I remember my mom making stewed rhubarb from homegrown rhubarb when we were kids. I have always liked tart fruit - I used to climb the pear tree in our backyard to get a green pear, I would only eat one bite but it was just to my taste! So rhubarb is a favourite of mine.
We were at the farmers' market in town today, and I bought what was probably the last of the season's local rhubarb.
When I did a silent retreat recently at a convent in Toronto, the nuns served stewed rhubarb at breakfast and I put it on top of my oatmeal and mixed in it - it was yummy!
My mom used to serve this over ice cream, but I like it on its own too.
Here's the recipe:
6 cups (1.5 L) cut up rhubarb
1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar
2 TB (25 ml) water
We didn't have any granulated sugar at home, I had some brown sugar that was rock solid, but we did have organic sucanat, so I used that.
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, stirring periodically, for about 15 minutes or until the rhubarb is slightly thickened and stringy. Let cool.
This should keep for about 5 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container. I don't expect it to last that long!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Mexican Tomato Lime Soup
This recipe is from the cookbook "Moosewood Cooks at Home", published by Simon & Schuster. I was given this cookbook quite a few years ago from someone who had received a duplicate copy. I've made a few things out of it, but this one has been a real hit. It's quick, easy to make, and tastes really great!
We buy good quality tortilla chips to coarsely crush to go in the bottom of a wide brimmed soup bowl. Try President's Choice Lime & Habanero flavoured chips to kick up the heat in this soup!
This soup is a great starter, and is perfect for a hot summer day. Make lots as it keeps well in the fridge.
Here's a link to an online version of the recipe:
Mexican Tomato Lime Soup recipe (Moosewood Cooks at Home)
Moosewood Restaurant is located in Ithaca, NY, one of our favourite little towns to visit, and we always go to Moosewood when we're there. Ithaca is also the home of Cornell University, and has a really great pedestrian only area right in the downtown. Moosewood is just a block away, and there are lots of little restaurants, bookstores and shops to browse. There's also the Finger Lakes, beautiful gorges, etc. to explore.
We'll be featuring more recipes from this book in the coming months so stay tuned to this blog! Click on the photo below to check out the cookbook on Amazon.ca (you can browse the book online). I highly recommend this book!
We buy good quality tortilla chips to coarsely crush to go in the bottom of a wide brimmed soup bowl. Try President's Choice Lime & Habanero flavoured chips to kick up the heat in this soup!
This soup is a great starter, and is perfect for a hot summer day. Make lots as it keeps well in the fridge.
Here's a link to an online version of the recipe:
Mexican Tomato Lime Soup recipe (Moosewood Cooks at Home)
Moosewood Restaurant is located in Ithaca, NY, one of our favourite little towns to visit, and we always go to Moosewood when we're there. Ithaca is also the home of Cornell University, and has a really great pedestrian only area right in the downtown. Moosewood is just a block away, and there are lots of little restaurants, bookstores and shops to browse. There's also the Finger Lakes, beautiful gorges, etc. to explore.
We'll be featuring more recipes from this book in the coming months so stay tuned to this blog! Click on the photo below to check out the cookbook on Amazon.ca (you can browse the book online). I highly recommend this book!
Quinoa with currants, dill & zucchini
This is my all-time favourite quinoa dish (until another comes along!). You can serve it warm or cold. This recipe makes enough for 4 main servings or 6 side servings. We served it over salad greens. As a main dish, we didn't need anything else. We had two servings the first day, and served it cold the second day, still great!
It's a quirky mix of green onions, quinoa, currants, dill, zucchini, lemon, and sesame seeds, with optional feta cheese on top as a garnish.
I made an oops making this (I often goof when reading a recipe) - the recipe calls for grated zucchini done on a box grater. Well, I looked at our mandoline, and it was shaped like a box, so I sliced the zucchini. Then when I went back to the recipe, I saw it called for grated zucchini, so I quickly chopped them up into matchsticks, and I liked that a lot better than the grated zucchini, although it takes more time. So suit yourself - grated or matchstick.
Toasting your own sesame seeds is way better but requires you to pay close attention. I put them in a flat non-stick pan and turned up the heat. You have to watch them carefully! Spread them around and mix them up periodically. When the individual seeds start to get a bit smaller and start to turn a bit brown, they should be ready - don't burn them!
We served it with grated feta cheese (I cheated and bought a bag of grated feta), just a bit sprinkled on top adds a nice contrast in taste.
We also used only 1 zucchini, rather than 2.
Here's a link to the full recipe:
Quinoa with Currants, Dill & Zucchini recipe (101cookbooks.com)
It's a quirky mix of green onions, quinoa, currants, dill, zucchini, lemon, and sesame seeds, with optional feta cheese on top as a garnish.
I made an oops making this (I often goof when reading a recipe) - the recipe calls for grated zucchini done on a box grater. Well, I looked at our mandoline, and it was shaped like a box, so I sliced the zucchini. Then when I went back to the recipe, I saw it called for grated zucchini, so I quickly chopped them up into matchsticks, and I liked that a lot better than the grated zucchini, although it takes more time. So suit yourself - grated or matchstick.
Toasting your own sesame seeds is way better but requires you to pay close attention. I put them in a flat non-stick pan and turned up the heat. You have to watch them carefully! Spread them around and mix them up periodically. When the individual seeds start to get a bit smaller and start to turn a bit brown, they should be ready - don't burn them!
We served it with grated feta cheese (I cheated and bought a bag of grated feta), just a bit sprinkled on top adds a nice contrast in taste.
We also used only 1 zucchini, rather than 2.
Here's a link to the full recipe:
Quinoa with Currants, Dill & Zucchini recipe (101cookbooks.com)
A One Day Fast
Today I'm doing a one day fast, based on the Lemonade Diet (also known as the Master Cleanse). When I was in residence at an ashram doing my yoga teacher training, we would do a fast once a week on Thursdays.
We had a class with one fasting expert, who told us that he once did a 40 day fast, had done lots of 10 day fasts, and that he strongly recommended NOT doing them. He said a once-a-week fast was easily do-able, and quite effective in giving the body a rest for a day (since the digestive organs don't have to process food). So this is my first attempt at re-starting that healthy habit. It's great if others in the family do the fast as well (it's harder if someone is eating and you're not).
Another benefit of doing a fast (other than the lemonade purchasing and prep) is that you have a lot more time at your disposal since you don't have to be preparing or eating meals. And you may experience a lightness, more energy, since the body is not processing heavy meals. So it's a great thing to do if you want to do a weekend retreat, for example, you can meditate and detox all at the same time!
I didn't have the lemonade diet recipe, so I surfed the internet (see diet recipe & instructions below). There are lots of websites about this and a few books that you can buy (books give you more of an idea of what to expect if you do the diet for more than a day), but here are the basics.
NOTE: a warning about the internal salt water bath - when they say don't go out for two hours, they really mean it! My first yoga teacher used to warn us about this - he said you definitely don't want to be driving in a car. You'll know what I mean when you try it for the first time. Think liquid. Stay close to a bathroom. It's quite powerful!
DISCLAIMER *** I am not a medical expert. If you choose to try this diet, you are responsible for your results. Please consult a medical doctor if you are concerned about any aspect of this diet. If you are doing a fast for longer than one day then you should be supervised by a medical professional. ***
LEMONADE DIET RECIPE:
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of the Lemonade Recipe a day, if you want to lose weight. You can also blend part of the lemon skin and pulp with the recipe to add fibre, since this acts as a mild laxative.
The idea behind using all organic ingredients is that this diet helps purge toxins from the body and if the ingredients are not as pure as possible, you'll only be adding toxins back. If you can't get organic products (like the sea salt or cayenne), try to get products with as few ingredients on the label as possible. Check out your local health food store, since this is a really popular diet and they are sure to have the right ingredients.
They recommend drinking a laxative herb tea (Smooth Move is a good one) the night before, but I didn't have any so didn't bother. I did do the Internal Salt Water Bath, though, first thing this morning, and it worked wonders.
INTERNAL SALT WATER BATH:
First thing in the morning, mix the following:
STAY NEAR A WASHROOM for about two hours. You'll have bowel movements that will seem urgent, and they will get increasingly more liquid and frequent. At least that's what happened for me. It's gross, but it's all good.
Now that you've cleaned out your system, it's important to remain hydrated during the day since a lot of water will be released in the bowel movements. You can drink herbal tea during the day (peppermint is nice), and green tea will help burn fat. Be sure to drink lots of water in between your lemonade!
We had a class with one fasting expert, who told us that he once did a 40 day fast, had done lots of 10 day fasts, and that he strongly recommended NOT doing them. He said a once-a-week fast was easily do-able, and quite effective in giving the body a rest for a day (since the digestive organs don't have to process food). So this is my first attempt at re-starting that healthy habit. It's great if others in the family do the fast as well (it's harder if someone is eating and you're not).
Another benefit of doing a fast (other than the lemonade purchasing and prep) is that you have a lot more time at your disposal since you don't have to be preparing or eating meals. And you may experience a lightness, more energy, since the body is not processing heavy meals. So it's a great thing to do if you want to do a weekend retreat, for example, you can meditate and detox all at the same time!
I didn't have the lemonade diet recipe, so I surfed the internet (see diet recipe & instructions below). There are lots of websites about this and a few books that you can buy (books give you more of an idea of what to expect if you do the diet for more than a day), but here are the basics.
NOTE: a warning about the internal salt water bath - when they say don't go out for two hours, they really mean it! My first yoga teacher used to warn us about this - he said you definitely don't want to be driving in a car. You'll know what I mean when you try it for the first time. Think liquid. Stay close to a bathroom. It's quite powerful!
DISCLAIMER *** I am not a medical expert. If you choose to try this diet, you are responsible for your results. Please consult a medical doctor if you are concerned about any aspect of this diet. If you are doing a fast for longer than one day then you should be supervised by a medical professional. ***
LEMONADE DIET RECIPE:
- 2 TB fresh organic lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- 2 TB organic maple syrup (grade B) (I don't know what grade B is but I used local organic syrup)
- 1/10 tsp organic cayenne pepper (a pinch)
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of the Lemonade Recipe a day, if you want to lose weight. You can also blend part of the lemon skin and pulp with the recipe to add fibre, since this acts as a mild laxative.
The idea behind using all organic ingredients is that this diet helps purge toxins from the body and if the ingredients are not as pure as possible, you'll only be adding toxins back. If you can't get organic products (like the sea salt or cayenne), try to get products with as few ingredients on the label as possible. Check out your local health food store, since this is a really popular diet and they are sure to have the right ingredients.
They recommend drinking a laxative herb tea (Smooth Move is a good one) the night before, but I didn't have any so didn't bother. I did do the Internal Salt Water Bath, though, first thing this morning, and it worked wonders.
INTERNAL SALT WATER BATH:
First thing in the morning, mix the following:
- 4 cups of warm water (1 quart)
- two level teaspoons of organic sea salt.
STAY NEAR A WASHROOM for about two hours. You'll have bowel movements that will seem urgent, and they will get increasingly more liquid and frequent. At least that's what happened for me. It's gross, but it's all good.
Now that you've cleaned out your system, it's important to remain hydrated during the day since a lot of water will be released in the bowel movements. You can drink herbal tea during the day (peppermint is nice), and green tea will help burn fat. Be sure to drink lots of water in between your lemonade!
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