Cold Cucumber Cilantro Soup

Cold Cucumber Cilantro Soup

A friend of mine, Christal,  has been making yogurt from the goats she raises and sharing it with me. This yogurt is perfectly tangy, without the strong flavor typical of many goat yogurts. It is remarkably creamy, but thinner than most other types of cow or goat yogurt, and I often drink it rather than eat it with a spoon.  So I was eager to use it in this recipe for Cold Cucumber Cilantro Soup, which I found in Love Soup, by Anna Thomas.  You have heard me rave about the recipes from this cookbook in earlier blog posts.  I was looking for a cold soup recipe, since the weather in Duluth has been sizzling hot, like many other portions of the country recently. When I spotted this recipe and reviewed the ingredient list, I realized I had all of the necessary ingredients, with cilantro and mint growing in the herb garden. So I made it instantly, making only a half-batch to give it a try.  Ooooooh. I wished I had made the full batch because it was so tasty! Tom gave it the 2-thumbs up award, as well.  


Since the goat yogurt from Christal is a bit thinner than most, I reduced the amount when I made the soup, which worked perfectly. You can purchase goat yogurt in most health food stores and as well many traditional grocery stores. If you can't find goat yogurt, you could probably use plain cow yogurt. When I made the soup,  I wasn't so sure if the amount of cumin and jalapeno pepper would be too strong for me, so I cut those in half, as well. Also, I slightly reduced the amount of sea salt. The recipe listed below is Anna Thomas' original recipe and was used for the nutritional analysis.   


Just another quick note:  My husband, Tom, appreciates and understands the nuances of salt far better than I do, and enjoys exploring the many varieties of sea salts.  He encourages use of sea salt for several reasons.  First, typical table salt is bleached of all of its elements (except for added iodine).  Bleach is not something I want to consume for obvious reasons.  In contrast, sea salt contains important minerals and elements from the sea. Additionally, as Rebecca Katz notes, "When used in cooking, real salt--that is, sea salt--is used not to impart its own taste, but rather to unlock the flavor of every food it comes in contact with.  Sea salt crystals act like tiny scrubbing bubbles that release flavors."  (pg. 3.  One Bite at a Time). Have fun exploring the world of sea salt, goat yogurt, and cold soups with Pzazz!   

Ingredients:

Ingredients for Cold Cumber Cilantro Soup

2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted and ground
4 cups peeled, chopped, seeded cucumber
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups goat yogurt
1/2 cup lightly packed mint leaves                      
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon finely minced,seeded jalapeno pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Cilantro

Preparation:
Put the peeled, chopped, seeded cucumber into a bowl and toss with the sea salt and leave them in the bowl for at least 15 minutes. Do not drain. As the cucumbers are sitting in the bowl with the salt, toast the cumin seed by putting them in a saute pan on medium heat and lightly toast till fragrant.  Grind them with a mortar/pestle or in a spice grinder.  Add goat yogurt, mint, cilantro and jalapeno pepper to the cucumbers with their liquid. Add the ground cumin seed.  Puree to desired consistency. Stir in lemon juice.  Let chill for at least 3 hours before serving to your guest who will be most impressed! Even if that is you. I garnished mine with a flowering cilantro stalk. Anna Thomas suggests chopped, unsalted pistachio nuts as a garnish.

Mint

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories:140
Total Fat: 7 g
Cholesterol: 19  mg
Sodium: 528   mg
Total Carbs: 13 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 20 g

Kale Salsa

Kale Salsa

Tender garden kale 

The tender young kale in the garden is incredible!  It is beautiful, nutritious, and abundant.  So I want to make the best use of it while it is still so tasty. 

Tom planted three types of kale, and the one that is ready now is Lacinato kale (aka Dino kale) - my favorite.  It has deep green puckered leaves, rather than fringed leaves like the Red Russian Kale that will be ready in the garden in about 2 or 3 weeks.  The type most commonly available in the grocery stores is curly kale.  A quick look at most seed catalogs will show a growing variety of kale since it has gained in popularity as the evidence for its anti-cancer fighting properties become more well known.  It is also incredibly easy to grow and is cold hardy for those of us who have a short growing season.  All types are delicious, and can be used interchangeably in recipes calling for kale.  

Kale is a member of  the cruciferae (cruciferous) family, (also called brassica family). Cruciferous vegetables are unique in that they are rich sources of glucosinolates, sulfur-containing compounds that impart a pungent aroma and spicy taste. Other commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables are broccoli, bok choy, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, turnips, and Chinese cabbage.  Arugula, horse radish, radish, wasabi, watercress, and tot soi are also cruciferous vegetables.   See Diana Dyer's blog, 365 Days of Kale, for a complete list of all of the vegetables in this brassica family, as well as multitudes of recipes to make them all tasty.  While I can't eat many of the recipes there, I often find inspiration for my pureed creations from her recipes.  As a registered dietician and three-time cancer survivor, Diana Dyer is a fabulous resource for accurate information about the health benefits of the cruciferous vegetables as well as other foods.  

Another source of sound nutritional advice is nutritionist Rebecca Katz, M.S..  Described as the creative culinary artist who combines great taste with fabulous nutrition, Rebecca Katz'z cookbook, One Bite At a Time, is one of my "go-to favorites" to get possible flavor combinations for my creations.   She states in her cookbook "kale is rich in calcium and cancer-fighting compounds, including anti-oxidents.  Sulforaphane, also in broccoli, is a well-studied phytochemical that may inhibit cancer-causing substances.  Other phytochemicals in kale may protect against breast cancer by reducing the impact of estrogen.  Kale is also beneficial to the function of the digestive and nervous systems." You can find helpful nutritional information, as well as recipes and inspiration at her website, Rebecca Katz.  

If there is one thing I try to do every day I am home, it is to consume dark, leafy greens or other vegetables from the cruciferous family.  (And eat some form of probiotic, such as yogurt or kefir. But that's for another blog post.)  Don't let me mislead you - not all of my habits are healthy.   I indulge in low-fat chips and crackers all too often, since they easily dissolve in my gastric juices and don't require any preparation.  But I have to believe that my daily intake of cruciferous vegetables has contributed to my nearly 14 years of longevity in the face of having a 5-6cm pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor.  I wish I could say that I don't eat the processed snacks at all, but I'm just not "there" yet.  Maybe someday.  But not today.    

I developed this kale salsa today and it tantalized my taste buds, as I ate it with my favorite low-fat multi-grain chip. (Definitely not "there" yet today. I wonder where "there" is???)   Another quick and delicious way to make the most of the garden kale on a hot humid day in Duluth.   For lunch, I made another  Mud Slide ( my combination of kale, blueberries, frozen banana, and soy milk posted on the blog a couple of days ago), so I know I consumed at least 2 cups of chopped kale today.   Try this snazzy, Pzazzy salsa and be "greened" today.    

Ingredients:
1/4 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)

Potted parsley

1 large stalk celery, leaves included                     
1 cup chopped kale, (thick stem removed)
1/4 cup chopped parsley 



Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a VitaMix or blender and puree until smooth.   

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 2
Serving Size: 1/2 cup  (approximate)
Calories: 36
Total Fat:  0 g
Cholesterol: 0  mg
Sodium:287    mg
Total Carbs: 7  g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g

Mud Slide

Mud Slide

This recipe was born out of need to use the tasty tender kale greens abounding in Tom's vegetable garden, and to sweeten it up naturally for a breakfast smoothie.  The result was an incredibly tasty concoction, but as ugly as the mud slides created by the floods two weeks ago in Duluth!  But that idea created the name for this zany, tasty morning smooothie!   Blueberries, kale, soy milk, and 1/2 of a frozen banana.  You NEED to try this.  Honestly.  Surprise yourself with a delightfully healthy breakfast.  Remember, kale and blueberries both contain important nutrients for maximum health each day.  Ah....grow the food, puree the food, enjoy the day.  Pzazz!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup WestSoy Organic unsweetened soy milk 
   (remember to always use organic soy products since other types contain high levels of pesticides) 

1/2 frozen banana                                               
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup chopped tender kale, stems removed

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a VitaMix and puree on high until smooth and creamy.

Chopped garden kale

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 1 1/4  cup
Calories: 175
Total Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol:  0 mg
Sodium:46   mg
Total Carbs: 33 g
Dietary Fiber: 8
Protein: 8

Asian Bok Choy Soup

Asian Bok Choy Soup

The wonder of raised garden beds is how well they survive devastating flood conditions!  Despite the deluge of rain last week, Tom's vegetable garden survived remarkably well.  The bok choy is abundant and more than ready to be used.  Bok choy, an Asian green, contains high amounts of beta-carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, calcium and iron.   That's why Tom planted copious amounts of it.  The first harvest yielded nearly a bushel basket full of hearty, yet tender, greens.  I was armed with recipes to try.  The one that looked most enticing was an easy Asian-inspired stir fry.  I decided I could easily modify it into a soup.  But my first attempt was entangled by my desire to be frugal and use the chili sauce I already had available in the refrigerator, rather than purchasing the sweet chili sauce listed as the ingredient in this recipe.   YAWZA!  It was hotter than I could tolerate.  But again, my frugality reigned and I was desperate not to waste any of the luscious bok choy greens.  So I boiled and pureed potatoes to add to it, and stirred in plain yogurt, and the resulting product was quite delicious.  But I still had an abundance of bok choy, so decided I would try making this soup again, using the sweet chili sauce.  Yes!  Delicious and definitely full of Pzazz!


Ingredients:

Garden bok choy

2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2" slice ginger root, minced
6 cups chopped bok choy leaves                              
1/2 Tablespoon Thai-style sweet chili sauce     
(use more if you like it spicy)
1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth

Optional garnish:  dollop of plain yogurt

Preparation:
Saute garlic and ginger in coconut oil until fragrant, but not brown.  Add chopped  bok choy and cook until it is wilted.  Add sweet chili sauce (more if you are adventurous) and distribute evenly.  Add broth and simmer until the  bok choy is tender.  Puree in a VitaMix or food processor.  The VitaMix did an incredibly great job of making this a smooth and creamy consistency.  Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt if desired.

Cooking the bok choy with sweet chili sauce

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 2
Serving Size: Close to 1 cup
Calories: 169
Total Fat: 14 g
Cholesterol:  0 mg
Sodium: 204 mg
Total Carbs: 10 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 7

Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho

Cold summer soups are delightful, especially when it is sizzling hot outside. We need more heat and less rain in Duluth.  Gazpacho is a tomato-based, vegetable soup traditionally served cold, originating in Spain and Portugal. It is mostly consumed during the summer months, because of its refreshing qualities and cold serving temperature.  I have savored the traditional tomato/cucumber/celery type of gazpacho and have posted that recipe for Easiest Ever Gazpacho on this blog previously.  So when I saw this recipe in the Whole Foods Co-op for a unique twist on an old favorite I was eager to try it.  Once again, the Whole Foods Co-Op did not disappoint me. I never would have imagined strawberries and tomatoes making a compatible friendship in a gazpacho. But after I made this soup and enjoyed it on the deck yesterday, I would now consider them close companions.  


When I made it, I made just a half-batch because I didn't know yet if I would like it or not.  Now I wish I had made a whole batch.  I used a small jalepeno pepper, and you might want to adjust the amount based on your tolerance or desire for spicy food.  

Enjoy -- and hope for more sunshine than rain.   

Ingredients:
1 lb. strawberries, washed, hulled & coarsely chopped
1 lb. tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded)              
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 small fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds & removed                          
Zest of 1 lime
4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional garnish:  freshly snipped chives or cilantro

Preparation:
Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender or VitaMix.  Stir well and adjust for salt, if desired.


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 6
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 51
Total Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 229 mg
Total Carbs: 11 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie

Smoothies are high on my list of summer breakfast treats. Refreshing, quick and delicious! And most enjoyable with a fresh peony from my garden. That was before the Duluth monsoons arrived on Tuesday night.  It has been a dramatic few days in Duluth which received 10 inches of rain in 24 hours. 


Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 cup plain low-fat kefir
4 -5 mint leaves, chopped
1 Tablespoon ground flax
1/2 Tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut

Preparation:
Process all ingredients
 in blender.  


Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 11/2 cup
Calories: 168
Total Fat: 5  g
Cholesterol: 5 mg                                              
Sodium: 68 mg
Total Carbs: 27 g
Dietary Fiber: 6
Protein: 32 g

Blueberry Basil Smoothie

I like to kick-start my mornings with a waft of the herbs on my deck. A few days ago, I realized the basil had exploded!  Acting purely on impulse and a sense of what sounded good, I put some chopped basil, thawed blueberries and kefir into the blender and made an awesome smoothie.  I discovered that blueberries and basil make a remarkably great combination of flavors. After I sipped my smoothie on the deck, I did an on-line search to see if there were other recipes using this combination of flavors and found that yes, blueberries and basil were paired for salsa, vinegars, and a variety of other options.  Oooooh, I love it when my culinary instincts are affirmed.  This refreshing smoothie was made even better with the knowledge of how healthy it was.  The glory of blueberries is that not only are they delicious, they contain more disease-fighting antioxidants than practically any other fruit or vegetable.  And adding ground flax offers a healthful boost of omega 3s, fiber, and protein.   The probiotics in kefir are helpful for the immune system and the digestive system. Truly a summer delight!  




Ingredients:   

Potted basil on the deck

1/2 cup plain low-fat kefir
1/3 cup thawed blueberries    
4 -5 fresh basil leaves
1 Tablespoon ground flax


Note: For additional protein, Fage yogurt could be used in place of or in addition to the kefir. Or protein powder could be added. The nutritional analysis used kefir.


Preparation:
Process all ingredients together in a blender or VitaMix to desired consistency.  

Ready to puree basil, blueberries and kefir

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 1
Serving Size: 1 cup (approximately)
Calories:  113
Total Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol:  5 mg                                                    
Sodium: 65 mg
Total Carbs: 15 g
Dietary Fiber: 3
Protein: 7