tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6385157362403214572012-01-16T12:24:35.691-07:00<i><b>... three of my favorite things.</b></i>Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-62559622947837838072011-12-07T12:43:00.002-07:002011-12-07T17:51:10.832-07:00

This soup has a wonderful earthy flavor. It fills the kitchen and surrounding rooms with this incredible country home aroma. Just imagine rolling green hills with majestic oak trees (or your ideal landscape) visible through the kitchen window, your home warm from the wood burning stove flickering in the corner ... a slice of home made bread right out of the oven joining your bowl of soup on the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-51008890331075668732011-11-22T10:37:00.000-07:002011-11-22T10:37:28.653-07:00

Cabbage is certainly not the most mouth watering produce out there, to say the least. I never really thought of cooking cabbage until I went to a Celtic Festival and talked to a participant in the historic section in the midst of stirring the most amazing smelling pot of soup. Off course that one included bacon and cream, so a few adjustments had to be made ... And the results? Hmm, a

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-69075354996263856132011-11-14T10:20:00.001-07:002011-11-22T10:39:49.113-07:00

Bananas are a standard item on the grocery list. It's a given that we probably need bananas, so should it be omitted from the list, grab 2 or 3 anyway for safety measure. This also means that now and again, a few get past the "smoothie banana" state and become "banana bread" material. This is a quick and easy gluten free vegan recipes. It takes me a whole of maybe 15 minutes from start to placing

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-42252152471088217102011-07-19T14:52:00.000-07:002011-07-19T14:52:59.240-07:00

Making bread gives a very particular sense of satisfaction rarely found elsewhere. I'm not sure why that is, it just it. I can tell you I'm like a little kid when I get my hot creation out of the oven... The problem sometimes is having to wait for the dough to rise all day, and that's where baking powder bread comes in. Very convenient. Anytime of day, any moment that bread making bug bites, you

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-45249313471849194792011-06-15T16:09:00.004-07:002011-12-07T14:16:18.837-07:00

I love bread. I grew up on bread. At times I would eat nothing but bread with butter and honey as a kid. A bowl of soup would have torn chunks of bread thrown into it. There is nothing on the planet quite like the smell of fresh baked artisan bread coming out of the oven.Though not an everyday thing anymore, and certainly of the non-wheat variety, a lightly toasted slice with marmalade, honey, or

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-49718886460668112792011-03-28T16:38:00.001-07:002011-11-22T10:38:50.631-07:00

This cornbread is incredibly good, let me tell you. I call it Mexican because of the colors, though I suppose that is redundant as cornbread is probably Mexican in origins... not sure... hmm, comments? This is scrumptious, moist, flavorful... basically insert any yummy descriptive here and that's exactly what you've got, Ha! Can you tell I like this recipe? ;p Ingredients:3/4 C Cornmeal 1 C

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-25275801297070299132011-03-15T17:41:00.011-07:002011-11-16T12:21:19.332-07:00

As strange as that may sound, cauliflower is actually good in soup! It would not have been my first choice, I admit, and it turned out to be a very good surprise.I made a big pot of it and it went in no time. It even has a slightly sweet smell to it whenever re-heated the next day -and not because I added any kind of sugar to it, I didn't (though it could be because I typically use coconut oil

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-32864878489017517422011-02-26T15:41:00.003-07:002011-11-16T12:18:24.100-07:00

Pasta is one of those carb heavy dishes that can leave you feeling sleepy and lethargic.What to do, what to do? Have no fear, help is here! That's right, you too can now enjoy the satisfying comfort food feeling of hot lasagna without making a bee line to the couch for that after-meal digestive nap. To the Rescue... (drum role) ... Zucchini Mushroom Lasagna Extraordinaire ! Guaranteed to

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-71620746157778847902011-01-02T12:05:00.004-07:002011-07-19T11:55:06.453-07:00

Holiday mornings have a much more relax way of unfolding... thankgoodness too! Christmas morning was certainly one of these mornings, with a feel of pancakes in the air. I personally cannot eat conventional pancakes, nor do I care to. There are much too heavy for proper digestion, and the wheat flour just does not agree with me. Buckwheat, on the other hand, has a much lighter consistency and

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-89762210009039880732010-11-12T18:19:00.001-07:002011-03-28T17:05:47.088-07:00

Most people have a pretty well defined idea as to what constitute Breakfast food. I never really thought of quinoa as such until a trip to Utah earlier this year. We stop at the Love Muffin Cafe in Moab, UT, after cycling into town from our campsite and I was Hungry. There is was, on the chalk board menu, and it sounded perfect. The funny thing is I started noticing it other place after that...

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-12478718275260056552010-09-26T14:08:00.004-07:002011-03-15T16:45:39.755-07:00

With all the zucchini coming out of the garden this year, finding new ways to eat it has been an interesting exploration. I've got about 3 recipes coming up with said zucchini, all a success. Yeah! This first one is a cold Zucchini Avocado Soup. What you'll need for the soup: 1 C Water 1 med Zucchini (about 3 C chopped, peeled) 1 stalk Celery 2 crushed Garlic cloves 1 Avocado 1 tsp dried Dill

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-64083956729918358792010-09-09T17:11:00.002-07:002011-03-15T18:04:27.185-07:00

Spanish explorers brought the potato to Europe in the 16th century, where they quickly became integrated into the various local cuisines. European settlers then in turn introduced the potato to America, where it once again was adapted to local ingredients and dishes.The first mention of potato salad in a book was in 1597 by John Gerrard who said, among other things: "However they be dressed, they

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-57974773000335159662010-07-18T15:27:00.001-07:002011-01-02T12:22:28.357-07:00

Now and then I like to take a break from the Green Smoothie in the morning... not all that often, I admit, still, one must vary sometimes, right? Yesterday was one of those days so I had a big bowl of Fruit Cereal, a recipe inspired by some of the recipes in Brendan Brazier's The Thrive Diet. If you are using Chia Seeds, always start with this step: Place about 1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds in a small

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-39817080201019296132010-07-14T16:52:00.006-07:002011-01-02T12:22:06.498-07:00

I knew today was going to be a work in the yard kind of day, so I planned for a quick, refreshing lunch and got some zucchinis at the store yesterday. This takes minutes to fix and you'll love it. Let me point out this Hummus is a no-bean-no-olive oil, wholesome healthy dip, good with any veggies and/or crackers you happen to have on hand. It's nothing fancy and it does the job. Most recipe

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-66782677207730238132010-06-18T17:53:00.005-07:002010-09-26T16:09:35.907-07:00

Spring is here and cooling evening meals are calling. For anything involving beans, a little planning is required if you soak them overnight -as I prefer to do. When in a hurry, I've opted for the "bring to quick boil and let soak an hour" version mayber once or twice, but somehow the beans don't look the same and I'd just as well soak. In any case, the time for salads is here! Away Soups! Make

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-63501303864164311792010-06-04T10:47:00.005-07:002010-09-26T16:11:18.149-07:00

We're definitively into simple, no-frills meals at my house, and corn bread certainly falls into that category. Liking the taste but not the content, I experimented with several recipes found online -that is, by altering it according to my own food standards, i.e.  vegan, healthy, and no imitation food. The first couple tries I used water... yeah, I know, came out a little dry to say the least.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-10690262836877706982010-04-24T12:11:00.004-07:002010-07-18T15:29:29.791-07:00

Growing food is something I really want to expand and learn about. Going beyond the typical tomatoes / cucumbers range, I am committed to expanding the food growing aspect of my life to new standards. It can be, after all, an important part of preparing food... and as such, pictures of progress will be occasionally posted under the new category "Gardening." Now mind you, I am learning all this

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-91551401627315825492010-03-27T11:27:00.005-07:002010-07-14T17:00:23.543-07:00

I like to browse other foodie blogs just for the fun of it. Off course I look for the vegetarian types, being generally uninterested in meat of any kind. This time I found what sounded like a great idea from a blog I follow called Frugal Homesteads, and that is to make Taco "meat" by cooking lentils and brown rice together. Who would have thought? I finally got around to it a few days ago and

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-91320452599105552902010-03-11T09:53:00.012-07:002010-06-18T18:01:43.000-07:00

When I saw these little chia seed bags at our local food cottage, I could not believe my luck and grabbed one on the spot. In the back of my mind was this very dish: Chia seed pudding (similar to tapioca pudding), which I had been thinking about of late. The first time I had heard of chia seeds was at one of Dr. Ritamarie's monthly potlucks and it was incredible. It's really as simple as it gets

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-44006689552457621692010-02-28T22:21:00.004-07:002010-06-18T18:02:18.430-07:00

Sunday is often times cooking day for me. Not sure why, other than it's an easy going day from the start, being Sunday, and a leisure pace naturally sets in as soon as I get up. It's also a good time to take a break from all the projects I continually work on the rest of the week. Today was definitively a cooking day! I made crackers (see below), home-sprouted wheat berry banana cookies and have

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-49026590698115776402010-02-23T13:22:00.008-07:002010-09-26T16:12:22.246-07:00

This made a tremendous Valentine's surprise, though you do not need a reason to make them. While savoring, we had fun talking about all the different kinds of filling this would work with, and came up with great ideas. More to come! ;P I found this recipe on the Making Food And Other Stuff blog -the pictures alone are incredible. Just plug in chocolate in the search box and you should find it.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-58675042720735991992010-02-20T13:40:00.003-07:002010-02-28T21:56:43.793-07:00

Welcome to the first of many more to come -whenever inspiration strikes- of Mystery Photos here to tickle your imagination. Let's see how well you know your way around the kitchen. What could this be? Care to take a guess? Leave a comment below. The winner will have their name and blog/site url posted forever on this post! What is Mystery Photo #1 ? Come on, take your best shot!  :o Winner

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-66267992108344530072010-02-05T12:44:00.003-07:002010-03-11T12:41:14.792-07:00

The truth is, I don't know a whole lot of cookie recipes. In fact, I don't know any... really. I've never been a  cookie type person for one, and not liking sweets all that much (with the exception of dark chocolate off course), I never had the inclination to make cookies per-se -and frankly, I don't care to ingest all that wheat flour and sugar to start with either. Nonetheless, the Sweet Tooth

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-71420887202960039632010-01-31T12:49:00.003-07:002010-03-11T12:40:37.563-07:00

The great thing about smoothies is that anything goes. Whatever you have on hand and like as a combination is good. No need for anything fancy or a quick last minute run to the store because you are missing a key ingredient, just go with what you have. Refer to this previous post for basis of Green Smoothie making. Green Smoothie #2: 1 grapefruit 2 bananas 2 handful curly kale 1/2 tsp

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-24334008268359324992010-01-21T12:16:00.015-07:002010-03-11T12:40:23.687-07:00

my little man :-) Yeah, another soup recipe! It's winter after all, and soups are easy, quick, nutritious, and oh so yummy. This one comes to me through my sister. She made it over the Christmas holidays when we all got together and everyone absolutely loved it, myself included. So off course I had to add it to my "soup repertoire," and share it with you here. What you'll need: 10+ carrots 1

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-14651440703286207702010-01-10T16:32:00.018-07:002010-03-11T12:40:08.171-07:00

Breakfast generally means green smoothie for me (see side links). That's what I prefer and what seems to balance me the best. Every few days though, I feel like something else. That was the case when I went looking for new ideas in Dr. Ritamarie's Power Breakfast book, and Apple Ginger Breakfast Medley won out. recipe: Apple Ginger Breakfast Medley book: Power Breakfast ideas by: Dr. Ritamarie

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-17640175915944643512009-12-31T11:21:00.013-07:002010-03-11T12:39:38.413-07:00

I fully believe that a good, heart warming bowl of soup is complete and utter BLISS. I never get tired of eating it, particularly in winter. In fact, I'll often make a big pot and have it 2 to 3 dinners in a row, sometimes even for breakfast. A good bowl of soup, a side green salad, and maybe a piece of toast or wheatberry bread and I'm in Heaven. This Split Pea Soup has 3 basic ingredients and

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-61398896936377866242009-12-18T11:07:00.027-07:002010-07-14T17:00:54.952-07:00

I absolutely love Brandon Brazier's The Thrive Diet book. A first book came to me via my sister, who herself loved it so much she sent me a copy. I in turn sent another copy to a friend and have since loaned my own copy on a couple occasion. Today's recipes revisits an otherwise "junk" food and turns it into pleasure without guilt: Garlic Oregano Yam Oven Fries These are always a hit. The house

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-80161088741075715332009-12-14T09:30:00.017-07:002010-03-11T12:38:52.377-07:00

Hmmm... sprouts ! I've always loved sprouts and have been wanting to experiment with growing my own. One major point holding me back is the mess it creates with trays of soil to be maintained at cool temperatures and watered a couple times a day. Nonetheless, I'm thinking there might be some way to make this work, so off I go to the library and what should I find but none other than the

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-86660811692027349842009-11-29T07:29:00.012-07:002010-03-11T12:38:29.867-07:00

"Breakfast is a the most important meal of the day." How many times have we heard that? Be it from parents, co-workers, friends, or even commercials on tv trying to sell us the latest so called "healthy" breakfast bar or cereal with all its added synthetic vitamins. How breakfast is indeed important has more to do, I believe, in how it sets the tone for the rest of the day. A good, satisfying

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-58689721424737218392009-11-15T17:14:00.018-07:002010-03-11T12:38:14.017-07:00

This is the third time I've make this cake. It's been good everytime, and this last time was even better... for a couple reasons, all having to do with the cook. :) The first 2 times I split the batter into 2 bread pans, resulting in loaf shaped cakes. This in itself should hardly matter, except that I also failed to add enough liquid to start with (lack of preparation), making for a dense cake

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-46315711713881375722009-11-11T18:04:00.017-07:002010-06-18T17:56:44.148-07:00

Imagine this. You've just finished a very nice diner and are now relaxing in the couch, maybe snuggling with your sweetie, maybe watching your must-watch weekly show and everything could not be more perfect. And yet... deep down, there is that creeping up feeling that something is missing. What could it be? You absentmindly search around and around in your head until, your entire body freezes.

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-638515736240321457.post-84711691683340425282009-11-09T16:56:00.003-07:002009-11-09T17:11:38.208-07:00

That's right! Let the fun begin!I am not the most creative person when it comes to the kitchen.No, no, really. I have very simple tastes when it comes to eating -as long as it's vegan, healthy, and involves green in some form or fashion- and have about a dozen recipes I make over and over without ever getting tired of them. We're talking about home made veggie soup, steamed veggies, HUGE salads,

Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13253486730671256018noreply@blogger.com0