Green Swamp SoupKid, Earth and Time Friendly Recipes

Although, I recently came out as a bona fide Chegan, there’s no need to go that route with this “cheesy” soup. Adapted from the Moosewood Low-fat Favorites cookbook, this soup was a hit with my family and even Chelsea at Roots Market!

What makes this soup so cheesy, I think, is the fresh lemon. It certainly wasn’t the intention of the recipe writers to make the soup cheesy, but in my version of the recipe, that’s how it turns out. The other reason this works so well is the fact that you puree the soup — this gives it the creamy “cheesy” smoothness without the cheese.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped onions
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 cups diced potatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped (about five cups)
3 tsp. dried dill
1-2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/4 tsp. caraway seeds
5 cups vegetable broth (or 5 cups water with 2 tbsp. vegetable Better Than Bouillon)
Salt to taste

Optional: Green onions for garnish.

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, saute onions, garlic, celery and carrots in about 1/2 cup of broth or water until all veggies are soft.
2. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, except lemon juice, and bring to a boil. (Be careful not to use too much water. Water should be just below the top of all the ingredients in your pot.)
3. Reduce to a simmer and simmer until veggies are tender, around 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Add about half of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
5. Stir the pureed mixture into the remaining soup.
6. Serve topped with green onions.

We can all thank the “slider” concept for making burgers even more fun. But this recipe, adapted from the Vegetarian Times, makes them healthy, too.

I made part of this recipe way easier to make by simply opting to make less sliders and using Wildwood marinated and baked tofu instead of making the “tofu” part of the slider myself. Then, I paired this with an awesome kale stir-fry recipe from VT.

Full disclosure: Because the sliders look like burgers, your kids will probably try them. However, you might forgo the Asian slaw so they’re not overwhelmed by too many different textures. My kids didn’t care much for the sliders with the slaw, but they liked the kale stir fry just fine.

Ingredients For Sliders:

1 package Wildwood Baked Teriyaki, slice each tofu square to fit slider buns
8 slider buns

Ingredients For Asian Slaw
3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbs. no-salt-added creamy natural peanut butter
5 tsp. natural cane sugar
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
2 medium zucchini, julienned (8 oz.)
4 medium carrots, julienned (8 oz.)
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Directions for Sliders:

1. Stack tofu and then slaw between slider buns. (Feel free to toast the buns beforehand.)

Directions for Slaw:

1. Whisk together soy sauce, mayonnaise, peanut butter, cane sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using), in large bowl.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

This has got to be the absolute BEST soup to warm you up this time of year. First of all, it’s yummy. It’s kind of spicy, but not too spicy. Kind of creamy, but not too thick.

Second of all, it’s easy yet different. If you’re like me, and you’ve eaten nothing but starchy leftovers for the last week, you crave new tastes. The coconut and curry in this soup are the perfect combo because they’re comfort-food-esque but still ethnic — and require no more skill than chopping and boiling.

Third of all — and you knew I was going to say this — it’s healthy. Carrots, cabbage, garbanzo beans, broccoli and peas are the featured veggies. And I sauteed them all in liquid aminos, so there’s no oil. Even the coconut milk is low-fat, so it’s lower in calories and saturated fat than the regular. But still tastes every bit as indulgent.

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 small red pepper (or 1/2 large), chopped
1 cup cabbage, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
1 14-oz. can of garbanzo beans
1/4 or 1/2 tsp. red curry paste
1/2 tsp. tumeric
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 large cloves of garlic
4 tbsp. liquid aminos
2 cups of water
1 14-oz. can light coconut milk
1 tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
1 to 2 tsp. fish sauce (optional for taste only)

Directions:

1. Saute onions and pepper with liquid aminos on medium-high heat until clear.
2. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about two minutes.
3. Add carrots, ginger, spices and cabbage. Saute for five more minutes until veggies soften.
4. Add water and bring to a boil.
5. Add brown sugar, coconut milk, broccoli and frozen peas and lower heat so that soup is just simmering.
6. Simmer for five minutes, or until peas and broccoli are still tender-crisp and serve.
7. Add fresh lime, fish sauce, cilantro, chopped peanuts and red chili sauce for even more flavor!

TIP: This soup, like many, is even better if you serve it the next day. This makes an 8-serving batch, so you should have plenty leftover to take for lunch.

Nearly everyone I know loves grilled cheese — it’s practically the perfect comfort food. But sometimes you want a little kick with your comfort. These “gourmet” grilled cheese sandwiches deliver and then some. They give you all of the crispy grilled-ness you love, just with more flavor and different cheeses.

I grew up hating cheese. It’s true. Someone made me eat a Kraft single when I was about four, and I was a cheese hater my entire childhood and well into adulthood, until I met my husband. He convinced me there was something inherently wrong with not liking cheese and made me try real cheese — sharp cheddar, gouda, swiss and goat to name a few — and then I was hooked! These cheeses were nothing like that oily, floppy old slice I flushed down the toilet when I was a kid!

Needless to say, when I make a grilled cheese sandwich, for my kids, myself or the hubby, I use real cheese. That’s an absolute must. But liking spicy foods, I’ve found over time that I need something more. That something more being flavor — veggies, spices, etc. So I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes with you now.

Besides real, good cheese, the other must of an awesome grilled cheese sandwich is good bread. If you don’t worry about “healthy” bread, one of the best breads to use is Pepperidge Farms sandwich white. For those wanting a healthier bread, I like Rudi’s Organic 7 Grain with Flax.

Now that you have your bread, you need to make sure you have either a grill press or a heavy pan, preferably a cast iron skillet, to press your sandwich. This is a must to achieve the all-over-golden-brown deliciousness demonstrated in the photo. However, if you don’t have a press of some sort, it will still taste good without it.

Ingredients:

Gouda cheese
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Goat cheese
Bread
Sun-dried tomato pesto
1/4 red onion, diced
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 green pepper, diced
Butter or buttery spread

For vegans: You can use Daiya shreds, either Cheddar or Mozzarella, to make these sandwiches every bit as yummy as the real thing. This is really the only exception to my “real” cheese must.

Directions:

1. Heat skillet to medium heat, or griddle to 350.
2. Lightly toast your bread in your toaster — this is a must for a good, crispy sandwich and another trick I learned from my husband.
3. Butter opposite sides of bread, and then lay the buttered sides together, like you’re making a butter sandwich.
4. For the Gouda cheese sandwich: layer three thin slices of Gouda on the dry bread side. Sprinkle with red onion and peppers. Layer three more thin slices of Gouda on top of the veggies. Then turn the bottom buttered toast layer on top of the stack, so that now both buttered sides are exposed.
5. For the goat cheese and mozzarella sandwich: spread the sun-dried tomato pesto on the bread. Top with two thin slices of mozzarella and about five goat cheese crumbles. Then turn the bottom buttered toast over as directed above. If you want veggies, add them!
6. Grill for about a minute, then flip over.
7. Now lay your press on top of the sandwich and grill for one more minute.
8. Flip over again and grill for another 30 seconds so that both sides are uniformly golden.
9. Let cool for about a minute, then cut into sections and serve.

September just happens to be national potato month! What better way to celebrate than with this unique blue potato enchilada recipe.

I found some excellent blue potatoes at the Cedar Falls Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago at the Friedrich farm stand. I instantly fell in love with their unique flavor and texture, not to mention their gorgeous blue-purple color! They seemed to me the perfect filler for my ever-evolving vegetarian enchilada recipe, and hence they were!

I made a pan of these enchiladas for our cousins in Des Moines last weekend using Juan O’Sullivans Salsa De Mesa, a locally made salsa, as the enchilada sauce. It was absolutely delicious. You can order your own jar right online if you wan to try the salsa in this recipe. If not, any can of red enchilada sauce will do.

Ingredients
4 medium blue potatoes, thinly sliced with skins on
1 small onion, chopped
1 14-oz can of red enchilada sauce or 1 jar of Juan O’Sullivans
6 whole-wheat tortillas
1 can black beans
1 12-oz. bag of cheddar cheese
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
4 roasted green chile peppers, or 1 can green chiles (optional)
1 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Start by covering the bottom of  the pan with one ladle of enchilada sauce.
3. Spread two tortillas across the middle of the pan. Tear the other tortilla in half and then layer the two halves on opposites sides of the pan, with the straight edges parallel to the edge of the pan.
4. Spread another ladle of sauce over the tortillas.
5. Lay 1/2 of the potato slices flat on top of the sauce, spreading them evenly across the pan.
6. Sprinkle 1/2 of the onions and 1/2 of the beans over the potatoes.
7. If using green chiles, spread these evenly over the onions and beans.
8. Add 1/2 of the cheese.
9. Repeat step 2 by spreading tortillas over the cheese.
10. Spread another ladle of sauce over the tortillas.
11. Repeat steps 4 through 8 (though you will probably be out of green chiles; if not, spread the rest)
12. Add red pepper slices to the top of the cheese.
13. Cover the pan with foil and bake for and hour and 15 minutes.
14. Allow to cool and set up for 10 minutes before serving.
15. Serve with Heirloom Tomato and Sweet Corn Salsa.
    

Broccoli pesto pasta may just be my favorite vegan dish! When you add broccoli to the pesto mix, it takes on the texture of grated Parmesan cheese, and is wonderfully flavorful. Even if you’re not vegan, with this recipe, there really is no need to add the extra fat, salt and cholesterol found in cheese.

I was inspired to make this dish by a series of broccoli dishes featured in the April edition of Vegetarian Times. I decided to make my normal pesto recipe and just add broccoli. I combined the pesto with spaghetti noodles knowing I’d have a better chance of getting the kids to try it since they innately love “basketti.” Everyone — hubby, kids and I — loved it.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts (toast in a skillet over medium heat until golden-to-dark brown)
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed until bright green, but not mushy
1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cups fresh basil, tightly packed
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 package of thin spaghetti (vegans, look for egg-less pasta; for a healthier pasta, I like Barilla Plus Pasta), cooked al dente

Directions:

Pulse ingredients (except pasta, of course) together in a food processor until smooth. Combine pesto with pasta. Garnish with additional broccoli florets if desired. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Cedar Falls Farmers Market opened last week, loaded with lots of fresh veggies, herbs and flowers. Leafy greens were the main attraction — the perfect inspiration for an Italian meal featuring veggie lasagna, a real spring mix salad and fresh-baked bread.

I try to go the Farmer’s Market every Saturday, for a multitude of reasons. The biggest one is to support our local farmers. They are nothing short of amazing in their skill, knowledge and dedication. The farmer from whom I bought my spring greens took about 10 minutes of his time to help me plan my herb garden. As I watched him explain the different ways the plants would need to be cared for, with hands permanently etched with dirt, he actually talked me OUT of planting much more than a few pots of herbs. (He probably realized his precious plants might not fair too well in my hands! I love to cook with fresh vegetables, but I’ve literally killed every single plant I’ve ever owned, with the exception of two cacti.)

The second reason I shop regularly at the farmer’s market is because buying locally is better for the planet. There’s less transportation involved in moving your food from point A to point B. There’s less packaging, and thus, less waste, especially if you re-use your produce and grocery bags!

The third reason is that the food simply tastes better. Lettuce that was recently plucked from the ground is crisper and has that almost indescribably fresh, earthy flavor. Bread that was recently made by hand and plucked from an oven that morning is soft and fragrant, with a distinctly homey flavor.

OK, enough preaching about the farmer’s market. I give you the recipe — plus ideas for a salad and the name of the wonderful baker who made my bread. I can tell you that the whole meal was a big hit with my kids and their friends — they ate almost every bite and virtually devoured the bread!

Ingredients:

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (I like Muir Glen organic)
1 can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil — fresh is a farmer’s market ingredient
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (or 1 tbsp. fresh) — fresh is a farmer’s market ingredient
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup water
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped — farmer’s market ingredient
1/2 package veggie crumbles (I like Morningstar Farms)
1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups grated mozzarella (not the fresh kind)
1 package lasagna noodles (uncooked)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Saute onions and peppers in a saucepan over medium-high heat for about five minutes.
3. Add garlic and saute one to two more minutes until fragrant.
4. Add tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, veggie crumbles and water. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
5. While sauce is cooking, stir cheeses together.
6. When sauce has simmered, ladle about one cup on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
7. Layer uncooked noodles over the sauce.
8. Cover with another cup of sauce.
9. Cover sauce with 2 cups spinach.
10. Cover spinach with 1/2 of the cheese.
11. Repeat the steps, starting with another layer of noodles, then sauce and so forth.
12. You will finish the layering with the cheese on top.
13. Sprinkle additional pepper flakes and rosemary on top for a prettier dish.
14. Bake for 45 minutes.
15. Allow lasagna to cool, then serve with the spring greens salad below and the Sandwich Loaf made by Lorna Martin at Wild Wood farms.

Spring Green Salad Ingredients:

2 cups spinach
1 head romaine lettuce
1 sprig fresh dill, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced

Directions:

Toss the above together and serve it with your favorite dressing. Mine is Goddess Dressing by Annie’s Naturals.

I absolutely LOVE peanut butter — peanut sauce, PB&J, peanut butter cookies, Peanut Butter Panic ice cream … you get the drift. I’ve been making an Indonesian dish that features a delicious peanut sauce called Gado Gado since I first started really cooking in my early 20s. So, when I saw this delicious soup in the Post Punk Kitchen, it reminded me of Gado Gado and I had to try it.

I knew the veggies in the original recipe wouldn’t fly with my family, so I added my own combination of zucchini, peppers, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. I also added edamame for a little extra protein. Without noodles or rice, this soup/stew is low carb and LOADED with veggies (don’t let that long list scare you). It’s seriously one of the yummiest soups I’ve ever made (and I’ve made A LOT of soups in my life). Plus, it’s the perfect winter warm-up comfort food!

NOTE: If cooking this dish for kids, omit the hot chili and spice it up on your own with Srirachi sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup shallots, sliced very thin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp. peanut or dark sesame oil
1 hot chili, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic
1” cube of ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1 16 oz. can roasted diced tomatoes w/ juice
5 cups water or light veggie broth
1/2 cup creamy or chunky natural peanut butter
1 red pepper
1 cup cauliflower
1 small zucchini
1 large carrot, sliced on the diagonal
1 head broccoli
1 cup cabbage
1 cup frozen edammame1 tbsp. honey (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, lightly packed
chopped roasted peanuts and cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:
1. Saute onions and shallots in peanut or sesame oil for five minutes, or until tender.

2. Add garlic and saute another two minutes, then add ginger and chile and fry for 30 seconds. Add ground cumin, coriander, tumeric and fry for another 30 seconds then add all the other veggies. Stir fry for a few minutes until just tender.

3. Pour diced tomatoes, water or broth into pot. Stir to combined and raise heat to medium high. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat.

4. In a separate bowl stir peanut butter to combine any separated oils. Pour a ladleful of hot soup onto peanut butter. Stir peanut butter with soup till creamy and peanut butter is completely emulsified. Scrape peanut butter mixture into rest of simmering soup, stirring to combine.

5. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

Serve this with Citrus Salad, spring rolls or egg rolls!

I created this cold Soba Noodle Salad for @PickleSugarPlum, as explained in an earlier post for Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks. This recipe was created, in part, to be used with the leftover tuna made with that recipe, but you could certainly make this all on its own. If you’d like more protein, I suggest adding firm tofu or edamame.

The great thing about this salad is that’s it’s extremely easy to make. I like to stir-fry the veggies so that they’re crisp and flavored nicely with the sesame oil and garlic. This maximizes the flavor of the sesame oil and, in return, requires less oil in the dressing.

I taste-tested this on my family and they really enjoyed it! When serving to small children, it’s wise to cut up the noodles before you serve them, as the dressing on the salad makes the noodles a little slippery for young fingers to twirl around a fork.

Ingredients:

1 carrot, sliced on the diagonal
1 small zucchini, sliced on the diagonal
1 small red pepper, sliced
1 small green pepper, sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced or pressed
1 1/2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)
3 tbsp. cilantro, stemmed and chopped
2 scallions, diced
1 bundle Koyo organic soba noodles

Ingredients for Dressing:

2 1/2 tbsp. teriaki sauce
1 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Directions for Salad:

1. Boil soba needles according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil on medium-high heat in a large wok.

2. Add all veggies and stir fry for about five minutes. Add garlic and saute two more minutes.

3. Add scallions and cilantro and stir fry about two more minutes. Set veggies aside to cool.

Directions for Dressing and the Salad:

1. Whisk all ingredients together.

2. When noodles are cooked, drain and rinse with cold water. Combine veggies, noodles and dressing.

3. Chill for at least one hour or serve at room temperature.

4. Serve with Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks. Garnish with additional scallion and cilantro, if desired.

Last week I passed a mini milestone on Twitter — 400 followers. To celebrate, I sent out a tweet to say I would create a custom, healthy recipe for follower 400. Healthy mom, @PickleSugarPlum, was the winner! I sent her a message to see what she liked, and she sent me back a pretty tall order that provided me with a nice challenge for this week’s post! Here were some of her criteria/preferences:

• Something yummy and not $$
• CHOCOLATE,meat=fresh grilled tuna, sushi, chicken, seafood veggies=carrots, peas, st’m'd broc, romaine, fresh spinach NO: pork, rice, fungus
• I prefer fresh over canned, so things that are in season or readily available are best…year round options are even better!

I also wanted to find a dish that she could make once and then use for a couple other meals during the week. I decided to update one of my favorite grilled tuna recipes for @PickleSugarPlum by using fresh cilantro instead of basil. This recipe comes from the book How to Grill by Steven Raichlen. The reason I used cilantro is that this recipe is just the first in two recipes I’m going to create for @PickleSugarPlum, and cilantro will go better with the next recipe.

Depending on the size of her family, she should have some leftover tuna from this recipe, which she can use for the next recipe I’ll create.

As luck would have it, we were celebrating Sophia’s half birthday when I made this dish and she loves fish! So, paired with my homemade Mac n’ Cheese recipe, this turned out to also be the perfect birthday meal. In fact, my family declared it “the meal of the year” and both kids gobbled up every bite, including the kale. (Incidentally, this dish would probably go really well with the Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad featured in the Mac n’ Cheese post!)

Thanks again to @PickleSugarPlum for the inspiration AND the opportunity to update an old favorite. I’m looking forward to the next recipe … tomorrow.

Ingredients:

4 tuna steaks (3/4 to 1 inch thick; 6 to 8 ounces each)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and stemmed
4 cloves garlic
3 strips lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon (3 to 4 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (if not trying to cut down on fat, you can use 1 cup)
1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. black pepper

For the Kale:

NOTE to @PickleSugarPlum: You can substitute fresh spinach if you’d rather have that than kale.

1 bunch fresh kale, stemmed and chopped
1 clove garlic, diced or pressed
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. dark sesame oil

Directions for Kale:

1. Heat oil on medium heat for one minute. Add garlic and toast until brown, stirring constantly.

2. Add kale and saute for five minutes until kale is wilted.

3. Sprinkle with sea salt. Add more salt to taste if needed.

4. Arrange on plate to serve under grilled tuna steaks.

Directions for the Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks

1. Trim off any dark or bloody spots from the tuna, then run under cold water and blot dry with paper towels. Arrange steaks in a container.

2. Combine the cilantro, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth. Pour this mixture over the tuna and let marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 30 minutes to two hours, turning the tuna steaks several times.

3. Preheat your grill to high heat. When ready to grill, brush and oil the grill gate.

4. Drain the tuna steaks and arrange on the grill. Grill until cooked to taste, two to three minutes per side if rare, four to six minutes per side for medium, rotating the steaks 45 degrees after two minutes to create cross-cross grill marks.

5. Transfer the steaks to plates or a platter and let rest for three minutes, then serve with kale.