These marinated vegetables are sweet, juicy with just the right amount of tang. It is really versatile - any number of veggies could be added - cauliflower, carrots, cucumber to name a few. This did not make a large amount, so if serving to 4 or more people double or triple the recipe.

It is a nice accompaniment to add alongside steamed vegetables, potatoes, or on top of cooked greens, it is even yummy along side a tuna sandwich!

1/4 cup diced yellow zucchini

1/4 cup chopped fresh yellow beans or green

1/4 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup diced green or red pepper

1/8th cup diced torpedo onion or red onion

1 small jalapeno pepper, de-seeded  and diced

2-3 tblsp. finely chopped fresh basil

Vinegar Marinade: 2-3 tblsp. dill pickle juice, 1/2 tsp. sugar, salt to taste - stir well until the sugar and salt dissolves. (add more sugar for a sweeter taste if that is your preference)

Make the Vinegar Marinade first, then set aside.

Prepare all the vegetables and place in a bowl.  Cover with the marinade and marinate 4-6 hours before serving.

 

We recently had this fabulous marinated bean salad, I brought to a family gathering - I should have doubled the recipe - it is our new favourite and comes together so easily.

I made the dressing the day before, then put the salad together to marinate an hour or two before eating.

2 1/2 cups fresh green beans, cut 1 1/2 inch size, and parboil - 3 minutes, drain and add to ice bath, then drain and place on a clean towel

1 pint fresh cherry/grape tomatoes, halved

big handful of roughly sliced, then big chopped red onion

big handful of fresh basil, chopped

14 oz. can drained, rinsed chick peas

crumbled feta cheese, - goat cheese would work nicely here too

DRESSING: - can easily make the day before

1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tblsp.  fresh squeezed lemon juice

2  1/2 Tblsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

salt to taste

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash Season blend

Once the vegetables are ready to go, add to a bowl with the fresh herbs and drained chick peas

Pour over all of the dressing, mixing well to combine, then sprinkle on a handful or more of crumbled feta cheese.

 

 

This is a lovely side dish to have with any main dish or lunch, especially in summer.  While not a big fan of sweet coleslaw, there is a bit of sugar in this recipe, but it is not overpowering at all, and by all means add more if that is to your taste.  The dressing makes about 3/4 cup, and in this recipe we used 1/4 dressing for the coleslaw, so leftovers can be used again on just about any salad you make.

DRESSING:

1/2  cup Mayonnaise

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tblsp. White vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. white sugar

1/2 tsp. ground celery seed

1/2 tsp. paprika

fresh cracked pepper

COLESLAW:

1 1/2 cups finely sliced, shredded green cabbage

rounded 1/2 cup finely sliced red cabbage, or a bit more if you prefer

1 small to medium grated carrot

2 green onions, diced

Whisk up all the ingredients listed in the dressing recipe and set aside.

To a bowl, add the green and red cabbages, grated carrot and green onions, tossing with a fork to combine.  Pour in 1/4 cup of the dressing, mixing well.  Refrigerate 1- 2 hours before serving.

If you love curries, Tandoori flavors are some of the best.  The method here using an air fryer is very simple.  You can make your own Tandoori seasoning, but we recently found a jarred Tandoori paste that is gluten free - and outstanding in flavor.

In this recipe we used whole chicken legs, thigh with attached drumstick, but any chicken pieces will work nicely.  Cooking time will vary, depending on cut and size.

Method:

In a glass bowl, mix 4 Tblsp. natural low fat yogurt, with 1 Tblsp. of Tandoori paste, or more to taste.  Mix well. Cut a few slices on top of the chicken legs (not too deep) and place the chicken legs into the bowl and cover fully in the sauce.  Cover the dish with a lid or cling wrap and marinate in the fridge for minimum 4 hours.

Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees for 5 min.  Carefully place a folded piece of parchment paper, folded to size into the bottom of the air fryer.  Using tongs, place in the chicken legs, leaving the top portion covered in the Tandoori sauce.

Cook 15-25 min. depending on size of the chicken legs.  Half way through, using tongs, turn the parchment paper to rotate.  Using an instant read thermometer, check the chicken legs intermittently, once the chicken has reached 165 degrees fahrenheight, the chicken is ready to be plated.

We had ours served with Saffron rice and steamed vegetables, but any side dish or salad will be complimentary.

 

Lately, we have been having different kinds of rice bowls, stir fry's, and different curry dishes.  It adds some variety to dinners, as well as being a great way to use up any extras that might be in the fridge.  This dish would also be lovely with red pepper strips, and bean sprouts.  Any number of different veggies can work well here.

1/2 lb. beef stir fry strips

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil

1/2 cup broccoli stalks cut into 2 inch matchstick size

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut small

3 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 large shallot, diced

1 Tblsp. minced ginger

fresh cracked pepper

sliced green onions to garnish

 

Marinade for beef strips:

3 garlic cloves, sliced

3-4 Tblsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 Tblsp. white vinegar or rice wine vinegar

1 Tblsp. water

5 drops toasted sesame seed oil

juice of 1 tangerine

 

Ginger Tangerine Sauce:

juice of 1 tangerine

1 1/2 cups beef stock

3 Tblsp. soy sauce

2 Tblsp. ketchup

2 Tblsp. corn starch

 

Mix together the marinade ingredients and add the beef strips to the marinade, tossing well to coat.  Marinate in a lidded container 4-6 hours in the refrigerator.   Heat up a dutch oven,  or braisier pan on medium heat.  Using a slotted spoon to drain the beef from the marinade add to the heated pan discarding the marinade.  Saute about 3 min. then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

If necessary add a splash of Avocado oil to the pan and saute the shallot, mushrooms and ginger until fragrant, and the mushrooms are lightly golden.  Add the broccoli and stalks to the pan, sauteing 3 min.  Add a splash of water and cover turning the heat to a low simmer, 2 minutes then remove the lid and cook until the broccoli is tender.

Mix up the ingredients for the Ginger Tangerine Sauce and set aside.

Add the beef to the pan, and pour in the Ginger Tangerine sauce, stirring/mixing until thickened.

Check for seasonings, pepper and soy sauce adding more if necessary.  Serve over basmati rice and garnish with a sprinkling of green onions.

 

Hello everyone!

Long long time no write no hear.  These last few years have been quite a ride...working full on 5-6 days a week, keeping a business going in the past 8 years has been a labor of luv for sure.  Then fast forward to March 2020 and Covid hit.  During the past 8 years of extreme "business" I have posted very few recipes but do hope to post more down the road.

Now with the reality of Covid... sadly, but also not so sadly, I have shut down my business.  When push came to shove, I realized a few things.

First, I could not adequately meet our health guidelines for returning to work in a safe manner for everyone.  Secondly, I am only a few years away from retirement, and while I would have liked to have had a few more years in the work force, it was not meant to be and after some adjustment it suites me totally fine.  That said, here we are today in a most strange, strange world.  A world that no one could have even dreamed about!

It is with much gratitude and hope that everyone I know out there in our worlds are well and safe.

With all going on in this incredible world of ours....I look to comfort food....always comfort food, plus this is an easy healthy meal to make.

Now, while this is technically not Vegetarian, it so could be.  I used Chicken stock, but using Vegetable stock would make this Vegan/Vegetarian so use what suits you best!

2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 of a small red pepper - roughly chopped

1/2 of a red onion - chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 carrot, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 of a celery stalk, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup red lentils - rinse well in a sieve

3 potatoes or roughly 2  1/2 cups chopped potatoes cut into 1  1/2 inch size - I used German Butter Potatoes (use potatoes that will not turn mushy)

1/2 cup chopped fresh green beans - or frozen will work

3/4 cup chopped frozen spinach

1  1/2 cups chicken stock - add more if necessary *

salt to taste

2 tsp. curry powder - I used a Madra style curry, but any curry powder of your choice will work here

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder *

*NOTES:  If needed add more chicken or vegetable stock - the potatoes need to be just covered, but depending on the potatoes used you might need to add more liquid.

Onion Powder.  For whatever reason, I can not find onion powder in my neck of the woods.  So, here I have taken dried onion flakes and run them through a coffee grinder to reach a fine powder - onion powder - and it works great!

Method:

Heat up a good sized pot on low medium heat with the EVOO.  Add the onion, garlic, red pepper sauteing a good 3 min.  Then add in the celery, carrot, green beans, season with salt and continue to saute another 3 min. or so.  Add in the curry powder, garlic, and onion powder, stirring to blend and continue to saute for 5 min.

Add in the rinsed red lentils, veggie or chicken stock, frozen chopped spinach, potatoes, and stir to combine.  Bring to a lite simmer, lid on for 15 min. stirring occasionally.  After 15 min, take the lid off, and continue to simmer another 5 min. or so (to help reduce if there is too much liquid) and to cook until the lentils and potatoes are cooked through.  Check for salt/seasonings, and serve hot.  A nice gluten free bread tops this meal off.  This recipe serves 2-3 portions, and can certainly be doubled.  The next day leftovers will be even better!

 

 

Thought I would post this early as beautiful fresh tomatoes in our neck of the woods are not too far away. With an abundance of heirloom tomatoes making stewed tomatoes is a great way to use them up.  Although for weeks on end we just eat them fresh off the vine.
We do not do much in the way of canning in this household, but we do like to freeze as much fresh produce as we can.  This will be lovely in the dead of winter for soups, stews, and pasta dishes. (I made these last year too - so yummy!)
6 cups chopped tomatoes - slice in half, then quarters, then in half (I used a mix of yellow, red, green heirloom tomatoes)
1 large onion chopped
1 celery stalk with leaves, diced
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup diced green pepper
a good handful of minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
pinch of sugar
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Wash the tomatoes and remove the outer core.  Peel the tomatoes with a soft peeler or blanch the tomatoes to remove the skin (here is a method to blanch tomatoes). Chop all of the ingredients and add to a big pot, then add seasonings.
Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Keep on a low simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Taste for seasonings.  Remove from the heat, and after 30 minutes transfer to 2 cup sized jars and fill to 3/4 full.  This recipe made 3 jars...so double or triple up the recipe if you have tons of tomatoes.  Refrigerate until cold, then freeze until ready to use. This was so tasty, I could eat it right out of the jar!

We are huge lovers of pesto in this household.  Each year I make Organic Garlic Scape Pesto which we freeze to have throughout the year.  This is the first time I have made Tomato Pesto and Oh My Goodness, do we ever love it.
As mentioned in previous posts, every year, we buy our local organic produce and eggs at our Farmer's Market (just down the street from where we live) which runs from May through to October. This year I signed up for their fall/winter program whereby I was able to go to the farm (8 minutes away) to buy winter vegetables, eggs, and these lovely dried tomatoes.  The farm is called Alm Organic Farm - founded by Mary Alice Johnson.
As I have never made tomato pesto before I used Mary Alice's recipe as a guideline as well as my own Garlic Scape Pesto recipe - to create this heavenly tomato pesto.  (pasta recipe to follow) Alm Farm tomatoes are the best I have ever had. (we were able to buy tomatoes in November!)  They are super flavorful, and amazingly sweet as was this pesto recipe.  Dinner tonight felt like a fresh breath of summer even though we are in the height of winter.
So, here is my recipe for Tomato Pesto - thank you Mary Alice & Marika for your inspiration and for your beautiful organic farm grown vegetables!
1 1/4 cups dried tomatoes - soak in boiling water, just to cover for 20 minutes (reserve drained water)
3 minced garlic cloves
1/3 cup Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
28 gram package of fresh Basil or 3/4 cup chopped Basil
3 Tblsp. reserved water from the tomatoes
a generous 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
fresh cracked pepper
Add the dried tomatoes to a 4 cup glass measuring cup.  Add boiling water just to cover.  Let sit for 20 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid.
Lightly toast the sliced almonds in a dry cast iron pan on low/medium heat - about 8 minutes stirring so they do not over roast.  Then place into a food processor and process until fine.
Drain the water from the tomatoes, reserving the liquid.  Add the tomatoes to the food processor with the minced garlic and blend, scraping down the sides.  Add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese, Basil, and fresh cracked pepper.  Blend again then scrap down the sides.  Add the 3 Tblsp. reserved tomato water and continue to blend scraping down the sides.  If too thick, add a bit more of the reserved water.  Once combined set aside for the pasta, or refrigerate to use in another dish.  Pizza would be amazing.
TOMATO PESTO PASTA WITH ROASTED GARLIC GOAT CHEESE CHEVRAI:
1 340 gram package of Gluten Free Fusilli Pasta
1 large shallot, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tblsp. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 crimini mushrooms, chopped small
Tomato Pesto recipe from above
salt and fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup of fresh chopped Basil
113 gram package of Roasted Garlic Goat Chevrai
3-4 Tblsp. reserved tomato water
freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.  Cook pasta as per directions.
Meanwhile, heat up a medium/large dutch oven on low medium heat with the 1 Tblsp. EVOO.  Add in the shallots, garlic, mushrooms, salt and pepper - saute about 5 minutes.  Add in the the reserved tomato water a Tblsp. at a time.  The mushrooms shallot mixture will absorb most of the water.  When the pasta is cooked, drain well, and add to the mushroom shallot mixture. Turn the heat down to a low minimum.  Add in the tomato pesto and 1/2 cup of fresh chopped basil, mixing well.  If needed add in 2 or 3 more Tblsp. of the reserved tomato water.  Break up the Chevrai with your hands, sprinkling throughout the pasta stirring to combine and lightly melt.  Plate and add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top - serve while hot.  Enjoy!