This is the healthiest soup I have ever eaten. Every time I make it I get the overwhelming desire to conquer the world! And this is the perfect fall harvest soup to gear you up for a long winter.
Ingredients:1-1/2 cups thin sliced potatoes
1 cup thin sliced beets
4 cups stock water (water that the beets and potatoes are cooked in)
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 Tblsp. butter
Large Dash: caraway seeds, salt, pepper
1 can tomato puree
1 large carrot (or some mini carrots)
3 cups chopped cabbage
2 or 3 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tblsp. Honey
Cook potatoes, beats and 4 cups water in saucepan until tender, about 20 minutes. Save the water. Sauté onions in butter in a large kettle. Add spices, carrots and cabbage. Then drain the stock water from the beets and potatoes into the large kettle, and cook covered until it is all tender, about 20 minutes. Add everything together and cook another 30 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream, dill weed, and/or chopped tomatoes.
I don’t know why this is so much better when you cook it in two pots, but it is. I’ve tried it in one pot a couple of times, and it’s just not the same, probably because the onions don’t get properly sautéed. Enjoy!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Get Cooking!
More and more people are asking me how they can eat better, and my stock answer is "learn how to cook!" They don't generally like that answer, or else they give me one of those "deer in the headlights" looks.
OK, then cook better. For instance, if you're having hamburgers and baked beans, sauté an entire onion in the bottom of the pot that you're going to cook the beans in, drain most of the sauce out of the can of beans, put the beans in the pot right on top of the sautéed onions, and add a few tablespoons of Molasses to that. Yummy and delicious! I make this recipe every year for my in-laws (average party is 40 people) and they always ask what my secret is. You can also add a can of black beans, or some other type of beans that you like, just to mix it up a little bit.
When you're making tacos add a nice fresh onion, a clove of fresh garlic, black beans, salsa, diced tomatoes or avocado, and black olives. Any of these things make your tacos better for you, and when it's right in with the meat it's not as messy to eat.
Instead of store bought soup try this: Start with 2 cups of chicken broth made with "Better Than Broth" brand chicken broth. This stuff really is great, and if you compare the label with any other brand you'll be amazed! Yes, it's about twice the price, about $6 instead of about $3, as I explained to a lady in the grocery store who was wearing a $5000 wedding ring and who wouldn't spend an extra $3 on her family's health (Vary frustrating!). But it is so much better for you.
To this simmering broth add one cut up onion, two pealed and cut up potatoes, 1/3 of a small head of cabbage, cut into strips, and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, with sea salt to taste. Serve with fresh sourdough bread.
You don't need to be fancy. A perfectly healthy dinner is a lean steak on the grill (not charred) with steamed broccoli or asparagus. Simple! Don't get all wrapped up in the "square meal". By the end of the day you'll usually have all the right food groups covered.
Get cooking!
OK, then cook better. For instance, if you're having hamburgers and baked beans, sauté an entire onion in the bottom of the pot that you're going to cook the beans in, drain most of the sauce out of the can of beans, put the beans in the pot right on top of the sautéed onions, and add a few tablespoons of Molasses to that. Yummy and delicious! I make this recipe every year for my in-laws (average party is 40 people) and they always ask what my secret is. You can also add a can of black beans, or some other type of beans that you like, just to mix it up a little bit.
When you're making tacos add a nice fresh onion, a clove of fresh garlic, black beans, salsa, diced tomatoes or avocado, and black olives. Any of these things make your tacos better for you, and when it's right in with the meat it's not as messy to eat.
Instead of store bought soup try this: Start with 2 cups of chicken broth made with "Better Than Broth" brand chicken broth. This stuff really is great, and if you compare the label with any other brand you'll be amazed! Yes, it's about twice the price, about $6 instead of about $3, as I explained to a lady in the grocery store who was wearing a $5000 wedding ring and who wouldn't spend an extra $3 on her family's health (Vary frustrating!). But it is so much better for you.
To this simmering broth add one cut up onion, two pealed and cut up potatoes, 1/3 of a small head of cabbage, cut into strips, and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, with sea salt to taste. Serve with fresh sourdough bread.
You don't need to be fancy. A perfectly healthy dinner is a lean steak on the grill (not charred) with steamed broccoli or asparagus. Simple! Don't get all wrapped up in the "square meal". By the end of the day you'll usually have all the right food groups covered.
Get cooking!
Monday, September 10, 2007
"The Best" One Pot Speghetti in 10 Minutes
This recipe is proof that a delicious, nutritious meal does not have to take a lot of time or preparation. Even children like it, especially because you can "hide" the vegetables in the sauce.
Shopping list:
Bella Terra ™ brand organic, whole wheat, Capellini Angel Hair Pasta
Muir Glen® brand Organic pasta sauce – any flavor
Black Olives
Artichoke Hearts
Pine nuts
Optional: sautéed skinless boneless chicken breast or thigh, cooked in canola oil and tarragon in a skillet for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Bring water to boil and cook pasta 4 minutes. Drain. Put pasta back into the same pot and add the rest of the ingredients. 1 jar of pasta feeds at least 4 people. Heat it all up in that one pot for easy clean-up.
If you cooked chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces and add to the top of the pasta while you're serving it. Top it with fresh mozzarella or parmesan cheese.
Other options: these can either be boiled along with the spaghetti or sautéed in a separate pan:
Fresh asparagus
Cubed eggplant
Whole grape tomatoes
The pine nuts are full of protein, so especially make sure you use them if you don't cook the chicken.
Enjoy!
Shopping list:
Bella Terra ™ brand organic, whole wheat, Capellini Angel Hair Pasta
Muir Glen® brand Organic pasta sauce – any flavor
Black Olives
Artichoke Hearts
Pine nuts
Optional: sautéed skinless boneless chicken breast or thigh, cooked in canola oil and tarragon in a skillet for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Bring water to boil and cook pasta 4 minutes. Drain. Put pasta back into the same pot and add the rest of the ingredients. 1 jar of pasta feeds at least 4 people. Heat it all up in that one pot for easy clean-up.
If you cooked chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces and add to the top of the pasta while you're serving it. Top it with fresh mozzarella or parmesan cheese.
Other options: these can either be boiled along with the spaghetti or sautéed in a separate pan:
Fresh asparagus
Cubed eggplant
Whole grape tomatoes
The pine nuts are full of protein, so especially make sure you use them if you don't cook the chicken.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
God talks to St. Francis
(I didn't write this, but I couldn't resist not sharing it with you all.)
God Talks to St. Francis:
GOD: Frank , you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world isgoing on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.
St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS : Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS : Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it--sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS : Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS : No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS : Yes, Sir
GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.
ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves
GOD: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for ustonight?
ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about....
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.
God Talks to St. Francis:
GOD: Frank , you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world isgoing on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.
St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS : Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS : Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it--sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS : Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS : No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS : Yes, Sir
GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.
ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves
GOD: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for ustonight?
ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about....
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Water and Water
Ok now. You do realize that the below article about water and beer and wine is no longer true today. But it was very true before 1950 or so. You KNOW that pure clean water is the best thing for your body.
Before that time we weren’t able to test water for E. Coli, bacteria, and even worms. Even today a hospital in Minnesota tested most of their patients for worms and found that 6% of them did have worms.
I’m not kidding about beer and wine though either: in moderation they are much better for you to drink than the chemical wasteland of soda pop. More on that later.
Think about it; we as humans have been drinking beer and wine for thousands of years. They can’t be that bad for us!
Before that time we weren’t able to test water for E. Coli, bacteria, and even worms. Even today a hospital in Minnesota tested most of their patients for worms and found that 6% of them did have worms.
I’m not kidding about beer and wine though either: in moderation they are much better for you to drink than the chemical wasteland of soda pop. More on that later.
Think about it; we as humans have been drinking beer and wine for thousands of years. They can’t be that bad for us!
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