Tag Archives: lunch

cauliflower soup

October 17, 2011 by the healthy ginger

happy monday, I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

my in-law’s were in town this weekend to watch some hockey. the start of a new hockey season means that it is officially fall.  the temperature is cooling down in Syracuse and I am feeling the need to have a lot more warming foods!

late last week I picked up a big head of cauliflower at Wegman’s, my new favourite grocery hangout. that same day I found some delicious inspiration from a fellow RHN + friend Michelle (check out her facebook page here). I loved what she did, but I was more in the mood for soup! Here is my adaption of Michelle’s recipe from here.

Ingredients: 

  •  1 cup of pure, filtered water
  • 1 cup of vegetable broth
  • head of cauliflower
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • couple dashes of cayenne
  • S.S + P (to taste)
  • 4 Tbsp organic butter
  • 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary

NOTE: liquid amounts can be adjusted depending on your desired consistency

Method:

  1. In a large pot add about 1 inch of water.
  2. cut off all of the greens and chop the florets off. assemble in the pot. cover the pot with the lid on and bring to a boil. reduce to medium heat, and let simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft.
  3. while the cauliflower is steaming, finely chop your sweet onion and mince the garlic
  4. in a pan saute the garlic and onion for approximately 5 minutes (or until soft) in 2 Tbsp of butter.
  5. when the onion, garlic, and cauliflower are all cooked, add the onion + garlic to the cauliflower and combine using a hand masher or hand blender. add your cup of vegetable broth  and combine a bit more. blend until it reaches your desired consistency, I prefer mine a bit chunky.
  6. add S.S + P to taste, additional 2 Tbsp of butter, a few dashes of cayenne (careful, it gets spicy fast!) + the rosemary.
Here is how it all progressed …..

I will warn you, easy on the cayenne! I may or may not have put a little too much in ….sorry hubby. it was still super tasty + delicious and I think I will have it again for lunch today.

thank you for the inspiration Michelle!

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bean + quinoa salad

October 14, 2011 by the healthy ginger

I was craving a cold salad with beans, and this is what I came up with.

Easy to make + assemble, and you can even double up the batch to keep in the fridge and add to lunch or dinner’s throughout your busy week.

this can be eaten alone, as a side dish, a snack or feel free to add to a bed of greens to spice up your salad!

Ingredients:

  • package of dried beans (I used a bean + lentil mixed variety this time, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand)
  • 1 cup dried quinoa (I mixed red + white)
  • 1/2 large cucumber or 1-2 small cucumbers
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 ribs of celery
  • handful of parsley
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • juice of one lemon
  • 2 tbsp EVOO
  • handful of pumpkin + sunflower seeds

Method:

  1. soak beans overnight. place the dried beans in a bowl or pot and cover with boiling water. let stand in the water overnight.
  2. rinse beans well in the morning before cooking. I use my strainer and run water over it.
  3. bring one large pot of water to a rolling boil, and add the beans.  cook for approximately 30-40 minutes.
  4. in the meantime, you can chop your cucumber, red pepper, celery, garlic, and parsley. transfer ingredients to a serving bowl
  5. when the beans are done cooking, place into a strainer and let cool.
  6. add dried quinoa to a strainer and rinse well. bring 2 cups of water to a boil then add the quinoa and cook for approximately 15 minutes.
  7. when the quinoa is cooked, set aside and let cool.
  8. once the beans + quinoa are cooled you can add them to the bowl with your chopped veggies. NOTE: I use about 1/2 to 3/4 of the cooked beans, and place the remainder in a glass container to use later for other recipes.
  9. add the lemon juice, EVOO, S + P, and rough chopped parsley. combine well.
  10. I prefer to place this in a glass container in the fridge to cool down before serving.
  11. just before serving I added a handful of pumpkin + sunflower seeds
happy weekend! 

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