Honey Laundering - Unbelievable

I'm telling you, if it doesn't look like something you recognize that could be growing out of the ground--don't eat it.

So it turns out that even HONEY and OLIVE OIL are processed foods. (Think about it.) They are not health foods. Now they are selling Corn Oil but making you pay Olive Oil prices for them...and corn syrup with antibiotics and heavy metals thrown in for Honey. Nice.

Ew...gross

I want this blog to be a pleasant place for all of us. But I just saw this and I think it's important to remind ourselves of the disturbing nature and filthiness of some of these practices.

The Truth About Ground Meats

She looks sooo much better like this:

Fat Free Steam-Sauteed Swiss Chard

Chard wins the beauty contest in the produce department. And it's easy to cook. Red Swiss Chard and Rainbow Chard will remind you of how miraculous and beautiful life is. I simply steam sauté this beautiful vegetable. I find it a tiny bland, so I dress it with either Wasabi Mustard or a Flavored Balsamic Vinegar (do yourself a favor and check these out). It keeps well and makes a great, fast, green snack. The delicious toppings turn it in to a solid cha-cha. Nutritional value of chard.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of chard, cleaned and chopped (with stems for us lazies)

2 to 3 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 cups of Vegetable Broth

Seasonings: preferred mustard or flavored balsamic vinegar to taste

Directions:

1. Steam Saute the garlic in about 1/2 cup of broth for 1 to 2 minutes (I use a wok, worth buying)

2. Add the chard and the rest of the broth. Stir fry for 5 to 7 minutes until soft

3. Serve with mustard or flavored vinegar, keeps well

Leek and Potato Soup

I started cooking when I was 11. Even then I was attracted to the "weird" stuff in the vegetable department. At that time, Leeks were weird. It was around that time that I made my first Vichyssoise and it was a staple in my repertoire until I started to developed Carbophobia like everybody else. Now that I am no longer afraid of carbs (thank you, Dr. McDougall) and now that potatoes are once again an option (Thank you, Chris Voigt), I decided to revive the recipe. I had a Potato Leek soup at the excellent Cafe Gratitude the other day.) My version came out kind of blah. So I added Mochi Curry powder to season and it went from no cha-chas to three cha-chas in a couple of shakes of the seasoning bottle. Benefits of leeks.

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes, chopped, (I used Yukon Gold)

3 leaks, cleaned, sliced (like a celery stalk), I did not use the dark green parts

3 to 4 cloves of Garlic (For fun, I used the Garlic with the green stalk, beautiful)

1 carton (about three cups) of vegetable broth

1 cup of soy or nut milk (optional)

Seasonings: Dill, Mochi curry, Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the diced potatoes for about 15 minutes until soft (you can do this in the broth if you want)

2. Mash the potatoes with a Masher

3. Saute the garlic and leaks in about 1/2 to 2/3 cups of broth until soft (about 5 to 7 minutes)

4. Turn down the heat to medium and add the potato mixture

5. Add the rest of the broth and then use an immersion blender (worth buying) to smooth

6. Add seasonings to taste, and put on low for 10 to 15 minutes

7. Optional - you can add about 1 cup of soy or nut milk for creaminess

Fennel Salad

This is what you can do FAST with fennel. And it's tasty.



Ingredients:

1/2 fennel head, thinly sliced

1/2 lemon (squeezed for juice)

2 tablespoons red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup to 1 cup Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

1 Tablespoon of fresh Italian Parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Drain the beans and add fennel

2. add red onion (optional, the flavor is very "big" in this salad)

3. add a squeeze of lemon and parsley. Mix.

4. Serve on a pretty plate

Fennel and Fingerlings

This is a rip off of the Fingerling Potato and Fennel Recipe on the great site Fat Free Vegan. The woman who runs that site can do no wrong, as far as I am concerned. My version is a rip-off because I am both less well stocked and less of a cook than she is. 

Unlike the previous recipe for White Bean and Fennel Stew, I am using red onion with the fennel. It brings a totally different taste. Both are great. I did not use any oil and I think it would be completely irresistible with a dash of olive oil. It's still good. You could probably use some corn or potato starch to add some thickness to the sauce. I used Red Onion - the most nutritious of the onions, but it may be too sweet for some. 


Ingredients:

1 cup of washed fingerling potatoes

1/2 to 1  bulb of fennel, cleaned, chopped (discard stem, I still don't know what to do with that)

2 or 3 tablespoons of fennel greens, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 to 1 Mushroom or vegetable broth


Directions:

1. Boil fingerlings about 15 minutes - then drain.

2. Saute the onion and fennel in 1/2 cup broth for about five minutes, until soft

3. Add drained potatoes, cover and reduce the heat for about 10 minutes.

4. Serve with the Fennel greens thrown on top, salt to taste.

Fennel and White Bean Stew

Fennel!

I like the veggies that look like this. It's a bit exotic looking, and I've always liked the taste of anise (licorice). 

But what the heck to do with this? Turns out you can do some fun and fast things and is great for the variety I think is necessary to have success on a low fat vegan diet. 

The first I am going to post is a "stew". Very simple. This is a low calorie way to add an exotic taste. 

Fennel has anti-inflammatory properties. It also acts as a digestive aid quelling diarrhea, constipation and gas. Fennel tea reportedly is helpful for respiratory tract infections, as well.

Ingredients:

1 Can Great Northern Beans, rinsed

1/2 to 1 head of Fennel, cleaned, diced (remove the stems)

2 Tablespoons of Fennel Greens, cleaned and chopped

1/2 to 1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups of Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

1 teaspoon each of dried Oregano and Rosemary seasoning


Directions:

1. Saute the garlic and fennel in a small amount of broth, 1 teaspoon each of Oregano and Rosemary

2. Once soft (about five minutes), add in the mushrooms and Beans and the rest of the broth. Turn the heat down to low heat and cover. Cook about 20 minutes. Add additional water if necessary (if you don't want it too thick.)

3. Serve topped with chopped Fennel Greens and salt to taste

The taste is very unusual combination of flavors. Hearty in taste, yet light on the stomach. I'll give it two cha-cha's. It was even better the next day. Up to three cha-cha's.