recipe: MUSHROOM POTATO SOUP WITH A HINT OF SAGE

Want a creamy mushroom soup without the cream? Well look no further! By adding potatoes to the soup you can make it thick, creamy, and filling without having to add heavy cream. It's a healthier alternative to a traditional creamy mushroom soup.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb mushrooms (whatever kind you prefer, white button mushrooms seen above)
• 3 medium white potatoes
• 1 large sweet onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
• 4 cups of water
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop mushrooms, potatoes, onion, garlic, sage and place everything in a large oven safe dish.  Add olive oil, salt and pepper (I usually use about 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper).  Mix everything together, cover with foil, and cook for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, let cool for about 10 minutes.  Blend, use the water to help make the mixture smoother and thinner (it will still be plenty thick and creamy!).

Place in a pot and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  Taste, add more salt and/or pepper if it needs.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Enjoy!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

recipe: CARROT RAISIN DIP WITH HOMEMADE PITA CHIPS

I love snacks! Especially crunchy snacks which are a little bit savory and a little bit sweet. The other day I noticed I had some carrots and raisins I hadn't eaten yet so I tried a little experiment. The result was a very flavorful dip that is actually good for you! Check it out...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bag baby carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a medium size oven safe pan. Cover tightly with foil.  Place in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven.  Let cool for a few minutes and the blend.

Simple, delicious, and healthy!

This dip tastes great with some homemade Pita Chips.  They are so simple to make and if you use a whole wheat pita they are low in calories and high in fiber.  Here is how you do it:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Separate the pita
• Brush each side with olive oil
• Cut into triangles
• Cover a baking sheet in foil and lay the triangles in a single layer
• Lightly salt 
• Place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until brown and crispy 

This is an easy snack to keep at home that will fill you up in a nutritious way!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

recipe: LEMON SHALLOT QUINOA

I love quinoa! It makes a filling and healthy meal or side dish, and it's so easy to prepare. Quinoa tastes great with so many ingredients but here is just one of the ways in which I like to prepare it...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 Persian cucumbers (aka mini seedless cucumbers)
• 1/2 an avocado
• 5 large asparagus stalks
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
To prepare the quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa.  Place 1 cup of quinoa into a pot and add 2 cups of water.  Bring the water to a boil, cover, then let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes (until all the water is gone).  Place quinoa in a bowl and put in the refrigerator to cool.

Steam asparagus, cool, and chop.

Chop cucumber, avocado, and shallots; add to quinoa along with asparagus. 

Squeeze lemon juice, add olive oil, salt and pepper.

Mix and enjoy!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

recipe: HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

Around this time of year it's always nice to have a hearty bowl of soup to warm your bones!  There is something so comforting about it and when the soup is hearty it can be very satiating.  This is a super simple recipe, made with basic and fresh ingredients, that will definitely hit the spot...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large sweet onion, chopped into large pieces (1/2 to 1 inch)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 7 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 1 large yellow squash, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over low to medium heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to get clear. 

Add tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until some liquid starts to develop from the tomatoes.  (At this point I like to just mash up the tomatoes a bit with my spoon adding to the liquid but still leaving the tomatoes chunky).

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat and let simmer for a minimum of 20 minutes.  (You can let it cook for up to an hour, stirring occasionally.  The longer it cooks the better the flavor will be.  Best if you can let it sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving).

You can add more salt, pepper, or olive oil according to your taste. 

Makes approximately 4 to 5 bowls of soup.

Enjoy!


GTBB,
Bad Joan

recipe: PERSIMMON PECAN COOKIES

I love spice cookies during the holiday season!  But eating a lot of sweets during this time of year can get out of control pretty quickly.  So it's always good if you can use real fruit when baking to substitute for some of the sugar.  And, of course, using whole grain flour like oat flour can help to make those delicious calories count for something good!  I found a delicious persimmon cookie recipe online (see original recipe here); I just made a few modifications to it in order to make the cookies a little bit healthy while still maintaining the yummy flavor...

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ripe hachiya persimmons (tip: these persimmons need to be super soft and often black when they are ripe, ask your grocer how to test for ripeness if you are not sure)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups oat flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans

INGREDIENTS: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove skin from persimmons and puree.  Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside.

Sift flour, spices and salt together, set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in egg and persimmon. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen depending on how large you make your cookies.

Happy Holidays!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

recipe: BEET SALAD WITH ORANGE VINAIGRETTE

I looooove salad!  Most salads have a ton of nutrients and can be very good for you.  However, you can negate all those good things with store bought dressing.  Most dressings are loaded with bad calories as well as a ton of sodium.  Here is a simple vinaigrette dressing that doesn't use any oil.  It tastes great and it's actually good for you!  Check it out...

INGREDIENTS:

Salad:

• 1 large beet
• 2 Persian cucumbers (aka mini seedless cucumbers)
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 gala or Fuji apple
• 1 cup (or large handful) of green beans
• 1 naval orange
• 2 tablespoons red onion

Dressing:

• 1 naval orange
• 1/4 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

To prepare the beet:
Heat oven to 400.  Rinse beet, poke a few holes in the skin with a fork, rub a little extra virgin olive oil on the skin, and wrap tightly in foil.  Place in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and place under cold running water, you will be able to just push back the skin and remove it.  Chop the beet into bite size pieces and place in the refrigerator to chill.

To prepare the green beans:
Wash beans, cut off ends, place in a saucepan with about an inch of water and boil for about 10 minutes or until the beans are little tender.  Remove from pan, chop into bite size pieces and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Chop cucumber, apple, avocado, and onion and place into a mixing bowl.  Add the chilled beets and green beans.  Peel orange and chop into bite size pieces, add the orange to the bowl.

To prepare the dressing:
Peel second orange, pull apart and place into a blender.  Squeeze in the juice from the lemon wedge.  Add the balsamic vinegar.  Blend.

Add the dressing to the salad.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Toss and serve!

This makes a great side dish for a large meal, like Thanksgiving which is right around the corner.  Or just divide it into a couple portions and eat it as meal for one!

GTBB,
Bad Joan

recipe: SIMPLE HUMMUS

Since you now know about the fabulous 365 Brand Garbanzo Beans with no sodium added you'll need some good ways to put them to use!  The most obvious (and perhaps most delicious) is hummus.  I live for hummus, it is a rich, creamy and filling dip that is so good for you.  I came up with a super simple and quick hummus recipe that you can make all the time.  Check it out...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 15 oz can 365 Garbanzo Beans
• 3/4 of a lemon
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (optional)
• salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Remove garbanzo beans from the can and rinse under cold water.  Place the beans in a blender or food processor. 

 

Add the olive oil. 

 

Squeeze in the lemon, be careful not to let any seeds get in (you can always add more lemon later if you like the taste.  I usually find 3/4 of the lemon to be just the right amount).

 

If you want to add garlic then chop up a clove and throw it in the blender, or skip it if you're not into garlic.

 

Blend until smooth.

 

Place into a bowl, add salt to your taste, and serve!

 

I like to eat this hummus with some celery; it makes a crunchy, filling and healthy snack.  This hummus also tastes great with Bad Joan's Ezekiel Chips.

 

GTBB,
Bad Joan