Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup

Sausage, Spinach, & White Bean Soup

Dump into each bag:

·         1 package Kielbasa sausage (thinly sliced and browned)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 onion, diced

·         6 carrots, peeled and diced

·         2 cans great northern beans (drained and rinsed)

·         1 teaspoon dried oregano

·         2 bay leaves

Instructions for Ziplock:

Dump into crock pot along with 6 cups chicken broth.  Cook on low 8 hours.  

Stir in 3 cups baby spinach and serve.

Minty Green Juice

I recently had a DELICIOUS juice at a local organic cafe. 
Even though I LOVED the juice, and have wanted to have another one, I haven't gone back. Why not? Because I didn't want to pay another $10 for a juice! Especially when I have a juicer at home! 
So ... the other day I found a beautiful fresh pineapple and decided this morning  that I would have a go at making a juice that was at least similar! 
It was EVEN MORE DELICIOUS that the one I had bought! 
And it was so easy to make.  If you have a juicer, give it a go! 
I don't really have measurements.   But here's what I did, in the best way I can explain it.
I used two apples.  I think they were pink ladies. I used three huge handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves.  I grabbed a big handful of mint out of our garden and I cut up that pineapple and used part of that as well.  
I'd say I used equal parts pineapple and apple ... but maybe a bit more pineapple if anything.
I put it all through the juicer and that's it! 
A little trick I learned when I did a stint helping out in a cafe ...  put the leafy things between more bulky items (like the apples and pineapple).  It seems to help them as they go through the juicing process.  
** 
What's your favourite things to run through the juicer? Let me know in the comments!
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Chicken, Avo and Feta Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

 

 Another Pinterest find.   Here's the original recipe.
I know that chicken looks pink ... it's the light!  I wasn't pink, I promise! :)

for the salad ...
1 bag baby spinach
250g cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup corn, I used canned
2 chicken breasts, salted, peppered and cooked by husband on BBQ
1 large avocado, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, you could toast them.  I never do.

for the dressing ...
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I'm pretty sure you don't need instructions from here but just in case.

Put all salad ingredients in a big bowl.

Put all dressing ingredients in a small jar.  Shake.  Taste, adjust to taste. 

Top salad with dressing.

Enjoy.

fancy egg sandwiches

 

my word, these are good! 

we had them for dinner, not breakfast.  i love breakfast for dinner!

i saw the recipe on pinterest and there was no question in my mind that they would be good.

i took a few short cuts and didn't really use the same measurements.

oh and the grocery store substituted bake at home rolls for the 

ciabatta i ordered but they were delicious! and i used

a different cheese.  two cheeses actually.

i used more garlic.  i forgot

the parsley.

 

bag of baby spinach, 160g

mozarella and gruyere cheese, 200g total

8 eggs

2 tablespoons thickened cream

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

8 bread rolls, i used bake at home ones

preheat oven to 400F/200C.

ppray a 9x13 baking dish with oil.  

cover the bottom of the baking dish with the spinach.  grate both cheeses over the spinach (only about 1/2 the cheese at this point).  crack the eggs over the top of the cheese, spacing them out evenly.  salt and pepper next.  then drizzle the cream.  grate the rest of the cheese.  bake 15-25 minutes til yokes are as runny or not runny as you like them. 

while the eggs are in the oven, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over a medium heat.  whisk constantly.  the butter will start to brown.  don't let it go too brown, or black ... that is burned.  (ask me how i know) the good news is that if you burn it, you have time to start over.  (again, ask me how i know!) the butter will be pretty hot at this point, turn off the heat and throw in the minced garlic.  keep stirring!  let the garlic brown a little bit and then stir in the panko into this garlicy buttery deliciousness.  

if you are using bake at home bread rolls, throw them in the oven according to the instructions on the pack.  mine took like 6 minutes.  

once the eggs are just about done, spoon the breadcrumb mixture over the top and pop back in the oven for a couple minutes.  they will crisp up a little bit.

cut the finished product into eight 'rectangles' and scoop one onto each bun.  

delicious!

I keep forgetting to take pictures of the food I'm making!!  Grrr...Wanna make this one again soon since it was so yummy and EASY-PEASY, so I'll try and remember to take a picture then.  I found the original recipe here, but made a few modifications.

Spinach Salad

serves 4-6 (with LOTS of extra dressing)

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
sugar to taste
sea salt to taste
Optional: fresh ground pepper to taste (I left this off cause I don't really like pepper)

Salad:
6 cups fresh baby spinach (I just used one bag)

 - NOTE: I didn't actually measure any of the following...just sprinkled and tossed till it looked right, but if you like measurements...

1/2 cup chopped nuts (the original recipe called for walnuts...I had pecons and LOVED the substitute...don't think I'll ever use the walnuts)
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup dried cranberries (the original recipe said you could use any dried fruit but the cranberries were delish, so I'll probably just stick with them)

Instructions

Put dressing ingredients in a bottle and shake well.  The cheaper your balsamic, the more sugar you'll need.  I used about 2 teaspoons and it tasted lovely, so just taste and add as needed. 
Toss spinach with nuts, feta and fruit. Give dressing another shake and drizzle over individual servings.  There was LOTS of dressing left over, but it can sit out on the counter (or in the fridge) for use on other salads.  I may never buy another balsamic vinegrette again because this one was so yummy and easy!

Tomatoey Spinach and Couscous Bake

Found this recipe on a new blog that I've recently discovered called The Naked Kitchen.  I was going to make it just the way the recipe called for but it had some specialty ingredients that I didn't have, a few steps I thought unnecessary and I thought it could use some mushrooms.  So ... here is my version.  

Ingredients:

1&1/4 cups dry whole wheat couscous

2 cups water

Panko Breadcrumbs (I didn't measure but I'd say it was less than 1/4 of a cup)

5 cups raw baby spinach leaves, (I roughly chopped mine but that's personal preference)

2 cans (400g each) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

olive oil, for sauteing 

fresh oregano, basil and parsley ... a handful or so of each, washed and chopped

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

salt, a couple of pinches

3 sliced mushrooms ... unless your kids love 'em and then you can use more.  (mushrooms are the one thing that both of our kids despise and I often, but not always, take pity on them and do half with, half without ... tonight was one of the times I decided to go half and half.)

What you do:

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C 

Saute onions and garlic in a blub of olive oil til onions are soft and beginning to be see through. Add cans of tomatoes, juice and all.  Add herbs.  Cook maybe 8 - 10 minutes, til sauce has reduced and thickened just a little bit.  Add spinach and stir through sauce ... remove from heat.  This is just to get the spinach to wilt a little bit. 

While the onions and garlic are sauteing, put the water in a separate pot over high heat and bring to the boil.  Add couscous and a pinch of salt, give the pot a little shake to stir it, cover and remove from heat.  Let sit a few minutes, fluff with a fork and set aside.  

Mix couscous and tomato mixture together in a baking dish.  Lay mushroom slices flat (if using).  Top with cheese and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake uncovered 25 minutes (or til cheese is melted and starting to brown).  Serve hot.

Agnolotti with Sundried Tomato Tapenade

 

This is a fast throw together dinner that is super yummy !

I use the family pack that serves four of the Ricotta and Spinach Agnolotti.  Cook per package instructions.

As well, you'll need:

Cottage Cheese, 250g

Sundried Tomatoes, 150g

Black Olives, to taste (maybe a tablespoon ?)

Capers, also to taste (maybe a teaspoon or two ?)

Baby Spinach, 60g

Parmesan Cheese, to be grated on top

I used to be able to get a sundried tomato tapenade that made this even simpler, but I haven't been able to get that lately, so I make my own.  Doesn't take long.

I use a stick blender to blend the sundried tomatoes, olives and capers.  Just keep tasting it til it tastes yummy.  

Mix the tapenade and the cottage cheese.

Drain the pasta, put back in the pan and stir in the cottage cheese/tapenade mixture.  Throw in the spinach ... it will wilt.  Serve and top with Parmesan cheese. 

So easy. 

So yummy.

Spinach, Tofu, Avocado Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing

 

This is a little Bonnie invention.

 There are no real measurements for the salad part, just add ingredients as they look good.

Baby Spinach Leaves, finely sliced

Cucumber, finely diced

Cilantro (Fresh Coriander Leaves), finely chopped

Snow Pea Sprouts, finely chopped

Toasted cashews, roughly chopped

Spring Onions, finely diced

Avocado, chopped small

Silken tofu, small pieces

Dressing:

2 tablespoons mirin

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

Make the dressing by mixing all ingredients.  I do it in a small mason jar so that I can heat the mixture a bit in the microwave to help the honey mix in.  Also, it's then easy to pop the lid on to save the leftovers.

Make the salad by combining all ingredients as indicated above.  Originally I was going to chop the tofu but when I tipped it out of it's box, it basically crumbled so I just scooped up pieces of the crumble and added it to the salad.

I made a variation for lunch a few days later.  It was yummy.  I didn't have any tofu and I forgot the cashews.  I added finely diced fuji apple and toasted sesame seeds.  Everything else was the same.

Non-Meatball Greek Chicken

 

It's been necessary that I cook out of the freezer/pantry this week ... The other morning I pulled out chicken mince and a box of frozen spinach with the intention of making Spanikopita Meatballs.  When I got to time to cook dinner, I had run out of time !!  I decided to try a short cut.  It worked.  Instead of making meatballs and baking them in the oven, I just cooked everything in the big electric fry pan.  It tasted THE SAME !  Just not rolled up into balls !

So, here's what I did ...

chicken mince (ground chicken), 500g

red onion, diced

garlic cloves, diced

frozen spinach, thawed

greek seasoning

olive oil

Sautee garlic and onion in olive oil for a couple minutes then add the chicken mince.  When chicken is almost cooked through, add the spinach and seasoning.  Cook until chicken is fully cooked. 

Serve on rice with soy sauce and tsatsiki ...

Easty Tsatsiki 

No measurements ... just mix greek yoghurt, finely diced cucumber and a couple squeezes of lemon juice.

Chicken Florentine

In an attempt to find yummy recipes that fit the diet we are currently one - we redesigned a chicken florentine recipe...it was SO yummy that we put it on the menu for a second week in a row! This is an easy, must try!

Chicken Florentine






Chop red peppers into tiny pieces (about the size of pimentos). I used 1 1/2 peppers because we had a half that needed using, but it wasn't enough. 1 would probably be fine though.

Layer fresh baby spinach into a baking dish with the red peppers. We use a round, glass baking dish. The spinach will cook down a lot, so pack in as much as you can (if you like spinach as much as we do!). The layers go: spinach, red pepper, spinach, red pepper, sprinkle of feta cheese, spinach, red pepper, spinach, red pepper, sprinkle of feta cheese.













Trim fat from five, boneless chicken thighs. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the spinach layers. The five pieces are enough to completely cover the top of the baking dish, basically sealing in the spinach layers. Spinkle the chicken with seasoned salt.











Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes (or until the chicken is done), uncovering the dish for the last 20 minutes.










The spinach will cook down to almost half the size and there will be LOTS of yummy juice. Serve over rice or eat as is. This serves 3 to 4.

Autumn Spinach Salad

10 oz (or so) fresh spinach
ripe pear
1/2 c red onion, sliced thin
1/2 c dried cranberries (can substitute pomegranate)
1/3 c walnut pieces (optional)
1/3 c cider vinegar
1/2 c canola oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
salt (optional)

Wash, dry, and tear spinach leaves into bite-sized pieces and put in salad bowl. Core pear, slice thin or cut in bite-sized pieces. Dip pear pieces in the cider vinegar, then add them to salad. Add red onion and cranberries (or pomegranate).

To the remaining cider vinegar add the oil, mustard, sugar, and salt, and whisk together.

Just before serving, Dress salad with the Dijon vinagrette, toss gently, and sprinkle on walnuts if desired.

Ranch Style Dip (with optional green extra)

So .... I wanted to make a dip that used greek yoghurt as the base. I found a few online for ideas and then combined them to make this. It was nice. You'll notice that the two photos are pretty different. I forgot to add the spinach until today (when I found it in the microwave where it was defrosting last night !!! ha ha) But ... it was good BOTH ways and next time I might not even worry with the spinach because it was kinda like ranch before the spinach went in !

Anyway, here's what I did ...

500g greek yoghurt
1/2 cup reduced fat feta, crumbled pretty small
500g spinach (optional - especially if you forget it !)
1/4 small red onion, finely diced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons garlic flakes
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least an hour so that flavors combine ! I served with carrot sticks, cucumber slices, red and yellow capsicum (bell pepper) strips, cauliflower and broccoli florets.

The Bohemian

This burger is deliciousness at it's best.
You will find it at Cheese and Burger.com
Have you visited that site yet ? No ? What ?!
Come on ... go there ! You will like it ... it's fun !!

What you need to make this beast ...

Beef Patty ... have you tried our beef patty's yet ? Rory is convinced they are the best on the planet. So, maybe you should.

Gouda Cheese
Fried Prosciutto
Sliced Turkey
Pesto Mayonnaise
Spinach
Oat Bread - we buttered ours and pressed it in the panini maker ...

So ... I made the pesto mayonnaise. It was easy and so delicious ... Just whip up some mayo using your stick blender. And then make some pesto ... like this ...

2 cups fresh basil leaves ~ I used greek basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup nice olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
garlic cloves, minced ~ to taste, I used a couple of cloves
Salt and Pepper

Mix basil, pine nuts and garlic in food processor. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Add the grated cheese and keep going til blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

To make the pesto mayonnaise, just add some of this pesto to the mayo ...

DELICIOUS !!
TRY THIS BURGER !!

Pumpkin Lentil Salad - UnP Version

So ... I've posted this recipe before ... but last night I made it with a couple small modifications to suit our Unprocessed Year requirements ... It was just as good. If not better ...

1 kg pumpkin ... I like kent or butternut but any that is good for roasting would be fine.

1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice - I used my citrus juicer & small oranges ... took 30 seconds !
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
2 tsp Moroccan seasoning
1/2 a red onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can lentils
spinach and rocket mixture
feta

So .... spray your pumpkin with olive oil and roast in bite size pieces in a 200C oven - 20 minutes or so.

Make dressing by combining orange juice and 1/2 the olive oil, honey and Moroccan seasoning.

Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over med heat. Cook onion and garlic for a couple of minutes ~ until soft. Add lentils ... heat through.

In serving bowl, combine lentil mixture, pumpkin, greens, and feta. Top with dressing.

I served this with whole wheat foccacia (recipe coming tomorrow), olive oil and dukkah for dipping.

Non {potato} Gnocchi

For the tomato sauce ... I used Amy's recipe but modified it to suit this meal ... by the way, you should try that Fresh Roasted Tomato and Basil w/Pasta recipe ! It's delish too !! Big hit here !

Tomato Sauce:
Preheat your oven to 425F/220C

2 pints grape tomatoes - I just chopped up some romas !
4 cloves garlic, grated
A few drizzles of extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper and salt

Put your tomatoes in a bowl, add garlic, and drizzle with olive oil. Put onto baking sheet. Grind salt and pepper on top. Roast 8 - 10 minutes. When finished, put them in a big bowl and smush 'em up.

Gnocchi
Baby Spinach ... 3 big handfuls, chopped
Ricotta, 200g... (I used the smooth kind because it didn't have preservatives)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Make teaspooon size balls. Refrigerate til ready to cook ... at least 30 minutes. Boil water in large pot. Cook gnocchi in batches, til they rise to the top of the water. Shouldn't take more than a minute or two. Drain well.

Serve by putting tomato sauce on bottom of bowl, carefully add gnocchi and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Creamy Parmesan Mustard Chicken Pasta

Ok, so you all know that we are eating no preservatives, no additives, no white flour, sugar etc this year. Well, when I don't have leftovers, and I've run out of bread, I have to cook something for lunches the next day. I could probably MAKE more bread but I'd rather cook ! I whipped this little beauty up at the beginning of the week and it lasted the four of us 3 lunches ! I'll tell you ... whole wheat pasta fills you up quicker and therefore stretches a lot longer than regular pasta !

Here's what I used ...
1 chicken breast
2 big handfuls of baby spinach
1 red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, I think I slivered them
1.5 tablespoons whole grain seed mustard
3/4 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 bag of whole wheat penne pasta

Here's what I did ...

Boil the pasta.

While that's boiling, sautee your onion and garlic, til onion is not raw and the garlic smells yum. Add chicken (and salt/pepper to taste) and cook til no longer pink. Add flour. Stir to coat chicken. Add cream, mustard, parmesan cheese and spinach. Stir to mix it up and cook for a few minutes while the cream thickens, cheese melts and spinach wilts.

Drain pasta and add to fry pan ... or if your frying pan isn't a really cool, really big, electric one that your brother in law gave you for Christmas, add your chicken sauce to your pasta !

I'm submitting this to Cooking Thursday ... hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. For more great recipes, check her Cooking Thursday posts each week !!

Salad Sandwiches

A great Aussie sandwich ... not something I'd eaten many of before moving here.
(a sandwich with only salad fixins ... I've had plenty of other sorts of sandwiches!)

This one had leftover Artichoke and Cumin Dip, Tomato,
Cucumber, Sliced Beets, Sliced Mushrooms, Pine Nuts and Fresh Spinach !

It was delish !

And here's Alia whipping up her Salad Sandwich ...
she and Jono both opted out of mushrooms, and beets !
But they both had pine nuts which was a pleasant surprise !!

Prosciutto Pizza

You all may have noticed that we have a new addition to the beans blog ! Andrea posted her first recipe today !! I'm very excited about this !! She's always talking (on facebook) about amazing things she makes that I finally just sent her an invite and a suggestion that she post some of them here ! I think you all are going to be as glad as me that she took me up on the offer !!

And now ... the Prosciutto Pizza recipe !!

This was so yummy.
I started with a homemade pizza dough. I make mine in my breadmaker. Easy.

For the topping.
I used a few scoops of Roasted Garlic and Onion Pasta Sauce for the base.
Baby Spinach
Prosciutto, I used about 7 thin slices
Basil leaves, I used Greek Basil (from my garden) which has very small leaves
Kalamata Olives
Mozarella Cheese

Baked in a pre-heated 200 C oven for about 10/15 minutes til cheese was my desired level of brown ... and dough was cooked.



~~

PS ... The photo in my last post was of a lamington ...

Pumpkin {Lentil} Salad

I loved this.
Rory thought it was ok.
Next time I might make him some chicken on the side, then he might like it ! :)

Here's the recipe that I modified from one I found in a magazine.

1 kg pumpkin ... I like kent or butternut but any that is good for roasting would be fine.
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp moroccan seasoning
1/2 a red onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cans lentils (I actually only use 1 can but you could use two if you like lots of lentils!)
spinach and rocket mixture
feta

So .... spray your pumpkin with olive oil and roast in bite size pieces in a 200C oven - 20 minutes or so.

Make dressing by combining orange juice and 1/2 the olive oil, sugar and moroccan seasoning.

Heat remaining oil in a frying pan over med heat. Cook onion and garlic for a couple of minutes ~ until soft. Add lentils ... heat through.

In serving bowl, combine lentil mixture, pumpkin, greens, and feta. Top with dressing.

Serve with toasted turkish bread. I did ours in the sandwich press ... topped with olive oil and dukkah.

PS ... this was great as leftovers along side
a delicious omelet cooked by the omelet master - Rory !

Green Smoothie ~ Day Two ~ Bonnie

Moving more towards green. Yesterday was pink. Today, we're more of a brown ...
Maybe tomorrow I'll finally get a green one ??

Although, after reading Khrista's post, I'm thinking maybe I need to blend longer.

Here's what I put in today's ...

One banana
handful frozen blueberries
half handful frozen raspberries
5 big fresh strawberries
1 whole roma tomato
agave nectar
and two or three cups of baby spinach

It was yum, and no, you can't taste the tomato ...