Butternut Squash Soup

IMG_4212It is our favorite Fall/Winter soup. It even looks like fall when leaves on the trees change colors to yellow, orange, and red while some surprisingly stay green.

When it rains or the wind is blowing so strong making us hurry up in the warm shelter of our homes, this soup is the best “comfort food” – sweet, warming, and satiating. Easy to make, easy to digest, and healthy. Butternut squash belongs to the family called “winter squash” – seasonal vegetables with tons of vitamins. It is designed to keep you warm regardless of cold weather. It can stay in the fridge for 2 – 3 days… Yum!

Ingredients

  1. 1 large Butternut Squash peeled and cut into cubes
  2. 4-5 organic bulk carrots cut into rounds
  3. 1 big onion cut into pieces
  4. 1-2 large organic zucchini
  5. 1 small bunch of organic parsley with stems
  6. 1.5 Tbs sea salt
  7. 1/2 tsp cumin
  8. 1/2 tsp coriander
  9. 1/2 tsp paprika
  10. 1/2 inch of fresh ginger
  11. 2 Tbs olive oil
  12. Water as much as it takes to cover vegetables

Cooking Instructions

  1. Cut onion into 1/2 inch pieces. Put a cooking pot on the range, add olive oil. After a few moments when oil is warm add onion. Reduce the flame and let the onion simmer. It may become slightly light brown.
  2. Peel butternut squashes skin off. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Remove and discard seeds. Put the cut butternut squash into the pot on top of simmered onion
  3. Cut carrots into 1/2 inch rounds and put on top of squash
  4. Cut zucchini into 1 inch half moons and add to the pot
  5. Slowly pour cold water on top of vegetables until they are almost covered.
  6. Increase the flame so water can reach boiling point. Reduce the flame when it boils, add salt, cover with a lid but leave some room so nothing would escape from the pot.
  7. Cook for 20 minutes.
  8. Add the rest of the spices
  9. Cut fresh ginger into very small pieces and add to the pot.
  10. Cut parsley and add to the pot. Cook for another minute.
  11. Turn off the flame. Let it cool off a little to protect your mixer knives from becoming dull.
  12. Mix well with an electrical mixer until your soup has even creamy texture
  13. Try it for salt. Add salt if needed to your taste.
  14. Serve hot.
  15. You can enjoy it with minced parsley added to your bowl and with your favorite crackers or homemade croutons or as is 🙂

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**Health Benefits of Butternut Squash

  • Butternut squash has very low calories. It contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; however, is a rich source of dietary fiber. Squash is one of the common vegetables that often recommended by dieticians in the cholesterol controlling and weight-reduction programs.
  • It has more vitamin A than other vegetables, constituting about 354% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucus. It is also an essential vitamin for optimum eye-sight. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A help the body protected against lung and oral cavity cancers.
  • It is rich in the B-complex group of vitamins like folate, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, thiamin, and pantothenic acid. It contains adequate levels of minerals like iron, zinc, copper, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus.

Apples

Rosh Hashanah – It is a wonderful time. It is a new beginning with the deepened love, understanding, resolutions, commitments and sweet familiar feeling of celebration. It is time for new and old – like our traditions.

Traditionally we start the celebration by dipping apples into honey and wishing each other sweet year!AppleGala600

If you are, like me, eat according to the season, then you have not had apples for a while. Last season apples lost their taste and vitamins long time ago. Lately our tastes for fresh produce were mostly attracted to strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches and similar summer seasonal fruits.

And now I am excited for a new crop of this year apples – the first ones so tender, juicy with wonderful aroma. So many different kinds – all taste so amazing like never before!

New crop just in time for old and wise tradition to have apples for Rosh Hashanah!

Organic apples are so delicious and packed with vitamins.  “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is an old saying that most of us are familiar with, but what makes this fruit so special? What health benefits are associated with eating apples?

As one of the most cultivated and consumed fruits in the world, apples are continuously being praised as a “miracle food”.  Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants and dietary fiber. Apples deserve to be called “nutritional powerhouses”. They contain many important nutrients: Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, iron, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

Apples could be enjoyed in so many different recipes: just raw (with or without honey), baked, in salads, applesauce, as stuffing and many more.

Here are couple simple healthy recipes:

Baked apple slices, with raisins, almonds, and dried cherries in pomegranate juice and honeyReadyTo Bake Apples

Ingredients:

  • 4 organic golden delicious or granny smith apples
  • 1 cup of raisins
  • ½ cup dry cherries
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 2 Tbsp organic raw honey

Cooking Instructions:

Cut apples to 8 slices each and place in the baking sheet (see picture above), evenly spread raisins, almonds and dry cherries. Mix pomegranate juice and honey and pour over apples. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 F without cover.

Enjoy for dessert or mid-day snack!

baked Apples

Blanched collard salad with gala apples, peanuts, sesame seeds and parsley

CollardAppleSalad_300Ingredients:

  • 2 leaves organic collard greens and stems
  • 1 quarter raw organic gala apple
  • 1/4 cup minced organic parsley
  • 1/4 cup peanuts
  • 1/8 cup toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

Freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with a few drops of brown rice vinegar, a few drops of soy sauce and a tea-spoon of peanut oil

Cooking Instructions:

Wash and check collard. Cut the stems off. Put stems in a pot with boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the hot water and let cool off. Put collard leaves one by one in the boiling water for 30 seconds.

Slice blanched collard stems, collard leaves, apples, parsley and mix together. Sprinkle with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. Add dressing.

Happy Rosh Hashanah! Sweet and healthy New 5776 Year !

Summer Daily Menu

Many people asked me about a menu for a day.

I put together a sample menu for summer. I selected cooking styles as well as grains, beans and vegetables that mostly suited to nourish your organs during hot summer days. The menu consists of lightly cooked, easily digested foods which will help your body to balance normal temperature, not get overheated while providing plenty of nutrients.

BREAKFAST

quinoa sauteed veggies

strawberries

pumpkin seeds

LUNCH – EASY to take to work

Tabouleh saladhummusPeach

SNACK 

In case you feel hungry and want to eat something small between lunch and dinner – 1/2 cup of almonds or walnuts is a healthy option

DINNER

beet soup

Tofu barley green beanswatermelon

Enjoy!


Health Tip** For some people summer is associated with barbecue in the middle of a hot day. Eating grilled meat is very stringent for the heart and other organs. Liver gets overheated. People might experience excessive sweating and have hard time being outside to enjoy the sunny day. Refrain from barbecued meat could make a surprising pleasant shift to being able withstand 85+F much more comfortable and easy.

Summer Fruit and Vegetables

cherriesSummer is a wonderful season with long days and lots of sunshine. We like to spend more time outside – walking along the beach or park, playing summer sports or watching our kids play, swimming or watching others swim, and eating outdoors either at our backyards, balconies or forest preserves picnic areas.
Our body needs food to cool off when it is hot outside. No wonder we like to have fresh salads, cold summer soups. Out of sudden long cooked dishes lose their attraction. We enjoy raw fruit and berries. They are delicious and ripe with the abundance of sun.
The color of vegetables also shifted to more bright warm colors like yellow, red and all in between.
It is time for fresh berries – strawberries, blueberries, cherries, sour cherries.
It is time for summer fruits – watermelon, peaches, apricots, and plums.

We enjoy newly harvested vegetables – radishes, carrots, daikon, and beets.
Red color is dominant 🙂 though green vegetables are always good for you. Green vegetables help keep our diet balanced and not to overload on glucose which could be tough on our liver.

Because we naturally get more sugar from summer vegetables, berries and fruits, our body is craving pungent even bitter taste to balance it out.
Radish, daikon, arugula, dandelion, and ginger are great veggies to keep us healthy while we indulge ourselves with sugary freshly grown summer produce.

Summer food is sweet. Most of the recipes are raw or quickly cooked.

Corn on the cob takes 5-7 minutes to cook. Corn
Cucumber zucchini Polenta soup takes 10 minute to cook. cucumber soup
Red Cabbage, Daikon pressed salad takes 10 minutes to prepare (plus 1 hour under press) pressed salad

Health Tip** The higher the temperature that food is cooked, the longer it stays in your gut and the more difficult it becomes for your digestive mechanisms to digest it.

Mother’s Day calls for a Dessert

MothersDayBouquet2015My daughter sent me this beautiful bouquet of flowers. Her love and thoughtfulness shines through the choice of unique, colorful, and every time different but always gorgeous bouquet. It touches my heart every time with realization and appreciation of our deep connection. She attached a card that speaks volume to me – loving and caring message enveloped in the refined sence of humor. I can’t help sharing it here:

Happy Mother’s Day to my greatest teacher, my best friend and my cheapest therapist! I love you! #CoolestMom #BestMom #MyMomCooksGreatFood #HealthyMom #MomIsOnInstagram #mom #MomGivesAdvise #MothersDay #Flowers #Colorful #Spring #MomAppreciation #Mommy #Mama #FunMom #WiseMom #SmartMom #MacrobioticMom #ILoveYou #Love #ChefMom

I was not into cooking, moreover into healthy cooking. 😦 at the time when my daughter attended the high school. She learned how to cook and she loves cooking since then. She used to find complicated recipes, provided me with the list of ingredients to buy (many of which I had not heard before). 🙂 and another cooking masterpiece emerged! I was amazed at her creativity. Sometimes she would call me at work to find out at what time I was coming home because she was cooking dinner. It had to be perfectly done and warm by my arrival. In addition, she was designing beautiful menus and we played roles. She was an owner of a boutique restaurant and I was a lucky guest. I got to enjoy colorful menu, delicious food, gorgeous presentation, excellent service and a great company.

Ever since then, when it comes to having a meal, she does not just start eating; she makes a beautiful arrangement on her plate and when it is decorated to mouth-watering appetizing state – it is ready to be eaten.

I believe the passion for the food decoration is passed on with genes. It runs in the family – my mom always spent time on elaborated decoration of every dish when we had guests over. Not a single dish would be served at the table unless it is fully decorated regardless of the fact that guests are already gathered and hungry 🙂

All these good memories are connected with the food I cook today. My cooking is an act of love. It is important to give love to the food while making it. The taste is totaly depends on the state of your heart while preparing food. When you cooking with passion it guarantees the delicious result (not experience or good recipe description). I am inspired to dedicate time to arrangement and decoration of my dishes. This dessert is my grateful gift to my teachers: my mom and my daughter who continue inspire me today.

Happy Mother’s Day to You and Your Mother !!!!DessertAgarStrawberryRaspberryKiwi600