The Apple Can Cook!

Pizzelle

2015-12-22T08:28:00.000-08:00

My family who came over from Torricella-Peligna Italy have been making these cookies for well over 100 years. Unless you have inherited a iron stove top pizzelle griddle, you will need an electric Pizzelle Press to make these. Enjoy!

This recipe makes about 8 dozen if you don't eat a bunch as you are making them.

Ingredients:

12 eggs
1 cup of oil
1 cup of melted butter (cooled)
1 capful of Anise Oil
1 TBS crushed anise seed (crushed in mortar and pestal)
5 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar

Directions

Crack all the eggs in the mixer bowl of your Kitchenaid mixer
Add oil & butter
Add sugar
Add one capful of anise oil and crushed seeds
Mix gently on low speed
Add flour one cup at a time.
Mix well
Place batter in refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours until it thickens.
Set the Pizzelle Press to 3 or 3.5
Scoop a small 1 inch size ball of batter on each griddle.
Close the latch and wait for the green light. Remove pizzelle gently.
Dust warm pizzelle with powdered sugar
Watch them disapppear

Grandma's Sughi

2015-05-26T13:07:00.002-07:00

There are times when you just need to get back to your roots. This meat based sauce was something my grandmother Josephine made often. We don't make this now that we eat heavy on fruits and vegetables but it is still the best meat based pasta sauce in the world. It was also a great dish to share with my cooking club ladies. :)

Sughi

Makes a big 8 quart pot

Sauce
olive oil, salt & pepper
1 TBS Italian seasoning
2 pounds pork shoulder, ham hock(not smoked),spare ribs, etc. (Your choice)
1 pounds mild Italian Sausage w/fennel
3 Garlic Cloves
1 can of tomato paste
2 28 oz can of tomato sauce or puree
1 28 oz can of whole peeled plum tomatoes
2 bay leaves
3-4 whole eggs.
1 small container of sliced mushroom.

Meatballs: (large recipe - half if you want less)
1 pound of ground beef
1 pound of ground pork
4 eggs
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parsley (fresh or dry)

Directions:

Brown sausage, ham hocks, country ribs, etc. in pot.
Drain off extra oil if there is a lot and remove meat.
Grate 3 garlic cloves into pot.
Stir in tomato paste. Use a flat spoon or spatula to scrape up all the browned meat and garlic. It should blend into the tomato paste
Add tomato puree and whole tomatoes - crush/squeeze with hands
Add the water – use it is rinse out tomato jars/bottles
Add mushrooms
Add all spices: bay leaves, Italian seasoning.
Cut up the meat and add it back in. It will be undercooked but will continue to cook in the sauce.
Make meatballs. Mix all the dry ingredients, herbs, and spices and then mix in the meat mixture and eggs – don’t overwork. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees until slightly browned. Add these to the pot to continue to cook.
Let sughi simmer for at least 3 hours. When the meat is cooked – Crack 2-4 eggs in and let them sink into the sauce. Don’t stir. Let them cook. It is ready to serve when the eggs are firm.
Take out all the meat and eggs and serve separate from the sauce. If you used meat with bones be sure to pick out the bones before serving. Also, pick out and discard the bay leaves.
Serve sauce on linguine, gnocchi, ravioli, etc. Pass around the meat and eggs on a platter so your guests can choose what they like.
Enjoy!

Choco-Nana Date Nut Muffins

2015-03-19T09:31:00.001-07:00

Here a yummy and healthy muffin to satisfy your sweet tooth. The sugar comes from dates, bananas, and a little chocolate - no white sugar, oils, or eggs. These muffins are gluten free and vegan.

4 small very ripe bananas - I wait till they are almost entirely black.
2 cups of Bob's Red Mill Oat Flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
1 package of Ziyad All Natural Baking Dates (about 1 cup pureed)
1/2 cup of chocolate chips (vegan)
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tbs Cacao Powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt.

Directions:

1. In a food processor - add all of ingredients and blend well. I use my Ninja food processing bowl. Easy, right?

2. Scoop into muffin tins. I use an ice cream scoop. This makes exactly one dozen muffins.

3. Bake at 350 until browned on top - approximately 30 minutes.

4. Let cool and enjoy!

Three Lentil Soup (Corner Bakery Style)

2014-11-08T07:43:00.002-08:00

I love lentil soup - it is rich, hearty, and plant based! I loved the version they make at the local Corner Bakery but If I am correct - Gasp- it looks like it has been replaced by a Tuscan bean soup. With this in mind I set off to make my own quick and easy version and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients

2 boxes of Trader Joe's Hearty Vegetable broth (4 cups each)
1 container of Trader Joe's Mirepoix (or 1 cup each onion, celery, and carrot diced)
2 garlic cloves grated on a microplane
2 cups of button mushrooms diced
6 oz bag of Trader Joe's baby spinach
2 cups of pureed tomato
1/4 cup green lentils
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup brown lentils (I found these dry in the bulk section at Whole Foods) but you can also find them steamed in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe's)
1 tsp cumin
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 bay leaf
1 good shake of Goya Adobo w/ pepper seasoning. Taste and add more if you need more salt.
1 TBS of olive oil and a little more for later.
Cayenne to taste. I leave mine out of the pot to avoid the inevitable kiddo complaint "It is too spicy". I just add a dash to my bowl before eating.

Directions:

In a large soup pot sautee Mirepoix and garlic in a tablespoon of oil.
Add the chopped mushrooms to the mirepoix.
Roughly chop spinach and add it to the veggies once the mushrooms reduce a little.
Add both containers of veggie broth
Add the rest of the ingredients except Cayenne.
Let simmer until lentils are cooked and broth loses it's raw tomato taste. I let it come to a very brief boil and then put it on the lowest heat setting until the flavors meld. I often add an extra drizzle of olive oil to the pot at the end just before serving.
Sprinkle cayenne to taste for those of you who want spice. It really does make it taste fabulous but kids are not always keen on the extra heat.

Enjoy!

Marinated Mushrooms

2014-07-05T10:18:00.002-07:00

I love marinated mushrooms. They are great for snacking on and for adding to salads. At Whole Foods, these bad boys are 7.99 a pound. You can make your own for much less with very few ingredients and just a short amount of time.

Ingredients:

2 16oz packages of whole white mushrooms (1 Quart)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 cubes of Dorot Garlic or 2 cloves of fresh
1 cube of Dorot Parsley
1 cube of Dorot Basil
1 TBS Penzey's Greek or Italian Seasoning
1-2 TBS of olive oil.

Clean and pull off stems from mushrooms.
Add a little oil and the garlic to a deep round high edge skillet ( I use a wok)
Add the mushrooms and the vinegar.
Let simmer until the mushrooms give off their juices
Remove from heat and pour the mushrooms and the liquid into a class container
Let cool and then refrigerate. Use them as needed. They won't last long :)

Enjoy!

Party Size Vegetarian Antipasto Pasta Salad

2014-07-05T09:03:00.003-07:00

The summer months include many chances to get together with friends and family. If you are looking for a monster size vegetarian pasta salad recipe that has everything but the kitchen sink thrown in - here is the recipe for you.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Cellentani pasta cooked, drained, and cooled.
1 7.5 oz jar of Reese Brand Grilled Artichoke Hearts chopped (do not drain)
12 oz Dell'Alpe Marinated Roasted Red Peppers (do not drain)
1 cup Bella San Luci julienned sun dried tomatoes
8 oz Bel Gioioso pearl size fresh mozzarella (drained)
8 oz of smoked mozzarella cubed.
1 cup of marinated mushrooms
2 cups of sliced Israeli cucumbers
2 cups of diced fresh tomato
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup green olives
1/4 cup black olives
1 large fresh green pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbs Penzey's Italian Seasoning Base
1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley
6 medium size basil leaves julienned
1 TBS oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Once your pasta is cooked and cooled - set it aside. Start chopping and mixing remaining ingredients and add everything together in a large bowl. The liquid from the artichokes and peppers will help to make the "sauce". I used a 32 cup Tupperware plastic bowl. Once veggies are all in and seasoned to taste - mix in your pasta and serve.

Amaretto Sours with Homemade Sour Mix & Sour Cherry Upside Down Cake

2014-07-05T08:02:00.003-07:00

Last summer I scored a huge mess of sour cherries at the farmer's market and went crazy making all things cherry. I was also in the midst of reading Maman's Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen by Donia Bijan and fell in love with her recipe for sour cherry upside down cake. Sour cherries are late this year due to the Chiberian deep freeze we suffered through this winter. I had to make my batch this year from bottled but when they arrive at the market, you can bet I will be at it again with round two. Below you will find my drink recipe and Donia Bijan's cake recipe which she kindly granted me permission to reprint :) Enjoy!

Amaretto Sours with Homemade Sour Mix:

Ingredients:

Sour cherries ( if you cannot find fresh used the kind that are jarred in sugar water) 24 oz bottle or approx 2 cups of pitted cherries. There is no need to be exact.
1 bottle of Amaretto
clean and remove stones from cherries. If using jarred - dump out the liquid and rinse the fruit.
Place the cherries in a glass jar and add the amaretto. Place a lid on the mix and place in fridge.

Sour Mix:

1 cup of fresh lemon juice
1 cup of fresh lime juice
1 cup of sugar - mix well and keep in fridge.

When you are ready for a tasty drink:
Mix about 1/4 cup of the amaretto mix and 1/8 cup of sour mix. Top with Sprite or 7-up. Of course - adjust the measurements to taste. You can either go light or boozy. The cherries pack a yummy amaretto kick.

Sour Cherry Upside Down Cake (reprinted by permission from Donia Bijan)

   Cherry Compote

   5 tablespoons unsalted butter
   1 cup packed brown sugar
   2 cups pitted sour cherries (drained if bottled)

   Cardamom Cake
   4 tablespoons unsalted butter
   1 cup brown sugar
   1 1/2 cups flour
   2 tsp baking powder
   1/2 tsp ground cardamom
   1/2 tsp salt
   1/2 cup of half-and-half
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   2 large eggs

1. Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan. I have also used a cast iron skillet.
2. To make the compote: melt the butter in a sauce pan with brown sugar. Fold in
      cherries and then poor in the bottom of your cake pan or skillet. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350
4. To make the cake: cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Add to the creamed
      butter alternately with the half-and-half and mix until smooth.
6. Add the vanilla extract and eggs one by one. Mix until combined.
7. Pour the batter over the cherry compote. Place the cake in the center of the oven and bake
      for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the
      pan and invert onto a platter. Scoop any remaining cherries onto the top. Serve with pistachio
      ice-cream!

Highwood Italian Beef Pizza

2014-05-19T09:10:00.002-07:00

I often travel up to Highwood, Illinois to my old stomping grounds to get some of the Italian goodies you can't find at the local supermarket. There are several wonderful Italian businesses to visit up in Highwood but if you are in need of some sausage or Italian beef the only place to go is Poeta's. Brothers Dominick and Luca Poeta serve up some of the best spicy fennel sausage for miles around. If you are making sauce and need a little of this or a little of that - chop chop goes the cleaver and there ya go! I asked if I could mention Poeta's in my blog and they replied - only if the recipe is good. So, here it goes, hope you like it.

Ingredients:

1 heaping cup of Poeta's Italian Beef
2 1/2 TBS of minced Giardiniera I used the minced mild from http://www.thatpickleguy.com/
1 1/2 cups of Italian cheese (mozzarella, asiago, and provolone blend)
1/4 of a large red pepper - sliced
sesame seeds
olive oil
1 lb fresh pizza dough
parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375
Rub a little olive oil on your pizza stone or pan
Stretch out your pizza dough to make a large circle. I make mine the size of my pizza stone.
I dab a bit of olive oil all along the crust and then sprinkle on sesame seeds
Spread out Giardiniera onto the dough. It may look scant but the taste will power through.
Next, spread the cheese onto the dough.
Top with Italian beef and Peppers
Sprinkle pizza with dry parsley
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

If you live in the area you can pick up your Italian Beef and all of the fixin's at
Poetas Market

520 Green Bay Road in Highwood, IL

Mon - Sat:	8:00 am	-	6:00 pm
Sun:	9:00 am	-	2:00 pm

Antipasto on a stick

2014-05-19T09:04:00.002-07:00

I whipped this up mostly from found items at the Northbrook, Illinois Whole Foods. The only thing that needs cooking are the mushrooms!

Ingredients:

Pitted Green Olives of your choice from the Olive Bar or Bottled
Abruzzo Dry Salami or any kind of Dry Salami- one stick sold in the lunch meat section. The width should be about an inch or so.
Marinated Gigante Beans from the Olive Bar
Roasted Red Peppers w/ Garlic - bottled
Fresh basil
Marinated ciliegine (cherry sized) buffalo mozzarella. - one container
One package of white or baby bella mushrooms or marinated mushrooms from the salad bar.
Marinated artichoke hearts - one bottle or from the Olive Bar
Olive oil
Bamboo Skewers - use small size or cut in half.
Italian Seasoning.

Directions:

Clean mushrooms and toss in a table spoon or so of olive oil. Add Italian spices if you wish and salt and pepper. Skip this step and #2 if you purchased marinated mushrooms from the deli.
Put in a glass 8x8 baker and cook at 350 until soft and cooked down. Let cool.
Once the mushrooms are cool, start threading your skewers in any pattern you wish. I like to leave some meatless for people who don't want the salami.

Enjoy.

Black Bean Burrito Filling

2014-04-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is something we cook up almost every week at our house. Here is a quick and easy recipe that can be made in no time at all.

Ingredients:

2 cans of black beans drained, rinsed.
1 4 oz can of chopped green chiles
1/4 cup of loosely packed cilantro (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves
4 oz of salsa - fill the empty chili can to measure
1 tsp of smoked paprika
oil of choice

Directions:

1. Divide the beans and loosely mash half of them. Leave the other half whole.
2. Saute the garlic in a little oil and then add salsa, cilantro, and smoked paprika.
3. Mix in beans (whole and mashed).
4. Saute on low until well blended and creamy. Taste and salt as needed. Don't let them dry out.

Enjoy in salads, wraps, tacos, or on their own. :)

Garam Masala Roasted Cauliflower

2013-09-09T11:43:00.003-07:00

On a whim I wanted to do something with some fresh cauliflower that was cut up in the refrigerator. Since we were going to eat an Indian themed dinner I found a recipe for roasted cauliflower but I didn't have the exact ingredients to make it. I decided to combine two recipes and the results follow. Spice combining on a whim seemed to work in this case. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups of fresh cauliflower. Chopped into small florets.
1 tsp fresh lime zest
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of garam masala
1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper
olive oil
salt to taste

Directions:

1. chop up the cauliflower & toss with a splash of olive oil
2. sprinkle on seasonings and mix well.
3. place cauliflower on a baking dish.
4. Roast in a 450 degree oven until browned and tender.

Savory Baked Tofu

2013-09-09T05:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe is adapted from a Moosewood Cookbook that I have had in my collection for years. When the tofu comes out of the oven it is hard not to start snacking on it right away. Amazingly delicious.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of gluten free tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 clove of garlic grated (with a microplane)
Szechuan pepper to taste
1 block of firm tofu

Directions:
1. Press the tofu between two plates with a book or other weight on top for 15-20 min. Once a pool of water has collected under the tofu - chop the block up into 1 inch cubes
2. Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl and then microplane a large clove of garlic into it
3. Mix the tofu into the wet ingredients.
4. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with pepper.
5. Bake at 400. Turn every 10 minutes or so to crisp up on all sides. Remove from oven when nicely browned.

Grilled Zucchini Lasagne

2013-09-04T13:19:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

3 large zucchini
14 oz white mushrooms thinly sliced
1 bottle of your favorite pasta sauce
2 small yellow onions
Penzy Spice Pizza Seasoning
1 batch of Cashew Ricotta
1 (4 link) package of Meatless Italian Sausage

Directions:

1. Make the cashew cream. I used a recipe from the following website The Simple Veganista
I made mine the day prior so the flavors could meld.

2. Using a mandoline - slice the zucchini longways into thin strips. Also thinly slice the mushroom, onions, and Italian sausage. Make sure the veggie sausage is as thin as you can get it.

3. Toss the zucchini in a bit of olive oil and a few dashes of Penzy's Pizza Seasoning

4. Grill zucchini directly on the grill. Wrap up the mushrooms in foil with a little olive oil and pizza seasoning. Wrap up the sausage with the onions after tossing with a little olive oil and pizza seasoning. Grill until the zucchini has grill marks and is slightly tender. The rest should all be cooked until tender.

5. Once everything is grilled, start layering your lasagne in an 8x8 baker. Pour in a bit of sauce. Then layer the Zucchini, next spoon on a thin layer of Cashew Ricotta, next the Sausage and onions, mushrooms, and then repeat. Top with sauce and bake at 350 until bubbly. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan if you wish. It is a bit runny the first day so it is a great dish to make the day before and reheat.

#1 Sauce

#2 Grilled Zucchini

#3 Cashew Ricotta

#4 Onions and Veggie Sausage

#5 Mushrooms

Zucchini Chips

2013-07-27T08:22:00.003-07:00

Slice Zucchini thinly

Toss with olive oil & Penzy's Greek Seasoning

Place in Dehydrator. Wait several hours until crisp. Enjoy!

Spicy Soy Chorizo & Potato Tacos

2013-03-04T08:42:00.002-08:00

Spicy Soy Chorizo & Potato Tacos

Ingredients:
Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo
10 oz (1/2 a bag)Trader Joe's Shredded Potatoes
7 oz (1/2 a bag) Trader Joe's Fire Roasted Peppers & Onions
Trader Joe's Soy Shredded Soy Cheese
Corn Tortillas
Avocado
Salsa
Olive Oil

Directions For Filling:

Add 1 TBS of oil to a large pan
Saute Onions and Green Peppers
Add Shredded Potatoes
Add entire tube of Chorizo (Cut of the end and squeeze the content out - tube is plastic)
Heat corn tortillas and fill with 1 TBS or more of filling, sliced avocado, salsa, vegan cheese, and any other condiment of your choice.

Black Bean Chili

2013-02-28T12:27:00.004-08:00

Black Bean Chili
vegan & gluten free

Ingredients:

1 package of dry black beans
1 box of veggie broth
1 container of Trader Joes Mirepoix
(16 oz of chopped celery, onion, and carrot)
1 cup of frozen corn
1 cup of Costco Organic Salsa
2.5 cups of Tomato Puree
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs Adobo Seasoning
1 Tsp cumin
1/3 cup of Gluten Free TVP
Olive oil for sauteing

Directions:

sort and soak beans overnight
cook the beans 3 hours or until soft.
drain beans and set aside
saute mirepoux
Add spices and let warm up with the veggies
Add veggie broth, tomato, and salsa
Add TVP
Add beans
Cook until tomato taste mellows and broth reduces 45 min - 1hr.

Accidental Noodles (Kimchee Noodles)

2013-02-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

This dish was accidental. I was aiming to make a kimchee soup and then I started getting carried away. When I added the noodles I didn't think they would soak up all the remaining liquid. It was a pleasant surprise.

Spicy Kimchee Noodles with Tofu

Ingredients

1 cup loosely packed kimchee (check ingredients some have shrimp or fish) I used King's from Whole Foods
1/2 package of firm tofu cut into cubes
4 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp of Gochujang (hot pepper paste)
1 Tbs olive oil
2/3 package of Bean Threads. I used Ka-Me.
1/3 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein. Mine is Gluten Free.
8 cups of water

Directions:

Fry Kimchee in a dutch oven in 1 Tbs or less olive oil and 1/2 tsp of Gochuang
Add 8 cups of water, 4 TBS soy sauce, 1 Tbs Sesame oil
Add TVP and tofu
Cook on medium until the liquid is reduced and the contents look like stew not soup.
Soak Bean threads for 15 minutes in plain water. Rinse and then
throw into the pot. The beans will soak up the remaining liquid.

Enjoy.

Kasha Tabouleh - Gluten Free

2013-02-19T14:59:00.003-08:00

Ingredients

1 cup of Kasha (buckwheat groats) cooked as directed on the box
4 medium tomatoes
4 cups of loosely packed parsley
1/2 a medium onion
1 lemon
Salt & Pepper & Olive Oil to taste

Directions:

1. Make Kasha and then let cool.
2. In a food processor pulse together tomato, parsley, onion, and juice of 1/2 a lemon until the veggies are coarsely chopped.
3. Mix Veggies and groats together, add salt & pepper and more lemon juice to taste
4. Mix in 1 Tbs or more olive oil to taste if you wish.

Enjoy!

13 Bean Soup & Hickory Cheddar Kale Sandwich

2013-01-31T11:31:00.002-08:00

Today it is a cold one and there is snow on the ground. Tomorrow, maybe sunny and 60? Either way, the Chicago weather has provoked me to continue on with my soup kick. This time I changed up the Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup recipe to be vegan and added some lazy additions. It went quite well with a grilled cheese sandwich.

13 Bean Soup

2 cups of Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean Soup Mix
2 boxes of vegetable broth
2 cups of water
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 of a bottle of marinara sauce
1 Tbs chili powder

1.Wash and pick through the beans. Cover with fresh water and let soak overnight. I happened to start mine in the afternoon and rinsed the beans several times before letting them soak until the morning.
2. Rinse and drain the beans one more time.
3. Saute your onion and garlic in big pot.
4. Add vegetable broth, water, and beans.
5. Add tomato sauce and chili powder.
6. Let simmer until beans are tender. Bobs says 3 to 3 1/2 hours. I just kept mine on until the soup was thick and reduced and the beans were tender.

Hickory Cheddar Kale Sandwich

Ingredients:
Bread Slices
WayFare Hickory Cheddar Dairy Free Spread
Sauted Greens ( I used kale, arugula, and beet tops sauted in garlic and olive oil)
Vegan Butter Spread. I used Earth Balance.

Make this just like you would a grilled cheese with greens in the middle. The vegan cheese spread gets very hot so be cautious when you bite into your sandwich!!

All Veggie Minestrone

2013-01-25T10:28:00.002-08:00

Hubby is months into his mostly vegan diet. We enjoyed this big pot of soup with family, down on the farm in Ohio. It is very close to my grandma's recipe that everyone loved, including me. All I had to do was swap out beef broth for veggie. Also, this go around I didn't add cabbage. If you would like to add it - please do.

Minestrone

Ingredients

8 cups of vegetable stock or broth
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can of cannellini beans
1 1/2 packed cups of fresh torn spinach
1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped into discs and then halved
1 stalk of celery diced. Chop up the leaves and add those, too.
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
2 tbs parsley
1 cup of shredded zucchini (you can slice if you like - we just had shredded on hand)
1 cup of Italian flat beans
1 can of diced tomatoes

**cook up some macaroni or ditalini or other small pasta on the side.

Directions: Saute onion, celery, and carrots in 1-2 TBS of olive oil until they sweat a bit and start to soften. Add stock and the rest of your veggies and herbs. Cook until the tomato taste mellows and soup reduces a bit. I cook mine low and slow for several hours.

To serve - scoop noodles into your bowl and top with soup and vegan Parmesan or mozzarella if you wish. You can also drizzle a bit of good olive oil on top. Enjoy

Smoky Sweet Potato, Kale, & White Bean Soup

2013-01-15T16:02:00.002-08:00

My mother-in-law made a version of this soup the day before we came back to Chicago. I mixed it up a bit with a less clear broth and a bit of smoky seasoning. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato (cubed)
2 boxes of Trader Joe's Vegetable Broth (this brand has a bit of tomato in the broth)
3 cups of chopped fresh kale
1 can of Great Northern Beans (drained)
1 small onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt & pepper (to taste)
Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning Blend (to taste)

Directions:

In a dutch oven saute onions and garlic in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add kale and let cook until the kale has reduced and wilted. Add the broth, the chopped potato and the beans. Salt and pepper and add a few twists of the African Smoke. Let cook until the soup reduces and thickens a bit.

Canadian Bacon Breakfast Cups

2012-09-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is another variant of the bacon & egg in a muffin tin recipe. This time I used Canadian bacon and these little bits of goodness are great to make in a batch and keep in the refrigerator for fail safe low-carb breakfasts.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1/4 cup of red pepper or green pepper diced
1/4 onion diced
shredded chedder cheese
6 slices of Canadian bacon

Directions

Saute peppers and onions
add eggs (with a bit of milk if you want) and scramble lightly.
Cut a slit into each piece of Canadian Bacon
Make a cone shape and set into a muffin tin
Fill cones with egg mixture
Cook in oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes at 325 until bacon is warmed through.
Remove from oven.
Add a bit of cheese to the tops and put under broiler or back in the oven until the cheese melts.
Eat as is or eat with a simple salad of tomato, avocado, salt & pepper.

Broccoli & Shitake

2012-08-11T07:50:00.001-07:00

Here is a simple dish we whipped up with fresh broccoli, shitake mushrooms, peppers and garlic. Makes enough for a side dish.

Ingredients:

3 cups of broccoli florets
1 cup green pepper slices
2 cloves of garlic
4-5 shitake mushrooms ( soak these overnight prior to grilling)
1-2 TBS olive oil.

Directions
1. rinse and wipe down shitake mushrooms and then slice.
2. Mix veggies with olive oil and 1-2 microplaned garlic cloves. Mine were small so I used two.
3. Wrap veggies in foil and then put on grill until tender but not mushy.

Enjoy.

Prosciutto & Pesto Grilled Mushrooms

2012-08-03T13:12:00.002-07:00

This is not exactly low fat but it is low-carb and always yummy. You can make them in the oven but on a hot summer day - just wrap them in foil and grill them.

Ingredients:

1 carton of white button mushrooms ( about 17-18)
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1/2 tsp of pesto
9 slice of prosciutto

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms and pull off stems
2. Mix goat cheese with pesto.
3. Stuff goat cheese mixture into mushrooms.
4. Cut prosciutto slices in half length wise
5. Wrap around the mushrooms.
6. Put mushrooms side by side on aluminum foil and then wrap up tight.
7. Grill on indirect heat until cheese is bubbly. Don't turn them over. lol.

Enjoy!

Summer Squash & Onions

2012-07-21T18:28:00.002-07:00

This is another classic dish that my grandmother would make during the summer & fall. It is naturally savory and sweet. Enjoy.

3 medium zucchini (mix in a yellow summer squash if you wish)
1 medium to large onion.
1/2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil.
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Slice up the squash in medium sliced. Cut in half in you wish but I like mine in full circles.
2. Slice the onion into rings. Do not make the slices too thin or they will melt away while you cook.
3. Cook until soft. Salt & Pepper to taste.