Thanksgiving Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
4 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 1/2 pounds carrots, diced
1 quart chicken broth
A dash white pepper
4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
Dill for garnish




Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and ginger. 

2. Cook until the shallots become translucent. 

3. Add the diced carrots and enough chicken stock to cover them. 

4. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. 

5. Skim off any scum or fat which floats to the surface, cover the pot tightly, and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft.
6. Place the carrots and chicken stock into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and white pepper. Serve immediately and garnish a little plain yogurt and fresh dill.

Fall Spiced Granola

Ingredients: 8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups almonds, chopped
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Combine the first four ingredients and mix well.
3. Using a food processor, combine all other ingredients and blend until smooth.
4. Pour pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until the nuts and oatmeal are completely coated. 

5. Divide the granola into two pans.
6. Bake the granola for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. 

7. Serve with yogurt. Healthy and yummy!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Sea salt and pepper
½ cup toasted pumpkin seed, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped



Stuffing Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon curry
¼ cup golden of currants
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 zucchini, diced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut acorn squash in half and clean out seeds and fibers. Cut a very thin slice off bottom, so that acorn squash halves can sit flat like soup bowls.
3. Brush with olive oil and distribute garlic evenly over 4 halves.
4. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes.
5. While squash is baking prepare stuffing.
6. In a skillet heat oil and sauté onions, curry and raisins for 3 minutes. Add cooked grains and stir for 5 minutes.
7. Remove skillet from heat and mix in parsley and zucchini.
8. Fill each squash cup with stuffing and top with chopped pumpkin seeds.
9. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the squash is soft (when a butter knife sinks into the squash with ease).
10. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Fish Safety and Pregnancy

One of my friends who was pregnant asked me to help with some of the confusion around fish and fish safety.

Basic guidelines:

• The larger the fish, the more mercury has accumulated by way of the food chain. Bluefish, marlin, swordfish, and canned albacore tuna are on the “high” mercury concentration list. 

• Halibut, lobster, canned chunk tuna, and mahi mahi are among the “medium,” and sardines, scallops, shrimp, tilapia, wild salmon, and trout are on the “low” list.

• Raw tuna and other sushi fish are also something to watch out for” because they have a high concentration of mercury.

• California Roll? Watch out for the imitation crab—it’s full of sugar and low on protein. Pregnant? “Women with elevated mercury levels should ideally begin avoiding or restricting their consumption of mercury-laden fish as much as a year before they become pregnant.”

Quick Power Pancakes

These pancakes are great to make as a special weekend breakfast, but without all the work of most pancakes from scratch! With only six ingredients, these aren't hard to throw together for a yummy meal. With warm berries on top, they don't even need syrup to taste sweet and delicious!





Ingredients
2 cups low fat cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 1/2 tablespoon oil of choice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cups berries of choice

Preparation

1. Mix the cottage cheese in a blender until smooth. Combine all ingredients except fruit in a bowl, add the cottage cheese, and mix until blended.
2. Cook on a nonstick griddle over medium heat until browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the fruit in a saucepan with a little water or juice until melted. Heat for 2 minutes. Pour over hot pancakes to serve.

Load up your kids diet with fruits and veggies

Some of the complaints i get from my clients is that by the time they get to eating their fruits and veggies they have gone bad. So below i have posted some guidelines.

Guidelines for storing vegetables and fruits:
Apples: At room temperature for up to seven days or refrigerated in a plastic bag
Bananas: At room temperature, both ripe and unripe.
Grapefruit: At room temperature for one week or refrigerated for up to two or three weeks.
Peaches: At room temperature in a paper bag if unripe; remove from the bag when ripe and eat within a day or two.
Strawberries: Refrigerated for one to three days without washing.
Oranges: At room temperature for a day or two or refrigerated for up to one or two weeks.

Broccoli: Refrigerated for three to five days.
Carrots: Refrigerated, stored in a bag with the green tops cut off

Lettuce: Refrigerated in a plastic BPA bag after rinsing and drying.
Tomatoes: At room temperature, out of direct sunlight — they quickly lose their taste if refrigerated.

If you have had a busy week and overbought your veggies---throw them in a pot with water, stock beans,and herbs and make a soup. If you over bought on your fruit, throw them in the blender and make a smoothie or chop them up and bake them and make a cobbler

Pea Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups vegetable broth 

1 cup water, plus more if needed 

2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped 

2 stalks celery, finely chopped 

2 large carrots, finely chopped 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 1/2 cups dried yellow split peas 

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 

1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional) 

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional) 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions:
1. Place the broth, water, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in a large stock pot over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. 

2. Add the dried split peas, turn down the heat, and simmer for 35-35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the peas are very soft. 

3. Add the salt, cumin, red pepper, and black pepper. 

4. Using a potato masher or the back of a metal spoon, mash the peas for about 3-5 minutes, or until the soup is creamy, adding more water as necessary. (Alternatively, you can choose to puree a little more than half of the soup in a blender and then mix it with the un-pureed portion). 

5. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve hot with bread or rice.