Friday, September 7, 2012

In The News

I'm sorry for the lack of posts the last year.  My focus has been on our recent move (packing, selling the house, moving, unpacking, etc.).  Now that we're moved and are fairly settled I'm starting to develop a routine and plan to make more time to blog about food and nature.  For now, I'd like to share a couple of articles I recently read.  I'm also adding a couple more links to the left-hand menu:  Forks Over Knives and Engine 2 Diet.  Enjoy!

9 Super-Healthy, Vegetarian Protein Sources

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

In The News

Gardener feeds family with $100 a month

I love seeing stories like this.  I don't know if my garden will ever be as big as hers is, but I want to feed us as much as possible from the land that we have.  We just moved, but we managed to get a 4'x4' garden started with 3 basil plants, 2 Better Boy tomato plants and 10 Roma tomato plants.  I spent about $15 on the plants and the aged horse manure (which they absolutely love) was free.  I'm hoping to add several more 4'x4' squares next year, as well as raspberries and (maybe) blueberries.  Yum!

Friday, December 16, 2011

In The News

One Dough, Endless Cookies by Mark Bittman

I'm looking forward to baking!  I'd love to hear what you do with this recipe.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Blessed Earth and Vegetable Barley Soup

One of the books I am currently reading is Go Green, Save Green: A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God's Green Earth.  Nancy Sleeth has written an excellent biblically-based book of tips on how to live an environmentally friendly life and save money.  In writing this book, she follows in the footsteps of Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, her husband, and Emma Sleeth, her daughter, who have each written books about how and why we should be and can be taking better care of this place we call home.  The Sleeth family is an incredible inspiration in many ways.  Rather than repeat their story here, I encourage you to learn about them and their mission by visiting their website Blessed Earth, which I have added to the links section on the left, and/or reading any of their books.

Several years ago, Guidepost Magazine printed this recipe from Nancy Sleeth.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  It's wonderful in that it can change with the seasons, depending on what produce is available.  We've actually replaced the barley (which can get a bit gummy) with Quinoa, to add more protein as we move to a more vegetarian diet.  We've also used about a cup of lentils instead of kidney beans.


Vegetable Barley Soup

2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked barley
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups diced tomatoes or 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (15 ounce) can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons Italian seasonings
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables (peas, corn, string beans, squash)
Salt
Pepper

1. Heat broth in a large pot. Add barley, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, beans, bay leaves, seasonings, garlic. Bring to boil; cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
2.  Add additional fresh or frozen veggies; cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:
  • Experiment with different vegetables.
  • Double everything if you’re expecting a large crowd. 
  • Add 1–2 cups cooked chicken for a non-vegetarian dish. 
  • Freezes well.