Spinach Mushroom Soup

I am "coming up for air" after a couple of weeks of pouring over decisions for remodeling our bathrooms.  A tub that leaks in one bathroom and mold-infested walls and a broken exhaust fan in the other bathroom necessitate upgrades.  If I could avoid doing the remodeling, I would, for two reasons. First, the money to upgrade is outrageous, and most days I am content to simply have a roof over my head and clean water when so much of the rest of the world doesn't have either.  Second, the land of fixtures, tiles, and interior design are entirely foreign to me, and it has been a slow learning curve.  I wander much more comfortably in the kingdom of herbs, vegetables, garnishes, kitchen gadgetry, and food preparation techniques. 


Did you miss me while I was on my journey to find my "inner Martha Stewart"?  I have done  minimal food preparation, but one day I did put together this soup and it was tasty enough to share with you. The mushrooms with spinach made a tasty combo.


Ingredients:
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped  mushrooms
2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach
1 cup vegetable broth


Preparation:
Melt coconut oil in a saute pan.  Add the chopped celery, onion, and mushrooms and saute until tender. Chop the spinach and add it to the other vegetables and cook until  tender.  Put contents into a  4-cup measuring glass with the vegetable broth and cook in microwave until tender.  Puree with an immersion blender.   


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: Approximately 1 1/2 cup
Calories: 150
Total Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 243 mg
Total Carbs: 15 g
Dietary Fiber: 5 g
Protein: 4 g

Lentil Loaf Make-Over

I have missed eating Lentil Loaf for a very long time. I was first introduced to this healthy entree back in the days when I was a single professional woman living close to Madison, WI,  and exploring a variety of eating styles. A friend gave this recipe to me and it became a "go-to" favorite meal, providing plenty of left-overs that could easily be frozen for later use. When I got married and was raising 3 sons, I continued to make this on occasion and found that at least 2 of the 3 guys liked it, and so did my husband. And when our oldest son married a vegetarian, this became one of her favorite meals at our house. And so I have missed eating this hearty treat because it is filled many things I don't digest well, such as coarsely chopped nuts, whole eggs, lentils with a coarse outer husk, chopped onions, and milk. Last week I determined to find a way to make it digestible for me. I was pleasantly surprised with my first attempt at its make-over! In fact, when Kiara (our daughter-in-love) tried it, she thought it might even be better than the original!


Ingredients:
3/4 cup thoroughly cooked brown lentils
3/4 cup finely ground herb seasoned stuffing crumbs
1/4 cup egg white substitute
3/4 cup plain lite soy milk (or fat-free evaporated milk)
3 Tablespoons finely ground almonds or almond meal
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Morton Nature's Seasons
Plain non-fat yogurt to serve as an accompaniment

Preparation:
Puree the lentils in a food processor or similar. (I used the chopper attachment for my Cuisinart SmartStick and it worked perfectly.  Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Lightly oil a 7 x 11 inch glass baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes until the loaf is cooked in the center.  Cut into 6 pieces.  Serve with a side of plain yogurt.

Nutrition: (using soy milk and does not include a side serving of yogurt)
Servings per recipe: 6
Serving Size: 1/6th of the pan (each piece is about 3 1/2 " square depending on size of pan used)
Calories: 153
Total Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 187 mg
Total Carbs: 16 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 6 g

Hopeful Spring Smoothie

On Saturday, I had prepared a pureed asparagus soup and a delectable carrot-parsnip puree to be certain I would have what I needed to enjoy my Easter dinner with my family. So I was surprised when I stared at the fabulous fruit platter of fresh pineapple, strawberries, grapes, and mango with envy for my family's ability to eat it with abandon and without concern for an obstruction. Then, oh so slowly, the words from the poem I had read earlier in the day crept into my soul: "Coax joy to spring from my difficulties." "Warm the buds of my relationships so they bloom with healthy love." "Light-filled Being, my Joy and my Hope, let the greening in me begin." (just a few lines from Out of the Ordinary, an exquisite poem, by Joyce Rupp). So later in the day when there was a quiet moment after the guests departed, I made a fruit smoothie with pineapple, strawberries, yogurt, and some shredded unsweetened coconut.  Ah, hope bubbled up with gratefulness.  


Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
3 medium strawberries, stem and core removed
1/4 cup plain non-fat yogurt 


Preparation:
Put all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree your way to sweet hope!


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: About 1 1/2  cup
Calories: 104
Total Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 4 mg
Sodium: 45 mg
Total Carbs: 17 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 4 g

Asparagus Cauliflower Soup

So...my technology challenged brain is at work again. I accidentally deleted this from the posts and so I am posting it again.  Take this as an opportunity to try this if you missed it the first time around.  How is that for a spin on the positive?  


Asparagus again?  Yes.  I love it.   This creation resulted from combining several asparagus soup recipes that I saw on SparkPeople, which is the site I use for my recipe calculator.  I was surprised by how well the cauliflower complimented the asparagus.  Easy spring festival! 


Ingredients:
20 small spears of fresh asparagus, chopped
1 small head (4" diameter) of cauliflower, chopped (4 cups chopped)
4 cups Emeril's vegetable stock  (it was on sale so I tried it and was quite pleased)
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
1 leek, white and light green part only, sliced/chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups water
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Put the chopped cauliflower and the vegetable stock in a big soup pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add the celery and chopped asparagus stems (reserve the tips) with about 2 cups of water.  Simmer till tender.  Add the asparagus tips, the leeks, and the garlic and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.  Puree, add some freshly ground pepper, and enjoy spring!

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 6
Serving Size: Almost 1 cup
Calories: 40
Total Fat:  0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 410 mg ( use a reduced sodium vegetable broth if desired for less sodium)
Total Carbs:  8 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g

Kale Apple Soup

Kale Apple Soup

Drama Duluth.  That's how I would describe our weather.  First it was "the winter that wasn't" with hardly any snow and average temperatures much higher than usual for the months of December through February.  Then a week of  12" of snow.  Followed by a week of 50- 60 degree weather that coaxed some daffodils to peek through. Today it is a mixture of snow and rain.  Time for a hearty bowl of soup!  I never tire of any variation of kale soup. My favorite type of kale is the Black Tuscan, also known as Black Palm.  Its striking puckered leaves are a beautiful dark blue spruce color.  The ease with which I can remove the leaf from the tough stem is another reason I choose it over the other types of kale when making soup.  The apple in this soup compliments the kale remarkably well, giving it a tart and slightly sweet undertone.  I might not be able to eat an uncooked apple or kale, but pureed together in this soup, it's delectable!  

Ingredients:
1 large bunch kale, destemmed and chopped (5 cups chopped)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, divided into two portions (or 2 Tablespoons olive oil)
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 tsp sea salt

Chopped Kale

1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped                
1/4 cup non-fat Fage Greek yogurt
freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:
Wash the kale and remove the tough stems.  Coarsely chop the leaves. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the kale in 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil.  Cook, stirring, until the kale begins to wilt.  Add 2 cups vegetable broth, lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring  occasionally for about 10 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a blender or VitaMix and puree.  In the same skillet that was used to saute the kale, add the remaining oil, the onions and the salt, and cook over medium-low heat until they are just barely turning color.  Add the chopped apples and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 20 minutes.  Add this mixture to the kale in the blender and puree it all together.  If the soup seems too thick, add more broth or water until it reaches the desired consistency.
Garnish with a dollop of non-fat Fage yogurt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 4

Kale Apple Soup

Serving Size:  1 cup                                  
Calories: 122
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 293 mg
Total Carbs: 19 g
Dietary Fiber: 6
Protein: 4

Cold Asparagus Soup

Nothing says spring to me more than asparagus.   Green, glorious, green.  Fresh, vibrant, and lively.  Yes, that describes this soup, too.  It's an adaptation of one from Anna Thomas' cookbook, Love Soup.  And I do indeed love this soup.  The original recipe used heavy cream, for which I substituted fat-free half-n-half.  It also used full-fat goat cheese, and I used fat-free feta cheese.  And I used coconut oil rather than olive oil.  And I omitted the cayenne pepper that was used in the original recipe.  I wanted the fresh dill taste to stand alone with the asparagus, which it did quite well.  Savor the fresh taste of spring!  


Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. fresh untrimmed asparagus
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons fat-free half-n-half
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 oz. reduced-fat Feta cheese
1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil (or 1 Tablespoon olive oil)
sea salt to taste
freshly ground white pepper to taste


Optional Garnishes:
fresh sprigs of dill
Greek yogurt


Preparation:
Break off and discard the tough bottoms of the asparagus stalks, then thinly peel the lower parts of the remaining stalks. You want as few of the strings as possible.  Cut the asparagus in pieces and simmer it in the vegetable broth until it is tender, about 10 minutes.  Allow the mixture to cool.  Combine all the ingredients and puree them in a VitaMix or similar blender.  The VitaMix did an extraordinarily good job of pureeing any asparagus strings that remained.  


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 5
Serving Size: Just a bit over 1 cup
Calories: 84
Total Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 4  mg
Sodium: 21   mg
Total Carbs: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 7

The Skinny on Coconut Oil

A couple of years ago, I was hospitalized for a complication related to the neuroendocrine tumor on my pancreas.  Generally, I think of hospitalizations as an event to be avoided at all costs. However, I learned a new piece of information that made the stay worth it.  


The attending oncologist talked to me about the benefits of coconut oil for individuals who don't produce enough pancreatic enzymes to digest fats properly. He explained that coconut oil is composed primarily of medium chain triglycerides, which makes it more digestible for people with pancreatic insufficiency. Wow...maybe I could add some fat back into my diet!  But what is a medium-chain triglyceride?  I had no idea.  

So, here's the skinny on this fat. 


Fats are comprised of chains that range in length.  Most common fats used in our Western diet consist of long-chain triglycerides.   Long-chain triglycerides require the action of pancreatic enzymes and bile salts for digestion.  In contrast, medium-chain triglycerides can be absorbed directly by the wall of the small intestine without the need for pancreatic enzymes. That is the key to why coconut oil, which is comprised of at least 65% medium-chain triglycerides, is an excellent choice for someone like me who doesn't  produce sufficient pancreatic enzymes. And even though I take prescription level pancreatic enzymes with each meal, I still have difficulty digesting fat.  (That's my polite way of saying I am ready to shove everyone out of my path to the bathroom after eating even small amounts of most fat.) But when I eat coconut oil, I am confident I look like a Polynesian model out for a leisurely stroll.    


So that is why I modify recipes calling for olive oil or butter etc, and use coconut oil instead.  And you were thinking that I used it because I was hoping to be transformed into a tropical beauty.   

If you would like more in-depth information and resources about this topic, please post a comment and I will gladly give you my long-version on the merits and potential problems of coconut oil with  references.