Growing Celery

When I read how to grow your own celery on a blog, I immediately went to my fridge, cut off the end of the celery in there, and placed it in water as directed. I could not believe it could be so easy.

I say this because last year I planted a celery in my veggie box outside and though it did grow a little, it remained very thin and was extremely bitter. So I have high hopes for this one.

 What to Do:
Cut off the end of the celery bunch, about 2 inches. Place the end in a bowl with water and position it where it will get some sunlight through a window. Monitor the water level and add as needed.

How it's doing:

6 days -

The outer stalks are slightly pulled out with a hint of brown.

The green leaves in the center are now a bright green and growing.

2 weeks -I planted the celery in potting soil, about level with where I cut the stalks:

I'll more pictures are it grows and will let you know how it tastes eventually - the true mark of success.

Mushroom Barley Soup

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 table ...

Can you picture it?

That's what this soup will do for you. Honest.

Ingredients:
2-3 Garlic cloves (as preferred)
1 Lrg Onion
1 Mushroom basket
1 Lrg Carrots
1 Celery stick
1 cube Veggie Broth* (see below)
1/2 C Barley
4 C Water
Bay Leaf
pepper as desired

Direction:
This soup is best in quick stages of sautéing initial ingredients to help flavors become more pronounced.

1. In a big soup pot, sauté garlic and onion.
2. Add mushrooms and stir, sauté another 5+ mn. or until mushroom release their juice.
3. Add sliced carrot and celery, stir, and give it another few minutes.
4. Add 4 C of hot water and the veggie broth.
5. Add barley, bring to boil then simmer for 40-45 mn.
6. Throw a couple strings of bay leaf on top of the water for additional flavor if desired.

***Useful TIP: Barley takes 4 times the volume in water, or 2 C water for 1/2 C of barley. In order to keep the soup "juicy," be sure to add a couple (or more) cups of water to the soup.***

Do you notice an additional ingredient in the above and below picture?
Yes, black eye peas ...

It so happened I had a cup left in the fridge and threw that in the soup for good measure. Beans would be great too I think, with this mix. Hmmm!

*Veggie broth: you can find both salted and non-salted version of veggie broth. This being a big pot of soup, the salted version will do fine. In smaller batches, I often opt for the non-salted, preferring to control the amount of salt myself.

Cabbage Potato Soup

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 surprisingly amazing tasting soup!

Ingredients:

- 1 med Onion
- 2-3 cloves Garlic (or as prefered)
- 1 Green Cabbage, roughly sliced
- 5-6 sm Red Potatoes
- 1 cube Veggie Broth
- 4 C Water
- salt / pepper

Directions:
1. Quickly sautee onions and garlic in a big soup pot with a little oil.
2. Add cabbage and stir. Sautee 10 mn., stirring occasionally.
3. Add chopped potatoes, herb, salt and pepper. Mix and sautee 2-4 mn.

4. Add 4 C water and broth. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 30-40 mn.
5. Keep an eye on the water level and add as needed, according to your desire for broth.

Cabbage soup ... who would have known it could be soooo good!
... and even better with chunk of home made bread thrown in. ;p
(see bread category)

Vegan Banana Bread

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 in the oven, and that includes washing the dishes.

Basic ingredients:

• 3 ripe Bananas
• 1/4 C Maple Syrup (for vegan version) or Honey
• 2-3 Tb Coconut oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 C All purpose gluten free flour
• 1-2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1 - Mash the bananas and mix to a nice smooth consistency, the add maple syrup (or honey) and coconut oil.
2 - In a separate blow, mix all remaining dry ingredients.
3 - Pour the liquid mix into the dry mix and gently mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Pour the mix in prepared bread dish. Cook 350 F for 40-45 mn.

You'll know by the smell that it's done.
Let it rest 30 mn or so once out of the oven if possible.

Because this is gluten free, it does tend to dry a little after a few days. The good thing about this is then you can pop a slice in the toaster for a slight warming up.

Wonderful with jam and tea.

Baking Powder Bread

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 can head over to the kitchen, pull out flour, baking soda and water, and voila, about 40-45 mn later, you've got bread!

Oat Rye Artisan Bread

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 almond butter is a small pleasure I still cherish.

Also, bread must have a crust -non of that mellow soft bread for me, no thank you. The crust is a sacred element of breaking (or slicing) bread and enjoying the simpler living connection of its history.

Mexican Cornbread

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

Cauliflower Potato Soup

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 to sauté my veggies). Regardless, very nice with a bowl of greens and slice of homemade bread.

Zucchini Mushroom Lasagna

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 please the palate. :D

Buckwheat Banana Pancakes

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 more pronounced taste.

Buckwheat Banana Pancakes:

• 3/4 C Buckwheat flour
• 1/4 C Sorghum flour
• 2 Bananas
• 1 C Almond milk (more or less)

This makes about 8 pancakes.
 
Mash one first ripe banana in a bowl with a fork.

Quinoa For Breakfast

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... maybe my mind had shifted somehow and it had been there all along -I just never saw it. Ever have that happened to you?

It was great! A nice bowl of quinoa, chopped fruits and dried raisins served with soy milk on the side. No milk for me so I poured a little water in for moisture and it hit the spot.

Zucchini Avocado Soup

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 (or fresh if available)
• sea salt, cayenne to taste

Potato Salad

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 comfort, nourish and strengthen the body."

Fruit Cereal

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 bowl and generously cover with water. Let it stand about 5-10 mn. or until it turns into a gel.

Zucchini Hummus

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 call for way too much olive oil if you ask me -not that I count calories, mind you, but I'm pretty sure oil carries quite the punch in that department.

Actually, let's look it up... (be right back)

Bean And Veggie Salad

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 room for the cool, refreshing salad, with its visual dance of colors that's sure to make any mouth water on sight... this not excluding the "summer soup" off course, which deserves its own recognition.

Vegan Corn Bread

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. ;0

With a little tweaking here and there, the recipe is now up to snuff and worthy of its own card in my recipe box. Yeah!

Getting The Garden Ready

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 so if I am doing something in the garden and you know better, do feel free to leave me comments on how it's done. :D

Veggy Tacos

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?

Chia Power Pudding

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 to make, and so well within my range... ha, ha.

Here is a great article on the Living and Raw Food site. It's a bit long and worth your time.

Chia seeds are very versatile and can be added to a number of every day food, like hot or cold cereal, yogurt, jam and jellies. This site recommends a 9:1 as water to seed ratio when soaking. In 30 mn the seeds will have turned into a chia gel that keeps in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. 1 pound of seeds makes 10 pounds of gel...