Tag Archives: Recipes

Hearty Pea Soup

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my sister sent me this hearty pea soup recipe and i enjoyed it tremendously,   the simmering of onion, celery seed and bay leaf was very aromatic…and I can’t tell you the last time i had lima beans!  I added more carrot.  I also think if you like ham – that would make a great addition too!

1 onion, diced

2 T olive oil

1 bay leaf

1 t celery seed

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1 C green split peas

1/4 C barley

1/2 C lima beans

2 quarts water

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2 t salt

dash pepper

1 carrot, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 C chopped parsley

1 potato, diced

1/2 C chopped leeks

1/2 t basil

1/2 t thyme

 

Saute onion in olive oil until soft, along with bay leaf and celery seed. Stir in peas, barley & limas. Add water & bring to a boil. Cook on low heat 1-1/2 hours. Add salt, pepper, veggies & herbs. Turn head down as low as possible and simmer 1 hour.

 

Makes 8-9 cups

bay leaf image source – google images.  sorry, but split pea soup images are not that aesthetic.

The Fava Bean

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I can’t say I am an expert re: The Fava Bean.

All I know is that one day in a little hole in the wall tapas place I had them on a salad and I thought to myself what was I eating??  They were delightful!   I actually asked the chef for the recipe and got it — but then had a terrible time sourcing the bean.  When I finally found them dried and shelled, they cooked to mush.   It was not the perfect Fava Bean experience I remembered.   I felt I had failed in fava bean 101.  This past summer I decided to get unshelled fava’s and try again.  The recipe on the side of the bag ( stewed fava beans) seemed a good place to start, the cook time was different from what I had tried before, and after adding a few additional on hand ingredients I made something rather yummy!!

I did marveled at my patience sitting on the porch stoop peeling the gosh darn things.

Sweet Potato, Kale, Sausage and Fava Bean Soup.

Cover entire bag of fava’s with water, bring to a boil, drain and rinse in cool water.   Peel.  ( to peel a pound of fava’s takes me about 45 minutes ) I usually get on the phone with a friend – hey keep me company while I peel fava’s!

Not into fava? White beans work very well in this recipe too!

Saute1/2 moon slivers of onion, 2 cloves of crushed garlic in olive oil, with rosemary, parsley and white pepper. Add italian sausage.  I use hot.  Add cubed yam, or sweet potato, 4 cups stock ( i use vegetable – chicken adds a nice richness ) plus 2 – 4 C water – the fava beans ( i used 1/2 of what I had shelled – freezing the other 1/2 ) and chopped Kale.  Simmer until done. Time varies.

This is very aromatic while it’s cooking and as you can see very very pretty to serve.

 

 

All Things Pumpkin

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I adore the things made with pumpkin this time of year. Now that its just me I don’t seem to produce a volume of things pumpkin-y, and I miss that.

I was quite taken with Soule Mama’s recent all things pumpkin sharing, uh — gotta love that seriously cute muffin pan.   I think her suggestion of how to make pumpkin seeds would be far better than mine.  Makes me want to make some!!

Thought I’d pass it on.

Amanda Soule often makes widgets for recipes she loves, throwing them up on a page – sure makes it easy to find what you are looking for that way.

The Anatomy Of A Salad

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Today the what is the anatomy of a great salad question came up again and I said ya know…. I should just post it, that way in the future it’s simply a link away!

The Anatomy Of A GREAT Salad:

purchase local and organic whenever possible.

start with salad greens – iceberg doesn’t count

add additional greens or bitter:  spinach, swiss chard, arugula, amaranth, kale, beet tops ..other?

rotate this from day to day, in other words – note: spinach is not the ONLY dark leafy green available

add fresh herbs: parsley, cilantro, dill  - other?

add 3-5 different colors of veggies: tri-color peppers, beets, carrots, purple cabbage, cucumbers, celery – cauliflower or broccoli sprinkles ( chopped fine vs florets), radishes, think color and think variety – the potential is endless – rotate this from day to day

add crunch: nuts, seeds, fried noodles

add fun: artichoke hearts, sprouts, cheese, avocado

consider also adding dried or fresh fruit

a salad combo i love to make – red leaf lettuce, baby spinach leaves, rainbow swiss chard strips, cilantro, hand sectioned grapefruit, avocado, green onion, pomegranite seeds and slivered almonds  ( seriously beautiful – this seasonal around thanksgiving – refreshing too )

another is greens, arugula, parsley mandarin orange, cucumber, red pepper w/ gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts

i make my salad dressings – i want to avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners and additives – in the fridge i currently have a thin buttermilk based blue cheese dressing  - i use yogurt instead of sour cream and i apply very little to a salad

another version of buttermilk salad dressing has serrano pepper in it – uh YUM!!

i make an avocado dressing also

a core vinegar and oil dressing is olive oil, modena aged balsamic vinegar, ( i use a 3/2 T oil to vinegar ratio) a small bit of prepared dijon mustard, clove of garlic smashed w/ salt and pepper rubbed into the bowl…any herb that catches your fancy …the one i have now has tarragon in it !!

LOTS of recipes online. I am certainly not a salad expert but folks seem to always enjoy them!

Voila – salad!!!

 

Avoid Butter Packaging To Reduce PFOA Exposure

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20 years ago I started shifting my cooking, my pantry and my consumer choices to that which I felt was better and more healthy for me and my family.

At the time, like most folks I ate junk, drank pop, and I wondered why I didn’t feel very well.

The shifts started out small, one thing at a time. Took me two years before I felt my stride.

Since I’ve been an advocate for cooking scratch, eating organic, local and the alternative food market.

Many many years later, I am still making changes and still learning.

Goes to say that healthy living is a life long project, eh??

Last year I stopped buying canned beans and began making my own from dried to avoid BPA found in the lining of the can.  It’s not a hassle at all to make my own!! I save money, avoid the chemical and contribute in a small way to less in the landfill.

Recently in a green moms yahoo group it was shared that PFAO was in the wrappers of butter.

What??

The same chemical that coats teflon is what butter comes in ie; coated food packaging?

Geesh!!!

Beth Terry of a Plastic Free Life shared a link to this post/article.

Part of the article states: Food packaging is an egregious example of hidden PFC exposure.

UGH.

The article further talks about how most of us ( 98%) have traces of this chemical in our blood.

This food packaging chemical leaches into the butter.

Boy that makes me mad.

The solution?

Make your own butter!!

I thought,  I could do that !!

There are three ways I found to make butter, the food processor, a stand up mixer or a in a jar.

Loved the options – and the videos!! I chose the stand up mixer version because he said butter in 10 minutes and he was right!!! Each person had their own little nuance or different way, but the bottom line is it all ends up as butter!!

It was super easy and boy is this homemade butter ever delicious.