Discovering Curry

I have always loved Indian spices, especially curry. I just tried a Mulligatawny soup that is delicious. I made a giant batch (doubled the recipe below) so we have plenty eat this week or it can always be frozen for a later date. What I love about this recipe is that you can mix it up with different vegetables for the season or what you have on hand. Here is the version that I tried:

Mulligatawny Soup

2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 cups hard vegetables (sweet potatoes and parsnips, cut into smaller than
1/4 inch cubes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable broth (low-sodium)
3 tomato stewed tomatoes
2 cups soft vegetables (eggplant, cut into smaller than 1/2 inch dice and frozen peas)
2 tablespoons curry powder


• Put oil into a large, deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, cumin, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about five minutes.
• Add the hard vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, then add the stock and tomato; bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the vegetables are fairly soft, about 15 minutes.
• Add the soft vegetables and curry powder and adjust the heat once again so the mixture simmers. Cook until all the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

I also love this recipe for Indian Vegetarian Curried Fried Rice. It's pretty easy to make and is lovely for leftovers

Indian Vegetarian Currie Fried Rice

2 T oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 T minced ginger
1 cup green beans, cut into pieces (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 T curry (I love curry, so I always add more)
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 T soy sauce
Freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in flat bottom wok or skillet over high. Swirl in 1 T oil, add onion and ginger and stir-fry until ginger is fragrant. Add green beans and carrots; use spatula to stir-fry until beans are bright green. Stir in curry powder, stir-fry until fragrant. Swirl in remaining oil, then add rice. Break up rice with spatula until it is well combined with vegetables. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, soy sauce and pepper. Continue cooking until heated through and serve.

Food for Fall

Cooler weather, falling leaves, lovely soup simmering on the stove. Just a few of my favorite things about Fall. This year my plan is to try to incorporate more seasonal meals into our diet. Along with discovering new, yummy soups I plan to incorporate more roots vegetables in stir-fry's, baked veggies and in my soups/stews. I would also like to experiment more with autumn squash like butternut and kabocha. I think experimenting with chutney would be fun too. Stay tuned! Two things on the menu I am excited about this week are homemade Pad Thai (never made it before, but will be sure to post if it is good) and Mulligatawny soup. Yum!!

Late summer Corn & Tomato Salad

Although it already feels like Fall here in Portland, I wanted to post one more late summer recipe before I move on to all the yummy Fall foods. I really like this salad as it uses bulgur, one of my favorites grains. Bulgur has a nutty flavor and is really satisfying. I also love the basil in the salad as well. Enjoy!

• 1 cup bulgur wheat*
• 1 cup water
• ¼ olive oil
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or thawed frozen)
• ½ medium cucumber, diced
• 4 tomatoes, cut into ¼” dice
• 3 scallions (with about 3” of the green stem left on), thinly sliced
• ½ cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 t garlic powder
• sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Prep
1. Combine the bulgur and water and let soak for about 1 hour.
2. Mix in the olive oil and lemon juice. Then add remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve right away or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Nothing like homemade bread

So I "bake" bread, but I use my Breadman machine which I love! It is so easy and I have come up with a fantastic recipe that we all love. I had to play around with it for a while as if I just used all whole wheat bread flour it was too dense and hard. So here is what I came up with:

5 Seed Bread

1 1/3 cup water
2 T canola oil
3 T brown rice syrup
3/4 cup white bread flour
1 1/3 cup whole wheat bread flour, plus 1/4 cup
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 1/2 t salt
2 T sunflower seeds
2 T flax seeds
2 T chia seeds
2 T sesame seeds
2 T pumpkin seeds
2 t active dry yeast

Choose white cycle, 1.5 loaf size.

Green Smoothies: What's the big deal?

Green smoothies are a hot topic in the nutrition world. When I first started hearing about them I thought they were just for those crazy health nuts that only eat raw food. So I decided to give them a try to prove my point. Well not only did I discover they are delicious but my 3 year old son also loved them. I was so pleased because he was eating leafy, green vegetables! I got hooked. I also realize they can be incorporated into any diet/lifestyle. I am going to post two of my recent favorites. The first one is great in the morning, the flax seeds and berries help it stick with you all the way until lunch.

Berry Kale Smoothie
1 cup almond milk, or any milk you like to use
2 T flax seeds
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
 handful strawberries, or any other frozen berries on hand
2-3 cups kale
2-3 cups spinach

Blend all together and enjoy!


The next smoothie is delicious and wonderful for healthy bones (all the calcium in the kale) and a great immune system booster. I prefer this as a snack, lunch or even a light dinner on a hot night if you have eaten lots of heavy food through the day.

Pear and Kale Smoothie

1/2 cup water
2 cups ice
1 cup green grapes
1 banana, fresh or frozen
1/2 Bartlett pear
1 orange, peeled
1-2 cups kale

I like to blend the water and ice first, then add fruit and finish with the kale. Enjoy!

I love food

I love food. I also love cooking. I also love simple, healthy cooking. That being said you understand the reason for my blog. I want to share with people that it doesn't have to be difficult to cook healthy. Experimenting with new foods really can be fun! So, on that note I will post my first recipe. I like to call it Julie's Tofu Asian Stir Fry although feel free to add any protein you enjoy.

Julie's Tofu Asian Stir Fry

Any veggies in the fridge (bok choy, celery, carrots, green beans, shallots, onion, garlic, mushrooms, spinach) etc, you know whatever is on hand
1 block extra firm tofu, chopped in small pieces
toasted sesame oil (this is key, don't scrimp and use olive oil)
mirin
tamari soy sauce
salt & pepper (or my favorite Gomasio)

In saute pan, warm up toasted sesame oil. Throw in onions, shallots or garlic, whatever you are using. Then toss in the tofu. After few minutes start adding veggies, add harder ones first that will take longer to cook. Throw in some mirin, and Tamari. Saute some more. Taste test, then add more. Add some salt & pepper or Gomasio.Voila!! You are ready to go. Enjoy. If its just you there might even be enough for lunch tomorrow which makes it even more fantastic. I love to cook once and eat two even three times.