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Mulligatawny Soup – Warm up with Veggies of the Season

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When Fall season comes around, all I can think of is soup oh and apples, pumpkin, and Halloween too! This week I planned out a few soups and took out the a very cool soup cookbook.

We tried Mulligatawny soup quite a while ago and it was time to bring it back. Reminds me of that well known Seinfeld episode with the Soup Nazi. Mulligatawny soup is one of the recipes that Elaine got the from armoire and was ready off at the end of the episode. I was excited to try this soup for the first time a few years ago, and now I’ve got my own version to share with you!

But first, a snipet from that infamous show:

Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cups each chopped onion (1 medium) and tart apples (2 small-medium)

1/2 cup each chopped celery (2 stalks), red bell pepper (4 baby sweet bell peppers)

1 cup chopped carrots (15 baby carrots or 2 whole carrots)

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced

1 Tablespoon Organic olive oil

Spices: 1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice, dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon sea salt + 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

28 ounces chopped or diced tomatoes ( I used Pomi brand)

1 pound chicken breast, boneless

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or unsweetened shredded coconut flakes

Serve with cooked brown rice or millet

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Method:

1. Chop veggies (you can do this the night before to save time)

2. Heat soup pot or French oven on stove top, I own a 5-Quart Fontignac French oven soup pot. Add olive oil then add veggies (stir to coat veggies in oil), sauté at medium to medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until veggies soften.

3. Add spices: curry powder, chili powder, allspice, thyme, sea salt, black pepper. Stir and coat veggies with spices.

4. Add remaining ingredients: pour in chicken stock, water, chopped tomatoes, and chicken breast.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer covered for about 20 minutes to allow chicken to cook thru.

6. Remove chicken from soup pot, place on a cutting board and shred, then add back to soup pot.

7. Taste soup broth (carefully since it’s really hot) and adjust seasonings to taste before serving.

8. Sprinkle with either fresh chopped parsley (my preference) or shredded unsweetened coconut (Heman’s favorite).

9. Enjoy!!

For 30 healthy recipes plus my 3 favorite desserts:

https://www.totalhealthcounseling.com/work-with-me/

I created this e-cookbook with yummy and healthy recipes you can make quickly on weeknights, have snacks for on the go and serve up at parties! Please check it out, I know you will enjoy them too! XOXO

Cacao Love Birthday Cake

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September is my birthday month and up until my birthday, I am planning out my birthday cake every year. The store bought cakes won’t do. I have food allergies and eat gluten free and dairy free so I have to create my own. This version includes bean flour to make it grain free plus organic cacao I picked up from Bedner’s local farm a few weeks ago – my new obsession and coconut oil, another favorite of mine for baking or just eating by the spoonful.

Cacao Love Cakes - pic monkey

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Garbanzo and Fava Flour

3/4 cup Turbinado sugar

1/4 cup organic cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 Tablespoons ground flax meal

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s)

4 Tablespoons applesauce PLUS 2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Sift flour, sugar, cacao, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flax meal together into a medium size bowl.

3. Add in wet ingredients: vanilla, cider vinegar, applesauce, coconut oil, stir then add water last. Mix well to combine.

4. For mini cupcakes, put 1 Tablespoon batter into each mini cupcake tin. For regular size cupcakes, put 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake tin.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes (mini cupcakes) or 30 minutes (regular size cupcakes) or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

6. Cool completely, then frost with your favorite icing (see suggestion below).

Divine and chocolately, just the way a birthday cake should taste!

Cacao Love Frosting (vegan)

I love frosting, but the junk they sell at the store is less than appealing. Too many chemicals and an imminent belly ache for me.

Instead I created one with my favorite cacao and coconut oil!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Organic cacao powder

1/4 cup Organic coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoon raw honey, add more if you like it sweeter

Add ingredients to a small bowl and stir until well combined. Chill until ready to frost cupcakes.

Cacao Cake - PicMonkey Collage

What is you favorite kind of birthday cake? I grew up eating yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Now I go for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Yum!

 

West Boca Green Market: Fresh + Local At It’s Best

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Have you heard? There’s a new green market in West Boca! It’s open year round at the grounds of Olympia High School (just North of Glades on Lyons Road) every Sunday 8:30am – 2pm, rain or shine. I love green markets and this one is close by so I’ll be there a lot! If you are looking for farm fresh produce, a wide selection of foods, everything from breads, desserts, gluten free, paleo, vegan, coffee, tea, made to order juices, grilled foods. Eat there at the benches and tables for breakfast + lunch or take your food to go. They also sell a variety of crafts and jewelry.

Here is what I picked up on Sunday!

Farm Fresh Produce: non-GMO Corn Smile (YAY!), Georgia peaches, lemons/limes, organic blueberries.

Three Anns dried/unsweetened pineapple, raw goat’s milk feta, Dani’s Fun Food organic falafel (made fresh daily). Dani’s falafel are gluten free and taste great, he makes them fresh the day before. I also sampled the artichoke dip and wish I bought it, so that’s on my list for next time! Dani also makes a variety of hummus, all very fresh.

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Raw Goat’s Milk Feta with Organic Blueberries

If you are into traditional ways of eating which includes raw dairy, you can find it at the West Boca Green Market. They also sell farm fresh eggs.

Raw dairy is popular to those who believe it’s best to consume dairy with all of it’s healthy bacteria and enzymes. Some people tolerate raw dairy very well and even thrive on it, while they cannot tolerate standard pasteurized dairy because all of the healthy bacteria and enzymes are killed during the pasteurization process. For more information, check out the Weston A. Price Foundation website and I also recommend reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon for more about traditional foods. She’s one of several expert teachers from my Health Coaching school, The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

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Three Anns dried fruit made without any added sugar. There were several varieties to choose from including apple, peach, pear, pineapple, banana, sweet potato. I chose pineapple and really enjoyed it! Chewy and sweet, but not overly sweet like most dried fruits. I’ll be back for more and will definitely check out the other varieties too!

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Homemade dinner with non-GMO corn + organic blueberries from the green market along with spinach and wahoo filet I bought from Publix Greenwise.

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Add puppies for adoption!! Kittens too Smile This close to taking one of those puppies home, hehe.

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Come to the West Boca Green Market every Sunday!

8:30AM – 2PM; Rain or Shine

Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestBocaGreenmarket

Located at Olympia High School, Boca Raton

North of Glades on Lyons Road

561.929.0237

Roasted Garlic Hummus & Pine Nut Quinoa Tabouli

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For so many years I was on diet, like every other woman in America. Can you relate to this? So finally, I found foods I could eat and not pack on the pounds. I could eat and not feel deprived. I could eat and have a sensational feeling running through my body plus get tons of nutrients and vitamins. And you know… I’m Health Coach, so I talk a lot about nutrients and vitamins – get used to it, haha Winking smile!

I grew up eating hummus and tabouli so making my own healthier versions is very special for me. Good news is, you can eat this food, ditch the diet mentality and feel your very best!

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Recipe – Roasted Garlic Hummus

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked chickpeas

3 T. olive oil (Organic, First Cold-Pressed)

3 cloves of roasted garlic (how-to in steps)

1/8 t. each Sea salt and black pepper, plus more to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Take a bulb of garlic, trim the excess layers off garlic, but leave bulb in tact. Cut off top of bulb so clove tops are trimmed.

3. Wrap garlic bulb in foil, then bake for 50 minutes.

3. Remove from oven, carefully remove foil, let cool.

4. Place chickpeas in bowl then mash with a fork, this will be chunky so mash to your desired consistency.

5. Add olive oil, roasted garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Mix all ingredients together.

6. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

7. Serve with freshly sliced veggies of choice (carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, your favorites!)

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Recipe – Pine Nut Quinoa Tabouli

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 T. olive oil (Organic, First Cold-Pressed)

1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley

1/4 c. toasted pine nuts

juice of half lemon

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Rinse quinoa in fine mesh strainer until water runs clear, this will remove protective bitter coating called saponin.

2. Add quinoa and water to medium pot, bring water to boil, then turn down heat to low. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.

3. When water cooks off quinoa, remove from heat, allow to cool.

4. Toast pine nuts by heating a stainless steel frying pan on medium-high heat on stovetop. Allow pan to heat about 5 minutes.

5. Add pine nuts and continuously move pan to toss pine nuts. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute to brown pine nuts, then add to quinoa.

6. Place quinoa and pine nuts in serving bowl and add olive oil, parsley, lemon, sea salt and black pepper. Toss well.

7. Season to taste, then serve at room temp or store covered in fridge. Tastes better when ingredients have a chance to marinate together.

8. Enjoy!

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YUM Smile

Have you made your own versions of foods you grew up eating? Please share a link in the comments below!!

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Sunshine Chicken Dinner

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This meal makes me think of sunshine, probably because of the way I arranged the sweet potatoes and the natural light pouring onto the plate. It put a smile on my face and it was ready in minutes since I cooked the chicken and potatoes the day before.

Baked sweet potato, baked chicken drumsticks, dandelion greens rubbed with olive oil and pink sea salt.

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Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients:

1# chicken drumsticks (organic, antibiotic free, no hormones added)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1/8 teaspoon each (or to taste) pink sea salt, black pepper, turmeric, basil, oregano

Method:

1. Measure out and combine vinegar, oil, and spices. Toss in a resealable 1 gallon plastic bag.

2. Add chicken to bag, seal, shake to combine. Let chicken sit in marinade for 20 minutes on counter (this is a short enough duration to not cause food spoilage). If you choose to marinate overnight or for more than 30 minutes, place chicken in fridge.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken and marinade in baking pan.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until juices of chicken run clear.

5. Once chicken is fully cooked, set oven to broil and cook another 3-4 minutes to brown chicken skin.

6. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes then serve with sliced baked sweet potato and dandelion greens.

7. Enjoy!