Minestrone Lunch

How to eat 7 veggies in one meal?

SOUP.

Chanukah - the good and the bad of it.

Baked Spicy Tofu with Lemon Brown Rice and Garlic Broccoli.

(The good)







Deep Fried Pumpkin Donuts

(the bad...but oh-so-good!)

mmmmmmmmm........

Indian Food

Yesterday I decided to challenge myself and make a full indian food feast for us.

We had:

Whole wheat naan (sooooo easy and sooooo yummy)
red curry lentils (pictured)

saag paneer with potatoes (I made the paneer too - first time I have ever made cheese)

I got the recipes from a variety of sources online and adjusted them slightly.

I'm going to make some more naan today and try another curry dish.

Here's the Naan recipe:

Need:

2 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons of sugar (I used light brown sugar because it was all I had and it worked out fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup of warm water
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons of milk
1 packet of yeast or 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast

Instructions:
Dissolve yeast in the warm water and let it activate (add sugar to help)

In a mixing bowl combine:
flour
sugar
salt
egg
milk

Add yeast and water mixture and combine.
Knead dough until it comes together nicely - it will be on the "wetter" side.

Leave ball of dough in a greased bowl to rise for an hour or so.
Punch down the dough and allow to rise another 3 hours.

divide dough into 8 balls.
roll out the balls into "small pizza" size.
Heat a cast iron skillet ot grill to med/high
Toast the flat breads on each side of the for 2-3 minutes.
Brush with butter(optional)

enjoy!

Triple A Pasta!

This is a recipe I put together last week and we loved it. It combines three Vitamin A (and C) packed veggies for a delicious light dinner, lunch or first course.

(Walrus waiting patiently at the top of the stairs for a sample!)

Serves 2

You'll need:

Fresh pack of Butternut Squash Ravioli (I LOVE Rising Moon Organics)
5-6 cups of baby spinach
1 bag of frozen chopped sweet potatoes (bite size)
1/2 cup of veggie or chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
pinch of salt
pepper
grated Parmesan cheese


1.Microwave the sweet potatoes according to instructions- but leave them just undercooked.
2. Saute the garlic in olive oil (med. heat) for about a minute.
3. Add the sweet potatoes to the garlic and saute for another minute or so.
4. Add spinach and saute for another minute to combine all flavors.
5. Add stock and season with salt and pepper - cook for another minute.
6. Serve over ravioli along with grated cheese.


Super easy and fast.

Great with a Pinot Gris or a nice local white wine.

Green Goodness Pasta

A twist on the usual pesto pasta dish.

As usual -I made it healthier with more vitamins/minerals than the usual fare.

I love whole wheat pasta and I love incorporating walnuts into the pesto in place of pine nuts.

The broccoli tastes great with the pesto and adds a great texture to the dish.

This serves about 3-4.

Have with a green salad ( of course!)


You'll need:
1 pack of whole wheat spaghetti
1 pack of frozen broccoli
Grated cheese for serving

Pesto:
1/4 cup Walnuts
2 cups basil leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup of olive oil
pinch of salt


1. Put on a pot of water for the pasta - cook pasta as you prep the pesto. Add pack of frozen chopped broccoli to the pasta water for the last 4 minutes of cooking.
2. Chop the garlic in the food processor
3. Scrap down the sides of the processor and then add walnuts to the processor and chop.
5. Add Basil and cheese - repeat.
6. Slowly add oil - and blend until smooth but not watery.
7. Spoon pesto into the serving bowl and add about 1/3 cup of the hot pasta water to the pesto - blend.
8. Pour cooked pasta and broccoli into the pesto and blend with thongs.
9. Serve with grated cheese!

yum

My other blog is a blog

I post at feelthecomforters.com a lot more frequently. It's officially "The Comforters's Blog" but in reality it's all me.

The old man has to run a studio for crying out loud.

My blog posts range from studio and music happenings to thoughts on food(surprise) and daily life in Eugene.

Feel Good Blueberry Muffins

I love using local products and this recipe incorporates a few of my favorites.

It's a super healthy version of a Nigella Lawson recipe.

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees -grease a small 12 muffin tin or use cupcake paper cups in the tin.
2. Combine 1 1/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour (I like King Arthur's), 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a small bowl beat 1/3 cup of canola oil, 1 cup of non-fat yogurt (I like Nancy's), and one egg.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix (with a light hand!) Lumps are okay.
5. Grate in the zest of one orange. This makes this recipe!
6. Fold in 1 cup of frozen blueberries (I like Willamette Valley Berries) Mix lightly and spoon into muffin tin.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. Let cool slighlty and then enjoy with butter and local jam.

Delish and SO good for you!!

We have these for snacks and for breakfast all the time. Also great with yogurt or a big glass of milk.