Lunch

Roasted Golden Beet Salad

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This time of year we are still in the throes of winter with snow, cold and freezing temperatures, but the sun is strong and I’m dreaming of spring. If we tune in, the seasons can guide us and what our bodies need for nourishment. I love to eat with the seasons but this “in-beween” month of March- in like winter and out like spring (hopefully!) is a time of transition and moving gently to a new season. Winter brings slow-cooked, rich and hearty flavors of root vegetables and deep flavors of stock and sauces simmering for hours. The flavors of Spring are light and delicate, fresh with sprouting greens, asparagus and peas. We have a spring in our step, we feel lighter and the heaviness of winter falls away.

Our eating and cooking can ebb and flow with the rhythm of the seasons. I love this salad because it combines the slow roasted golden beets with the delicate greens and herbs and it’s perfect this time of year when we are longing for spring. Beets are a root vegetable that you can find all winter long and roasting them brings out the flavor this late in the season.

How to roast beets…

Set your oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and dry the beets and place on a large sheet of foil with skins on. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Wrap the beets in the foil.  Place in the oven for 45min-1 hr until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork.

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Once the beets are roasted, the skin will peel off easily. Let them cool and slice or cube. I love to marinate them in a bowl with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Place the beets on salad greens, add goat cheese if desired and some fresh herbs. This salad will have you dreaming of spring too!

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Slow Cooker Chicken with Artichokes and Lemon

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Sometimes I stumble upon a recipe because I’m trying to use ingredients I have in the house. I had chicken and I wanted something I could just set in the slow cooker and forget about it a while. It turned out really yummy and made a great salad. One of my tips for nourishing yourself is mindful eating and savoring your food by adding fresh ingredients when serving. It makes the meal special and flavorful. My favorite things to add are a squeeze of fresh lemon, drizzle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs, seeds and nuts.

When this meal was finished, I put it on greens and added olives, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. This is not your typical “rabbit food” salad that leaves you hungry soon after eating. This salad is so good and hearty and actually feels like a whole meal. I’m eating less meat these days and when I do have chicken, one of my favorite brands is Bell & Evans. It a local PA brand with humane practices and whenever I find some on sale at the store, I grab it!

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs

Dried Italian Herbs

Salt and Peper

Olive Oil

Handful of small new potatoes

Juice and Zest from 1/2 lemon

Small jar or can of artichokes

2 cloves of garlic, minced or smashed

Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Sear both sides of the chicken in olive oil in a pan and set aside. Place the small potatoes in the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. Put the chicken on top and cook just until done (low for 3-4 hours worked for me). Don’t overcook or the chicken will dry out. Serve with a side of vegetables or on a salad.


Warming Winter Vegetable Soup

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It’s been more than a while since my last post. There were many times when I prepared some food, took some pictures and wanted to write, but different seasons brought different prioritites and, well, just plain life happened.  But a constant has been my passion for yummy, whole and healthy foods and the art of preparing it.  Yes, art. No, I’m not a chef that prepares lovely food delicately plated to impress, but rather I love simple, earthy real food and it’s a creative outlet for me.

Over the years I have developed a list of well-being practices. I try and do at least one thing from my list each day to cultivate wholeness and self care.  Some days I’m lucky if I check one off the list and other days I’m able to fit in several.  One of the items on my list is cooking, chopping and shopping for ingredients.  It’s soul care, it brings me joy and life and I consider it a spiritual practice.  So on a busy day when I’m at home making up a quick meal, I try and stay present and enjoy the process.

This particular soup I made on a very snowy afternoon and chopping the vegetables and pulling out the dried herbs reminds me of the life that will come in the spring, but also grounds me in the present warmth and slowness of winter.  This is my favorite soup to make because it’s so versatile and you can literally make it your own and use what you have on hand.  I make it different every time.  It also freezes well and I eat this for lunch often.

Ingredients

olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can of diced tomatoes

5 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

dried Italian herbs to taste

3-4 carrots, chopped

parmesan cheese rind (optional) or use 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

misc vegetables- I like broccoli, kale, cauliflower, peas

1 can of beans if desired

pinch of hot pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Sauté the onion and garlic (along with salt and pepper) in a dutch oven or soup pot.  Add dried herbs to release the flavor.  Add the tomatoes, stock, carrots and parmesan cheese rind (or grated parmesan cheese) if using and simmer on low heat for 1-2 hours (or until carrots are tender).   Remove the cheese rind. Add other vegetables and beans if using and simmer until the vegetables are tender.  Add red pepper flakes or drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to serve.

Small batch fig preserves and a rustic fig pizza

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Oh I love fresh figs! I’m not exactly sure how long the local season is, but it’s not long and when I find fresh figs at the market, I grab them.  And I know two people with fig trees!  I was given a quart this weekend, ate some fresh and made a small batch of fig preserves. I also had some figs at my desk when I arrived at work one day this week.  I just love my people!

The changing of the seasons for fresh produce is part of the rhythm of seasons for me. Just like the hot to cooler weather, vacations and back to school, the fresh food guides how we eat and cook.  I’ve been listening carefully to what I need in this season and what rhythm our family needs.  We are embracing more structure, more learning and growing, getting creative and curious about new things.  I’m finding my pace in the space of the day and more balance and boundaries between my work and the stuff of everyday life.  With the space, I can pay attention to what awakens me, gives me peace and joy. I have more energy for work and play.  I can focus on family, friends, community and serving others in a way that a stressed and overstretched schedule cannot.  And I have more energy for figs and making fig preserves on a Tuesday night! That’s a win!!

Small Batch Fig Preserves

Ingredients

1 pint of fresh figs, quartered

1/2 cup of raw sugar (or regular sugar)

2 tablespoons honey

juice of 1 lemon

Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cook the contents until thickened, about 50 minutes.  Be sure to stir to prevent sticking, especially as the mixture thickens.  Place the hot contents in a jar with a canning lid and flip the jar over to seal.  I still store this in the refrigerator and even if it’s not sealed, it will keep for months with the sugar preserving it.

My favorite use for fig preserves is on a cheese and meat tray or on this fabulous rustic pizza! I used fresh figs on this one, but the preserves are great when figs are not in season.

Rustic Fig, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza

Ingredients

Your favorite pizza crust (I make my own or use local Thom’s Bread pizza crust)

Extra virgin olive oil

Fresh figs, thinly sliced

4-5 slices of Prosciutto

goat cheese

Balsamic vinegar

Arugula

Drizzle the pizza crust with OVOO.  Place the fresh figs or fig preserves, prosciutto and goat cheese on the pizza. Place in 425 degree oven for 7-10 minutes. Place the arugula on top of the hot pizza and let it wilt with the heat. Drizzle with more OVOO and Balsamic vinegar or balsamic reduction.

 

 

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Summer Orzo Salad

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I just love summer!  We are right in the thick of it now with temps in the 90s and humid.  But I’m not complaining. I’m thankful for the season of laid back summer days, running around in the yard well into the evening and taking in the small moments.  Even if it’s for just a few minutes, I take time to be in the garden a few nights a week.  This is my meditation in the summer.  This week we’ve harvested plenty of cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes and green beans.   And I took some time to be present and appreciate this season.  These moments are the beautiful, ordinary stuff of life.

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This salad is great for summer picnics and will not take a lot of time in the kitchen! I take this salad to so many picnics and potlucks because it’s so easy to make.  The “dressing” is really versatile and you can change up the vegetables to what you have.  I’ve made this with asparagus, spinach with or without the cucumber, different herbs…you name it.

 

 

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Ingredients:

Dressing:  1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tsp honey- whisk this all together in a bowl or shake it up in a jar

1 lb of orzo, cooked, drained and cooled

1 quart of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 cup of fresh basil, chopped

1 cucumber, seeded and cubed

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup chopped green onion or chives

Mix it all together and enjoy!!

 

 

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Sausage, Lentil and Kale Soup and Being Still

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As fall sets in, I am embracing the change in weather, the colors, the crisp cool air with autumn rituals of picturesque walks, warm drinks and sun filled windows that only fall can bring.  Fall is a time when things slow down. When the world is so loud, it’s nice to slow down and just be still and listen. That’s what fall has become for me, a season of being still.  Recently I started a ritual of just sitting in a park or outdoors once a week for 15 minutes and just being still…not trying to get in a quick walk, not catching up on emails or some reading, but just time to be still and present and take in what’s around me.  Some people are able to get this quiet time in the morning, but not me.  As soon as I get up, no matter what time, kids are right behind me and my day has started.  So I schedule it in my day just once a week.  It grounds me, it gets me ready to think well and feel deeply.  Maybe someday I will actually do this everyday, but for now in this season, 15 minutes in my week is what I have. Since starting this practice, I found that I’m taking bits and pieces of each day to be more present as a result of this intentional time.

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Usually I have a recipe I want to share, then I write a post.  But this time I started writing and I wasn’t inspired by the recipe I was going to share.  But today I was inspired to make this beautiful soup and feel good about sharing it!! It has wonderfully layered flavors and tastes amazing! I still have some kale left in my garden, the last lonely crop that loves the crisp cold air!  And this soup is perfect accompanied by being still and taking in your surroundings and enjoying the loveliness that only fall can bring!

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1 lb Sausage, casing removed (I used apple turkey sausage, but any sausage will do!)

1 onion, diced

1 large carrot, shredded

fresh rosemary, chopped (or dried or use other fresh herbs if you have them)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1 bundle of kale, stems removed, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups of chicken stock

2 cups of water

1/2 cup of red wine (optional)

1 3/4 cup of lentils

In a dutch oven, brown the sausage in olive oil.  Add the onion, garlic and carrot until tender (salt and pepper at this stage). Pour in about a half cup of red wine and reduce by half (this is optional, but makes another layer of flavor).  Add the herbs, diced tomatoes, water, chicken stock and lentils.  Salt and pepper again and simmer for 35-45 minutes until the lentils are tender.  Add the kale in the last 10 minutes of cooking.  Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil and balsamic vinegar and enjoy!

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Simple Chickpea Salad

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Yesterday we were at our parents house spending our Sunday relaxing outdoors and at the pool and I finally finished a blog post that I started, um…two weeks ago!  I love writing outside listening to the birds, woodpeckers and…who am I kidding…the kids bickering at the pool. But it’s all music to my ears. I do love the summer and I am loving the fresh produce of the season, but struggling with balancing my time to both cook it and write about it! My meals these days are super quick, simple, full of greens, but nothing fancy.  Actually, this is the way I prefer it.

Now that we are in the full swing of summer and summer swim,  I need to be prepared with easy go-to meals that can be prepared in minutes.  With fresh herbs and vegetables in the garden, it’s so easy to whip up a quick salad like this one.  Make a double batch of this to eat by itself or over greens though the week.

I used whatever fresh herbs were spouting out of my garden at that time…some parsley, cilantro and garlic chives.  If you don’t have a red pepper, use tomatoes instead.  You can add avocado or eat over greens or add feta cheese.  This salad is very versatile.  I like to grill extra vegetables when we grill out to use for salads like this.

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Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas

1 small red onion (a tablespoon or 2 is plenty)

a bunch of fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley, cilantro and garlic chives)

juice of 1 lime

1/2 red bell pepper, roasted

olive oil

1/4 tsp of cumin or to taste

salt and peper to taste

To roast a red pepper, cut into strips and toss with olive oil.  Place under boiler for 20-30 minutes until roasted around the edges.  OR grill the red pepper strips.  Drain the chickpeas and add toss all of the ingredients together.  I don’t measure the olive oil, just give it a drizzle.  I also don’t measure the herbs, just use as little or as much as you like (but don’t skimp on these, the herbs make the salad!).  Season with cumin, salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy on a beautiful summer evening!!

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