spaghetti sauce

I was watching Lidia B. (I love that lady.) She made some pasta sauce that looked really good, so I tried it. It was really good. I don't want to forget so:
lots o' garlic, chopped
2 large cans(28oz?) whole tomatoes- no salt (Lidia's probably had salt )
crushed red pepper
lots o' fresh basil

spray pot with non stick spray (Lidia used lots of olive oil here)
add chopped garlic and cook for a few minutes (Lidia actually used pretty big slices of garlic)
add crushed red pepper flakes and cook for a few minutes (I just sprinkled a layer in the bottom of the pot)
meanwhile crush and break up the tomatoes with your hands (messy, but that's how Grandma Jean used to do it, too)
add the tomatoes and simmer sauce for a while ( I didn't really time it but I guess 30 min would do)
right before serving, turn off heat, add lots of chopped fresh basil leaves- I used probably two big handfuls
let the sauce sit for a few minutes to wilt the basil leaves
that's it for me, but Lidia also drizzled olive oil on the top

This was really good on veggie lasagna and spaghetti squash.

mango salsa

I've been on a mango salsa kick since Barry showed me how to make it. It is quick and easy, and it is a nice change from regular salsa:

1 mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)
green onions, sliced (to taste)
garlic, minced (to taste)- Barry used the kind in the jar, and it was good
juice of 1 or 2 limes
a pinch or two of crushed red pepper
Barry added a pinch or so of salt to his, I didn't add it to mine -either way is fine

Mix together and chill. Use it wherever you would use salsa. I wrapped some spicy black beans and mango salsa in a corn tortilla and it was a very good lunch.

Still no camera for pics, but trust me its really pretty.

lentil soup

This is my new favorite.
Ingredients:
1 large soup pot
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 cans tomato paste
2 lbs carrots-sliced
1 large bunch celery with leaves - sliced
1 bag lentils- rinsed and drained
1-2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt-free seasoning
Greens: 1 bag spinach chopped OR 1 bunch kale rinsed and chopped, OR 1 bunch escarole rinsed and chopped
1/2 to 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
sliced yellow squash- optional

Using non stick spray, saute the onion, carrots, and celery until the onion is clear
add no salt seasoning and cook for a few minutes
add tomato paste and mix
add lentils, bay leaves, and water to fill the pot
cover and simmer until lentils are soft
add yellow squash, if using, and simmer until tender
turn off heat, add greens, and cover
let sit a few minutes until leaves are wilted
stir in liquid smoke

my pot is probably 10 qt to 12qt so this make lots of soup to freeze for later

beautiful birds

yippee
-the weather was beautiful, so we made a day of it-

• we went to sarasota jungle gardens and had a nice time. the parrots were beautiful

• one of the flamingos was very angry at me and tried to eat my sweater

• we went to the muscle car museum, here is a picture of ang with one of his favorites

• we had a picnic lunch by the water and watched dolphins and pelicans (of course the batteries in the camera died)
  

- we took a LONG bike ride around town and got some errands done at the same time. (Petco, blockbuster, the bike store, walgreens) Dummy me didn't bring the camera, but on the ride we saw a medium sized alligator, a medium size snake, and some type of hawk. The hawk was sitting on a stop sign just watching and waiting for someone with a camera.

- we rode our bikes to the park to play basketball. This time I brought my camera. Used the timer on it for the first time to take our picture on the basketball court. It is crooked because the camera was sitting on my bike seat:




I had to take a picture of this weed just because it is one of the biggest weeds I have ever seen. Bigger than my bike. covered in thorns, too.


We also went to the farmer's market, and bought some fantastic tomatoes and some other goodies. I made the best version of the butternut squash soup yet. Here it is so I don't forget:
1 or 2 florida sweet onions
a few cloves of fresh garlic
2 cans cut up tomatoes (no salt)
4 or 5 small butternut squash (or 1 or 2 med or large) -peeled and cut up
1 can white beans (no salt) -cannelini or white kidney or any mild bean -undrained
about one cup chopped carrots
3 bay leaves
2 TBS no salt seasoning
water
1 cup plain soymilk
1/2 cup cashews
cayenne pepper
1 bunch fresh kale - washed and chopped into bite sized pieces

roast the whole onions and garlic cloves (still in skin) in the toaster oven @ 400 degrees (garlic- about 30 min, onions- about an hour)
meanwhile- clean and chop the other veggies, and let the cashews soak in the soymilk

when the garlic is done, remove it and peel the skins
add the garlic to a big soup pot along with the undrained tomatoes , undrained beans, no-salt seasoning, bay leaves, squash, and carrots
when the onion is done, peel it and add it to the soup pot
add enough water to cover
bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 min, until the squash and carrots are done -if it isn't already, turn the heat to low
remove the bay leaves, and add some cayenne pepper or white pepper (I usually cover the top of the soup)
*stick the cashews and soymilk in the blendtec and blend until smooth
add them to the soup pot, and blend the whole thing with an immersion blender
add the kale, cover, and turn off the heat
let stand for about 10 min before eating to allow the kale to cook

yup, more food

A really good lunch :)
veggie burger with lettuce, creamy dill dressing, and no salt ketchup on a sprouted grain bun (Ezekiel), with cauliflower-spinach mashed potatoes


I made up a chili that I really like:
2-3 onions chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 jalapenos chopped
3 cans of no salt added beans rinsed and drained (I used black, pinto, and white kidney, but any mix will do)
2 cans of no salt added diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can tomato paste
about 1 TBS Chili 9000 (a really good chili powder from Penzeys)
about 1 tsp cumin

spray pot with nonstick spray
saute onions and peppers over med-low heat until onions are clear, add water if necessary
when onions / peppers are almost done, add the garlic and saute a few more minutes
add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and simmer over low heat for about 20-30 minutes. stir occasionally.
This is better the next day. (sorry for the bad pic)


Spaghetti squash with garlic -basil veggies


1 large spaghetti squash
3 carrots, shredded
1 onion chopped
2-3 zucchini, shredded
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
4-5 fresh tomatoes, cut up
good handful of fresh basil, chopped

preheat oven to 350
put squash in the oven for about 45 min, until easily pierced with fork
meanwhile chop and shred the veggies
spray a pot with nonstick spray
saute the carrots, zucchini, onion, and garlic over med-low heat until done to your taste
add tomatoes and basil and heat through until tomatoes release their juice

when squash is done, cut in half
use a spoon to scoop out seeds
use a fork to pull spaghetti squash into "noodles"
top with veggie mixture and eat up

on the menu this week

Zucchini tomato frittata (no eggs involved) This was something of a bomb. I liked the zucchini filling, but I did not like the topping because it tasted just like eggs, and I hate eggs. Ange liked the baked "eggs" on top, but not the veggie filling. I am going to try again for him with a spinach-mushroom filling, cause this was really easy to make.


Butternut squash soup with spinach and black beans. I haven't decided if I like the black beans in it or not. I made this last week with kale and I really liked it. It is good with spinach, too. But kale is such a power food, that I am going to use it from now on. If you stir in the leafy greens at the very end of cooking, they don't overpower everything. When the soup is done, turn off the heat, stir in chopped greens, and cover. Let sit for a while.


Mini-chocolate "cheesecakes" (no cheese involved). This is the same recipe as the silky chocolate pie. I make these in mini-muffin form to keep myself from overeating them.


spicy bean chili: Just your basic chili recipe. Quick and easy.


Veggie "meat" loaf- I can't eat this, the texture is just like meatloaf.

veggie soup

I had lots of veggies in the fridge that needed to be cook before I leave, so the easiest thing to do was make a big pot of soup. Into the pot went: 2 cups of cooked navy beans, package of zucchini , package of yellow squash, 1 onion, 2 salad tomatoes, 2 plum tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, a couple of sprigs of fresh dill, 1 can of tomato paste, 4 carrots, 4 ribs of celery with leaves, 1/2 cup apple juice and enough water to cover. (I also added 1/2 package of spinach at the end of cooking.) I think I also added some salt-free seasoning. Enough water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until everything is cooked.



I left the zucchini and squash in big pieces. When they were soft, I picked them out with tongs and whizzed them in the food processor, and mixed them back into the soup. It came out a little plain, but ok.

spinach bean dip

So I saw Giada make something like this on TV last week, and I thought I'd try it. I had to make it from memory, so I'm not sure its quite right. I started with:
2 cans of white beans, garlic, lemon, balsamic vinegar, and spinach
I steamed the spinach and roasted the 2 cloves of garlic. In the food processor: the beans, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon, and about half of the spinach. Mix until desired smoothness, and put in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Eat with fresh veggies to dip in:
If you like balsamic vinegar, lemon, and garlic, this is pretty good veggie dip.
Oops! I did a little research (belated) and I found the original recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/spinach-and-cannellini-bean-dip-recipe/index.html

happy new year

New Years Day: making two soups and a bike ride...
First the soup. Here are most of the ingredients.


Split Pea Soup (based on a recipe by fat free vegan) This soup is so easy. Chop the veggies in the food processor, and toss everything in the pot to simmer for an hour or so.


At the end, I added some spinach and blended the whole thing up.


I also made Butternut Squash Soup. It has to be some of the best soup I have ever eaten. My only regret is that I did not note which website I got the recipe from, so I can't give proper credit. Anyway, here goes: Peel and chop an onion and 2 or 3 garlic cloves. Cut up and peel 2 small butternut squash.

Saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes in the soup pot. Add 2 cans of diced no-salt added tomatoes, a tablespoon of thyme, and a bay leaf. Let that start to simmer, then add the squash and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until done. meanwhile, blend 1 cup of plain soymilk and 1 cup of cashews (sorry, mom) in the blendtec. When the squash is soft, begin to blend with an immersion blender. Add the soymilk mixture and blend until smooth. Not too sweet like most butternut squash soups. Could use a little cayenne pepper or maybe white pepper, but really it is just fine the way it is.





Now for the fun part, the bike ride :) The weather was really nice again, cool and breezy, but warm in the sunshine.We decided to ride the Port Charlotte 'Beach'. Pretty pathetic as far as Fl beaches go, but it is peaceful, and nice to sit by the river. More importantly, it is within biking distance.
This is part of the route, just a random shot.

This is a bridge we cross:



We call it the bat-bridge cause there is a large (flock? gaggle? pride? herd?) bunch of bats that live underneath it.



When we got to the beach we found a some trees and parked ourselves for awhile.



We got there just in time to see some dude launch this:






And then he was gone....

lasagna 2.0

This is a test of a new lasagna.
Fresh tomato sauce:

The noodles are brown rice noodles by Pasta Joy, thus avoiding processed white flour. I think they are better then regular noodles.
For the filling, instead of ricotta or tofu-ricotta (which is pretty good), I used the cauliflower/ spinach mash:


Layer like any lasagna, cover, and bake until the noodles are cooked.


How did it come out? Well it tastes pretty good. The texture of the filling is comparable to reg lasagna. The sauce is fine, lots of fresh basil. The noodles soaked up most of the sauce while cooking; I like their texture, but is different from the regular limp white noodle texture. I like it just fine for me, but if I was serving it to some other brave soul, I might go ahead and precook the noodles, and shorten the baking time.

a new toy and snobby joes

Mom and Dad gave me a gift card for my birthday and I used it to buy this:
It is a food processor on steroids, twice the size of my old one! I christened it by making cauliflower/spinach mashed 'potatoes'. (Wow, two whole heads of cauliflower and an entire package of spinach at once...)

Since I had a little $ left over, I also bought a cookbook I had wanted for awhile. While I was in the kitchen anyway I figured I might as well try out the recipe for Snobby Joes; so named because they are better than Sloppy Joes in every way.


Here are the ingredients. The finished product came out pretty good, but note for next time:
less chili powder (too strong), and watch the lentils more carefully (fell apart)

This was my first time trying red lentils, and they are really good. We tried them over brown rice, and wrapped in sprouted grain corn tortillas. I will be making this again for sure.
Thanks Mom and Dad!

a tale of two pies

I made a chocolate silk pie, and 2 apple cobblers for Christmas. I am not sure if I am brave enough to take them with me to the dinners. Mom said she liked them at Thanksgiving, but she was probably just being polite. (My taste buds have adapted to food without lots of added oil, salt, sugar, cheese, etc...so they taste good to me.) The thing is I don't really care if anyone likes them, I just don't want to waste them. What I mean is it is totally fine with me if someone doesn't eat it, it won't hurt my feelings at all. But they are good, and I would rather keep them for myself if no one is going to like them anyway.

The apple cobbler is made with apples, apple juice, dates, cinnamon, and arrowroot powder. The topping is oats, walnuts, date sugar, and cinnamon.


The chocolate pie is the texture of a thick cheesecake. It is really rich, I can only eat a small piece at a time. Actually I could probably eat the whole thing at once, even if I made myself sick. That's it, I am keeping it for myself. This decision is rationalized by the thought that no one else will like it anyway. Right?

veggie chili

I decided to make a veggie chili instead of soup this week. Here's what I did...
sauteed some green peppers, onions (yellow and purple), celery, and garlic. I also added a shallot.

When they were about done, I added the spices: chili powder, parsley, and chipolte.
Next I added a can of chopped tomatoes, can of tomato sauce, three different types of beans, green beans, butternut squash, and zucchini. This is just a mix of stuff that has been in the fridge and needed to be cooked.

Bring it to a boil, cover and simmer till done.
Note for next time: add butternut squash with the peppers and onions cause they take longer to cook.

butternut squash / black bean casserole

Note: This recipe came from the fatfreevegan website.

These shots are before and after baking.I know the finished product is not what they call food porn, but it sure tastes good.
This is a very good dinner. I have made some changes to the original recipe. I use butternut instead of pumpkin. (It was good with pumpkin, but butternut is easier to get.)
I replace the tahini with raw cashews cause I can't stand tahini.(I would use raw cashew butter, but I can't find it anywhere.) The first time I made I used tahini- it was ok- ang liked it both ways.
I use arrowroot instead of cornstarch.
I also add chopped spinach to the filling, and omit the salt.
I think the filling and sauce would be good to make stuffed peppers. I would chop the squash in the food processor, and add it to the bean mixture. I would leave green peppers out of the filling. Use the mixture to stuff green peppers, top with sauce, and bake. might even add some brown rice? could sub kidney beans for black just for color.