Tuna Salad Open-Faced Sandwich

Sometimes, I just want to eat tuna salad and if I decide to make it, my whole family loves this version! Thank you Elsie! It's delicious but a bit more work than the regular old mayo and relish version; but well worth the effort! We like it on a toasted slice of French Boule, with a little spread of Vegenaise (or mayo), mixed greens, and topped with sliced tomato, parsley and fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. This recipe comes from Simply Recipes (my long time favorite food blog) but instead of a sandwich, we like to make it open-faced or topped on an old fashioned saltine cracker. Usually, we double the batch for the five of us and sometimes we have enough to save for snacking the next day. Tell me how you like it ... it's by far one of our favorites!

Tuna Salad Sandwich 

Compliments of Simply Recipes

1 (6-ounce) can of tuna fish (if packed in water, drain it, and add a teaspoon of good quality olive oil)

1/3 cup of cottage cheese

2 Tablespoons mayonaise

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon capers

Juice of half a lemon or less (I have found it too lemony when doubling the batch)

Pinch or two of dill (use 1 teaspoon of fresh dill when available)

2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Optional - lettuce and sliced tomatoes

Slices of french bread - lightly toasted

Mix all of the ingredients. Serve on toast, either open faced, or in a regular sandwich with lettuce and tomato. For a low carb option, serve on sliced lettuce or in a lettuce leaf (like a lettuce burrito)! Enjoy!

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

*dedicated to our small group*

Love you guys!

What to buy: 

1. Pre-made pizza dough (We got this convenient dough from Whole Foods) 

2. Asparagus

3. Scallions 

4. Mozzarella

5. Fresh Parmesan

How to make:

a. Shave asparagus as shown above ... discard tough ends. Place in a bowl and lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and set aside.

b. Roll out dough on a floured surface, place on a floured and preheated pizza stone, pan, or cookie sheet.

c. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan and mozzarella

d. Lay asparagus on top of cheese

e. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly brown on edges

f. Remove from heat and sprinkle with diced scallions

That's it! Simplicity and Deliciousity! Enjoy with your dearest friends or make it at the next pizza party!

Recipe genius credit goes to Smitten Kitchen - View her beautiful blog post here!

TBLT w/ Jaime's Basil-Mayo

This is one of Chad's and My favorite sandwiches! We don't make it often enough but it beats the "real" BLT any day of the week! Just ask Chad who is a bacon LOVER. ;) It's basically a BLT, but add a T to the beginning and it becomes a vegetarian's dream! Ever heard of tempeh? Say what? I said, Tempeh (pronounced "tim-pay")! It is a patty made of fermented soybeans and is high in protein, easy to digest, and is extremely versatile. LightLife is a popular company that makes tempeh and their famous tempeh-bacon - it's the best - and is available in most health food stores (otherwise known as Organic Smokey Tempeh Strips or "Faken' Bacon").

My sister-in-law and comfort food mentor, Jaime, makes this really yummy basil mayonnaise. A couple summers back she had basil growing abundantly in her back yard and decided to chop some up and add it to mayonnaise for sandwiches. She couldn't stop talking about how good it was and ended up making us a batch to try. We loved it!

Chad suggested we use Jaime's basil-mayo on our TBLT's instead of plain mayo (we like to use a vegan version called Vegenaise). It turned out to be the perfect addition like he imagined!! Ya know, for a guy who really enjoys eating 'real' bacon it is pretty impressive how much Chad loves these sandwiches!  Here we have a sliced sourdough loaf; lightly toasted and spread with Jaime's basil-mayo, topped with browned tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato and ... sliced red onion. I am already planning to make these for a lovely summer picnic!! Yum, down to the crumb! ;-)

"You do not like them. 

So you say. 

Try them! Try them! 

And you may. 

Try them and you may, I say." 

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

TBLT (Tempeh-Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato)

serves 2

6-8 smokey tempeh strips

1 tomato, sliced

2 lettuce leaves

Prepared basil-mayo

4 slices of sourdough bread, lightly toasted

1. Lightly brown both sides of the tempeh strips in a skillet in a small amount of warmed oil. 

2. Spread basil-mayo over all 4 slices of toasted bread.

3. Layer the rest of the ingredients to your own taste.

Jaime's Basil Mayo

1/4 cup of Vegenaise (or another type of mayonnaise)

1/2 teaspoon of dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil)

Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container, in the fridge until ready to use. 

Banana "Nice" Cream

Here is something for you to try ... Banana Nice Cream.

I found the recipe in a Whole Foods publication from a store near our house.

And it's so good!

(dairy-free, gluten-free, low-sodium, vegan, vegetarian ~ How about dem apples!?) 

Banana Nice Cream
Compliments of Whole Foods.
Serves 2-4


Easy as 1-2-3, this creamy, sweet and cool snack or dessert proves that added sugar and oil are not always necessary to satisfy your cravings. Keep some peeled bananas in your freezer so they'll be ready when you are.


2 bananas, sliced and frozen
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons smooth almond butter


1. Put bananas, milk and almond butter into a blender.
2. Puree, turning off the motor and stirring the mixture two or three times, until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into two bowls and serve.


Options
- Use almond milk or rice milk instead of soymilk.
- Use cashew butter or peanut butter instead of almond butter.
- Top with chopped nuts or fruit, coconut shreds, ground flaxseed, chocolate chips, etc.

Banana-Banana Bread

I found a great banana bread recipe! I call it banana-banana bread because I thought sliced bananas on top would be nice (idea came from ATK) but the original recipe comes from Elise (once again, my hero).

Before baking

The best part about saving a small batch of bananas is watching them become perfectly brown and spotty ... until they are just right for banana bread. I usually have to fight Chad off to make sure he doesn't try to freeze them "before they get too brown"! UGH! You can smell the ripeness when they are perfect.

After

This banana bread has a crusty top and a moist center, just perfectly delicious! 

Oh, the goodness!

Below is a slightly altered version of some darn good 'ol banana bread. The only thing I changed is the added walnuts and sliced banana on top. Oh, it's so good. I have to stop myself from eating the whole loaf ... and Chad even said it's the best he's EVER had!!! ;-)

Banana-Banana Bread

Adapted from Elise's blog Simply Recipes.
Makes 1 loaf

3-4 ripe bananas, smashed 

1 banana, thinly sliced, set aside

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a wooden spoon mix butter into the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix. Add the flour and stir until incorporated. Fold in the walnuts. Pour into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Add the sliced bananas along the long side of the pan on top of the batter. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack and remove from pan. Slice and eat!

Carrot Soup With Fresh Thyme and Zucchini Dill Muffins

Boquet Garni tied with parsley sprigs (for doubled batch)

The last time I made these two recipes were for some friends of ours in the mountain community who just had their baby ... that was a few years back and my friend loved it ... So, I decided to make it again. It's a mild soup but delicious and nutritious! And especially good for baby and mama with all those carrots.

This recipe originally came from the Colorado Country Life monthly publication but I don't have the magazine any longer and couldn't find the recipe on the website. Oh well, I'm glad I wrote it down! Be sure to buy organic or local produce whenever possible (or grow your own); they always taste better and are better for you.

P.S. My boys didn't complain about eating this at all!!! ;)

CARROT SOUP WITH FRESH THYME 

serves 4-6

If you are substituting dry herbs for fresh, remember to use one teaspoon of dry for every tablespoon of fresh since dried herbs have a stronger taste than fresh herbs do.

2 lbs. carrots, chopped
1 med. onion, diced
4 Tbs. butter
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Bouquet garni* (6 parsley sprigs, 3 thyme sprigs or 1 Tbs. dried thyme and 6-8 black peppercorns)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbs. thyme leaves or blossoms, chopped fine
2 Tbs. parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup cream*, optional

1. In a soup pot, melt the butter and saute carrots & onions, covered, over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and bring the soup to a simmer.

2. Add the bouquet garni. Simmer about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tinder but not mushy. Remove the bouquet garni and puree the soup in batches in your blender or food processor. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Reheat soup over low heat and serve in warm soup bowls garnished with chopped thyme and chopped parsley.

3. For a richer soup, add cream before reheating. Also, serve with Zucchini Dill Muffins ... recipe follows.

* Boquet garni (French for garnished bouquet) is a bundle of herbs tied together with string or gathered in a small sachet or net. These are mainly used to prepare soup, stock and various stews.
* Taste the soup after you blend it and before you add the cream. I had some handy and went ahead and added only half of what it called for. It doesn't need much if any at all!

ZUCCHINI DILL MUFFINS 
makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbs. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh minced dill
1/4 cup milk or cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded zucchini

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin tins or line with baking cups.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and dill. Mix well.

3. In medium bowl, combine milk, butter & eggs. Stir in cheese and zucchini. Beat well. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until just moistened. (Batter will be stiff.)

4. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

These are savory muffins and go really well with the carrot soup. Enjoy!

Caldo Verde (green soup)

Here is an amazing and easy soup that my family LOVES! It incorporates garlic, kale and potatoes which are just a few ingredients that I can't get enough of. The flavor is great and you just can't go wrong with it ... one time I used garlic powder because I forgot to grab some fresh bulbs from the grocery (and I ran out of my dad's home grown) and it was still very good!  My midwife from Fort Collins, printed out this recipe for me when I was pregnant with Ean ... over 6 years ago. It comes from Madhur Jaffery's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking cook book (which I just got in the mail from Amazon!!!! AND IT ROCKS!!!) Caldo Verde means green soup because it is typically blended smooth (until it's green) but personally, I like it chunky and broth-y (but boys like it pureed).

This is a great way to get in your "greens." My friend, Kelly, made this soup last month and she said it reminded her of french onion soup (only with kale and potatoes) ... And I agree - just without all the cheese. Kelly added garam masala and said it was a great addition. Garam Masala is a spice mix common in Indian cuisine. Here it shows you how to make it homemade or you can find in your health food store's bulk section. I like to add 1 tsp. dried rosemary and grated parmesan cheese for garnish. It gives the soup a great flavor and goes well with a French Boule (crusty french bread).

 

Tell me how you like it! 

Caldo Verde Soup

Madhur Jaffery's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking 
Slightly altered by Elisha

Serves 4-6

4 medium sized potatoes, chopped into 3/4-inch dice

1 medium sized onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp dried rosemary or any other herb you enjoy

2 cups coarsely chopped kale leaves, firmly packed

12 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon olive oil 

6 cups vegetable stock 

Freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated (for garnish)

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and saute for 10 minutes more, stirring often. Add the garlic and rosemary and stir for a minute until fragrant. Next, add the vegetable stock and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Test a potato to see if it is soft. Add kale, stir and remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes to soften the kale.* 


If desired, blend the soup to your desired consistency.*

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and french bread.

*Many recipes instruct cooking kale for long periods. However, kale is very nutritious and is best eaten only slightly steamed (in my opinion). You can cook it longer if you like.

*We blend this soup for our young boys but my husband and I enjoy it chunky and broth-y.