Another Leek, Potato, and White Bean Soup

You can easily adapt the vegetables in this recipes. Use what you have, and what you like. 

1-2 T oil
1 large leek (whites and light green part), cleaned and sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup diced winter squash (buttercup is nice)
2 cups potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 cup grated zucchini
1 1/2 litres (approx) veggie stock
1 540 ml can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 sprigs of thyme
2-3 sprigs of dill
1-2 cups of milk, if desired

Saute onions, leeks, garlic, and celery in oil. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Stir in squash, potatoes, and parsnips.
Add stock, beans, and zucchini

Bring to a boil, adjust seasoning (S &P) and add herbs.

Simmer until veggies are soft.  Check seasoning, add more herbs if necessary.

Use hand blender to break up at least half of the potatoes.

Add milk if using.

Next time I will add in some grated carrots and chopped kale (the blanched kale I have in the freezer).

KG's Fish Tacos

I have no idea how 'traditional' these are but here's how I make mine at home. We all think they're yummy. :)

I usually use medium sized white flour tortillas, warmed through and, then we build the tacos with a little fish, cabbage, sauce, mango salsa and a squeeze of lime.
 

White fish - halibut is my fave, but any kind will do - even lightly breaded frozen filets. If I have fresh fish, I sometimes marinate it in a little lime juice, maybe some chili powder, S&P, then saute it.

Other ingredients

finely sliced cabbage (or lettuce)
(diced green onions if desired)
sprinkle with a little white wine or cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Sour cream / adobo sauce

Mix a little adobo sauce into some sour cream or plain greek yogurt.  I've also used chipotle spice instead of adobo sauce.


Mango Salsa

diced mango (fresh or frozen)
diced avocado
diced green onion (and/or sweet white onion)
diced red pepper
sprinkle with lime juice
chopped cilantro
S&P

Tabbouleh, Hummus Lettuce Wraps

I can't take any credit for this idea - someone at work brought it and I loved it. Now I make a batch and leave it at work and make them at work all week.

The simple version is to drop a few spoonfuls each of hummus and tabbouleh onto a lettuce leaf, roll up, and eat. It's messy so lean over the plate when you're eating.

There are many recipes out there for both hummus and tabbouleh, or you can buy premade if you have more money than time, but here are two simple, non-garlicky versions that are work-friendly.

Quick Hummus

Dump the following into a food processor.

1 540 ml  (19 oz) can chick peas, drained
2 T tahini (sesame paste)
juice of 1 lemon
a little lemon zest if you like
cumin ( maybe 2-3 tsp?)
S&P to taste (lots :)

Whir the food processor, stream in enough water to bring it to the right consistency (or more traditionally add 2-3 T olive oil instead of water - I don't find a huge difference but water has no calories...)



Tabbouleh

Basically this is a mixture of diced veggies, parsley, and cooked grain (such as bulgur wheat, cracked wheat, quinoa etc)

Cook the grain (with salt) according to the package (1 to 2 cups of cooked grain)

Finely chop a large handful of flat leaf or curly parsley.

Dice veggies - whatever you have on hand.  I usually use green onions, red peppers, tomatoes, cucumber.

Mixed cooled cooked grain, parsley, veggies in a bowl.  Adjust the ratio of veg/grain so it's fairly equal, usually there's quite a bit of parsley, but make it to your own taste.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the mixture.

Drizzle with 1/2 - 1 T olive oil

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.



Lettuce Wraps

Any kind of lettuce will do but I like romaine best because it's sturdy and has more nutrients than iceberg. Wash and dry the lettuce.  Remove any large stems. Cut romaine leaves in half lengthwise.

Take a leave, put 1-2 T tabbouleh and 1-2 T of hummus onto the leaf. Roll up. Eat.  Repeat.

Next time I make them, I'll put take some pictures.

Rye Flax Crackers

I got this recipe from the Canadian Living Vegetarian cookbook - its a great book - check it out!

3/4 rye flour (I use dark rye)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds (my preference, not in the original recipe)
4 tsp butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients together then cut in butter until crumbly.  Stir in milk and mix until dough is soft, pliable, and sticky. Add additional water 1 tbsp at a time if necessary.

Knead just until smooth, then wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into quarters, roll each piece into a circle or square about 10" across, about 1/8 thick.  Try to make it as even as possible.

Place on ungreased rimless cookie sheets, 2 per sheet.  I use parchment paper.

Bake 2 sheets at a time in top and bottom thirds of the oven (325 degrees), rotating and switching top to bottom half way through cooking.

They take about 20 minutes until they are golden, and crisp.  These are crisp, dry crackers - a lot like Scandinavian flatbread.

Let cool on rack and break into pieces.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to one month.

Using Sparkpeople, I have calculated that approximately a half round (or 1/8 of the recipe) is about 168 calories.  Carb 21 g  Fat 8gr  protein 5 gr

Quinoa, Chick Pea, Avocado Salad

I had a recipe for something similar in a vegetarian cookbook but I didn't have all he ingredients so this is what I made.  The recipe I was supposed to make is at the bottom of the page.

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 avocado, cut up
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 green onions, sliced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 small apple, chopped
1/4 cucumber, peeled and chopped

Put it all in a bowl then sprinkle with:


Juice of 1/2 lime
1 T of olive oil
Salt and Pepper


Makes one big serving.

629 calories, 77g carb, 32g fat, 15g protein

************************************
Actual recipe for Black Bean, Chick Pea, Avocado Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 green onions, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1/4 chopped, fresh coriander
1 tsp grated lime rind
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Toss the veggies and coriander in a large bowl.

Whisk together the lime rund and juice, oil, jalapeno, garlic, salt and pepper.
Pour over the salad and toss to coat.

Makes 6 (small) servings :)

About 320 calories, 11 g protein, 16 g fat, 36 g carb, 8 g fiber

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

I had this for lunch at my Pro-D day on Friday - it was so yummy but it'll make your nose run. Perfect for a rainy afternoon.  It comes from a Michael Smith cookbook I think, but I'm not sure which one, so I guess you'll have to go buy all of them.  :)

2 onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-4 tablespoons oil (I only used 2, recipe called for 4)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1 to 2 litres (quarts) of chicken or veggie stock (depending on how big the sweet potatoes are)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (I just bought a can of chipotle peppers, it didn't say adobo sauce but it seemed "saucy" ;)
Salt to taste
1 teaspon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin


Toppings:
cilantro
sour cream
corn of flour tortilla wedges made into 'chips'

1. Saute onions in oil until browned.

2. Add garlic and saute a little longer.

3. Add broth and grated sweet potatoes.  (My sweet potatoes must have been really big compared to what the recipe called for because 1 litre was nowhere near enough. I added a second litre and it was perfect.)

4. Bring to simmer then add cinnamon, cumin, chopped chipotle pepper (only use 1/2 a pepper if you don't like it mild-med hot), and salt.

5. Simmer until sweet potatoes are soft.

6. Puree with immersion blender, or process in batches in your regular blender. Thin with more stock or water if needed.  Check seasoning - salt?

7. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, and/or home made tortilla chips.

(Brush tortillas with a little oil and bake in oven until crisp. Cool and break into pieces.)

Yummy Black Bean, Brown Rice, Swiss Chard Mess

I made this for dinner tonight, tossing in stuff as I went. It was SO good but then, anything that begins with sauteed onions and mushrooms HAS to be good.  What follows is my recipe.  Obviously you can use different veggies and beans etc. All measurements are approximate and can be easily changed.

Ingredients

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped or sliced mushrooms
Butter/olive oil/margarine or ?
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups swiss chard, stems removed, coarsely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon
S&P
1-2T light soy sauce
Other herbs - basil, oregano, thyme, whatever you like


Method

1. Cook the swiss chard in pan with a little water and a lid for 6-8 minutes

2. Saute onions and mushrooms in a non stick pan (oilve oil, butter, maraginze whatever you want). Add freshly ground salt and pepper. 


3. Add rinsed black beans, cooked rice, and drained swiss chard to the pan and mix well. Let heat through for a few minutes.

4. Season any way you like - I squeezed in the juice of one lemon and added a dash or two of light soy sauce, more salt and pepper, and some dried herbs ( - what ever you like.)

I had some left over sliced, sauted zucchini so I threw that in too. I would have put in some diced red pepper but I was out.

This meal had about 425 calories - depending on how much fat you use.  Nutrient info is approximate and comes from Sparkpeople.com

Calories - 425
Carbs - 67 grams
Fat - 15 grams
Protein - 17 grams

* I'll admit, I was really hungry and ate two helpings.....  Oops.