Beet & quinoa soup

Quinoa is one of my favorite grains since it's a good protein source and therefore great food for vegetarians and vegans and good for my daughter who loves it and getting her to eat protein is hard. Quinoa takes flavor of what ever you mix it with really well so adding beets and horseradish made it a very nice lunch yesterday. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein is "complete protein" which means it includes all nice essential amino acids.  It also contains good source of magnesium, iron, copper etc. The beets actually comes from our garden so they tasted extra good. 

Soup serves one

I cup shredded beet

1/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cup vegetables stock

1 tbs horseradish

1 tbs dill

 Place everything in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until quinoa is done. Enjoy with a little bit of yogurt on top or with bread with avocado on top like us.

Greek inspired desert

I continue down my road of cravings for international foods. I decided for 2009 to come up with more interesting inspirations for my blog so here I go. Now I don't know if I can call today's posting interesting but it's darn good and I love having it since I can't have sugar but still craves sweets. This dish is very simple to do but yet so great.

Yogurt dessert Serves one

1 cup low-fat and plain yogurt or soy.

1 tbs maple syrup

1/4 cup toasted and chopped hazel nuts

Place yogurt in a coffee filter over night or at least for a couple of hours. Place yogurt in a bowl and ringlet syrup over yogurt. Add nuts and it's done

Thai Inspired noodles

A couple of years ago we went to Thailand and ate our self silly. The food is so good and the flavor intense. I have to confess that after a couple of weeks on the Thai food we were craving "regular" food (what ever that means) and actually went for lunch and a club sandwich in a international hotel. But the flavors of Thailand will stay with us forever and once in a while I get inspired and make Thai food and today was one of those days. I kind of made things up as I went along and the result is a noodle dish with sweet and sour flavors. What is not very Thai inspired is the broccoflower but my daughter loves it so I just added it to give her a vegetable she likes.

Thai Noodles with broccoflower serves 4

1 package of thin rice noodles

1 package of  quorn chicken pieces

1 cup Sweet chili sauce

Lemon juice from one lemon

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 tbs Honey

Chili pepper, black pepper, cumin and salt  to taste

1 ripe mango

1 Broccoflower (cross between a broccoli and cauliflower

Marinade the quorn in 1/2 of the chili sauce for 1 hour and place in a pan and in oven for 10 minutes at 400F.  Cook noodles according to directions. Steam the broccoflower in small pieces until soft. Blend lemon juice, honey, salt, spices and cilantro. Peel and cut mango into small pieces. Drain noodles and blend them with dressing and mango and let sit for 5 minutes. Add quorn and broccoflower and remaining of chili sauce. Add more spices if you want like it hot. 

Gluten free carrot cake

It's no secret I have a sweet tooth. But since my thyroid is not working properly sugar and flour is two things I have to stay clear of but today I venture into land of low sugar and flour cakes and created a carrot cake. I have to admit I was very skeptical about the outcome of the cake but surprise surprise it turned out to be a very nice cake, perfect to eat with a cup of hot tea this cold winter night. I guess the best part of it is not only does it taste good but it's also healthy with carrots, nuts and garbanzo bean flour.

Carrot cake 

3 1/2 cup grated carrots

1 cup copped nuts ( I used hazel nuts and almonds)

4 tsp baking powder

3 tbs canola oil

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup agva nectar or honey

1/2 cup milk  (I used hemp milk)

1 1/2 cup garbanzo beans flour

Preheat oven for 400F

Bend carrots, nuts, apple sauce, baking powder, agva nectar and flour and blend well. Add milk and oil  and blend in. Add batter to oiled cake pan and place in oven for 80 minutes. Let cake cool and turn pan up side down and bring out cake. You can also sprinkle some powder sugar on cake. 

Pyttipanna

Pyttipanna in Swedish means small in pan and it's small pieces of vegetables and meats cooked in a pan. It's a traditional Swedish dish. I'm trying to use a lot of root vegetables and this seemed like a good and very easy way to use them, besides it's my husbands favorite dish. Traditionally this dish is made with potatoes, meatt and onions. I made my own version little bit more colorful and healthy off course.

Pytt i Panna Serves 4
2 sweet potatoes2 large carrots
2 sun chokes
I yellow onion
1 yellow pepper
I large parsnip
1 cup quorn chicken pierces
1 1/2 cup water
1 small zucchini
salt, pepper, turmeric, smoked paprika
Preheat oven for 400F/200C
Peel and dice all vegetables except zucchini in place into oven pan, Add spices, quorn and water and blend well. Place pan into oven and bake for 20 minutes, stir a couple f times. Add zucchini after 10 minutes. Enjoy with pickled beets.

The many faces of lentils

I went to see my doctor to day about my hypothyroid and we talked about about the foods I need to avoid right now and how hard it is t be vegetarian and not be able to eat soy. I told him I'm getting tired of eating beans, beans and more beans. His face light up and he said "Do you know what is a great protein source you can eat?'. I was so excited, I though he might know something I didn't know, a secret Chinese protein which have zero calories and taste like cheese cake perhaps. I could hardly wait to hear what he had to say. "Lentils are good". Lentils??!!!! I've been vegetarian forever and therefore been eating lentils forever. I might be ignorant but I consider lentils part of beans and legumes and therefore I've been eating them for weeks now, so how is this new? So I guess the moral of the story is I will continue eating beans, beans and oh yeah lentils for a while longer. Luckily, my family loves lentil soups and today I hit the jack pot when I made this soup with coconut, carrots and off course lentils.

Carrot & coconut soup Serves 2

1/2 cup dried red lentils

1 large carrot peeled and cut into small pieces

1/2 cup mango chutney

2 cups water

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp coriander

salt to taste

Cook lentils and carrots, spices and chutney in large pot until soft (about 10 minutes). Add milk and blend soup in blender or with a mixer until puree. Enjoy with some fresh bread or pita.

Warm root vegetables and bean salad

I had planned to watch the inauguration today on TV while having a nice lunch so this is my inauguration lunch. The flavors of the vegetables mixed with the salty, sour and spicy of the dressing works wonderful. With this I ate bread spread with avocado and sliced tomatoes. I have to say that I little bit of me wish I was in Washington experiencing the event but when I saw how cold it was, boy was I happy be sitting in my living room.

 

Warm salad serves one

1 large carrot sliced into coins

1 large sun choke peeled and cut into one inch pieces

I handful of green beans but into half

2/3 cup yellow summer squash cut into slices and quartet

1/2 cup kidney beans

Boil carrots, sun chokes for 5 minutes and add squash and cook for another minutes. Drain vegetables and add beans.

Dressing:

1/4 cup vegetables stock

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbs honey mustard

1 pinch each of turmeric, dill coriander and black pepper

Mix everything in a pot and bring to a boil. Pour over vegetables and enjoy!

Simple carrot salad

We have a lot carrots at home because I had planned to make pickled carrots but ran out of time so now it's carrots all day long. Yesterday I made this simple carrots salad to accompany our lentil dinner. It's super easy to make and the sweetness makes it perfect for kids. Strangely carrots is not one of Isabella's favorite vegetables, at least not cooked so a raw salad worked great for her. 
Carrot salad,  Serves 2

3 large carrots peeled and grated 1/2 sprouts (I used spring mix to make it more colorful)

1/3 cups toasted pumpkin seeds 

1 tbs olive oil 

1 tsp honey or Agva syrup 

salt & pepper
Preheat oven for F350 and spread seeds on a cookie sheet. Toast for a few minutes until you can smell them. Be careful not to burn them, it goes fast. Blend rated carrots, sprouts, oil, honey, salt and pepper. Place salad on plates and sprinkle seeds on top. 

Making detox easy and good

James is on a detox diet and does not eat dairy, soy, flour, sugar etc. As you can tell there is a limited versatility to his menu and it requires an imaginary mind to make breakfast interesting and felt I was the woman for the job.. I came up with these very simple but fun smoothie. I added some spirulina to add protein and minerals. Spirulina had an impressive 60% protein content and has great muscle building potential. It contains a powerful combination of minerals including iron, calcium and magnesium. I made them up and Isabella wanted to taste and even she loved them.

1 smoothie

1/4 cup cashew nuts soak over night in 1 cup water

1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen if you want a more frozen smoothie)

1 tbs spirulina powder

Mix the cashews with the soaking water with a hand held mixer or in a blender until smooth. Add the berries and spirulina

Soy sauce infused shiitake mushrooms and bean sprouts

After the birth of our daughter Isabella we had a doula care for us. Aparna is wonderful and she cooked the most amazing and wholesome food for us. Up until Aparna came into our lives I really did not have much of an appetite since take out food just did nothing for me who is used to eating wholesome food.  One of her dishes James loved so much, soy sauce infused shiitake mushroom and bean sprouts. I know I will never be a Aparna but I tried my best to make my version of her dish. Shiitake mushrooms are very nutritional and valuable health food. They are low in calories, high in proteins, chitin, iron, zinc, fiber, essential amino acids and vitamins. Bean sprouts also have outstanding nutrition value. They are rich in protein as well as vitamin A, Vitamin B complex, vitamin C and E as well as various minerals and enzymes. They are good to help fight cancer, fatigue and the immune system.

Shiitake Mushroom and Bean sprouts Serves 2

2 cups sliced fresh Shiitake mushrooms (stems removed)

2 cups rinsed bean sprouts

1 tbs canola oil

1 tsp cumin

Black pepper to taste

1/4 cup soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Amino's

Heat oil in a wok on medium heat and add cumin and let sizzle. Add mushroom and cook for about 2 minutes. Add bean sprout and cook for 5 minutes. Add soy sauce and pepper. Cook for one more minute or so. Enjoy with Basmati rice. 

Marinaded beans

I've been diagnosed with hypothyroid so that means no soy for me for a while. I took for ever to get diagnosed and I had many symptoms; weight gain, hair loss, insomnia, dry skin and tiredness. Finally it was my acupuncturist who figured it out. Thanks Jackie! It's so easily diagnosed with a simple blood test. As soon as I found out I changed my food intake by removing everything that aggravated the thyroid ; broccoli, rutabaga, spinach, soy, dairy, white flour, sugar and processed food. It made a huge difference right away. But let me tell you how hard it is to be a vegetarian and cooking for two lactose intolerant without soy, very!!! But they do love their  soy so I just use substitute for me. Today my family is having roasted temphe so I substitute with marinaded beans. We ate them with oven roasted vegetables. 

Marinaded beans Serves two

1 cup cooked or canned great northern beans

1 tsp flax seed oil

2 tbs sweet mustard

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tbs chopped flat Italian parsley

Salt & Pepper

Blend everything for the sauce and blend in beans. Let stand in fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Bring some color into your life

So many people only eat one color of food, yellow or white (starchy or white protein). During my yoga teacher training we studied nutrition and one day we had a raw food nutritionist give a lecture. She talked about the importance of eating different colors because it means you eat different nutrients and vitamins. Afterward she treated us to a lovely raw food buffet and I could not help noticing the beautiful array of colors on plate. Ever since I try to eat colorful (with both cooked and raw food). One example is my "best oven roasted vegetables ever", as seen in the picture below. In the picture I have added sugar snap peas.

About time --Finally a good veggie burger

Veggie burgers usually taste as good as the box they come in so I rarely buy and specially eat them. That was then, now I found these Sunshine burgers and boy are they good. They are so good that even my toddler ate them. But not only do the taste fantastic, they are also good for you, completely vegan, gluten and soy free. They are made from carrots, brown rice and sunflower seeds. You can find them in the freezer at Whole foods.

Mushroom and Barley soup

With the sunny weather we're having here it's probobly not correct to say it's soup weather. So shoot me, sunny or not, it's still "our" winter here in San Diego and I love eating soup. I've been craving mushroom barley soup for weeks but cooking barley takes 1,5 hours so I have just not had the time. But today I had a slow morning with Isabella so as soon as I got up this morning I start cooking the barley.

Oyster mushroom and barley soup Serves two
1 cup cooked barley
2 cup cleaned and chopped oyster mushrooms
2 cups cauliflower, cut into small pieces
2 stalks of celery
2 cups water
1 tbs canola oil
1 bouillon cube
Smoked paprika
salt & Pepper
Heat 1/2 tbs of the oil in a large pot and fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes. Remove mushrooms and heat remaining oil and add vegetables and brown quickly. Add water and bullion cube and cook until vegetables are soft on medium heat. Add barley and mushrooms and add salt and spices after your own liking. Enjoy hot with garlic bread.

Celeriac and jicama slaw

I love all kinds of slaw, specially the creamy ones, unfortunate they don't like me. We're trying to eat more root vegetables since a. they are filling, b. they are good for you and c. they are cheap. For lunch today I had kale and bean soup but I felt like something tart and crunchy so I make up this wonderful slaw with flavour of horseradish. I used two vegetables I don't use that often, celeriac (also known as celery root) and jicama Unfortunately I did not get the exact measurements, sorry!

Serves one
1 small piece of celeriac shredded
1 small piece of jicama shredded 1/2 cup of sunflower greens
horseradish (about 1 tsp)
apple cider vinegar (about 1 tsp)
1 tsp olive oil
Little bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt
dill
Blend blend everything together and let stand for 10 minutes and then....enjoy!!!

The best roasted vegetables ever

Oven roasted vegetables has always been my favorite and now I created a recipe for the ultimate yummy oven roasted root vegetables and the best part is...it's super easy! Roasting vegetables in the oven really brings out the natural sweetness of them and is guaranteed to make even the worst vegetables hater to enjoy, trust me I have met one or two.

Serves 2
1 large beet
1 yam or sweet potato
1 large parsnip
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt & pepper
lemon juice from one lemon
1 tbs cilantro chopped
Preheat oven for F350. Peel and cut all vegetables into small pieces. Place in oven pan and mix well with oil, salt, pepper and paprika. Place in middle of oven until vegetables are soft (about 30 minutes, depends on size of vegetable pieces). Mix juice and cilantro and mix in with vegetables and serve warm immediately.

Eating, drinking and I had a great time in San Francisco

We have been in San Francisco for a couple of days over New Years. We visited friends had a great time eating and cooking together. My friend Alexandra shares my passion for food so it was only natural we spent most of our time either eating or cooking and sometimes both at the same time with a glass of wine as company. Thanks to her I dared an attempt for dairy free chocolate bread pudding as well as Bearnaise sauce. Bread pudding came out OK but the sauce was divine. Unfortunatly I did not take any pictures. But I'm home now and eating perhaps a little bit more healthy.