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.

In The News

8 Reasons to Make Time for Family Dinner

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.

In The News

Red Meat Linked to Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Combating nature-deficit disorder in kids

Peaches

Peaches are in season! We ventured out to the State Farmers Market yesterday and came home loaded with Freestones and White Peaches.  There are so many wonderful ways to prepare peaches that I could list recipes and ideas like Bubba in Forest Gump listed ideas for shrimp.  Running around in this heatwave yesterday left us all with small appetites, so I just made a quick peach crisp in the microwave for dinner.  We can ignore the butter and sugar and focus on the oatmeal and peaches, right?  I plan to freeze skinned, chopped peaches for making jam (I'll put them in the freezer to make into jam when it's cooler!), freeze some for our Christmas fruit salad, and puree and freeze some for smoothies over the winter. I love Peach Smoothies because they are quick, easy, and make a good breakfast or lunch.  Hmm...  Lunch.  I think I just solved that dilemma...  :-)

Peach Smoothie

4 oz (1/2 cup) orange juice
4 oz (1/2 cup) plain, non-dairy, yogurt, low or non-fat
1/2 banana
1 peach, sliced (with skin, without pit)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Notes:
1.  Reduce juice to 1/4 cup and use 1/4 cup water, depending on sweetness of peach
2.  Add 1/4 tsp cinnamon, which can help lower blood glucose levels

3.  Add some ice cubes before blending to make it cool and slushy
4.  3 fruit servings

The Nature Principle

I'm looking forward to reading Richard Louv's newest book, The Nature Principle!  I enjoyed Last Child in the Woods where he coined the term "Nature Deficit Disorder".  This time he is writing about the importance of nature to adults.  A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to hear him speak at a commencement ceremony.  I could have listened to him for much more time than he was given.   If you have a chance to read any of his writing, I highly recommend it.

Mexican Pizza

Tonight we had Mexican Pizza for dinner.  This has become a very popular meal at our house and it's very adaptable to what is on hand.  We did them with refried beans, cheese, and salsa on toasted corn tortillas.  You can use soft taco tortillas, burrito tortillas (for a larger pizza), and any number of toppings.  I make them on the stove top on my griddle, but they can also be done on a stone in the oven or, for a softer "crust", in the microwave.

Getting started:  warming griddle, cooking refried beans, shredded Monterey Jack, and fresh salsa.

Toasting corn tortillas.

Flipped corn tortillas topped with refried beans.

Add cheese.

Finished off with salsa.