Dover Sole Served with a Gingered Carrot Sauce....WHEAT FREE!

  Did any of you grow up with an authority figure who would say, "Eat all your food there are people starving in other countries"?  Well, for me it was a constant reminder and a very unwelcome one!  I got so tired of my Grandmother telling me, to eat all of my food, people were starving, and the like, that I would end up trying to find ways to feed it to the dog under the table.  The reason I'm divulging so much information is sometimes I'm finding I say the same thing to my children.  I guess this explains two things about me:
                     1)  Why my dog Lilly is unable to lose weight...too funny (Get it? The kids
                           must be feeding her under the table)!
                    2)  Why I'm an incurable frugal cook!  I'm contantly trying to find new       
                          creative ways to use ingedients I had originally purchased for another recipe. 
  Which of course brings me to today's recipe.  I had bought the ginger and green onions for the soup yesterday and had leftover's;  I wouldn't that go to waste.  The carrots were purchased for the soup a couple days ago, so why not use them?  And lastly, the wheat free spaghetti which I purchased for the above mentioned soup, with only a quarter of a box left, I wouldn't dream of throwing that away either!
  I had stopped by the store today to pick up some essentials for the kids and browsed around the seafood area to see if I could spot a deal.  Which I did!  I came home with a a couple pieces of Dover sole for a total of $2.43, which would feed the three of us tonight!  Perfect, simple, healthy meal! Did I mention...YUMMY?

Serves 3
3 slices Dover sole(Note: True Dover sole is imported frozen to the United States from European countries)
1 tablespoon Earth Balance vegan butter, Optional
2 tablespoons Wheat Free Flour
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 carrots, sliced lengthwise
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced into thin disks
3 green onions including stalks, sliced
1/4 cup white wine
1/4-1/2 box of Wheat free pasta, made al denta
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Serve with the left over lemon wedges

Method:

1)  In a large pot, bring water to a boil.  Place pasta in boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package, 8-11 minutes.  Cook this while you are cooking the fish and vegetables
2)  Meanwhile, dust each Dover sole fillet with salt and pepper and wheat free flour (picture above), and lemon zest .  Also, cut up the carrots, ginger, green onions, and parsley to have on hand when fish is complete.
3) In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over high heat.  Add the fillets and allow to cook on each side for 2 minutes.  This should not take too long, depending on the thickness of your fillets.  Carefully, remove the fillets and set on a warm plate.
4) Using the same pan you cooked the fillets in add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Quickly, add the carrots, ginger and green onions and saute until carrots soften a bit, 4-6 minutes.
5) Add the wine to the pan, deglazing and scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan, remove promptly, 1 minute.
6) To serve, take drained pasta and mix in 1 tablespoon of Earth Balance butter (if you would like).  Place a portion of pasta on 3 plates, top with vegertable mixture and sauce, divided among the plates.  Lastly, add the Dover Sole to each plate and top with parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Serve at once and enjoy!

Printable Version

Sick Girls...Ginger Soup

I got a text today from a friend who was not feeling well.  She wanted to know if I  had a fabulous ginger soup recipe? Well of course I do!  Just let me add some kale and parsley to give it ample amounts of vitamins A and C, and you will be good to go.  So if you're not feeling good...try this soup.  It's flavor is warm, peppery and slightly sweet, while the aroma is spicy and awakens your "Sick Girl" senses.

1/4 cup sesame oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 container mushrooms
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/4 cup kale, sliced
1 cup brown rice spaghetti, cooked al dente in a separate pan
Optional: 2 tablespoons Spicy Seed Mix

Method

1) In a separate container boil water and make brown rice pasta
2) In another container that can hold all the ingredients, heat sesame oil, and add diced onion.  Saute until onion begins to lighten in color, about 5 minutes. Add mushroom and lightly salt and pepper (1/4 teaspoon of each), saute until mushrooms soak up the remaining oil left in the pan. Add the broth, green onions and fresh ginger, continue to cook until all flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, chop the parsley and slice the kale. 
4) When soup is done, place pasta in bowl, add the mushroom and broth mixture and top with chopped parsley and kale. 
Optional: Add sprouted spicy seed mix

Printable Version

Berry and Peach 'Love' Pie

Please pardon my cutesy name, but it was Valentine's day yesterday (just in case you forgot) and I was in need of a dessert!  My problem was I didn't want the dessert to off set the healthy meal.  So... I used the name as a bit of a disguise (for the kids) and came up with this recipe using frozen berry's I had in the freezer along with a jar of peaches I had in the cupboard.  The crust was using my favorite butter substitute~Earth Balance. 
One side note regarding the butter:  I was talking to a friend of mine and she mentioned she bought the butter I suggested (i.e. Earth Balance).  She stated that she thought it had a funny taste.  Do NOT buy Earth Balance in the tub, rather purchase the sticks.  For some reason, the sticks of Earth Balance tastes much better than the tub, even the color is slightly different. Just thought I would save you the trouble:)

Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons Earth Balance, cold cut into 1/2 inch dice........................
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:
2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 jar of sliced peaches, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup frozen wild blueberries (I purchased at Costco)
1 cup frozen blackberries
NOTE: You could use fresh for this recipe, I just didn't have any on hand!

To Make the Dough:
1) Mix all the ingredients together in a food processor adding them in the order above. When dough forms a ball take out of processor and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
2) Preheat the oven to 450.
3) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a circle slightly larger than your pie pan.  Slide a large metal spatula underneath the dough to loosen it.  Fold the dough and center it over the pie pan and open it.  Gently press the dough against the bottom and sides of the pan to fit to your liking.
4) Place dough lined pie plate in the refrigerator while making the filling.
Make the Filling:
1) In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup sugar with the cornstarch.  Gently toss in the peaches, let sit for 5 minutes.
2) Rinse the frozen blueberries and blackberries under lukewarm water and let dry on paper towels.
3) Meanwhile, with the extra dough you have left over from the pie plate roll out and cut into desired shapes (I made Hearts)!
4) Mix the berries in with the peaches.
5) Take the Dough lined pie plate out of the refrigerator and place the peach and berry mixture in the shell. Promptly, arrange the cut out pieces of dough around the edges, and sprinkle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, immediately place in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes turn the temperature down to 375 and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes longer. Allow to cool on a rack for an hour or so prior to eating.

Printable Version

Vanilla Bean Potato Soup

Occasionally~~and more times than I typically care to admit~~the inspiration for my posts, and recipes, in particular, generates from utter randomness (using my sons vocabulary).  Case in point, is today's post, which came from watching the television while on the stair master!

One of the shows broadcasted a recipe for 'Cream of Potato Soup'.  Ahhh...those were the days, when I didn't need to worry about my cholesterol and haphazardly ate what I wanted, when I wanted it! Well, with that being said, I still feel the need to eat what I want, but my recipes now need to consist of vegan ingredients.  So here is another recipe that meets the requirements I established for myself!  Enjoy!

1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced

3 cups vanilla oat milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons earth balance vegan butter (use the sticks)

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 vanilla bean

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

Method

1) Saute onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Simultaneously, warm the vegan butter and oat milk in a pot big enough to contain all the ingredients.  When onions are complete, place in a blender with 1 to 2 cups of the warmed oat milk.  Blend on high until no pieces of onion are visible.  Place back in the pot with the remaining oat milk and swirl to combine.

Oat Milk with Vanilla and Onions being Sauteed

2) Next, add the potatoes, vanilla extract, vanilla bean and salt and pepper to taste, place a tight fitting lid over it and allow to simmer until the potatoes soften, around 20 minutes. 

3) Remove the vanilla bean and discard .

4) Serve, with 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and salt and pepper. 

Crock Pot Chick-pea Soup with Kale

The Vegan thing is NOT as easy as it seems!  There are tons of recipes for vegan, vegetarian, and those that follow different diets, ect.  But, what I have found most helpful for me, while trying to be vegan, is making up recipes using ingredients I like verses trying to follow the food trends.  Let's face it, we still need to live our lives, having a specific diet can become difficult for everyone around us if we let it!  So... I have come up with another recipe I feel is a real winner and healthy to boot!  With this recipe you could easily add diced chicken for those who would like it...enjoy!

1 large Vidalia sweet onion, diced
4 tablespoons, olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
3 cans chick-peas
2 parsnips, peeled & sliced into 1/4 inch disks
2 tablespoons kale, sliced, per bowl of soup
Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

1) In a saute pan add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions, saute until light gold in color, 5-8 minutes.  Place in Crock pot and deglaze the pan with the wine.  Place the wine (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) in the crock pot as well.
2) Next, add the other 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and saute the garlic, about 2 minutes, add this to the crock pot.
3) Add the chick peas, parsnips, vegetable broth and parsley to the crock pot and turn on high heat for 6 hours.
4) Before serving add sliced kale to the soup and salt and pepper to taste! Yummy!

Printable Version

In case you are wondering what vegetable broth to use, here is what I use and like!

Lacinato Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

Trying to make more dishes using kale these days.  Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and can be used in anyway suitable for spinach.  Of course, it tastes different!  Kale has a mild cabbagey flavor and ranges in color from a deep green, blue green to green with a hint of purple.  Kale also is more popular with the northern Europeans which could explain there lower levels of cholesterol.  This explains my LOVE for this vegetable.  Not to mention it contains folic acid, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.  WOW ...a low calorie powerhouse! 

1/2 bunch lacinato kale, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon Tahini
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices of lemon, for serving


Method

1) Arrange torn Kale on two serving plates.
2) In a seperate bowl, mix together, tahini, canola oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
3) Divide the dressing over the kale on both plates.
4) Sprinkle the sesame seeds on both salads and top with a slice of lemon on both.
5) Serve with extra salt and pepper and enjoy!

Serves 2

In this photo you can see how beautiful the salad is up close.  This will clean out your intestines!

 Printable Version

Carrot Curry Soup with Orange Liqueur

Today is another COLD day in Minnesota.  Why do I live here?  Really, the summers are so short with mosquitoes the size of my thumb, this is crazy!  So, here is a soup to help me get through another month of COLD.  We need something to warm up our insides!

2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Medium Yellow Onion, cut into pieces
6 Carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
1 large green apple, peeled and cut into pieces
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons Orange Liqueur
2 cups Vegetable broth

Method

1) Heat Olive oil in a pan that can contain all ingredients.  Add the onions and carrots and saute until onions are a warm yellow color, 6-8 minutes.
2) Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup Orange liqueur and add the broth immediately. 
3) Add the apple and curry and continue to cook until the carrots have softened. 
4) Take the ingredients from your pan and blend in a blender, add the last 3 tablespoons of Orange Liqueur at this time.

Serves 2