Summer Green Smoothie

This morning was a treat. I didn't have to go in to work, so the husband and I got to make breakfast together. Somehow, between Swiss-German lessons and feeding the animals, we managed to whip up a Summer Green Smoothie. Smooth, fruity and packed with good things (some of which came out of our budding garden). Below is today's seasonal version:

Summer Green Smoothie
Serves 2

1 Banana
1/4 Melon
1 Nectarine
4-5 Strawberries
1 small Avocado
2 cups Salad Mix
2 sprigs Fresh Mint
1 cup Water

1. Peel and seed, if necessary.
    Rough chop all fruits.
2. Add everything to the blender.
3. Blend until smooth and serve.

We enjoy some version of this twice a week, and its good to have these raw mornings (which also include a salad on Sunday mornings). It is an easy way to get quite a few different fruits and veggies in at one sitting. We do not eat anything else on these mornings, so its easy on the digestion as well.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Spicy Chilpotle Stew

I recently made this little soup for my husband's birthday party. Everyone said it was "very good, but very spicy", and they are not at all wrong. After weeks of eating bland vegetable and mild minestrone soups, I needed a change. This was just the change I needed. It is based off of Whole Food's Chipotle Veggie Stew recipe, but I simplified it somewhat.

I have made this soup several times now, and have learned to respect chilpotles, especially in adobo sauce. At first they are smokey and delicious, but they have a heat that builds over time. So be careful of this little devil. I hope maybe this soup is just the change you need in your menu plan too.

Spicy Chilpotle Stew

1 cup black beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 zucchini
1 crookneck
1 cup corn
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Fiesta Seasoning
(chili powder, garlic, cumin)
1 quart vegetable broth
1 chilpotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice

1. Prepare black beans. Soak overnight, rinse, bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. 
2. Rough chop all the vegetables, and cilantro. 
3. In a large pot, heat oil and sauté onion, celery and carrots until onions are translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper and spices. Stir and cook about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, and corn. Stir and cook about 2 minutes. Add chilpotle peppers and the cooked black beans. Stir to combine.
4. Add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered.
5. Add cilantro and lime juice and serve hot.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Vegan Taco Salad

I promise, up front, that you will never miss the meat/dairy in this dish. Now, growing up I loved taco night. The bright colors and flavors and the nearly endless possibilities. I would mix and match the ingredients until I couldn't eat another bite. When cleaning up our diet we came up with variation after variation on the theme: Fajita pockets (chicken, veggies and whole wheat pita pockets), Veggie Burritos (veggies and beans in a whole-wheat tortilla, which turned into "Flop-o's" because you couldn't roll them, just flop them over), and finally Taco Salad.


This is one of my favorite Green eating make-overs. I added the recipes for some of the pieces I make from scratch. (Note: 1 cup dried beans = 1 can, but the can lining may contain BPA, so really read the labels.) Fiesta Seasoning is a staple in our kitchen, and is in all three recipes below. You can buy it, in bulk, in Fred Meyer's natural section, or at New Seasons. I love this dish, and  I hope you fall in love with it too.

Taco Salad
Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
4 mushrooms
1 clove garlic
1/2 bell pepper
1 zucchini
2 tsp Fiesta Seasoning
(chili powder, garlic, cumin)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Bean Paste*

1/2 head lettuce
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 cup olives
1 tomato
Guacamole**
salsa
corn chips

1. In a skillet, heat oil. Add in onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute until caramelized. Toss in bell pepper, zucchini, salt and spices. Cook until tender.  Stir in bean paste. Set aside
2. Wash and rough chop the lettuce, spinach and cilantro. Place on serving plates. Slice olives and tomatoes and set aside. 
3. Layer over the salad the vegetable mixture, guacamole, salsa, tomatoes, olives and corn chips. Serve.

*Homemade Bean Paste

1 cup of mixed dried beans

(black, kidney and pinto)

2 cloves garlic

3 tsp Fiesta Seasoning

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Fresh Cilantro

1. Soak beans overnight. Rinse and place in a sauce pan. Cover with water, and add in garlic and half the spices and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Drain.
2. In a blender, place the cooked beans and garlic. Add in the olive oil, remaining spices and cilantro. Blend until smooth. Serve, or refrigerate for up to a week.

**Homemade Guacamole

1 avocado

1 tsp Fiesta Seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp fresh lemon or line juice

1. In a bowl, mash up avocado. Season and squeeze in juice. Stir until combined. Serve.

Until next time...

- Melissa

Breakfast

This morning just so happened to be Oatmeal morning. (These happen every Monday and Thursday). Which is my husband and my favorite morning. It's quick, easy, healthy, and just plain tasty. Now, let me be honest, I used to hate oatmeal with a passion. I would go out of my way to avoid eating it. So how did it become my favorite you ask. One word: Muesli.

Wikipedia has this to say about Muesli: ('mju:zlɪ/ or /'mu:zlɪ/; Swiss German: Müesli [ˈmyəz̥li], Standard German: Müsli) is a popular breakfast meal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts.

If you ever read my "Cooking Swiss" blog, you'll know that up until a year ago we pretty much lived for our version of this dish. It was yogurt with fresh fruit mixed in, topped with granola. In Switzerland, it was flavored yogurt, fruit and granola. Once I got back home, it was plain, whole yogurt with jam, fruit and granola. Then we moved to Non-fat, yogurt. Then we started making our own jam and granola. Then we omitted most dairy from our life. I swore our Muesli days were over for good.

Not so. After getting tired of smoothies and salads for breakfast (yes, you heard me, salads). I did the unthinkable. I asked my husband to make oatmeal. I ate it, but even with all the honey in the world, I wasn't in love. Then, one morning, epiphany! I placed a spoonful of wonderful, seasonal, fresh fruit salad on top. Love was born. Here is the result:

Muesli Oatmeal
Serves 2

1 cup water
2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (we use Gluten-Free)
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsps raisins
1 tsps coconut oil (Raw is best)

2-3 cups seasonal, fresh fruit salad
(Shown above is 1 banana, 1 kiwi, 1/4 cantaloupe, 3 strawberries)

Preparation
1. Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add in oats, cinnamon and salt, and reduce heat. After a minute stir in raisins.
2. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until done, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the oil.
3. Serve and top with fruit salad.

Until next time...

- Melissa