Black Bean Soup with Quinoa and Kale

Dr Greger's How Not to Die cookbook is a real winner. I have made three recipes so far and all three are delicious. It's definitely a cookbook for all shelves. Go get it now!

Ingredients:
4 cups Vegetable broth
1 red onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves (I used more), chopped, of course
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup red quinoa, rinsed and drained
 2- 15.5 ounce cans of (BPA free) black beans Or three cups your own cooked black beans
1 14. 5 ounce can chopped tomatoes (BPA free as well)
2 teaspoons savory spice blend. Ill share his mix at the bottom but feel free to make your own.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  -ground pepper to taste
 3 cups chopped red kale

In a large pot heat the 1 cup of broth over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, carrot and sweet potato. cook stirring occasionally till all the veggies are soft- about 5 minutes.
Add the bay leaf, quinoa, beans, tomatoes, spice mix, spices, black pepper and the other 3 cups of broth. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer. Stir in the kale. Cover and cook until the quinoa and veggies are tender. - about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf (I always forget to do this and it becomes the the baby in the King's cake at Mardi Gras) Serve piping hot and delicious!

Tumeric Latte Mix #2

There was something just a bit too harsh about the original turmeric latte mix I posted so I took to experimenting again. This recipe was arrived at by the olfactory  method. It just smelled right. I think it has a more mellow flavour. Let me know what you think.

For the Mix:
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
pinch of finely ground black pepper
few grains of salt
Stir ingredients together well. Store in a container that seals well.

For the Latte
Stir 1 tsp of Latte Mix into 8oz of milk of choice. Heat, stir again & enjoy!

eggplant chana masala

There is nothing like a nice, richly, spiced bowl of Indian food on a cold day. This recipe came almost directly from the vegan cookbook called Crave, Eat, Heal.

1 large eggplant
1 tsp sea salt
1 TB coconut oil, optional,
2 small onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. tumeric
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garam masala
2 cups diced tomatoes ( I used a 28 oz can)
1 cup water
1 large can chickpeas, drained

Wash the eggplant. Cut off top and bottom then chop the eggplant into  1 inch pieces. Place in bowl and sprinkle with salt.
In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, saute the onion in oil or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth) till they are translucent. Add garlic, ginger, and eggplant. Cook, stirring often for ten minutes.
Add cumin, turmeric, paprika, and garam masala. Mix well to thoroughly coat the eggplant. Stir in the tomatoes water, and chickpeas. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. (the recipe says to put in lemon juice and cilantro, but since I do not like cilantro I omitted that.)

French Toast for Two

Delicious! This plant based version of French toast is so much better than thick slices of white bread soaked in eggs & dairy.

Ingredients
5/8 cup of almond milk
1 Tbs ground flaxseed blended in 1/8 cup of water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 slices of 100% whole grain bread

Method
In a flat bottomed shallow bowl whisk all the ingredients together with a fork. Heat a non stick pan / electric griddle to medium / 350. Coat both sides of the bread slices with mixture & cook until lightly browned on each side. Top with your favourite toppings. I had maple syrup & blueberries this morning. Yum!

baba ghanoush

photo soon

Baba ghanoush that delicious middle eastern "dip" is very versatile. When we decided to get some at the supermarket we noticed that the makers had included yogurt. That meant it was time to get out the food processor and make my own. After some research I also learned that it is typically fattier than I thought with the addition of olive oil and lots of tahini. I found an excellent recipe in The Plant Pure Nation by Kim Campbell (of the Campbell dynasty.) It's the only one that added yummy, nutrient-rich chickpeas!

2 medium eggplants
1 15 ounce can chickpeas - drained
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, I used 1 whole juicy lemon
3 Tablespoons of tahini
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to about 400. Wash and then prick your whole eggplants with a fork (5-10 times). Place on a baking tray and cook till soft inside. Let cool.
Scoop out the center into the food processor. Discard skin.

Combine all the ingredients till it forms a smooth paste.
Top with fresh parsley if you desire.

butternut squash soup

Butternut Squash Soup 

Sorry, we ate it and I forgot to photograph...will do later.  It was enjoyed by many at Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• water
• 1 large yellow or sweet white onion, chopped
• 1 medium apple, any variety, peeled and diced
• 2 cups prepared vegetable broth, or 2 cups water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, or more, to taste
• Pinch of ground nutmeg or allspice
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk (I added more)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

• 2 medium red onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• a couple of squirts of tamari

• Directions:

1.    To bake the squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut in half and place halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined, shallow baking dish and cover tightly with more foil. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes, until you can easily pierce the flesh with a knife. Scoop out and set aside.

2.    Heat some water (1 TB approximately) in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3.    Add the apple, squash, broth and spices. Bring to a steady simmer, then cover and simmer gently until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes.

4.    Transfer the solids to a food processor with a slotted spoon, in batches if need be, and process until smoothly pureed, then transfer back to the soup pot. Or better yet, simply insert an immersion blender into the pot and process until smoothly pureed.

5.    Stir in the coconut milk and return the soup to a gentle simmer. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until well heated through. Season with salt and pepper. If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two, then heat through as needed before serving. I like to make it the night before..then the flavors meld together in the fridge.

6.    Before serving, heat oven to 400. Place the red onions on a cookie sheets and sprinkle with tamari. Cook till soft and slightly caramelized.

7.    To serve, ladle soup into each bowl, then place a small mound of onions  in the center.

This recipe is from the NY Times...I adjusted it slightly. 

How not to die cookbook

It's finally here! I just opened it up to view all the yummy recipes and glossy photos. Dr. Greger has outdone himself. Expect lots of recipes and reviews to come. This book is one for your shelf.