back to pot and return to heat.

5. Add milk and salt and pepper, heat through.

6. Serve garnished with Cheddar cheese.

Slightly Smoky Spinach Omelet

(still missing camera battery recharger, so no picture!)

Slightly Smoky Spinach Omelet

Serves 2

2 small shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tbsp red pepper, diced
2 tsp olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Add mushrooms and red pepper. Sautee until tender. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3 eggs
½ tbsp skim milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Beat 3 eggs together in a bowl. Add ½ tbsp skim milk. Season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in the skillet. Pour eggs into the skillet. Turn down heat to medium-low. When the edges are set, gently lift the edges of the omelet with a spatula.

½ cup spinach, chopped
½ cup smoked Gouda, shredded

When the eggs are almost set, add cooked mushrooms and red pepper on top, spread evenly down the middle. Add the spinach and Gouda evenly down the middle. Cook for about a minute. Gently fold over one side of the omelet using the spatula. Let cook for another minute, or until the cheese melts.

Slide onto a plate and cut in half.

 

Cookie Dough Madness and Recovery Soup

(First of all, there will be no pictures, perhaps for a while, because the camera battery is dead and the hubby has lost the recharger.)

Ok, so it’s not a great idea to bake cookies right before preparing supper, but that is what I did. It wouldn’t have been such a problem if the dough wasn’t the best, most soft, “doughlicious” dough ever! But it was, and I ate quite a bit of it. So now I feel that “ickyness” in my belly that comes with such behavior.

As I write this, I’m drinking mint green tea to aid digestion, while my “cure-all” soup is simmering on the stove. I’ll be having a fresh green salad on the side with nothing more than a little lemon juice for dressing. I think that should make for a nice balance to my earlier indulgence!

Here is the recipe for the soup–it’s one of my favorites. It makes your kitchen smell great too.

Simple Golden Broth - Serves 6
(From The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond; vegan cookbook)

1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup yellow split peas
½ tsp turmeric
4 cups water or vegetable stock (I use stock, and therefore, less added salt)
½ - 1 tsp salt

Place the onion, garlic, split peas, turmeric, and water or stock into a pot. Bring to simmer, then cover and cook until peas are tender, about 50 minutes.

Puree in a blender until smooth. You can strain it for a thinner broth, but I never do that. Add salt to taste.

Per serving: 53 calories; 3g protein, 10g carbohydrate 0g fat, 0g cholesterol. 

(I definitely eat more than 1 serving of this soup! Probably 2 or 3)

Mixed Vegetables with Capers and Olive Oil

Mixed Vegetables with Capers and Olive Oil
(Adapted from: Vegan Italiano)

1 medium red potato, cut into bite sized chunks
1 large carrot, peeled and diced into ¾ inch slices*
1 medium zucchini cut in ¾ inch slices
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Coarse salt and pepper to taste

Bring medium sauce pot filled with salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots and reduce heat to medium-high; cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, partially covered, for 5 minutes or until all vegetables are tender, but still somewhat firm. Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to combine. Can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled (refrigerate a least 3 hours, or up to 1 day).

Makes 2 side dishes

*My organic carrot was yellow, so the color isn’t as vibrant in the photo.

Eaten with: Lemon Pepper Rosemary Roasted Chicken (olive oil, McCormick’s Citrus and Pepper seasoning, crushed dried Rosemary, coarse sea salt).

A Case of My Eyes Being Bigger than My Stomach

I don’t know what possessed me to make such a large taco salad today for lunch. Needless to say, I did not end up eating the whole thing (I ate about a third). Still, I did eat past fullness, but I was very much aware that I was doing it, and I made the choice to do so.

Simple Avocado and Sprouts Sandwich

On one slice whole grain bread, spread on mayonnaise, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Top with ½ cup broccoli sprouts, thin slices smoked Gouda (or other favorite cheese), ¼ avocado sliced. Sprinkle salt on top of avocado. Place other slice of bread on top, cut in half.

2 half servings, or 1 whole serving.

All together, my post-workout lunch:

Reorganizing

I’ve decided to keep this blog just for food and move the fitness aspect to my other blog: http://blissandbeauty.wordpress.com. I will update my blogrolls to reflect this.

More recipes coming soon!

Brunch: Baked Banana Oatmeal

I finally got around to making Kath’s recipe for Baked Banana Oatmeal. It was delicous–although a little runny in the middle. And since it was brunch, I also had a hard boiled egg–need the protein to keep me going. I have half of the baked oatmeal leftover, so I’ll be having it again tomorrow for breakfast. Check out her post and make it for yourself.

Rice Patties with Tahini Sauce

This is classic hippie food.

  

Recipes from The Expanding Light Cookbook: Vegetarian Favorites from California’s Premier Yoga Retreat.

Rice Patties

(adaptations in italic)

(makes 9-10 patties)

Cook 1 cup white or brown basmati rice (rinsed 3 times) I used leftover brown basmati and wild rice mix) 

Rice should be sticky. Set aside.

Sauté until onions are golden:

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup onions, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Add and sauté:

1 ½ cups mushrooms, sliced

Set aside.

In a bowl, mix:

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced (I used ½ tbsp dried), 1 tsp dried dill weed, 1 tsp salt (I used Spike seasoning), ¼ cup sunflower seeds, roasted (I toasted mine, not sure if it’s the same thing) 

Add:

Sautéed vegetables and rice to the bowl and mix well. (My mixture was not wet or sticky AT ALL, maybe because I used leftover rice. So I added 1 beaten egg, about ½ cup breadcrumbs and ¼ cup of flour. This made it a sticky mixture.) 

Form into patties and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. I flipped mine half way through and turned on the broiler for the last 2 minutes.

 (The rice patty before baking) 

 (I had a corner space left on the baking sheet so I added 4 tofu sticks: cover both sides with Bragg Liquid Aminos, spread mild chili sauce on top, and sprinkle with garlic powder—not gourmet, but a quick and easy protein.)  

One of the suggested pairings for the patties was Tahini Sauce. I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while and decided to finally make it.

 Tahini Sauce 

Sautee in a pot until onions are golden:

3 tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, minced

2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Add:

1/3 cup raw tahini (I don’t think mine was raw)

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp water

2 tbsp tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 tbsp maple syrup

¼ tsp black pepper

Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add salt to taste. Before serving, add ¼ fresh parsley or dill, minced (I used dried)

This sauce is delicious. I could eat it straight out of the pot, like soup.

Note: You can make the patties and sauce ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal and Toasted Sesame Bread

Whole Wheat Oatmeal and Toasted Sesame Bread (for Bread Machine)

1 - ½ cups lukewarm water
2 tbsp powdered milk
1 - ½ tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 tbsp oil (or margarine or butter)
3 - 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 - ¾ tsp yeast

Add ingredient: ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (click link for directions)

- Measure ingredients in the order listed into bread making pan.
- Secure baking pan into machine.
- Select GRAIN setting (or your machine’s equivalent).
- Add sesame seeds when Add Ingredient beeps (if your machine does not have this, it is when the ingredients are first thoroughly mixed. Make sure the mixture is still going when you put the seeds in. OR you can add them with the rest of the ingredients, before yeast).

 I enjoyed a slice post-workout today with a yummy Fruit and Yogurt Smoothie:

Fruit and Yogurt Smoothie

½ cup orange juice
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ frozen banana
¼ frozen blueberries
3 frozen strawberries

Serves 1

Process in a blender until smooth.