A new creation and my friend Bonnie came over to volunteer for taste testing. I am glad to report that not only did she survive but pronounced this dish, ‘very, very good’.

Potatoe Nest with steamed Veggies and Portabella ‘Burger’.

(Serves 2)

6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp rock/or sea salt, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp parsley, 1 tsp dry roasted sesame seeds, mini carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow/green zuccini, Asparagus (was on sale you can omitt). (Portabella is in recipe archive under ‘Portabella revisited.’

Cook, peel and mash potatoes, (best if you have a ricer). Season potatoes with salt and nutmeg , add parsley, butter. If consistency is too dense, add a little hot broth. Place in 16″ inch pastry bag with large star tip. Spray cookie sheet with Pam (or use a little butter) Squeeze pastry bag and create 3 tiered circles, approx 4-5 inches room in the middle. (You can draw circles onto parchment paper and then trace with bag. Sprinkle with sesame and bake @350F for approx. 10 min.

Meanwhile steam veggies, add herbs. When nests are done, place them in the middle. Serve with Portabella Burger. This is a very nice lunch or dinner for anyone.

A friend sent me an e-mail with these great suggestions.

So here are some good ideas. — It’s hard to get kids eat salad but this may do the trick. You will need: 1 head of iceberg lettuce, 2 med carrots, peeled and sliced, 1 small cucumber sliced, 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, 1 pint mini-mozzarella cheese balls.

In bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup balsamic (or regular) vinegar, 1/2 tsp ground mustard (or Dijon) pinch of sugar, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley and/or basil.

Wooden skewers.

Cut iceberg lettuce into wedges then into 1 and 1/2″ cubes. Thread wooden skewer, alternating with sliced carrots, cucumber, lettuce cubes, tomatoes and cheese. Serve with Balsamic dressing to dip in. This would be a different salad treat for your next BBQ as well.

DON’T throw out left over salad. You can use this wilted green and make a delicious Gazpacho soup. In a food processor or blender pulse 2 cups of salad (including the vinaigrette and croutons) 1 small, chopped onion and 1 clove garlic until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add 2 cups of vegetable juice and chill. Low calories and fast. Serve with garlic- buttered bread.

Fluffy, summer pancakes: Swap the milk or buttermilk in the recipe for seltzer. It’ll make for a light, bubbly texture. Add the seltzer last and gently fold it so you won’t lose the fizz. Cuts down on calories as well as lactose intolerant people can eat pancakes.

I am constantly trying to expand my list of meatless, low fat, sugar-free dishes. It’s not that easy! But, here is a winner and keeper. (My friend Bonnie says so.)

This recipe is for 4 hungry people:

2 yukon gold potatoes

2 sweet potatoes

2 onions

3 Portabellas

1 can (salt free) diced tomatoes, fresh is better

1/2 can of tomato paste

2 cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp sweet paprika, salt, pepper, dash chili flakes, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds

Vegetable broth

1 cup Merlot

Dice onions, garlic and sautee in coconut oil, add diced Portabella’s, sautee for about 5-8 min. Then, add diced potatoes, broth and red wine. Simmer on med heat for approx. 1 hr. Then add paprika, tomatoes and all speices. Simmer an additional 15-20 min. Sprinkle Ital parsely on top.

Serve with steamed broccoli or baby bok-choy.

Such a lovely name. I did not give this fungi the respect it deserves until about a year ago.

Since my lifestyle change, I had not eaten any meat and wanted something more substantial and of a texture different from that of potatoes, rice, or salads. This is what I created and it tastes great.

• 2 Portabellas (per person)
• Mrs. Dash seasoning (or equivalent)
• roasted red pepper (from glass or,  fresh if you have time to roast
• green and yellow zucchini
• 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
• 1/2 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp butter
• (Provolone cheese if you’re not Vegan.)

Wipe the portabellas with a paper towel. Do not wash them because they’ll get water-logged and unsuitable.  Heat the oil and butter in pan, add the portabellas, top down, then red peppers on the side.  Sautee covered, for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Cut zucchini (like french fries) and add to pan. Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash. Turn the portabellas, zucchini, and red peppers, and continue to sautee, covered, for another 5-8 minutes. Place red peppers on top of the portabellas and then add cheese and Liquid Smoke.  Cover again and cook for another few minutes until the cheese has melted. Looks really nice and colorful. (I was going to upload a picture, as I made this last night but was too hungry to wait.)

The other day I bought this gorgeous mango. I placed it on a special plate and admired it for a couple of days. If I could paint, this would’ve made a beautiful still-life.  Today, it’s history and ending up in this salad.

For awhile now I’ve been making my own dressings as that ‘gummy’ concoction from a bottle is nearly nauseating. Especially the ‘fat -free’  stuff. Here are a few, basic great tasting alternatives. Remember, only coat the salad. Don’t drown it in dressing.

Classic French Dijon:                                                  Cilantro Lime

1/3 cup white wine vinegar                                      1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp each, kosher salt                                          2 Tbsp cider vinegar

and black pepper                                                       1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard                                               1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp sugar                                                              1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp chopped Thyme, Estragon                              1 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil                                     2 Tbsp cilantro

2/3 cup (or less) canola oil

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Raspberry Balsamic:

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp water

4 tsp raspberry preserves

1/4 tsp kosher salt/ 1/2tsp gr black pepper

1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot

2/3 cup extra virg olive oil

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When my friend Bonnie came last week to help out with domestic chaos, I rewarded her and myself with this wonderful breakfast.

Pumpkin Pancakes:

1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat ( or whole grain) pastry flour

2 Tbsp light packed raw sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt ( a. k. a ‘pinch’)

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 and 1/2 fat free ( or skim) milk

1 large egg (or 1/2 cup liquid egg substitute)

2 Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

In large bowl mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl whisk together pumkin puree, milk, egg, apple sauce and cider vinegar. Stir this mix into dry ingredients until ‘just’ blended. Let batter rest for 5 min. Preheat skillet or griddle to med high heat and mist with cooking spray. For each pancake, pour 1/4 cup batter onto skillet. When edges are dry, flip. ( 1-2 min per side). Only 133 cals and 1 g fat.

Serve with pear sauce. Heat medium skillet over med heat, coated with cooking spray. Add 2 pears (cored and sliced) and 1 Tbsp crystallized ginger. Cook and stir for approx. 5 min. add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lite syrup. Cook for one more minute and keep warm.

When my daughter, Candy, was little, she’d ask me what a crepe was. I would tell her a crepe was a pancake that had gone to the Sorbonne.  🙂

This is a really good, simple dish. You can use whole wheat flour (1 and 1/2 cups) 2 eggs, milk, 1/4 tsp salt. The batter should have the consistency of (liquid) whipping cream. Let the batter rest in fridge for at least 2 hrs.

Dice and saute small carrots, zuccini, and celery in coconut oil. Use a little Mrs. Dash for seasoning. Then use coconut oil to sautee and fry the crepes.  When each crepe is done, spread cashew butter on it then add veggies. Add salad greens and a sliced tomato for garnish.

Before we start cooking, it’s very important to know a little about what to use to cook/fry/saute food with.

Margarine: Lab created. It looks like grey sludge before they bleach it and then add yellow color. Some are made from cottonseed oil which is not for human consumption due to their toxic substance. Others are named ‘Canola’ which is actually ‘rapeseed’. Look it up. They created that one for cars.

All oils, even expensive olive oils, should never see the ‘light of day’. You can use it sparingly when cold but never heat it. It will release radicals which will stay in your body.

The ONLY fat that is healthful and goes right through, is, Coconut oil. Still a fat but a much better one for you.

Butter has gotten a bad rap for a long time and it’s still not the most ideal but of course, much better than above margarine which uses expensive ads. (Especially one with ‘Fabio’ long haired, aging Italian who’s swinging from Garlands  and running up steps in Venice, to sell this stuff.

You can substitute dry sherry, orange juice, apple juice, mineral water to fry and saute. This will brown your meat  and or vegetables without fat.

Flaxseed oil is one of the other healthy oils. It comes in dark bottle and has to be refrigerated. It’s never just sitting for month on a shelf.

Just making a small change can mean so much.

If you think that Vegan Food is boring or restrictive, there’s another reality. It’s much more colorful and with a few tricks and a bit know-how can be excellent, even ‘gourmet’.

I got this recipe of a T.V cooking show and recreated it the same week when I had company. (Got huge raves.)

1 lb Vegan chocolate

1 can of coconut milk

muffin liners

powdered sugar

Divide chocolate. Melt over hot water.  Then, brush muffin liners (3/4 up to top) place in fridge or freezer. ( I do this step a day ahead.) A couple of hours before dinner and /or guests, melt second half of chocolate, poir into mixing bowl. Open can of coconut milk and just use the ‘fat part’ which has accumulated on the top do NOT use the liquid.(Save for another use.) Add 3 Tbsp of powdered sugar and whip choc. coconut mix.

Get chocolate muffin liners, let it stand at room temparatur for a few minutes and then carefully peel off the paper. Add a couple of spoons of choc mousse, then place all back into fridge.

You can make a raspberry ‘coulis’ (sauce) with this and it looks great. Press raspberry through a fine mesh sieve, add a couple of Tbsp powdered sugar. (2 Tbsp of ‘Kirsch’ if desired and I’ll tell you you will desire this.) ‘Paint’ sauce onto plate, set choc mousse cup next to it. Voila. Great dessert.

Although not fat-free this tasty spread is amazingly good. You can reduce your cow butter-fat quite a bit. For 1/4 cup serving size it only has 11 g of fat.

2 cups raw cashews

1 cup filtered water

1/3 red pepper, ribs and seeds removed

2 and 1/2 Tbsp green onion -diced

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro- minced

1 tsp garlc minced

1/4 tsp salt

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Place cashews in a small bowl and add enough water to barely cover. Let stand for a few hours. Then place in a blender (or use immerser) and blend until very smooth. Assemble rest of ingredients and add to ‘butter’. Serve immediately or place in a glass container with a tight fitting lid. Place in fridge and use between 3-4 days. This can also be used a a dip base for your party or summer grill.

After yesterday’s hike and heat, it would’ve been great to come home to a cold soup. This one is very simple, very healthful and very good. With only 170 cals and 1 g fat, it’s ideal too.

Chillded  Melon Soup:

(makes 2 cups) adjust to more servings)

1 lg honey dew or cantaloupe melon, rind removed

1 cup coconut water

2 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice

pinch chili powder–and cayenne–and cinnamon

Dash agave nectar (optional)

Blueberries (optional)

fresh mint leaves

Cut melon in half and remove seeds

Place melon in blender and add coconut water, lime juice and seasonings. Blend on low speed until well mixed.

You can use different fruits for different soups.

2 Tbs orange juice

2 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs  each fresh cilantro and chives

1 lime, zested, juiced and divided

1 and 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 med ripe avocado

6 cups baby arugula/spinach leaves

1 ripe mango cut into wedges

1/2 cup red onions

1/4 cup sliced red peppers

In bowl whisk together orange juice, oil, cilantro and chives, 1 Tbs. lime juice, 1/4 tsp lime zest, vinegar and cayenne. Season w salt & pepper.

Halve, pit and thinly slice avocado. Brush avocado slices with remaining lime juice. Place arugula on serving platter. Top w avocados, mangos and red pepper.

Drizzle salad w vinaigrette just before serving.

Although this has cheese, it only has 13 g of fat, so as an occasional treat it’s a great soup:

6 portions

1 and 1/2 lb mild onions

2 Yukon gold potatoes

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup white wine

5 cups vegetable or beef broth

1 bouquet Garni (Thyme, bay leaf, parsley) fresh if possible

S&P

2 cloves of garlic

6 pieces wheat or white bread, 1 day old ( not super market type) but Farmer’s

5 oz grated Emmentaler (Swiss cheese)

Cut onions into thin slices. Peel pot and wash. Melt butter, saute onion to a golden brown. Add wine and let cook on med high. Grate potatoes and add. Pour broth and add bouquet (tied) garni. S&P, reduce heat and simmer 20 min. –Preheat oven to 200F. Peel garlic and rub over bread slices. Remove herbs (garni bouquet) and pour soup into fireproof bowls. Add one piece of bread and thick layer of grated cheese. Bake until golden brown. (approx. 10 min)

Bon appetit.

Red beet ‘chips’.

Fresh, organic red beets (3-5)

Panko bread crumbs

organic coconut oil

1 egg  (Vegans– no egg)

A dash of “Mrs Dash”

Trim leaves off  beets, wash, cut in half. Boil unitl tender. Approx. 30-35 min. Peel skin then cut into slices. Beat egg and dredge slices through then coat both sides with panko bread crumbs and a dash of Mrs. Dash. Add 1 tsp coconut oil to pan and ‘fry’ slices on both side until golden. (Kids love this.)