Celery Root - in any soup, in this case it's Borscht

In my effort to work my way thru the vegetable section of the Whole Foods, I seem to have gotten stuck in the root section. Indeed they are intriguing in their diversity of colors and shapes. The celery root is down right ugly. And, truly I'm not really impressed Witt the breadth of cooking options. The food people on the web say its good in soups. Sounds boring. But it's not! It adds that extra "Je ne se quoi" that makes it seem like you know something about cooking! Throw it in your veggie soups or your bean concoctions...and as below, it turns Borscht into something to write home about: without the meat or the sour cream.


Ingredients

3 beets, peeled and diced

1/3 to 1/2 of a celery root, peeled and diced

3 stalks of celery

1/2 red cabbage, shredded

1 white onion, diced

1 garlic, minced

1 carton of vegetable broth

1 can of beans (I like Kidney, but I doubt it makes a difference)



Directions

1. Add 1 cup of broth to a soup pot

2. Throw in the onion and garlic and water sautée for five minutes or so

3. Add the celery root and stalk, the beets and cabbage and the rest of the broth, bay leaf optional

4. Heat for 20 to 30 minutes on medium heat

5. Add in the beans and heat another five to ten minutes

Optional: many recipes add lemon or rice  vinegar to serve.  I usually love this. But I swear the addition of the celery root makes this unnecessary. It keeps well and makes about ten servings.

Steamed Golden Beets

I tried roasting these beets--and this seemed to increase the dirt flavor that beets tend to suffer from. I tried caramelizing them-but they started tasting like aluminum. The steaming worked to bring out their sweetness without enhancing the negatives. Delicious. Add the right vinegar and you will be dancing. I give it two cha-cha's.


Ingredients

1 or 2 Golden Beets, peeled and diced

White-Balsamic Fig Infused Vinegar (I know, I know. But it's widely available in Whole Foods and its worth investigating these fruit vinegars)


Directions

1. Steam the beets until soft (20 or 30 minutes)

2. Allow to cool.

3. Serve doused with the Fig Infused Vinegar.

Delicious!

Golden Beet Ceviche - Fat Free

I was trying to add a handful of recipes every weekend, but the Golden Beets stymied me. Turns out I was trying too hard! They are so simple,light sweet, a great addition to salads--or the basis of a salad. This ceviche was going to be based on this fabulous Golden Beet dish that contains oil. With the oil, the favors weren't working. It was amad scramble of taste pairings, many delicious until I stumbled upon basil leaf. I said, this can't possible be right, this can't taste this good. You can add other neutral veggies like asparagus, sprouts, or even some bitter ones like broccoli sprouts or arugula. Have fun!

Ingredients

1 or 2 Golden Beets, peeled and halved

5 to 10 Basil Leaves, minced

Asparagus or Green Beans

Balsamic or Fig Vinegar (optional)


Directions

1. Steam the Beets (20 -  30 minutes) until soft; steam the asparagus (5 minutes)

2. Let cool and then slice thinly

3. Arrange on a plate, prettily with basil in the center (see pic)

4. Dash some vinegar on top to serve...however the basil and beet combo is delicious without any addition. I just added the extra veggies to boost nutrient value.

Kale-Avocado Fire Engine 2 Salad

This is adapted from the very cool site Sensible Vegan. She in turn got it from Rip Esselstyn documentary Engine 2. Before finding out that oil is both pro-inflammatory and cancer-promoting, I made this identical recipe with olive oil and way too much salt - imagining that it was "healthy." Ha! This is excellent although I am concerned about the quantity of Avocado for those of us who have weight to lose or for those who follow Dr. McDougall. I will continue to search for lower fat options. In the meanwhile, enjoy! Benefits of kale....


Ingredients:

1 Bunch of Kale

1 Avocado (you can use 1/2)

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder (or Penzey's Dried Minced Garlic)

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

A sprinkle of Salt


Directions:

1. Clean and strip the spines from the Kale

2. Throw together the Kale, Avocado (you probably can get away with half an avocado), Garlic powder, Lemon Juice (I use less than the referenced article) and one shake of salt from a salt grinder

3. Knead together until the kale softens (about five minutes)

4. Toss with Balsamic Vinegar. Serve or Preserve. It keeps well in the fridge for several days

Cinnamon Yams (or Sweet Potatoes) - Fat Free

I should love them--after all they are potatoes, yet sweet and good for me?? Yet....yuck. But the other day, I was offered a taste of a yam - lightly sweetened, soft, and very much like a bite of pumpkin pie. There is a little bit of sugar in this dish, for which you can substitute Maple Syrup, or a couple of chopped up dates - or skip altogether.   I have tried this with Japanese Yams, Garnet Yams and Hannah White Sweet Potatoes. It's best with the Yams. The Sweet Potatoes tended to fall apart and get a bit mushy. Definitely worth a try. Take it from a yam-hater. I dig these. 


Ingredients:

2 or 3 Yams (or Sweet Potatoes), peeled and diced

Cinnamon Sticks

2 or 3 chopped up Dates

Filtered Water



Directions:

1. Peel and Dice the Yams

2. Throw the yams in a pot with the cinnamon stick and the dates

3. Add enough water to almost cover the yams

4. Boil for about 30 minutes; it should be ready when the water is almost gone. If the water runs out before 30 minutes, you may need to add more water. Remove the Yams and leave the Dates behind. Keeps very well - throw on a Kale salad, eat with a flavored vinegar, or enjoy plain.

Italian Green Lentils - Fat Free

This is a no-added fat version of Italian Lentils. This is will produce a completely authentic Italian taste. Olive Oil has been replaced with Vegetable Broth. The Italian Sausage which is part of the traditional dish can be replaced with Italian Flavored Soy Sausage. I have made it both ways. Personally, I don't think it's necessary, but it can add some "kick" to the lentils.  On the other hand, there are issues with concentrated Soy Protein, and if you are concerned about hormone issues or GMOs, it's best to avoid. If, however, you are trying to convince a reluctant meat eater that you can make a hearty offering, it can make a nice show. 



Ingredients:

1. 2/3 cup of Green Lentils

1/2 Red Onion, chopped

1 to 2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 to 2 Bay Leaves

1 to 3 cups of Vegetable Broth

2 to 3 large Tomatoes, diced

2 Stalks of Celery, chopped


Directions:

1. Throw Garlic, Onion and about 1/2 cup of Vegetable broth in Soup Pot and Saute on Medium High Heat for about 5 minutes until Onion wilts

2. Keep moist with additional Broth if needed, don't let it burn

3. AddTomatoes and mash lightly with a wooden spoon, using the heat to help them soften

4. When soft, add the Celery and the Bay leaf (continue adding broth to cover), continue to heat about five minutes

5. Add the Lentils and stir.

6. Add about 4 cups of water - or broth depending on your taste. Cover and boil on Medium Heat for 30 to 45 minutes until soft.

7. Salt and Pepper to taste. Delicious!

Mango, Jicama, Mushroom, Onion Anti-Inflammatory Salad

Whole Foods and Trader Joe's carry fruits and vegetables already chopped up, which makes it convenient to combine a lot of great tastes and various nutrients. Onions and Mushrooms are now known to have powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, so why not throw them in when you can? Here they make a powerful taste complement to the Mango and the Jicama gives a nice watery crunch. Enjoy! 

Serves One or two


Ingredients:

1/2 Ripe Mango, or Mango pieces already prepared

3 or 4 slices of Red Onion

4 Sliced Button Mushrooms

1/2 cup of Jicama, Chopped



Directions:

1. Slice the Mango, Onion, Mushrooms, Jicama and mix together in a bowl

2. May dress with fat free dressing or Balsamic Vinegar