Category Archives: holidays

holidays, soup

Homemade Tomato Soup

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Homemade Tomato Soup
Homemade Tomato Soup

By: Shannon Walker, LPN, NS, CHHC

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Salt Free Seasoning Blend

2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1/4 cup of butter

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

2 pints of canned tomatoes, with the juice

2 cans diced Italian tomatoes, with the juice

Saute the onions, carrots, Mrs. Dash and dried herbs in the butter till vegetables are tender crisp. Pour in the cans and pints of tomatoes. Cook on medium to high till  vegetables are tender. Use an immersion blender to mince the tomatoes and carrots till soup is in smaller pieces. Continue cooking 10-15 minutes longer. Serve with toasted cheese sandwiches in homemade wheat bread! 🙂 YUM!

holidays, vegetables

Mashed sweet potatoes

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Mashed Sweet Potatoes

You might be wondering why the dish above is empty… That’s because these sweet potatoes were so yummy I didn’t get a picture before I ate them! 😀 Ha! But it’s a super simple recipe with 4 ingredients!

5-6 medium sweet potatoes

1 TBSP butter

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more if desired)

Wash the sweet potatoes, cut out bad spots & cut the ends off a little. Prick each tator with a fork in several different places. Wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or hour & a half. Take them out and unwrap to poke with a knife and see if they are cooked through.

Peel the sweet potatoes while warm, then place in a bowl and mash with a fork or with the hand mixer. Add the butter, salt and cinnamon. Blend well.

Eat while hot. Don’t expect leftovers! 😀

coaching, holidays, vegetables

Food Focus: Sweet Potatoes

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sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are on everyone’s mind this season. (Ok, maybe not everyone… as some do not enjoy the delicacy of a delicious sweet potato melting in your mouth…)  But they seem to go hand in hand with the family gatherings, and fortunately, eating these and other sweet vegetables needn’t be limited to this time of year. As soon as it frosts, then it is time to dig sweet potatoes! Store them in a cool, dark place and eat them roasted, steamed, or baked like a white potato. They are even good grilled! 😀

Cravings for sweets can be greatly reduced by adding sweet vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, yams, parsnips, beets, squash, turnips and rutabagas to your daily diet. Sweet potatoes elevate blood sugar gently rather than with the jolt delivered by simple refined carbohydrates, so there’s no energy crash after you eat them. This makes them an ideal vegetable or side dish for diabetics! 🙂  Much higher in nutrients than white potatoes and especially rich in vitamin A, sweet potatoes offer a creamy consistency that is satisfying and soothing.

They are healing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and help to remove toxins from the body. They can increase the quantity of milk in lactating women and can lessen cramps and premenstrual symptoms. If you don’t have any sweet potatoes in your kitchen, go out and buy some (organic and local if possible) and make the recipe below. (I am trying not to drool… because anything with lime and cilantro is bound to taste yummy! 🙂 )

Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro

This recipe is an eye-opener for those who find sweet potatoes sweet or those who are tired of eating them smothered in marshmallows and brown sugar (NOT healthy!!) . Japanese sweet potatoes, with their pale flesh and delicate flavor, are a treat if you can find them.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

2-3 limes

butter or olive oil, salt (optional)

Directions:

  1. Wash the sweet potatoes and bake them whole, in their skins, at 375 degrees until tender, about 40 minutes.
  2. Wash and chop cilantro leaves.
  3. When sweet potatoes are done, slit open the skin and place on serving plate. Season with salt and dots of butter or a sprinkle of oil, if you like, then squeeze fresh lime juice all over, and shower with cilantro leaves.

Anything is better with cilantro, right? 😀

Enjoy! ~Coach Shannon

Resources:

  1. Institute for Integrative Nutrition
  2. Mannafold Blessings In Health
holidays, vegetables

Warm Thanksgiving Kale and Squash Salad

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Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yields: 6 people

Ingredients:
1 large purple turnip, washed, diced into 1/2″ cubes w/ skin
1/2 acorn squash, washed, seeded, diced into 1/2″ cubes w/ skin
1/2 small butternut squash, washed, seeded, diced into 1/2″ cubes w/ skin
2 tbs. grapeseed or canola oil (for baking)
1/2 head of kale, sliced paper thin crosswise
1/2 head of Lacinto Kale, sliced paper thin crosswise
1 tbs. each, raw pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, crushed pecans
2 tbs. dried cranberries
1 tbs. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 carrots, diced small
sea salt and pepper to taste
gomasio for flavor (optional)
2 tbs first cold pressed EV olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the diced turnip, acorn and butternut squash in a large baking tray.
3. Cover with 1-2 tbs. of grapeseed oil, mix until coated and top with sea salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes, checking and turning over halfway through. When the veggies are baked, place them in a large bowl and add all of the other ingredients, mix well making sure everything is coated with the fresh olive oil.
5. Add sea salt, gomasio and pepper to taste and serve warm.

Recipe Courtesy of Amanda Andruzzi

holidays

Pumpkin Pie with Pumpkin Seed Crust

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Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Yields: 8 people

Ingredients:
Crust
1 cup spelt flour, plus more for rolling the dough
1/3 cup hulled, raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or agave nectar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. cold water

Filling:
2 farm fresh eggs
15 – 16 ounces fresh, baked or steamed pumpkin pureed until smooth
1 cup farm fresh milk, or almond or rice milk
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Crust:
1. Put the flour, pumpkin seeds, and salt into food processor with fitted metal blade. Process until pumpkin seeds are finely ground.
2. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add maple syrup, vinegar & cold water and pulse until mixture clumps.
4. Roll into ball and flatten on parchment paper pressing into a large flat circle and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400°.
6. On lightly floured board, roll dough into a 12″ circle and transfer to 10″ pie plate pressing into bottom and up sides. Finish edges. Prick with fork in several places. Line with parchment paper or foil and weight with dried beans or rice. Place in oven for about 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Lift parchment or foil and weights and remove them from baked shell. Set aside.
7. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Filling:
1. In mixing bowl, place egg, pumpkin, milk, maple syrup or agave, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, and vanilla.
2. Whisk until smooth.
3. Pour into baked pie shell.
4. Bake until filling doesn’t jiggle. About 35 – 45 minutes. Set pie on rack.
5. Serve room temperature or chilled with whipped cream and whole pumpkin seeds if desired.

Notes:
Optional: Serve with sweetened whipped cream or raw banana ice cream and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds for garnish.
Variation for Crust: Use unsalted sunflower seeds or walnuts in place of the pumpkin seeds.
Variation for Filling: Use canned pumpkin.

Recipe Courtesy of Amie Guyette Hall

holidays

Creamy Pumpkin Soup Topped with Curried Pecans

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Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yields: 4 people

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons curry powder
15 ounces pumpkin, pureed
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pecan pieces
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Cover and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and the pumpkin puree, then whisk in the broth until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes to allow flavors to develop, stirring occasionally.
While the soup is simmering, make the curried pecans. In a small bowl, combine the pecan pieces with the remaining maple syrup and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the remaining curry powder, tossing to coat. Place the pecans in a small baking dish and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot. Otherwise, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir back into the pot. Return the soup to the stovetop, turning the heat to low. Whisk in the coconut milk, taste to adjust seasonings. Heat until hot, do not boil. Serve the soup garnished with the pecans.

Recipe Courtesy of Chelsea Fyrberg