Zucchini Hot Potato Soup

If you planted zucchini, I bet you are like me and can't eat it or give it away fast enough to keep up with it all! Whether you have zucchini growing out of your ears or need to pick some up from the store, you will want to try this soup!


Zucchini Hot Potato Soup

4 cups water
4 cups chopped zucchini
4 cups chopped, unpeeled potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup diced onion
1 TB garlic
1 tsp basil
1 TB olive oil
1 cup almond milk
1 heaping TB sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 TB dill weed
1 tsp salt
dash of black pepper


1. Bring water to boil in a 4-quart soup pot. Add potatoes and carrots, cook until tender.
2. In a fry pan heat olive oil, saute the onions, garlic, and basil on medium heat.
3. When onions are beginning to brown add zucchini. Cook until tender.
4. Add zucchini mixture to carrots and potatoes.
5. Puree all in blender.
6. Pour back into large pot. Add almond milk, sour cream, parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Stir well and serve!




Grab a good crusty loaf of bread to go with it and your meal is complete! This soup is SO good.


Nutritional Tips:
One of the great things about zucchini is it's known to be one of the lowest calorie
foods in existence. It should be in your arsenal if you're trying to lose weight! It's fiber
content will help you feel full. Also, zucchini contributes folate, Vitamins A and C, potassium and magnesium
to the body. Magnesium helps protect bones, heart, arteries and blood pressure. Even a mild
deficiency in magnesium may provoke major health problems. These are just a few of the nutritional points you will score with this soup!
Not to mention, that it tastes delicious!


I would love to know if you have any favorite ways of preparing zucchini! Especially since I have it growing out my ears!




Laugh Hard and Eat Well!
DandelionHeart

Lemon and Swiss Chard Cream Pasta

Are you still looking for yummy ways to cook all your swiss chard? This pasta is usually made completely with Basil but I substituted Swiss Chard and it turned out delicious! This recipe is very quick, so start the pasta first. It will take the longest to cook. Let me know what you think!

Lemon and Swiss Chard Cream Pasta

3 Cups Swiss Chard

1/2 Cup Basil

1 TB garlic

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1 Cup Kefir

1 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese

1 Package of Farfalle Pasta (bowtie)

Place olive oil, garlic, greens, and milk into the blender. Blend until liquid. Pour into a saucepan and heat on low. Stir in the lemon juice. When pasta is finished, add in the parmesan cheese and stir till melted. Immediately, pour over the bowtie pasta.

I keep slices of fresh lemon and parmesan to add on top. So good!

Exchanges:

Some exchanges you can make if you do not have the kefir:

1. add all milk.

2. add 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup sour cream (for a richer dish)

3. add two cups of heavy cream only (if you really want to indulge in a creamy pasta)

I think kefir is a good choice because of its probiotics. They help our digestive systems stay healthy. As long as you do not heat the pasta to extremely hot, you should not destroy the good bacteria in this dish.

Once again, swiss chard is a nutritional powerhouse. I love finding new ways to cook this amazing green.

Here's to a great summer dish!

DandelionHeart

Luna Pie and The Horn of the Moon Cafe

This came from a great cookbook called Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan. It was a lucky find at our local thrift store for $2. The book tells the story of this incredibly popular local vegetarian restaurant in the prime of its life. It was an establishment for 23 years in Vermont. Unfortunately, The Horn of the Moon Cafe was dealt a terrible blow. Here is an article talking about the final end for this incredible little restaurant, when the owner tragically killed himself.

http://www.mtbytes.com/mpbridge/article.cfm?articleid=119

It's a story worth reading and a cookbook worth investing in. The book can still be found on Amazon.com.

I feel grateful to have unintentionally fallen into this story and still be able to cook some of their most famous dishes. Thank you, Horn of the Moon Cafe.

Luna Pie

4 TB oil
1 cup finely, chopped onion
1 tsp basil
1 tsp dried leaf thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 cups finely, chopped celery
1 lb mushrooms chopped finely
1 package tofu
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cayenne pepper
1 tsp mustard, dry or wet
1/2 box phyllo dough
1/4 butter, melted


Heat 2 TB oil, saute first 5 ingredients until onions begin to brown. Set aside.
Heat remaining oil, saute mushrooms on medium to high heat until all moisture has evaporated.
In a bowl, mash tofu with a fork. Using an electric mixer, beat in eggs. Add cheese, salt, cayenne, and mustard mix well. Stir in sauteed veggies.
Preheat oven to 375. Cut phyllo dough into 12 inch squares. Using a pastry brush, brush a sheet with butter. Drape the dough over a 10-inch pie plate. repeat layers until 7 are stacked.
Gently push dough into bottom of pan. Pour in filling. Butter 3 more sheets and lay on top of filling. Roll over the hanging dough to form a pie crust edge. Brush top with butter. Slash top carefully down the center. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until browned. Let set 10 minutes after removing from oven before cutting.

*recipe taken from Horn of the Moon Cookbook
*Tips:
1. Use a food chopper to chop all veggies finely, quickly
2. place dough in a large pan and place a wet dish towel over it as you are working with it. It will keep it from drying out.

ENJOY! It is SO good!

DandelionHeart

Luna Pie- mushrooms and cheesy goodness!