A fall soup ...

This soup is good for using up veggies, and it makes a nice soothing soup on a cool evening.

To a large crockpot, add:

A protein source: Two pounds of either diced tofu, chicken, beef, or a one pound can of beans. Or you can mix and match - one pound chicken and one pound beans, for example.

Diced veggies, 6 to 8 cups' worth (depending on the size of your crockpot): potatos, carrots, onions, celery, rutabaga, turnips, leeks, mushrooms, etc. Also peeled/diced winter squash. What do you have in the veggie drawer? Warning: the leafy stuff doesn't do well (like spinach or chard) -- the cooking time is too long for them, they just fall apart. You could add them just before serving if you wanted. Also, bear in mind that some veggies have notoriously strong flavors in soups -- kale, collards, broccoli and cabbage come to mind. You could use them if you want, just be warned. You could make a soup with just these veggies, potato, and onion if you wanted. It would be a sturdy soup.

Seasonings: minced garlic and/or ginger, cayenne, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill ... what do you want? not all seasonings work well with each other. I like either an Indian theme (curry powder, tumeric, cayenne, ginger, cumin seed), or a Mediterranean theme (garlic, cayenne, basil, thyme, oregano, parsley). I have a nice curry paste that I make up sometimes, it lasts for a month or two depending on what all I use it for. But what do you want? dill/garlic? summer savory? Cinnamon, chocolate powder, and peanuts pureed with water? Mint/garlic/and lemon juice? Add plenty, it's a large pot!

Broth: sure, you could use water; you really could. But pre-made broth adds a really nice richness. I like Imagine broths. You could try their mushroom broth for extra depth of flavor, but veggie broth or chicken broth are really nice too. Add enough to make sure everything is covered with broth.

Do you want it to be tomato-y? if so, add a can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatos.

Turn on the crockpot, put the lid on it, and let it run till it's bubbly, the meats are cooked, and veggies are tender. It's a crock pot - this takes a 3-6 hours.

Before serving, taste it -- does it need salt? If so, add it to taste. And consider what might be nice as a garnish - plain yogurt and minced cilantro is good for the Indian seasoning. Minced garlic and oregano for the Mediterranean seasoning. But hey! it's up to you. Enjoy!

Invest in a good olive oil

This is my recommendation. I bought a tiny bottle of a really good one, mostly because the store was allowing taste-tests of a couple of different types. I fell in love with this one - it has a spicy flavor to it, all by itself. I plan to use it for salad dressings (just with a good vinegar and salt), or even just plain on steamed veggies.

See if you can find a place that will allow taste-tests, and even if you can only afford a teeny bottle, get one that you adore.

Because we should all adore the food that we use to nourish ourselves.

Zucchini Soup

This is good hot or cold -- you may need to adjust the amount of fluid you use, depending on how watery your zucchini is. You could also use yellow crookneck squash or any other summer squash. I think this is better cold.

In a large pan, add a small amount of olive oil. Add about 1/2 cup cut up onion, and a diced carrot. Put the lid on the pan, and let them sit in there on very low heat, stirring occasionally, till they soften and the onion is partially translucent. Very slow cooking allows the starches in the root veggies to convert to sugars, making this a fairly sweet dish.

Add the cut up squash, stir to distribute the oil, and put the lid back on to let the zucchini cook. Keep the pan on slow heat. It will take a while - stir it every few minutes to keep it from scorching.

When the zucchini is softening, add about 1 cup of broth (veggie or chicken, either is fine). Turn up the heat to a boil for just one minute. The zucchini should be fairly well cooked by now. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the stove, and allow to cool. When cool, puree in a blender with 1 cup kefir (buttermilk will do). Check the seasoning to see if you need to add salt. This soup can be served hot, but it's nicer cold. Stir in about 1 teaspoon lemon juice per bowl, just as you serve it.

If desired, top with chopped parsley or cilantro or any other green herb that you have. If you wanted to add garlic, it would be best to cook it down in the initial stages with the onion and carrot. You could add any other spices you might want (cumin or curry powder would be nice), but they should be added at the beginning with the onion and carrot.

Have fun using up those squashes!

another great warm weather treat!

Chilled Canteloupe Soup

This is a very pretty, cooling soup for a hot day. And so easy to make, too! It makes a nice pre-dinner appetizer to replace a salad (and avoid the heavy dressing that comes with it sometimes). The color is a wonderful pale orange, similar to orange sorbet. Find a pretty bowl to serve it up, and to complement that color! maybe a dark green bowl, for example.

Add the following to a blender:

- 1/2 canteloupe - seeded, peeled, cut into chunks
- 1/2 to 3/4 kefir (could use buttermilk, more tart, but less fat)
- juice of 1/2 lime (may not need it if you use buttermilk)
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Blend. Taste -- does it need more salt or anything else? when it tastes right, chill for a couple of hours.

Serve in pretty bowls, garnished with either ribbons of basil, or dusted with curry powder. If you aren't that brave, try garnishing with just finely minced mint.

Sounds odd, tastes great!

Vicki's Watermelon Salad

Note: Jicama is a round root vegetable that should be peeled before dicing. It has a white, sweet, crunchy flesh that is nice added to green salads, and it tastes very good with fruit as well.

Mix:
one cup jicama, diced (I cut it on the bias to make little diamonds)
two cups watermelon, also diced (and also on the bias, if desired)

Toss to mix.

Dressing - add all to a blender or cuisinart:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
half a jalepeno, de-seeded and coarsely chopped up
a generous handful of cilantro
about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Blend dressing well, until no obvious chunks of jalepeno remain; add to jicama/watermelon mix, toss to blend. Chill for two hours before serving.

Serve it up! I think some toasted walnuts or pecans on top would be beautiful. Possibly even some feta cheese. It's great with mexican food, but would probably be good with tabbouli/falafel, too. Enjoy!

Sometimes,I just stumble on good flavor combos

Last night, I thought, this would be a good night to have soaked oats for breakfast. It's very easy -- 3/4 cup raw oats, a sprinking of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon), and then seasoning and raw nuts or dried fruits as desired. I used 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a sprinkling each of raw cashews and dried cherries, but just about any combo of seasoning, dried fruit, and raw nuts or seeds, would work just fine (depending on what you have available, and what tastes you prefer).

To this you add about 1/2 cup of water (although you could use juice). Let it soak overnight, then eat and enjoy. If you can't stomach the thought of eating it raw, you could warm it up in the microwave first.

Now, this is a great breakfast as is, but I chose to add about 2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk (I confess, it was canned). Something about adding a bit of creamy sweetness just made the cherry flavor come alive, and the cinnamon added a little soothing warmth to it. Very nice.

I must point out that this basic recipe (oats/salt/water) is extremely inexpensive, and provides plenty of fiber and a solid serving of whole grains for the day. The additions add expense, it's true, but wisely chosen, the expense can be minimal, and they can add a good nutritional boost, too. You could add fresh fruit in the morning as a topper, rather than dried fruit, too. Chopped fresh apple is good, especially in the fall. And you could also add some yogurt in the morning, instead of coconut milk, too.

Oh, and this is so very easy, too. Just takes a little planning the night before. Enjoy!

at some point this weekend

I will make watermelon gazpacho. It is so good when the weather is hot.