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It's Soup Weather!

10/26/2017

I love autumn - long walks in crisp air and crunchy leaves wakes up my senses after a long summer of 90+ degrees and high humidity. Autumn also means hearty, aromatic soups! So, here's my current favorite soup, and yes, it's vegan.

What I love about it is that it's a soup I made earlier this summer and when the weather turned and the flannel shirts came out, all I had to do was pour the ingredients from the Mason jar and add some vegetable broth.

Here is a recipe for two Mason jars - one for you and maybe, one for a friend.

Wild Rice, Mushroom, and Lentil Soup in a Jar

Ingredients:

2 - quart Mason jars with lids
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 T. each dried thyme, parsley, and rosemary
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. salt
1/2 t black pepper
1-1/2 cups green or brown lentils
4 bay leaves
1-1/2 cups wild rice
1 cup yellow split peas
2 cups roughly chopped fried shiitake mushrooms
NOTE: I had a bit of room left in the jar so I added some pink lentils. Feel free to add other beans, rices, etc.

Directions:

Combine the onion flakes, nutritional yeast, thyme, parsley, rosemary, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper n a cup of small bowl and still until mixed well.
Pour 1/4 cup of the lentils into each jar.
Divide the spice mixture between the two jars.
Press two (2) bay leaves on the side of each jar.
Pour 3/4 up of the rice into each jar.
Pour 1/2 cup of the split peas into each jar.
Top with the dried mushrooms.

I am seriously thinking of making this for some Christmas gifts. It's really yummy and easy to make!

Attach the following to each jar:

WILD RICE, MUSHROOM, AND LENTIL SOUP IN A JAR

Combine the contents of the jar with 1 quart of vegetable broth in a large pot.
Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to simmer and cover.
Cook for 25 minutes.
Add another 2 cups of vegetable broth and continue cooking for 20 more minutes.
Add another 2 cups of vegetable broth and continue cooking uncovered until beans and rice are done.
Add salt and pepper as needed.

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Carnes Chiropractic

10/22/2017

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It's that time of year when we 'run our numbers' to determine if any changes are needed. Of course, my DOH, Tom is just fine while my cholesterol/triglycerides is slightly elevated. So, eating vegan alone is not doing it. Both of our vitamin D is also low, not uncommon for we old folks. Pretty easy to add a D3 supplement.

My stubborn triglycerides is my biggest concern since my overall cholesterol dropped 50 points in the 3 months due to eating vegan. So, I was between a rock and a hard place. I am a huge snacker and that's adding to my overall caloric intake which isn't helping at all. My only option is to skip the snacks. Period.

Need a new doctor? Dr. Robert Carnes is amazing. He is a kinesiologist, as well as a chiropractor and if you're ready to take control of your health, I can personally recommend him.

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You Don't Know Jack

10/22/2017

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As relatively new vegans, my husband and I are often drawn to new products in the vegan corner of the Publix produce department. There was a pleasantly package vegan entree called BBQ Jackfruit. One of the foods Tom misses (besides steak) is BBQ, so I thought we'd give it a try.

I liked the jackfruit consistency and sure liked that it wasn't a soy protein or other undesirable ingredients. It felt a little slick on my tongue but on a bun with a bit of a bread and butter pickle, it was pretty good. But, I found the BBQ sauce a bit hot for me. My tongue was on fire. But, I figured since we had our own favorite BBQ sauce, why not make my own. Next time I will.

The Jackfruit Co. has other flavors, like Teriyaki, Tex-Mex, and Curry.

I just ordered 6 cans of jackfruit (see "Where can buy jackfruit?" below).

Some links for you:

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Pumpkin Bisque

10/9/2017

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Ingredients:

1 - 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
1 T. curry powder
1 t. brown sugar
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cumin
1 - 15 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
up to 1 cup water or vegetable broth (I don't usually add water or broth)
salt and pepper
2 T. pepitas for garnish, if desired

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except coconut milk, water/broth and pepitas.
Cook on low for 10 minutes to blend pumpkin and spices.
Slowly add the coconut milk, whisking to blend.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Add water or broth, as needed. I like my soup on the thicker side and do not add water or broth.
Sprinkle pepitas when serving.

Serves 4.

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Cleaning Out the Frig

10/9/2017

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I hate waste and yet our recycle bucket for compost is often full more than once a day. I already have access to three freezers and two refrigerators, but I still have usable vegetables/fruits that often get pushed back and then forgotten. I purchased some small bins from WalMart for just that purpose. It has helped considerably! Now I just pull out a bin and I can see all the way the back! So, I decided to check out what was available in my bins before I started making lunch and ... success!

"Clean out the Frig" Sandwiches
Ingredients:

Chuck of Italian Bread, cut in half lengthwise
olive oil
garlic salt
zucchini
muchrooms
onion
garlic
sun-dried tomatoes
left over vegan roast

Directions:

Slice your bread however you want it.
Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle with garlic salt.
Set aside.
In a large cast iron pan, heat a bit of olive oil and add whatever vegetables you want on your sandwich or whatever is in your frig. I will say the sun-dried tomatoes gave it a nice "chew" and excellent flavor. I am allergic to peppers so you'll rarely see recipes here using peppers.
When the vegetables are cooked the way you like them, pop the garlic bread into a toaster oven or broiler and toast.
If you want to add some vegan cheese, do so, then top with the vegetables and serve.

We had this with a bowl of Pumpkin Bisque.

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Healthy Thousand Island Dressing

10/4/2017

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Whether you're vegan or not, this is a great dip for fresh vegetables!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashew butter OR 1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup unsweetened almond or cashew milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. dried dill weed (or 1-2 T. fresh dill)
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
3 T. tomato paste
1 rounded T. date sugar or 1-2 pitted dates
1/4 cucumber, peeled
1/4 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Directions:

In a food processor or high-powdered blender, blend the cashews, milk, vinegar, lemon juice, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, tomato paste, date sugar (or pitted dates), and peeled cucumber until smooth.
Transfer to a small bowl and fold in the finely chopped cucumber and onion.

NOTE: I used my smoothie blender for extra smoothness.

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Asian Salad with Peanut Dressing

10/4/2017

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While this salad isn't very colorful, the flavor is certainly there.

Ingredients:

1/2 crunch peanut butter
3 T. tamari
2 T. rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 t. light brown sugar
12 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. water
2 packages of GreeNoodles
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1 - 8 oz. can diced water chestnuts
8 oz. of fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/4 c. peanuts

Directions:

Combine: peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder to a small bowl, stirring well to blend.
Set aside.
Soak the noodles in enough boiling water until softened.
Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Toss with the sesame oil.
Add the carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and peanuts to the noodles.
Add the peanut sauce, tossing gently to combine.

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It's Soup Weather!

Wild Rice, Mushroom, and Lentil Soup in a Jar

Attach the following to each jar:

Carnes Chiropractic

You Don't Know Jack

Pumpkin Bisque

Cleaning Out the Frig

Healthy Thousand Island Dressing

Asian Salad with Peanut Dressing

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