Fast and Easy Udon Soup

So if you didn't know, we have chickens. We have been getting eggs for like a month and they are the yummiest. I love poached eggs on top of salads, noodles, rice. But I've never been able to make a decent poached egg. Until now. Evidently it helps if the egg is fresh. I have fresh eggs. So if you've never had success with a poached egg, just fry some eggs and keep the yoke runny.

Packaged fresh udon noodles (You can find these in the produce section usually by the tofu. I buy mine a Chao's on University Ave. Great place.)
Sliced onions
Thinly sliced zucchini
sliced mushrooms
sesame and olive oil
Beef stock (try the Better than Bouillon)
garlic (fresh or powder)
ginger (fresh or powder)
soy sauce
poached or fried egg for each person

Saute the onions and zucchinis in half sesame-half olive oil at medium heat. When they are almost translucent, add the mushrooms (I like my mushrooms to have a bit of crunch in them). Saute for a few more minutes. Add stock, noodles, garlic and ginger to taste and quite a bit of soy sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer. Serve in a bowl with an egg on top. So good. So fast.

Lentil Soup

I'm back. A friend suggested I keep trying.
I actually got this recipe at some point from Erin. It is the best lentil soup I've ever had. It needs no sour cream. It's that good. I'll also use this opportunity to introduce you to my new best friend, Mirepoix mix. Its frozen chopped onions, carrots, and celery. I use it constantly. I get it in the frozen veggie section at Smiths and I buy a ton.

2 packages Mirepoix mix
some bacon/sausage fat or olive oil
big fennel root, chopped
garlic
6-8 c chicken stock (I love this stuff at Costco, its called Better than Bouillon. Its concentrated organic chicken stock)
3 c lentils
bay leaves
1/4 c of apple cider vinegar (or any good vinegar you have)
salt
pepper
hot sauce

Saute the fennel in the pork fat. Bring pot nice and hot before you add the Mirepoix mix (its frozen and if your pot isn't really hot, it will just boil instead of saute). When most of the liquid cooks off, lower heat to medium and saute until the veggies start to soften. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, lower to a strong simmer, and cover. Cook until the beans are very tender maybe 30+ minutes. Add vinegar and salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. I like to mash mine up a bit so its thick and not brothy.

Zucchini Skillet

1 Zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced and cut in half
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Oil
1 cup Uncooked Rice
1/4 cup Water
1 can (14.5oz) Chicken Broth
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
Zest of one Lemon
Juice of one Lemon
2 cups Cooked Chicken
1 cup Frozen Peas, thawed
1/4 cup Olives, sliced
Cilantro

Saute Zucchini, pepper and garlic for 1 min in oil. Add rice and saute for 5-6 min until rice is browned. Add water, chicken broth, salt, cayenne, lemon zest and juice. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 min, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, peas and olives. Let simmer 10 min until chicken is heated through. Serve with cilantro on top.

Squash Casserole

• 6 cups squash (cubed)
• 2 Carrots (graded)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 can soup (cream of mushroom, celery or chicken...your choice)
• 1-2 cups cheese (graded)
• 1 cube butter (melted)
• 1 box stuffing (I use herb or cornbread to make it vegetarian)

Boil Squash for 5-10 min, until soft. Combine carrots, sour cream, soup and cheese. Add squash. In a separate bowl, combine butter and dry stuffing mix. Put 1/2 stuffing mix in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Pour in quash mixture and top with the rest for the stuffing. Bake for 30 min covered at 350. uncover and bake for 10 more min.

Onion goat cheese tart

I made this for Easter. Its definitely not for everyday eatin. It really impresses at a party. Disclaimer: I wouldn't necessarily call this healthy.

Your favorite pie crust dough (mine is the kind you buy but beware, it's full of all sorts of nasty crap)
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1-2 Tbs olive oil or butter
5 Tbs of softened butter
1/2 c plain yogurt
1 c room temp goat cheese (Costco has this cheap!)
2 eggs
1-2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375
In a large skillet or cast iron pot, cooked sliced onions in the oil over moderate heat. Cover and occasionally stir for 10 minutes or until tender. Uncover and continue stirring until onions are slightly brown and liquid is cooked out.
While onions are cooking, roll out your dough and cut to size of a large tart pan (I like the kind with a removable bottom). Spray the pan with nonstick spray and press the dough into the pan. Prick with holes and bake for 10 minutes or until almost brown (I dont weigh my crust down but you could if you wanted).
Meanwhile wisk the butter, yogurt, goat cheese, eggs, and salt and pepper together until really smooth.
Layer the onions on the bottom of the baked crust. Top with the goat cheese mixture. Sprinkle thyme on top and bake for 20 minutes or so. Cool and eat cold or warm ( I like them a little warm). Yummy!

Almost Healthy Pozole

Dried california chilis (like 6-7)
2 cans of hominy
1-2 lbs of chopped boneless chicken (whatever you like)
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 onion, chopped
olive or vegetable oil
2 Tbs oregano
2 cans of black beans

Pull off the tops of the chilis and get out as many of the seeds as possible. In a medium size bowl, pour boiling water over the chilis (you may have to weigh the chilis down with a bowl or something to keep them under water). When the chilis have softened (10 minutes or so) add them, the garlic, and onion to the blender. Add some of the chili water and process until smooth. In a large pot, warm some oil and brown chicken till almost done. Add the chili paste and oregano and let cook for a minute or two. Add hominy and 3 or so cups of water (or chicken stock). Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until chicken is really tender. Add drained and rinsed beans. Warm and serve with any/all of the following:

sliced avocados
sliced radishes
thinly sliced cabbage
fresh squeezed limes
chopped cilantro
tortilla chips or tostadas

Tortellini Salad

cooked and cooled tortellinis
chopped tomatoes
drained artichoke hearts, marinated or plain
whole black olives
chopped roasted red peppers
lots of chopped fresh basil
really good olive oil
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Mix and eat.

Fast and Easy Minestrone

This is my favorite soup to make for sharing. I try and always have the ingredients available. It makes a lot.
1 pkg frozen chopped onion
crushed garlic
olive oil
box of pasta (I like Barilla Plus or tortalinis)
jar of marinara (I like Barilla)
2 bags Italian mixed veggies
1 can of garbanzos or canellini beans or both
dried oregano and thyme
salt and pepper

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil in your soup pot (I love my cast iron pot). Once the onions start to get translucent, add enough water or stock to cook the pasta. Boil the water and add pasta. Once the pasta is very al dente (still a bit hard), add the veggies and marinara. Turn up the heat if needed to get back to a boil then turn it down to a simmer. Once the veggies are cooked (7 minutes or so), add the beans and herbs. salt and pepper to taste. Simmer a few more minutes.

CousCous Salad

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
large cucumber, diced
2 good tomatoes, diced
half a small red onion, diced
can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 Tbs whole coriander seed
good EV olive oil
fresh lemon juice
salt
pepper

Make the couscous by pouring 2 cups of boiling water over the dry couscous and cover. Let sit for a few minutes until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and then refrigerate to allow to cool while you chop and prep the other stuff.

Add the diced tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers to the couscous. Stir in the beans. Coarsely crush the coriander seeds with a mortar, spice grinder, or stick them in a baggie and beat them with something hard. Add to salad. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. If you need an idea how much, start with 1/4-1/3 cup of olive oil and half a large lemon.

Mix it all up. It gets yummier the longer it sits.

Here Goes

Hello Friends:

Ive resisted a blog for a long time. I'm kind of turned off by the whole self-promotion market-myself obsession of blogs.

So the other day I'm talking to a friend as we leave the gym and we were talking about how its hard to find healthy recipes that everyone will eat. So later in the shower, I thought a blog would be a great place for people to share recipes that they've tried. I get a lot of my inspiration in the shower.

So here's how it should work. Postings should be majority vegetarian (let's shoot for 80% ). Heavy emphasis on whole grains, fresh veggies, beans. Extra bonus points for fresh herbs. Only post recipes that you have made. Pictures not necessary.

What do you think? Interested?