Chia Seeds {Chia Seed Coconut "Tapioca" Pudding}

Chia Seed Coconut "Tapioca" Pudding

Now that I have a son with numerous allergies, I've been trying to come up with new gluten/dairy/egg free snacks, that are healthy, delicious and satisfying. I'm not sure why, but my little guy seems to be hungry all the time. It has become such a challenge, especially since I'm trying to dream up well-balanced, healthy snacks, within the confines of all his allergies.

Read more »

Read more...

Creamless Cream of Carrot Soup

A Creamless Cream of Carrot Soup

I’ve been playing around with creamless creamy soups the past few weeks, including a creamless Creamy Mushroom Soup, Creamy Cauliflower Soup, and Thai Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. To add to this collection of creamless creamy soups, I tried a Cream of Carrot Soup.

Read more »

Read more...

Anti-Inflammatory Foods {A Healthy Healing Vegetable Soup}

Anti-Inflammatory Vegetables Make a Healthy Healing Soup

I've been doing a lot of research lately, trying to figure out what is making my 8-year old sick, and how to heal his body. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he started suffering from severe abdominal pains several months ago, and it has been a frustrating, but eye-opening journey so far. I have learned so much, and I'm hoping to pass along any information that has worked for my son in case any of you experience something similar.

Read more »

Read more...

A Simple Mushroom Barley Soup

A Simple Mushroom Barley Soup

Two weeks ago, I taught the first in a series of soup classes to a group of seniors at our local community center. The Simple Lentil Soup I made was a huge hit with this group of seniors!

Read more »

Read more...

A Gluten-Free Ancient Grain: Amaranth

Amaranth is a Highly Nutritious Gluten-Free "Ancient Grain"

In my last post, I talked about our recent discovery that my youngest son "A" has numerous food allergies. First I want to thank all of you who have reached out and shown your support and encouragement, as it has reminded me how important family and community are when one is faced with challenges.  Some of you have also shared some terrific suggestions (including introducing me to a whole world of gluten-free/special diet bloggers) for which I am grateful for. If there are any recipes, ingredients, or other information that you think might be helpful, I would love to hear from you.

Read more »

Read more...

Food Allergies: What To Eat When You Can't Eat Anything

For the past several months, I've been struggling to figure out what's been ailing my youngest son, "A". A vibrant, active boy at 8 years old, and the healthiest eater out of all my kids, "A" suddenly started suffering severe abdominal pains and fatigue, and recently has been found to be allergic to at least 28 environmental/food categories. What caused this to happen all of a sudden? I have no idea. My best guess at this point is that the two bouts of antibiotics he was on last spring killed all the good bacteria in his gastrointestinal system, and bad bacteria grew in its place.  This imbalance has caused all sorts of havoc on his poor little body.

Read more »

Read more...

Circles of Community - Online Resources for Helping Those in Need

When I was growing up, if a neighbor or friend was ill or had a baby, neighbors would take turns bringing a hot meal over to the family. This still happens, but in today's world of technology, and busy schedules, online resources can help find volunteers and organize meals and more for friends in need, as well as keep friends updated on what's going on.

Read more »

Read more...

Tomato Quinoa Soup

Tomato Quinoa Soup

Tomato pasta soup used to be one of my children's favorites when they were young, especially when I used alphabet shaped pasta.

Read more »

Read more...

A Simple Lentil Soup Recipe

A Simple Lentil Soup (plus tomatoes and brown rice)

I'm teaching a series of soup classes to a group of seniors at our local community center starting this week, and my first recipe will be a lentil soup. The goal of this soup series is to encourage seniors to cook healthily at home, rather than buy processed or prepared foods which can be high in sodium and fat.

Read more »

Read more...

Creamless Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Creamless Cream of Cauliflower Soup

This week, I posted a recipe for Creamless Cream of Mushroom Soup, a rich flavored and luscious soup made without any cream. As I was thinking of more comforting creamy soups, potato leek soup came to mind, but I wanted to make something more nutritious (I like nutrient dense foods to get the most bang for the buck). Cauliflower is sometimes used as a substitute in mashed potatoes, so  I decided to try a creamless cream of cauliflower soup.

Cauliflower, one of a number of cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables, are not only believed to prevent cancer from forming, but also enhance survival after cancer diagnosis. I came across a recipe for a pureed cauliflower soup in a publication I picked up at my local health food store. What caught my eye was the use of blood orange olive oil, orange zest and fresh pear in the recipe, as well as the beautiful red pepper puree served on top of the soup. Since I didn't have any blood orange olive oil, I decided to throw the peel of a clementine into the soup. I also added a sprig of rosemary for a classic orange rosemary pairing. 

Creamless Cream of Cauliflower Soup

I love the addition of pear to this soup as it adds some sweetness. The clementine peel and rosemary add a unique and unexpected fragrance. If you don't have rosemary, thyme would go nicely with the orange flavor too. The Roasted Pepper Puree and pumpkin seeds on top make an otherwise white soup pop with color and crunch.

Printable Recipe
1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
the peel from 1 clementine
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 ripe pear (Anjou or similarly sweet pear), peeled, cored, and chopped

Roasted Pepper Puree
1/2 cup or 3 whole roasted red bell peppers
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Remove leaves and stem from cauliflower and cut into even pieces. 

Slicing the cauliflower is faster than separating into florets.

I slice the cauliflower into roughly 1/2" slices, and then cut the slices crosswise into even pieces. Since the soup is going to pureed anyway, there's no need to cut the cauliflower into florets.

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until onions are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add broth, clementine peel, rosemary and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on low, covered, for 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft.

Remove from heat and add pear. Puree in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to soup pot and keep warm until ready to serve.

To prepare Roasted Pepper Puree, place roasted peppers and olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Put a spoonful of Roasted Pepper Puree on top and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Serves 6-8.

Anticancer Ingredients: Cauliflower, Onion, Garlic, Rosemary

More Creamless Cauliflower Soup Recipes:
Leek and Cauliflower Soup, Caviar and Codfish (use olive oil in place of butter)
Bits of England and Cauliflower, La Tartine Gourmande
Saffron Cauliflower Soup, Blue Jean Gourmet (use olive oil in place of butter)
Curried Cauliflower Coconut Soup, Foodie Reflections
Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Leeks and Thyme, I Heart Kale

References:
Cruciferous Vegetables, Eat Right America 
Onions anti-cancer effects, Cornell News
Garlic: a review of its potential use as an anti-cancer agent, PubMed.gov
Sulforaphane, a possible agent in prevention and therapy of cancer, PubMed.gov
Inhibition of anticancer drug efflux transporter P-glycoprotein by rosemary phytochemicals, PubMed.gov

Read more...

Thai Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Thai Curried Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Soup has been on my mind a lot lately.  I have the opportunity to teach a soup series to a group of seniors at our local community center starting next week, and have been trying different soups out this week, hoping to come up with some tasty treats for my "students" (I know they can teach me a lot more than I'll ever teach them!).

Read more »

Read more...

Creamless Creamy Soups {Creamless Cream of Mushroom Soup}

Creamless Cream of Mushroom Soup

Creamy soups are pure comfort. Not only are creamy soups lusciously smooth, but they provide pure and simple comfort, especially on a frigid day. Creamy soups can be made without any cream and you won't even notice, as long as the flavors in the soup are full flavored and the soup is pureed to a creamy consistency.

Read more »

Read more...

A Healthy Way To Start Off The New Year

Start Off The New Year By Adding Eating More Fresh Produce

I hope you had a wonderful New Year celebration and are ready for 2011! One of the things I like about the start of the New Year is that it offers the opportunity to hit the "restart" button. So, for anyone who feels a bit bloated from all the celebrating over the holidays, and wants to hit the "restart" button, I'm offering up a challenge for you in January 2011. I challenge you to try all of these suggestions (or as many as you can) and see how you feel by the end of January.  

Read more »

Read more...