Detox Juice: Carrot and Apple

Just another week of trying out the juice detox. We've enjoyed the detox...kind of, more like, the day after a detox is quite nice, but the actual day of detox leaves us with a headache and ready to retire to bed early and STARVING the next day.

Regardless, Carrots and Apples are a good juice combination whether your detoxing or just want a fresh cup of juice.

Juicer Favorites/Experiments gone Well

Extended Shelf Life: Apples, Grapes, Bok Choy, Carrots, Pomegranate

Since returning to Laramie, we opted to make a fairly grand purchase of an Omega J8500 Juicer and it has been revolutionary!

I'm confident you'll be seeing a lot of juicer related recipes popping up as we're discovering all kinds of uses for the appliance (if you're feeling a bit impatient and want to learn more now, check out this page about my experience with the Juicer).

For now, know that a combination of Apples, Grapes and Bok Choy is quite amazing!

Equally amazing is a combination of Apples, Carrots and Pomegranate.

Curry Spinach and Potato Soup

Extended Shelf Life: Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes

The great thing about crockpots is it's quite easy to simply throw things in and let it go to work for the day. The unfortunate thing is...when you're more than a month behind on updating the good ole blog, it's a bit difficult to remember the exact process used.

Apologies.

Ingredients/Directions:

Wash and quarter a significant number of fingerling potatoes. Also chop 1-2 carrots, and some tomatoes. Throw into the crock pot. Season with curry powder, turmeric, coriander, salt, pepper, etc. For broth, use chicken broth and coconut milk until vegetables are submerged. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-5 hours. During the last 30 minutes, add washed and chopped spinach until wilted. Serve over rice or with naan or simply as soup and enjoy!

Beer Cheese Soup

Extended Shelf Life: Onions and Carrots

That's Right! Extended Shelf Life!

That can only mean one thing!?!?!

We're back in the land of abundance and waste and we're hitting up the grocers dumpsters and proving that expiration dates and scarred food don't make food inedible...just in need of some immediate tender loving care.

So when our good friend Harris, who heard about our dumpster diving ways while we all lived and taught in South Korea made his way out west, it seemed only fitting that he a) go for a dive and b) eat the fruits of his labor.

And since we were all so fresh to the homeland, it seemed most fitting that this inauguration meal incorporate a tasty micro brew and creamy delicious cheese.

Ingredients/Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 1/2 cups chopped Carrots, 1 1/2 cups chopped Onions and 2 minced cloves of Garlic. Add 1 Tbsp. Hot Pepper sauce, 1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Add 3 cups of Broth and 2 cups of flat Beer, simmer til veggies are tender. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, heat 1/3 cup Butter in large soup pot over medium high heat. Stir in 1/3 cup flour with a whisk until flour is light brown. Gradually stir in 4 cups of Milk. Maintaining your whisking action, gradually add in 6 cups of shredded Cheddar Cheese, letting it melt and incorporate with each addition.

Stir the beer and veggie mixture into the cheese mixture. Season with 1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard, 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce and 1 tsp. Dry Mustard. Add additional Hot Pepper Sauce if desired, simmer 10 minutes and serve up on a chilly fall night with a set of good friends and perhaps some football on the tele if you're so inclined.

Crockpot Chicken Lentil Chili

When preparing to move to the other side of the world, there seems to be a steady realization that there are food items which have been begging to enter the home-dweller's bellies.

And so I found myself accessing my 99 or so Kindle cookbooks (all free downloads...don't worry) to find a way to use up some major lentils.

This Chicken and Lentil Chili was top notch!

Directions/Ingredients:
Original Recipe thanks to The Everything Healthy Cooking for Parties by Linda Larsen.

Combine 2 chopped Onions, 5 minced Cloves of Garlic and 2 chopped Carrots in the bottom of 4-5 qt. Slow Cooker. Sprinkle with a seasoning mix of 3 Tbsp. Chili Powder, 1/2 tsp. Cumin, 1 tsp. Basil, Salt and Pepper.

Top with 1 1/2 cups Dry Lentils, 1/2 cup Brown Rice and 1 lb. Chicken Breasts. Pour 3 cups Diced Tomatoes (fresh or canned) over all. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup Tomato Paste with 1 cup of the Chicken Stock; stir until tomato paste dissolves. Add to crockpot along with additional 3 cups Chicken Stock and 3 cups Water.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until lentils and rice are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with sour cream (plain homemade yogurt) and salsa if desired.

Minestrone

Living in Laramie there were few things I enjoyed more than a big ole bowl of Minestrone. With too many friends leaving the expat life and heading back to the states I found myself with a lot of dried beans, including chickpeas...honestly, if friends have to leave, at least they can leave delicious foods behind for you to cook up in their absence.

So it came to be, a pot of Minestrone...which should never have exact measurements, as it's a soup...so, for me and my household, Minestrone includes:

Chickpeas, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, tomatoes (usually from a can), chicken or veggie broth (or tea), salt, pepper, italian seasoning and zucchini (or another form of summer squash) and it shoudl have noodles, mine however did not this go round.

If you make a large batch, which, why not? You should call up some friends and request they join you for dinner and if they feel they must, they can bring a baguette.

And should you find yourself with hardly a cup of soup left over, why not reduce it in a skillet the next night, add additional spices, perhaps chili powder or whatever your in the mood for and throw in a couple cups of rice -- it's a bit like fired rice and it's a fun way to use up some leftover soup ^.^

Thai Veggie Salad

 

Here's the deal...you need some veggies. Your favorites. And then you need to make this Thai style dressing. Throw them together and chow down. That's all.

I used mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes and green onions for my veg.

The dressing? Easy.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or orange juice if lime juice is hard to come by)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or cayenne, or whatever)


Put it in a jar, shake it up, dress the veggies, let set a little bit and enjoy the heck out of this dish! You could probably also use the dressing as a marinade or in a pasta salad and have equally great results ^.^

Original recipe and gorgeous photos can be found here by Andrea Meyers

Kimchi Fried Rice

We were runnin' the budget ragged this month with Cirque Du Soleil and other big spending events so, it was time to think of cheaper-than-normal meals. I figure...when in 'Rome'...right? Hence, Kimchi Bokkeumbap (Fried Rice). Cheap to eat out, equally cheap to eat at home, especially when you've received a BUCKET of home-made kimchi!

Ingredients/Directions:

You will need about 2 cups of prepared rice (best if prepared a day ahead...so I've heard). In a skillet heat a tablespoon of sesame oil and saute an Onion, chopped, 2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced and 1/2 a Carrot, diced. Add to the skillet as much kimchi as suits your taste buds chopped as finely or not finely as you like. Add rice, season with a bit of soy and gojuchang (?) -- Korean Red Pepper Paste, as much or little as you like. Make space between the rice for an egg or three, crack them on to the pan, let cook mix it up and serve. Can also serve the rice with a fried egg on top if you prefer, but with the rice prevents you from having to wash one more pan ^_^

Hassleback Hash

What could be better than combining the timeless Harrington favorite of Hash with the recently discovered awesome-ness of Hasselback Potatoes?

Not much. Not much at all.

Beef and Noodle Soup

Using Leftovers from: Slow-Cooker Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew

Having the opportunity to play around with leftovers is one of my great joys. Having a few cups of the Guinness Stew leftover was a huge blessing. Into a stovetop pot I threw some water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and salt as well as 2 Potatoes, diced and half of a Carrot, diced - brought the whole thing to a boil, added the leftover Guinness Stew and some noodles, cooked the whole thing until the noodles were tender and once again we were eating a delcious and fabulous dinner!

Roast Vegetables with Cheese Sauce

Again, I've found myself using Pinterest to mark a good idea and to find inspiration. A recent inspiration from the world of Pins and Likes and Re-Pins was a 'Choose Your Cheese - Cheese Sauce". I love cheese. And I love choices and a recipe designed for making substitutes.

I won't go into details on roasting veggies, as it's a fairly self-explanatory concept. This particular dish I threw into the oven a few sweet potatoes, carrots, an onion, bell pepper and some chunks of ham. The veggies had been coated in olive oil, salt and pepper. I left the veggies and ham in the oven until they were cooked through and tender (the sweet potatoes in particular). I also served this dish with rice - Rice, Veggies and Ham, Topped with Cheese Sauce.

As for the Cheese Sauce, it was quite simple and quick to put together. Specific measurements can be found here, however, I'm notorious for simply reading an ingredient list and throwing together the amount I deem acceptable for the time being (or available at the time). Therefore, my cheese sauce looked more like this: Milk, about 1/2 cup (not sure because we were about out, so just dumped the rest of the carton in), melt 2-3 Tbsp. Butter in the milk, whisk in about 2-3 Tbsp. Flour. Heat on stove top, add shreeded cheese (Cheddar for me) about a cup or two, dash of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Ensure the cheese has melted and the sauce is your desired consistency, viola - you are finished!

Carrot Cranberry Bread

Every other week or so I've been meeting up with my dear friend Jen and we meander one of Daejeon's traditional markets, snack on street foods and grab a cup of coffee, all while relating the latest antics from our English classrooms or online Master's Program. It is pure joy and beauty. Our most recent outing sent me packing a few lovely carrots for less than a buck and less than a clue as to how I would use them. A week went by and the carrots remained in the fridge, begging for the dirt to be washed off and their greatness used in something delectable. Wanting something sweet and breakfast like, I replied to the plea of these carrots with this absolutely divine loaf of carrot-cranberry bread. Using the batter concept from a recent loaf of Banana Bread, I made a few substitutes: carrots for bananas, cranberries for walnuts and here you have it, Carrot-Cranberry Bread hot from the oven!

Ingredients/Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and prepare a loaf pan with oil. Cream together 1/2 cup Margarine and 1 cup White Sugar (or combination white and brown if the mood so strikes you). Beat in 2 eggs and 2 grated Carrots (about 2 cups). Add 2 cups flour and 1 tsp. Baking Soda. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for approximately one hour until toothpick or metal chopstick inserted into the loaf comes out relatively clean and free of doughiness. Enjoy with a touch of butter and mug of hot tea!