Eating With Wisdom

Barley & Lentil Soup

2010-02-07T19:44:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

8 cups broth (I use vegetable)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano leaves, crushed
4 large carrots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup uncooked dried lentils (brown or green)
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

Place all ingredients into a 3 1/2 - 6 quart slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours until lentils and barley are tender or HIGH for 4-5 hours.

We like it served with crusty italian bread with olive oil and a fresh fruit salad.

This is a great Sunday dinner. Easy to fix before you leave for church!

Curried Zucchini Soup

2009-11-15T13:03:00.003-07:00

2 medium zucchini, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 TB. olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups vegetable broth
1 cup soy milk

Heat oil in deep skillet and saute onions until translucent. Add curry powder and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add zucchini and broth. Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and milk. Blend in blender or with immersion blender. Serve hot.

QUINOA SKILLET DINNER

2009-10-28T18:15:00.002-07:00

QUINOA
A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors.

Quinoa Skillet Dinner
Serving Size : 4

This is one of the quickest dinners around. Everything is in the pantry and ready to go! Just add a green salad for a great meal.

1 cup quinoa
15 ounces tomatoes with green chilis
15 ounces canned kidney beans - rinsed and drained
15 ounces hominy, canned - rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt -- or to taste

Rinse quinoa thoroughly and cook, covered, on low heat for 15 minutes in 2 cups boiling water. Stir in tomatoes and chilis, beans, hominy, herbs and spices and heat thoroughly. Serve.

It was fun to share the history of Quinoa with my family during dinner! If you have time check it out this Whole Foods website for nutrition and benefits:http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142

History

While relatively new to the United States, quinoa has been cultivated in the Andean mountain regions of Peru, Chile and Bolivia for over 5,000 years, and it has long been a staple food in the diets of the native Indians. The Incas considered it a sacred food and referred to it as the "mother seed."
In their attempts to destroy and control the South American Indians and their culture, the Spanish conquerors destroyed the fields in which quinoa was grown. They made it illegal for the Indians to grow quinoa, with punishment including sentencing the offenders to death. With these harsh measures, the cultivation of quinoa was all but extinguished.
Yet, this super food would not be extinguished forever. In the 1980s, two Americans, discovering the concentrated nutrition potential of quinoa, began cultivating it in Colorado. Since then, quinoa has become more and more available as people realize that it is an exceptionally beneficial and delicious food.

THE GREEN POLKADOT BOX

2009-05-28T11:00:00.005-07:00

I know you're in to healthy eating like I am...so check this out. It is also a great way to work on your food storage. Currently they are handling shelf stable items but will continue to grow and should have produce in the future...fingers crossed!

It's a new online club called The Green PolkaDot Box. They've got some new kind of rewards program that gives you extra discounts; and they pay money back when you tell others so you can wipe out your cost for the food you buy. It's NOT MLM, it's really cool: FREE Organics! FREE SHIPPING with orders over $150.00 They will ship any where in the US included Alaska & Hawaii(extra charge for Alaska & Hawaii though)

This is great news since we lost our Tucson Co-Op. I did some price comparisons and was very pleased. They are also willing to add requested products.

Keep in mind if you are surfing their site that only a portion of their products are on the website.

Make sure you register (no financial info required) to participate in the trial order from June 19th - 21st. For more information on this you can check it on their home page.

Also register for Twitter updates .... Here is the link!

http://www.twitter.com/gpdb

To preview the pre-launch site, copy and paste this URL into your address bar:

http://www.greenpolkadotbox.com/invite/eatingwithwisdom/

Would love to have your comments and questions!

Mindi

BANANA QUINOA PUDDING

2009-05-27T15:47:00.002-07:00

Still don't have my camera working....guess I need a new battery

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed well)
2 cups soy milk
2 ripe bananas
2 Tbs agave or substitute
pinch of salt
1/2 tps vanilla extract
1/2 Tbs coconut oil or margarine (Earth Balance etc.)

Bring water and quinoa to a boil in saucepan over high heat, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
In blender combine milk, banana, sweetener and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture into saucepan with quinoa.
Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and oil.
Pour into serving dish(s) and serve warm.

Onion Pie

2009-05-13T08:47:00.003-07:00

I had a friend bring me 50 pounds of sweet onions yesterday. In lieu of going grocery shopping I decided to "make due"! I rounded out dinner with green beans and a fresh salad with cukes and avocado. Let me tell you, it tasted wonderful, even my grand kids ate it all. It is a little heavy on the eggs which I normally try to stay away from, but we had lots of eggs (we have chickens) and LOTS of onions.

(I will try to post some pictures soon. My camera is refusing to charge.)

Pie pastry (recipe below)
3 cups of peeled thinly sliced onions
3 tbs nut milk, cream or substitute
3 eggs
olive oil for sauteing
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Heat pan with small amount of oil over medium heat and fry onions until golden
Beat eggs with milk and add salt and pepper
Spread onions in uncooked pie shell and pour egg mixture over onions
Bake for 25-30 minutes until set.

Can serve with a dollop of sour cream or substitute if desired.

EASY PIE CRUST

1 scant cup whole wheat flour, preferably soft
1 tb corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (coconut, olive, avocado, grape - your choice)
1/8 cup cold soy milk (or what you have...original recipe was not vegan)

Combine flour, corn starch and salt
Mix together oil and milk and add to dry ingredients. Stir lightly with fork and round dough into a ball
Roll out to fit pie plate
Prick bottom of crust with fork

New Cookbook Out

2009-05-01T11:09:00.004-07:00

Just wanted to let you know about this new cookbook that has been released. It is from one of the blogs that I like and I wanted to share! The blog has lots of great recipes, stories and pics. Be sure to check it out and enter to win a cookbook!

Okay,....having some trouble with inserting the link. Try this:

http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2009/05/01/its-time-for-sweet-freedom-and-worldwide-giveaway/

or just check out her blog at www.dietdessertndogs.com

2009-01-15T09:20:00.013-07:00

Spring/Summer planting time is here! Time to prepare your soil, order your seeds and start your plants.

For some great planting information and a schedule for our area use the link below to get to the ASU extension gardening site:
http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening///news/calendar/index.html

Also, please use the familiarize yourself with their site! If you have questions, they probably have the answer:

http://cals.arizona.edu/extension/

Here are some pictures of my winter garden - the tomatoes are doing great - we did have a little bit of damage from the freezes this December, especially to the winter squashes and the birds (sparrows) have made it to my hit list - all my greens are covered with netting now!

Please feel free to post any of your questions and I will get back to you.

Carrot Cookies

2009-01-08T09:19:00.004-07:00

I had a some leftover cooked carrots from Sunday dinner that I wanted to use up. What better way than some cookies!

1/2 c. coconut oil
1/2 c. sucanat
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbl ground flax mixed with 3 Tbl water or 1 egg equivalent
1/2 c. cooked mashed carrots
1 c. soft whole wheat or spelt flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 tsp. grated orange rind

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix oil, sugar and vanilla. Add carrots and flax/egg. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend together with oil mixture. Stir in walnuts and orange rind.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until set.

Frost if desired using Agave Frosting or Powdered Sugar, orange juice with some grated rind!

Makes 2 dozen

Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-01-07T21:05:00.005-07:00

1 Tbs ground flax with 3 Tbs water or 1 egg
1/4 c. avocado or coconut oil
1/2 c. agave, honey or rice syrup
1/2 c. sucanat
1 1/4 c. soft white wheat or spelt flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup peanut butter chips, optional **

Combine flax with water and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cream oil, peanut butter, agave/honey, sucanat and flax/egg until fluffy.

Combine dry ingredients and add chips.

Chill dough for at least 1 hour. Drop walnut sized pieces onto ungreased baking sheets and flatten slightly with fork dipped in flour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes until set, but not hard.

*a good place to get your peanut butter, carob or chocolate chips is from http://www.sunspire.com/ - they have grain sweetened!

Whole Wheat Tortillas

2008-11-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

This is a good way to use your old hard wheat, you know, the kind that just doesn't cut it for bread! - although any hard wheat works fine.

5 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 very warm water

In a large bowl combine flour and salt

Cut in coconut

Pour warm water over mixture and stir together with a fork until well blended. Knead together until smooth - Adjust water/flour for smooth dough.

Form into golf ball size pieces of dough, cover with damp cloth and let rest for a minimum of 15 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Roll out to desired thickness and fry on medium hot ungreased skillet (preferrably cast iron). Cook approximately 30 seconds per side. Do not over cook. Tortilla should puff slightly with air and start to brown in spots. Keep finished tortillas in stacked in kitchen cloth or container to keep soft.

Gluten - Mock Chicken

2008-11-12T11:44:00.003-07:00

Everyone in our family loves this "chicken"! Great for sandwiches, salads, "chicken" fingers-dipped in BBQ sauce, breaded, soups, casseroles --you get the picture and SO EASY!

1 1/4 cups gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. onion granules or powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbs. light oil (olive, grape seed)
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs. Chicken Flavored Broth powder (optional - but really makes a difference in taste)

Whisk together dry ingredients.
Stir together broth, oil & soy sauce
Stir together just until combined
Pat into 8 X 8 lightly oil pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes until completely set
Cut into cubes, cutlets or chop in processor to use as chicken salad etc.

Stores 2 weeks in refrigerator

Whole Wheat Chip Cookies

2008-10-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

2 cups fresh whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
2 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup light oil (canola, grape seed, avocado etc)
2/3 cup grain sweetened carob or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients in bowl until well combined.

In separate bowl whisk together maple syrup, molasses, vanilla and oil.

Combine with dry ingredients along with the chips

Place large spoonfuls onto baking sheet and flatten slightly with bottom of cup

Bake 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool for on cookie sheets for 1 minute and transfer to cooling rack.

Whole Wheat Bread - for the bread machine

2008-10-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to working on the conversion for my recipe to a bread machine. You can let the bread machine do all the work or just use a dough cycle and bake as a regular loaf in your oven. Either way works great for a busy day.

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 Tbl olive oil or oil of your choice

3 - 4 Tbl honey - adjust to your preference

3 cups fresh whole wheat flour

1 T gluten (optional depending on quality of wheat)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp yeast

Place ingredients in order into bread pan. Set your program and go!

Peanut Butter Banana Chip Ice Cream

2008-10-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

1 can (13.5oz) coconut milk or non-dairy milk or creamer
1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
3 bananas
1 t. vanilla
1/4 cup grain sweetened carob or chocolate chips
optional: chopped peanuts

Blend 2 bananas, milk, sucanat, peanut butter and vanilla in blender until smooth and sugar is dissolved.

Transfer to ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Add chopped banana and chips 5 minutes before ice cream is done.

Gardening Newsletters From Erlyn Madsen

2008-08-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a really neat Gardening Site - gardening, food storage and much more. My sister Karen sent this to me.

http://ourldsfamily.com/MadsenGarden/

Hope you enjoy!

Mindi

Banana Muffins

2008-08-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup light oil (grape, canola, avocado etc)
1 cup sucanat or other sweetener
2 cups soft white or spelt whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 - 1 cup nuts, dried fruits or chips

Combine bananas, oil and sweetener
Sift together flour, salt and baking soda and add banana mixture
Stir in nuts, fruits or chips
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

Rice Pudding

2008-07-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

2 cups water
pinch salt
1 cup brown rice, rinsed (short or sweet)or 3 - 4 cups leftover cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup brown rice syrup or maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

In medium saucepan, place water and salt and bring to boil. Add rinsed rice, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 35 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Add remaining ingredients, except vanilla, stir well and continue to cook over medium heat until desired consistency (most liquid has been absorbed). Remove from heat stir in vanilla and transfer to bowl(s) and refrigerate to chill. Serve garnished with additional cinnamon, if desired.

adapted from http://www.veganchef.com/

Bucket Storage and Gamma Lids

2008-07-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

follow this link for more great tips http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node

When you store you 5 or 6 gallon buckets remember to stagger stack (pyramid style) your buckets. Over the years, if buckets are stacked directly on top of each other the lid weakens and caves in - just ask me how I know!

Gamma Seal Lids are also a great way to use your product directly from the bucket keeping things fresh and bug free. The gamma lids have a rubber seal that spins on and off making it airtight, waterproof seal that is easy to get into.

I purchase mine at Emergency Essentials. They have a flat shipping rate, so check with your friends and combine your orders!

http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MS%20L702_A_name_E_GAMMA+SEAL%99+Lid+-+Red

If you have any questions, just let me know

Favorite Hummus

2008-07-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans
1/3 cup tahini
1 large or 2 small lemons, juiced
2 cloves garlic, coursly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil - or oil of choice or water to consistency
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. salt or to taste
for garnishing: few garbanzo beans, parsley and paprika

Cooking your own beans makes for a much better flavor, canned can be substituted (rinsed very well).

1 cup dry garbanzo beans equal approximately 3 cups cooked. Soak beans in fresh water for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight. Rinse and cook soft and tender. I cook my beans in my pressure cooker. Follow this link for soaking and pressure cooking times.

http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/beanframe.html

Place beans, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cumin, coriander and salt in food processor or high powered blender and process. Add water as needed to get things moving nicely.

Add tahini and continue to process until smooth and creamy

Note: When I cook beans, I always cook as much as my pressure cooker will hold. When they are done, rinse and let cool. Lay on cookie sheets and freeze then place in ziplock bags to use for other recipes and salads. "Individually frozen" and bagged makes them easy to measure and store.

Shortcut - Free Coupons

2008-07-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

I came across this website for Free Grocery Coupons. Check it out. They are linked to your grocery card, so no carrying coupons or clipping. They have a section to save your grocery lists too. It's not much, but little things help and it's so easy!

Here is the link: http://shortcuts.com/home

Moist Cornbread

2008-07-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup plain soymilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix first three ingredients together
3. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and pour into a greased 9x9 square pan. Bake 35 minutes, until tester comes out clean. (Bake muffins for about 25 minutes)

Wheat is not Created Equal!

2008-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so now you know, wheat is not created equal. So many factors come into play when looking for a good bakery quality wheat, i.e. baking breads, rolls anything that would use yeast or making seitan (gluten).

The crop currently available is probably from 2007. Most hard wheat is harvested in the summer months. Here is the question that you need to ask before purchasing your wheat for food storage or baking - Very Important!

What is the gluten content?

Anything less than 13% will not make bread. I won't purchase anything less than 15%. If I am going to spend my time making breads for my family I want it to turn out well without any additives or conditioners. The 2007 year crop has not been the best. My favorite Hard White Wheat - Golden 86 came in at only 10%. In years past I have gotten some at above 17%. Prairie Gold came in at 15% - which is what we purchased to replace what we have used to keep our food storage supply replenished.

Here are to links to purchase bakery quality wheats - keeping in mind that you still need to do your homework before putting in an order......I am waiting on this years harvest of Golden 86 from Walton Feed. Hopefully is will be in the 17-18% area.

http://waltonfeed.com/

http://wheatmontana.com/

Hope this information is helpful. Check back often, we will be adding more tips and information soon.

Blender Pancakes

2008-06-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

2 cups soy milk (or milk of choice or water)
1 cup soft white wheat berries
3 Tbs. fresh ground flax
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. olive/canola oil
1 Tbs. honey or sweetener of choice
1 Tbs. baking powder

Place milk and wheat berries in blender and blend for 1 min. - decrease time if using a high powered blender.
Add salt, oil, flax and honey and blender until mixed well.
Add baking powder, pulse 3 times.
Bake on non-stick pan.

I had some blueberries that I needed to use! You can add things such as nuts, fruits or chips when you bake them for everyone's favorites!

Black Bean Burgers

2008-06-27T18:17:00.000-07:00

2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. miso, any kind
1 small thumb size piece of ginger finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
handful walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup flour (rice, semolina, whole wheat)
1 tsp. cumin
2 Tbs olive oil

Chop ginger, green onions and mushrooms and saute in olive oil until mushrooms are soft. Add chopped nuts and continue sauteing for another minute to toast.
Please beans in food processor, reserving a few to add later with miso and process until smooth.
Add to vegetables. Add cumin, flour and remaining beans and mix.
Form into patties (4 or 5)
Lightly oil or spray non-stick pan and fry for 10 minutes, turn and continue to cook for addition 5 minutes.

Note: If you prefer, you can bake them in the oven at 400 degrees on oiled baking sheet.

Quinoa Vegetable Paella

2008-06-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

Quinoa - pronounced "keen-wah" Cultivated by the Inca for hundreds of years. The individual grain when cooked forms a pretty translucent ring. Quinoa is a complete protein and a great addition to food storage for a heath-conscience diet with a low glycemic index.

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
1/4 tsp. saffron, crushed
2 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumim
dash cayenne
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 14-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 3/4 to 3 cups vegetable broth
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 can artichoke hearts, rised and quartered
2 Tbl. olive oil or broth for sauteing

Place quinoa into fine mesh stainer and rinse thouroghly.
Saute onion and garlic in deep skillet with olive oil or broth until soft.
Add the quinoa and saffron and continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, pepper, beans, and 2 3/4 cup of broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes check to see if more broth in needed. If it looks dry, add the remaining broth.
Place the zucchini on top of the quinoa and revoce. Cook for 5 minutes more until quinoa is done.
Remove cover and stir in peas and cook uncovered until peas are warm and all liquid is absorbed. Arrange artichoke hearts on top and serve. Add salt at the table, if necessary

You will notice that not everyone like artichokes, so on our picture, only half of the paella have the artichokes.

original recipe from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

2008-06-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

1 Tbs. Dry yeast

2 1/2 Cups Warm Water

1 Tbs. Salt

4 Tbs. honey or sweetener / divided

6 - 8 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

2 - 4 Tbs. olive/canola oil

Dissolve yeast in 2 cups warm water. Mix in 2 Tbs. honey, 4 cups whole wheat flour and salt until smooth. Keep warm let set until bubbly, about 40 min. (20 min. if you are in a rush)

Add 1/2 cup hot water, oil, remaining 2 Tbs. Honey and enough flour for a soft pliable dough. Knead for 10 min. by hand or 5 min. by machine.

Place in oiled bowl and keep covered in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down and form into 2 loaves. Let rise in oiled loaf pans until double in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool and Slice

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

2008-06-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
8 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilanto, chopped
1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
3 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

Bring broth to boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous.
Cover and Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes
In a large bowl, shisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin.
Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans, and toss to coat.
Fluff the couscous well and add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until cold.

recipe from http://www.recipezaar.com/