Prep: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli
5 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons barley miso
1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions:

*Wash broccoli and separate stems from florets.
*In a pot, bring water to a boil.
*Add broccoli stems, onion and garlic.
*Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
*Remove 2 cups of liquid from pot and dissolve miso paste in the liquid, return to pot.
*Add brown rice.
*Use a  blender to cream the soup.
*When smooth add broccoli florets, cook 10 more minutes.

Take a load off and enjoy!

]]> http://fitarella.com/2011/10/belly-warming-creamy-broccoli-soup/feed/ 0 http://fitarella.com/2010/09/crunchy-crispy-snacks/ http://fitarella.com/2010/09/crunchy-crispy-snacks/#comments Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:09:41 +0000 Fitarella http://fitarella.com/?p=1781

Kale Chips

Prep: 10min
Cooking: 10 min
Yields:10 servings or more

Ingredients:
1 to 2 bunches kale
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Remove kale from stalk, leaving the greens in large pieces.
3. Place a little olive oil in a bowl, dip your fingers and rub a very light coat of oil over the kale.
4. Place kale on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes or until it starts to turn a bit brown. Keep an eye on it as it can burn quickly.
5. Turn the kale over and bake with the other side up. Remove and serve.

* Try different kinds of kale or collard greens.
* For added flavor sprinkle with a little salt or spice, such as curry or cumin after rubbing on olive oil.

Parsnip Chips

Prep: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Yields:10 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips
Olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash parsnips well.
3. Slice parsnips very thin, crosswise, creating circular pieces and place in a bowl.
4. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss so each piece is coated.
5. Spread evenly over two baking sheets and place in the oven.
6. Remove after 30 minutes or until desired crispness.

Plantain Chips

Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes
Yields:12 servings

Ingredients:
6 green plantains
Juice of 6 limes
2 tablespoons coconut oil

1. Peel the plantains and slice very think on the diagonal.
2. Soak the slices in lime juice for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Dry thoroughly and heat broiler.
4. Toss plantains with coconut oil in a bowl. Make sure oil covers slices. (You may have to heat the oil just a bit so that it is not in solid form.)
5. Place on a baking sheet and put under broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Flip to the other side and repeat.
7. Store refrigerated in an airtight container once cooled down.
8. They will keep for 1 week.

Enjoy!!!

Pudding Ingredients

*2-1/2 med. carrots
*1/2 lb. raw almonds
*1/2 lb. dates
*3/8 cup raw honey

Pudding Instructions

Grate the carrots in a food processor
Install the “s” blade in the food processor and process the carrots until they are lightly coarse, then place in a bowl.
Process the almonds until fine, then set aside in bowl.
Process the dates, then add the honey.
Add the process nuts to the date-honey mixture and mix/process
Mix the nut-date-honey mixture into the processed carrots by hand.
Spoon the mixture into cups or cake pan, or roll into balls

Topping Ingredients

*1/4 lb. raw almonds
*1/4 cup raw honey
*1/2 tsp. vanilla

Topping Instructions

Process the almonds to an almond butter consistency
Add the honey and vanilla and process further
Spoon a dollop of the topping onto the cakes or balls

Enjoy!

* 2 very ripe avocados
* 3 tomatoes, diced
* 1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
* 2 tbsp yellow onion, diced
* 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* kernels from one ear raw organic corn
* 2 tsp fresh lime juice
* 6-8 large romaine lettuce leaves

Prep:

In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocado.

Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed.

Spread 2-3 tablespoons of this mixture onto lettuce leaves and wrap.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Popcorn
(Serves 4)

4-inch segment of a thin day-old baguette
1 medium head of cauliflower, washed
extra-virgin olive oil
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh red chile pepper, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place racks in the middle.

Give the baguette a spin in a food processor until you have textured, not-too-fine bread crumbs. Trim the cauliflower. Get rid of the big stalks and stems and strive for uniform, bite-sized little florets. Little trees.

In a big bowl toss the cauliflower with a few generous tablespoons of olive oil and the salt. Toss until the cauliflower is well coated and then place it in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. You are going to bake for about 25-30 minutes total. There will be some residual olive oil in the big bowl you used to toss the cauliflower. If not, add another tablespoon or two. Add the bread crumbs, garlic, and chiles. Mix.

After the cauliflower has been baking for about 15-20 minutes anything in contact with the pan should be nicely browned. Pull the pan out of the oven, rotate each piece of cauliflower so that another side will get some color, and then sprinkle the entire pan with the breadcrumb mixture. Return the pan to the oven and finish with another ten minutes or so. The cauliflower should be tender throughout and the breadcrumbs nicely toasted. Serve immediately, it really isn’t half as delicious after it has been sitting on the counter getting cold.

ENJOY!

photo: Indigo Goat

Sweet Squash Corn Muffins
(makes 12 muffins)

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or barley flour
1 tablespoon non-aluminum baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons dulse flakes
2 cups winter squash puree or sweet potato puree
1/3 cup cold-pressed vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup water

Topping
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and dulse flakes; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together squash, oil, syrup, and water, until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and mix with a minimum of strokes. Spoon into muffin cups. Decorate top of each muffin with pumpkin seeds. Bake 20 – 25 minutes. Top of muffin should crack slightly when done.

* * * * *

photo: Beau B

Avocado – so creamy and buttery. alone, in a salad, in a wrap, or alone, or alone, or alone. This fatty has me whipped!

image by nate

Persimmon (Sharon Fruit) – I was first introduced to this sweet fruit when I lived in Brazil. They call it ‘Caqui’ (yes, sounds like the other word for doo-doo). At first the name threw me off…you want me to eat crap fruit? But when the farmer’s market in front of my apartment wouldn’t go away I succumbed to it’s goodness. Now I am the goddess of shit caqui!

image by bren

Asparagus – the good news is its a good source of folic acid, potassium & dietary fiber. The bad news is it makes your pee stink!
Don’t eat it on you know, that date.

image by snavarro

Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans) – I eat these suckers out of the can on most days. They are high in protein and are great alone, in salads, as a side dish, or hummus. Ok, don’t be grossed out, but I love to dump a can in a dish, heat in the micro for 2 minutes, then smash them all up
and mix with a little ketchup. Oh, don’t say Eeeew! You know you have that one weird food thing you do that no one knows about! and I bet all of you are now going to make yourselves some micro-mush-ketchup-chickpeas.

image by blackmoon

Almonds – another good fatty! I love the satisfaction I get from the crunch. It’s like biting into a Godiva chocolate bar, only not.

image bygreencolander

Dried Mango (natural air dried, w/o sulphur) – Ugh, these things are so addicting! It’s all the sweetness of a fresh mango but without getting the hairs stuck in your teeth!

Tune in next week for more possessed food on my rotation.