"Almost Instant" Sweet 'n Spicy Carrot-Parsnip Soup

When 'the weather outside is frightful' as the old song says, the sweet warming fire of this spicy carrot-parsnip soup is so delightful! As you sprinkle on the hemp seed garnish, you may find yourself breaking out into a chorus of, "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" This tasty recipe is so quick to prepare, you'll have a pot of home made soup simmering before you can finish singing all the verse! "Very zesty," comments a lunch guest, referring to the soup not the musical performance!

You'll Need: 4 large carrots; 3 medium parsnip; 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 2 stalks celery; 1 small red onion; 1/2 sweet red pepper; 2 inch piece fresh ginger root; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon hot curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder; 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder; 4 cups water or vegetable broth; small bunch fresh parsley and fresh chives, finely chopped;  hemp hearts to garnish.

Wash and lightly scrub carrots and parsnips. Grate finely by hand or in food processor with small shredding plate. Sprinkle with sea salt. Cover and set aside.

By hand, or in food processor, chop onion, red pepper, celery, and ginger root. Add olive oil and chopped onion to soup kettle. Heat to medium-high, stirring briskly. When onions are glossy, stir in curry, coriander and turmeric, Add ginger, celery, and red pepper. Stir-fry until all vegetables are coated with oil and spices.

Scrape carrot-parsnip mixture into soup kettle. Stir fry for 15-20 seconds. Add in water or broth, and let it come to a boil, stirring gently. Reduce heat to low, cover soup kettle and simmer until vegetables are soft (6 - 8 minutes). For a creamier texture, place a stick (immersion) blender in pot, and process 1/3 - 1/2 of the vegetables to the soup consistency you prefer.

Chop fresh parsley and chives into thin slices, reserving a few larger pieces for garnish. Stir chopped parsley and chives into soup. Cover soup kettle, and let sit 1 minute.   

Transfer this spicy soup to a serving dish, and dust with a generous amount of hemp heart. Garnish with reserved parsley and chives, and enjoy the rich, invigorating taste with fresh bread or a small garden salad.

For thoughts about the zen of mindful cooking, visit http://zen-cuisine.blogspot.com/

Holiday Avocado with Pumpkin Seed Salsa

An "out-of-this-world" taste? It's a bit of heaven in a bowl. Underneath this creamy rich pumpkin seed salsa are chucks of lemon-fresh avocado. A delicious blend of cucumber, pineapple, green onion and pungent spices--cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne - make this nutritious salad as tasty to eat as it is easy to prepare.

You'll need: 1 avocado per person;  1/2 fresh lemon; few grains Himalayan salt

For Salsa: 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds; 1/2 English cucumber; 1/2 cup fresh pineapple; 1 green onion; 1 teaspoon cumin powder; 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder; 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 cup Greek-style or thick soy yoghurt. 

For Garnish: red grape tomatoes, powdered chives




Method: Soak pumpkin seeds in fresh water for 2 hours. Drain, and set aside. Cut avocados in half, and remove pit by slipping the bowl of a small spoon underneath the pit and gently rolling it from its hole.

Peel the avocado halves and spritz the top and bottom surfaces with lemon juice to bring out the avocado's nutty flavour and prevent discoloration.

Place 2 avocado halves in each serving bowl, and sprinkle with a little Himalayan salt. Cover and set aside.

Peel cucumber, and cut in to large pieces. Peel, core and coarsely chop fresh pineapple. Cut root off and remove any damaged stems from the green onion; slice it into 2 -3 pieces. Set 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds aside. Put remaining pumpkin seeds in food processor with green onion, and pulse until finely ground. Add cumin, coriander, cayenne and cinnamon. Pulse lightly to mix spices into seeds, then add yoghurt. Blend for a few seconds until smooth.

Uncover serving dishes, and cut the avocado halves into bite size pieces in the bowl. Reserve 1 piece from each serving, cutting it into three thin slices for garnish. This method for cutting the avocado keeps the delicate, buttery pieces whole.

 

Spoon cucumber-pineapple salsa over avocado pieces, covering them completely. Wash grape tomatoes and cut them into halves. Arrange a 10-12 tomato pieces on one side of the dish. Add three thin avocado slices, and a small pile of  pumpkin seeds. Spritz with lemon juice and sprinkle with powdered chives and a little cayenne.

Serve this salad as soon as it is ready. If you want to make it in advance, refrigerate avocado and salsa separately. Stir salsa gently before using to recombine any juice from the cucumber and pineapple juice. Top avocado pieces and garnish. Accompany this tasty dish with fresh crispy rolls or toasted English muffins for an easy to prepare energy-packed lunch.

For thoughts about

the zen of preparing food, visit

zen-cuisine: A Mindfulness Blog

Crunchy Crispy Cabbage

A cabbage side dish bursting with crunch and flavour-- This unusual, but very easy recipe turns a sometimes 'ho-hum' vegetable into a lot of fun! Fresh cilantro perks up the already intriguing taste of cabbage, onions and cumin. Sweet sultanas, pumpkin and sunflower seeds complete the list of nutritious ingredients. A lunch guest described Crunchy Crispy Cabbage as "full of good, complex flavour...surprising for something that looks so simple." Try it with a favorite meal, or make it with red cabbage for a holiday feel. It's sure to delight most appetites.

You'll Need: 

1 large sweet onion; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder; 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 1 teaspoon tamari; cayenne pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon sultanas; 2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage; 1/2 lemon; 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves; 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked; 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked.

Soak sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in fresh water for 2 hours before using. Drain and set aside to dry. Skin and chop sweet onion. Place in large pot with olive oil over medium heat. Saute until soft and translucent. Add cumin seeds, and stir fry to lightly toast. Stir in coriander and allspice into onions. Mix in sultanas. Add tamari sauce, and mix well. Remove pot from heat and cover. Let dish rest for a few minutes until sultanas are plump and spices have mingle with the onions.

Coarsely chop the cabbage. Return pot of onions and spices to a burner at medium-high heat. Add cabbage and stir fry until cooked to your liking (some people like it very soft; others prefer a definite crunch between the teeth). Spritz cabbage with the juice of half a lemon. Sprinkle with cayenne powder, if used.

Remove the dish from the heat, and stir in pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Mix well. Add fresh coriander, and lightly toss all ingredients together.

Garnish with a few fresh coriander leaves and serve. This recipe is very good when eaten hot, or at room temperature. Chilling it before serving turns it in to a different but delicious side salad. Enjoy your crispy cabbage crunch!  

For thoughts about food, visit http://zen-cuisine.blogspot.com/

Really Easy Home Made Lentil Soup

This is probably the easiest lentil soup you can make. It's bursting with the flavour of fresh vegetables, red lentils, spicy curry powder and ginger root. You can make this soup in less than an hour from start to finish, and enjoy it with crispy rolls or crackers for a nourishing, warm lunch on a cold December day.

You'll need: 

For the Soup:
1 onion; 1 clove garlic; 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger root; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 sweet red pepper; 1 small hot red pepper; 1 large carrot; 3 large mushrooms; 2 teaspoons hot curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 1 cup red lentils; 1 tablespoon tamari; 5 cups water.To Garnish: 1 tablespoon hemp hearts.

 Method:
Chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Put olive oil and onion in a large soup pot, and cook gently over a medium heat until onions begin to soft. Turn heat up to medium and add garlic and ginger root, sauteing until fragrant.

While the onions are softening, wipe and thinly slice the mushrooms, dice sweet and hot red peppers, and cut carrots into circles or half moons. Add  vegetables to the pot in this order: mushroom, peppers, and carrots. Mix in each vegetable gently, until coated with oil, and lightly stir fry before adding next vegetable.

Fill the kettle with 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add the curry powder and ground turmeric to the soup pot, stirring to blend into vegetable mixture. Add in lentils and mix well. Stir in the tamari.

Add 1 cup of boiling water to the soup pot. Stir well, loosening any bits of vegetable stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add remaining 4 cups of water, and combine with vegetables. Heat just to boiling point, and let cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Stir again, reduce heat to a slow simmer, and put lid on soup pot. Cook until lentils and vegetables are softened and well-integrated. Garnish with hemp hearts, and serve hot.

For thoughts about mindful cooking, visit http://zen-cuisine.blogspot.com/