Chilled Watermelon Soup

Now here is a perfect dish for summer. This cold soup is simple with just 6 ingredients and is refreshing on hot summer days. Plus it pretty! And with its red color, it makes a great 4th of July side dish - just add a few blueberries as a garnish in stead of the mint sprig.

Ingredients:

1/2 large seedless watermelon

2 sprigs of mint (leaves only)

Juice of 1 lemon

3 small cucumbers diced (preferably Persian)

Salt to taste

Crumbled feta to garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place watermelon, lemon juice, and mint in a blender and blend until smooth. Diced cucumbers, add to blender and pulse briefly. Pieces of cucumber should still be visible. Pour into bowls, add a garnish of your choice and enjoy!

Formula for a Great Salad

I have received a lot of compliments on my salads over the years so I thought I would share my formula for a salad that is creative, nutritious and flavorful.

Here are the steps:

1) Choose the lettuce

    Romaine, spinach, kale, butter crunch etc.

2) Choose 2-3 veggies

    Cucumber, tomatoes, hearts of Palm, artichokes, peppers, etc.

3) Choose 1-2 fruits

    Preferably seasonal and local: berries, apples, plums, peaches, oranges, mango, dried fruit etc.

4) Choose 1 fat

    Olives, avacado, nuts, seeds, cheese, etc.

5) Choose 1-2 protein

     Chicken, steak, shrimp, legumes such as chickpeas, edamame, beans

6) Choose a dressing

    Preferably homemade or minimally processed and low calorie

It also helps to pick a theme. A Mediterranean salad may consist of olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, dried cranberries, etc with an oil and vinegar dressing. An Asian salad may include mandarin oranges, green onion, carrots, edamame etc with a peanut dressing. A good salad for a BBQ is black beans, shredded cheddar, apples, tomatoes with a grilled meat and ranch. 

Sometimes it works well to just keep it simple too with just a few ingredients especially if you are serving a side salad and not a dinner salad. For example, romaine, avacado, and oranges with a lemon dressing is delicious.

Salads are a quick and easy way to eat a variety of healthy ingredients, and if you follow the steps above, you will make something new each time so you don't get bored of the same old garden salad you always make! Find the combinations you like the best and enjoy!

Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

Smoothies are such an easy and delicious way to get the day started.  However, it can also be an easy way to drink down a huge amount of calories without meaning to! This recipe is skimpy on calories - only about 200 calories - but not on taste or nutrition.  I usually take it to work and have it around 11am as my mid morning snack.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (35 calories)
• 1/2 banana (50 calories)
• 1/2 cup blueberries (40 calories)
• 1/2 cup blueberry yogurt (60 calories - I use coconut milk yogurt)
• Large handful of spinach (7 calories)

Optional

• 1 tsp of flax or hemp seed (20 calories - good source of omega 3 fatty acids)

Directions

Place ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Paleo Pancakes

These pancakes are my new favorite breakfast item!  So simple and healthy!  They pack a powerful protein punch and are both filling and tasty.  Since grains are difficult for me and gluten free options are often either complicated to make or over-processed, these pancakes have been liberating!  Try them and see for yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 3 eggs (I use egg whites)
• Cinnamon
• 1tsp coconut flour  (optional)

Directions

Place ingredients in a bowl and mix until almost smooth.  Too much banana will make the pancakes too moist; if this happens add the coconut flour to help the pancakes keep their shape. Cook in an oiled pan until firm and enjoy warm with fresh fruit, yogurt (I like blueberry coconut yogurt since I am dairy free) or pure maple syrup.

Pasta Salad with Garden Fresh Lettuce

We had a wonderful Father's Day BBQ last night. My husband grilled while I of course made a huge salad. I have found most people don't know how to make a salad both creative and nutritious. Since I am such a big salad eater due to food restrictions I have learned to make salads meal worthy and delicious. Variety is very important. Using not just vegetables but different variations of vegetables (likeh heirloom tomatoes instead of red tomatoes) as well as adding olives, seeds and nuts, legumes and fruit.

For this salad I also used lettuce from our garden. The bunnies have been eating it but there was a little bit left fortunately!  Here are the ingredients. 

Ingredients

Pasta

Romaine

Arugula 

Heirloom tomatoes, quartered

Sundries tomatoes

Red peppers, sliced

Kalamata olives

Sunflower seeds

Parmesan croutons

Balsamic vinaigrette 

Directions

Place in a large bowl with vinaigrette and toss. Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Mint & Garlic Potatoes

It is that time of year. Fresh produce and herbs are more readily available. Each year we grow a small but productive garden. This year we are growing mint. Mint has many health benefits, one of which is it promotes digestion making it an excellent herb to added to healthy meals. It can also ease asthma, lift your mood and freshen your breath. Here are more health benefits: http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-mint.html

This recipe is an excellent side dish for outdoor entertain. It goes perfectly with grilled meats and veggies. I roasted the potatoes first in the oven but you could also cook them on the grill in tinfoil. Here is the simple recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 lb red potatoes quarter
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Kosher salt
• A few fresh sprigs of mint

Directions:

Wash and quarter the potatoes. Spread them evenly on a oiled cookie sheet. Spray with oil and add salt. Bake at 425 degrees until tender. Move to a bowl and add chopped garlic and fresh mint. Voila! You are done!