Monday's recipe links

Soup. I love soup. Especially on a day like today where there is slush melting in the driveway and water dripping off the eaves. Did I mention the wind and the frigid air? OK - I need some soup.

1. Rapini, leek and rice soup from Coconut and Lime.
2. Potato, leek and cauliflower soup, also from Coconut and Lime.
3. Soupe au pistou from David Lebovitz.
4. Celery root soup, also from David Lebovitz.
5. Butternut squash apple soup from A Cozy Kitchen.
6. White bean chowder from A Communal Table.
7. Coconut red lentil soup from 101 Cookbooks.
8. Cauliflower soup with gorgonzola, also from 101 Cookbooks.
9. Armenian apricot soup, also from 101 Cookbooks. Sorry, she really knows her soup.
10. Real mushroom soup from Jamie Oliver.

No way - these recipes look too yummy to be healthy

I got my new issue of Eating Well magazine today and I was shocked at the number of recipes I couldn`t wait to try. Wow, how times have changed. Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I tended to associate health food magazines with boring articles and brown rice. And kombu, fermented bean pastes and, of course, tofu. And weird goddess drawings. Now, I look at them and am shocked by the plethora of beautiful pictures and interesting recipes...when did they change? Funny what the fear of death does to one's perception. :-)

After half an hour or so of bookmarking recipes, I thought I should share. The common element is simply this - I would try this recipe even if I wasn't eating like my life depended on it. Now, I will warn you, there are many references to brown rice...but if you want to substitute white rice now and then, I won't tell. (But honestly, if you didn't know it was better for you - and if it didn't take so much longer to cook - wouldn't you choose it over white some of the time?)

I'm going to pour myself a glass of wine and try a couple of these out! I might even make some brown rice.

1. Balsamic and parmesan roasted cauliflower
2. Leek, potato and spinach stew (OK this isn't an exciting recipe for everyone, but I have always loved leeks and potatoes together - and this one gets great reviews)
3. Brothy Chinese noodles
4. Elise's sesame noodles
5. Grilled salmon with tomatoes and basil
6. Shrimp saganaki
7. Chicken sausage with potatoes and sauerkraut
8. Thai chicken mango stir-fry
9. Seared steaks with caramelized onions and gorgonzola 
10. Oven sweet potato fries or spicier chile-garlic roasted sweet potatoes
11. Layered mashed potato and mushroom casserole
12. Swirled cheesecake brownies

Sorry for the blackout

As I have noted over on my main blog, I am not out of town or in a funk. I am just having trouble posting because of my wacky computer. We hope to be back up to speed in a jiff.

Cheers!

Monday's recipe links

This week, a bunch of great winter, plant-based recipes. Many of them are associated with the Meatless Monday`s movement where you give up meat on just this one day. Baby steps right? Do me a favour, try one, just one, of these dishes this week.

1. Stir fried lentils, mushrooms and caramelized onions. Mark Bittman.
2. Black bean chili with butternut squash. Bonne Appetit via Epicurious.
3. Broccoli soup with leeks and thyme. Easy peasy. Also Bonne Appetit via Epicurious.
4. Green bean salad with pickled red onions and fried almonds. Smitten Kitchen.
5. Spaghetti with braised kale from The Kitchen Sink Recipes. Adapted from a Molly Wizenberg recipe for Bon Appetit.
6. Sweet potato with warm black bean salad as part of Meatless Mondays at Eating Well magazine.
7. Crockpot Mexican chili. Ridiculously easy. I would serve it with some cheese, low-fat sour cream and diced avocado at the table. From the Meatless Mondays website.
8. Broccoli soup with quinoa and basil oil, halfway down the page in an article on the Meatless Mondays movement in the Star Telegram. Just remember to wash your quinoa before adding it; they neglect that in the directions and you will end up with bitter soup if you don`t.
9. One pot kale and quinoa pilaf from food52. It also has goat cheese, walnut oil and toasted pine nuts. Yum. I`ll leave out the walnut oil (but those of you without a nut allergy, enjoy!).
10. Finally, not entirely plant-based but because I am always on the lookout for a new and better way to roast a chicken, a gorgeous recipe that incorporates lots of veggies (parsnips, carrots, fennel and fingerling potatoes as well as onions). Lemon and onion roast chicken also from food52.

I think you'll love kale

A little while back, I shared a list of ten super foods and number 9 was kale. It wasn't until recently that I discovered how much I loved kale - for the longest time I just lumped it in with all the other dark green leafy vegetables that can be a little, well, strongly flavoured. I recently read an article from a like-minded individual who said if you like spinach (and I do) you will like kale because it isn't bitter at all, but sweet and mild. You don't even need to load it up with butter, bacon or garlic. It is lovely (yes, I used the word lovely) on its own or added to other dishes. Lately I have been adding it to soups and stews and sauteing it quickly before using it to top a baked potato. Favourite new use? Julienned and layered between roasted tomatoes and shredded mozzarella on a thin crust pizza.

Sorry - do I need to mention again that it is a full-out, cape wearing anti-cancer super-veg? Give it a shot and start adding it to your regular vegetable rotation (it kicks zucchini's butt).

1.  365 Days of Kale is the blog of Diana Dyer, wife, mom, dietitian and cancer survivor. She knows kale. Recently, she was asked what her favourite recipes were and these are the ones she makes again and again: Garlic Kale Sweet Potato Soup, Kale Chips, Spicy Lentil Kale Sweet Potato Patties, Kale 3-Bean Salad and Garlic Scape Kale Pesto. 
2. I've written about kale chips before, and included Diana's above, but next I'm going to try this recipe from Chow - lemon kale chips.
3. Kale and apple salad with molasses vinaigrette and lovely sugared pecans. How pretty is that? I can't do pecans though (nut allergy) but I may try it with sugared pumpkin seeds. Won't have the lovely contrast that the shiny, caramel-brown nuts would against the dark green kale, but it beats anaphylaxis shock. From Design Sponge.
4. Roasted kale greens tossed with a champagne vinaigrette. An elegant side to salmon or stuffed chicken breasts. From the Baltimore Chop.
5. Here's a great collection from Canadian Living magazine, including: lemon kale with chickpeas, kale and pancetta quiche,  and gemelli with kale, sage and potatoes.
6. Kale and cheddar gratin, looks yummy and is nice way to make kale more accessible for people who are still getting used to the idea of eating greens! Plus, as an added bonus it has a hit of turmeric in it - feel free to increase it.

Have a great day!

Learn more about food at Cooking Up a Story

If you are interested in the food you eat (and if you aren't, shame on you) you will find a great resource in Cooking Up a Story (CUpS), an online television series and blog about people, food, and sustainable living.The site provides an easy to navigate collection of short form videos on America's food system. The videos are organized into 7 shows: Food Stories, Food News, Growing Food, Cooking Fresh, Small Bites and CUpS Talks (think TED Talks about food). You will find original documentaries on farmers, ranchers, food artisans, and others involved in the sustainable food movement. Come here to get informed about the science, politics and culture of food, growing your own food, and cooking what you reap. 

Interested in a sampling? Click on the links to learn more about food swaps, making cheese at home, cake decorating with fondant, barbecuing championship ribs, designing thermal banking greenhouses, open pollination, and the high cost of cheap food.

Monday's recipe links

Happy Valentine's Day! If you are cooking for someone you love tonight, you might be looking for some spectacular recipe right about now. In the interest of giving you some healthy options, I thought I'd share what I have been looking at as I make finale plans for my own supper with my three guys tonight.

1. Eating Well magazine has put together a great list of healthy, impressive recipes.
2. Heart healthy recipes from Everyday Food magazine. The baked beet chips are beautiful - not sure the kids would go for them, though.
3. Still with Martha but this time it's her tv show, another heart healthy meal. This one features a really lovely looking tuna recipe.
4. Gluten-free Valentine's recipes from Elana's Pantry. Lots of lovely little nibbles for those of you who have broken up with flour.
5. But I'm tired and Jon is off to play Ultimate tonight - so I'm going to fall back on a sentimental favourite - heart shaped pizzas (what Jon and I had on the snowbound at home Valentine's Day he proposed to me). This Fine Cooking recipe for pizza dough in the food processor is great - I do 1/3 whole wheat flour. Add slow roasted tomato sauce (cooling on the counter), really good mozza (trip to store) and some fresh basil (trip to store) plus a salad on the side and you don't need much else. OK - and a nice bubbly.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.