Katherine’s Light & Creamy Broccoli Soup with Carrots, Potatoes, and Thyme

Makes 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Cup Chopped Sweet Onion (about 1 medium)
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried Thyme or 1-1/2 tsp fresh Thyme
2-1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
6 Cups Fresh Broccoli, Chopped (about 1 medium head)
2 Cups Non-Starchy Potatoes, Sliced (about 2 medium)
1 Cup Carrots, Sliced (about 2 medium)
2 Cups 1% Low Fat Milk
Salt (1/8 to ¼ tsp) and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

Optional Garnish:
1 Tbsp dollop of fat free, plain yogurt, salt, and pepper, toasted whole grain bread, or croutons

Heat oil in large dutch oven (soup pot) on medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and thyme. Sauté until golden. Add 2-1/2 cups chicken broth and the rest of the vegetables. Cover, lower the temperature, and let simmer about thirty minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the milk. Let the mixture cool down a bit, then puree in a blender, food processor, or better yet – with no muss or fuss, a Cuisinart Smart Stick. Puree to your desired consistency.

Raspberries: A Sweet, Tart & Versatile Fruit Treat With Amazing Health Benefits

Raspberries – Another amazing food I discussed with renowned health journalist, Daryl Austin, in his USA Today column. One of the tastiest and most popular fruits, raspberries earn $432 million in sales in the U.S. – and they’re virtually everyone’s favorite fruit, Daryl said in USA Today on July 31. They are certainly my favorite!

Raspberries’ intense sweet, tart, and juicy flavor literally bursts in your mouth. Their complex flavor profile makes them versatile in either savory or sweet recipes. I throw them in salads, and add them to my yogurt, and oatmeal. For me, the most delicious way to eat raspberries is right off the bush, or locally from my Farmers Market. When they’re not in season, I buy them frozen.

My favorite dessert for guests is fresh raspberries with dark chocolate shavings. It’s an elegant and delicious way of keeping your guests happier and healthier.

Raspberries, and their close relative blackberries, are two of the most nutritious fruits on the planet. Containing 91% water, one cup of raspberries is only 64 calories, with a whopping 8 grams of fiber, a rare fiber to calorie ratio – which means they fill you up with very few calories. You can eat them to your heart’s content. In fact, the more you eat, the better!

Most of the phytochemicals in raspberries contribute to their color. The riper and redder they are, the more nutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories they contain. On a raspberry bush, some berries are redder than others. It’s because those more intensely colored berries experienced more stress than the other berries on the same bush. A plant’s phytochemical level is increased by stress. For instance, when a berry is exposed to more sun, disease, and bugs, they must synthesize more phytochemicals to protect themselves (which is why organic ones have slightly more phytochemicals – they aren’t protected by pesticides).

Those phytochemicals, when concentrated intensifies their color, flavor, and scent. They are mostly anthocyanins (purple), which help protect against cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, MS, vascular dementia, and Huntington disease, mainly through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ellagitannins not only help reduce cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative syndromes (listed above), they help prevent cancer. They uniquely improve your gut’s microbiome which has profound effects on your health.

In fact, the nutritional value of raspberries is vast. Rather than just turn on healthy genes, raspberries will also turn down unhealthy genes. They “modulate” or “affect” 119 genes in healthy ways, turning on healthy genes and turning down unhealthy genes in ways that have profound effects improving your health, increasing longevity by improving your immune system and reducing the incidence of not only the chronic metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions occurring together, which increase your risk for diabetes, stroke and heart disease), but also acute infections like viruses and others.

Strawberries! Strawberries! Strawberries! Health Benefits & Katherine’s 8 Favorite Strawberry Recipes

Take a look at the USA TODAY article featuring Katherine discussing strawberries’ health benefits, written by the amazing Daryl Austin.

You must try one of these strawberry recipes!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Katherine’s Crepe-Style Swedish Waffles with Fresh Strawberries
Fresh Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait
Strawberry Sherbet in 5 Minutes
Icy Strawberry Granita
Strawberry Soy Milk Smoothie
Strawberry Rhubarb Soup

Swedish Midsummer: Feasting the Night Away!

Midsummer is a holiday celebrating the summer solstice, when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky – the longest period of daylight. After lengthy winter months of what seems like never-ending darkness, sun starved revelers join much of humanity in nonstop festivity. It is popular in most of the northern United States and other northern countries around the world, like Sweden.

Established in the 4th Century, Midsummer Eve begins on a Friday night between June 19th and June 25th, a national holiday in many countries. It continues into the following Saturday, Midsummer Day, and usually lasts the whole weekend long. It has become the national excuse for the biggest parties of the year.

I am most familiar with the Swedish version, having celebrated along with my relatives at our summer island cottage over the years. Beginning Friday morning, families and friends gather to set the scene for their feast, called a smörgåsbord (pronounced smer-gose-boord).

A smörgåsbord is a Swedish invention and is literally a table of open-faced sandwiches. Today’s Smörgåbord has evolved into an exhaustive buffet-style spread. 

Our family celebrated it with friends, going back generations, on the largest outdoor veranda, on the tiny island, Grimsön. We’d connect rickety unmatched tables side by side on the veranda, with barely enough room for the many chairs to crowd around them. Each family brings their special dishes until the table groans under the weight of the food and drink. We are lucky that the town bakery was owned by a family among us, so we enjoyed the freshest and most authentic Princesstårta (Princess Cake) in the land.

There are appetizers, salads, main courses and desserts. The dishes signal summer’s first harvests: Strawberries grown in the country, freshly clipped dill, and tender root vegetables, especially “new” potatoes, which are freshly harvested young, small, potatoes. Fresh, locally caught fish are featured – usually salmon and herring from the icy Baltic – with other seafoods, too.

One of the traditional foods on our Midsummer table, in the province of Häsingland, is literally rotten fish. A kinder description would be fermented herring, called surströmming. It’s a traditional dish from northern Sweden that arose during the 16th century when Sweden had a salt shortage. Today, the fish has become infamous for its stinky smell, yet enthusiasts praise it. I reluctantly tasted it one year, and to put it politely, I am definitely not one of those enthusiasts!

Desserts feature the first harvest of succulent strawberries (jordgubbar), blueberries (blåbär), lingonberries (lingnon), and cloud berries (hyortron), typically with whipped cream. Sweden brims with berries, like other northern parts of the world, the only fruits that can be grown in colder climates. Princesstårte, a traditional Swedish cake with layers of sponge cake and whipped custard cream, topped with a dome of marzipan, is often featured … A once in a life time treat.

The traditional drinks are shots of Aquavit, along with a rousing “Rah! Rah! Rah!” from the merrymakers, and Swedish beer, accompanied by the Swedish drinking song, “Helan Går,” translated as “Bottoms Up!”

There are cured ingredients as well. Pink rolls of cured salmon (gravlax) are wrapped around dill sprigs, with yellow mustard sauces and peppercorns alongside. There is fresh and grilled herring caught nearby, and coarse salt, as well as dill and other pickles. Eggs, cheese and cream are included, too.

Preparation of our Midsummer feast always began a couple of days before. A local fishermen would roll fresh-caught salmon stacked in rickety wheelbarrows into town going door to door displaying his wares for inspection by anxious cooks.

My grandmother would carefully examine the fresh-caught salmon. In a solemn transaction, she chooses the final selection with an abrupt, “This will do!” The fisherman nods, satisfied, and carries the fish to the kitchen where it lands on the counter with a thud. The smell of the sea enters the house with the day’s catch. The best knife has been sharpened for this moment: the start of Midsummer Eve cooking.

I believe Swedish food is the original nouvelle cuisine. The Swedes have always used superior, locally sourced ingredients for their dishes and meals. Unfussy, it is centered around seafood, local vegetables, fruits, and 100% coarse rye breads.

This year’s Midsummer Eve is June 21, 2024, with the celebrations, and activities continuing on Midsummer Day, June 22, 2024.

The National Geographic describes “Everything you need to know about the Summer Solstice,” including how Fairbanks, Alaska celebrates the holiday with their “Midnight Sun Game.” The game typically begins around 10:30 p.m., continues straight through midnight, and often lasts as late as 2 a.m. Fairbanks, which is located only 160 miles south of the Arctic Circle, gets up to 22.5 hours of summer daylight.

The successful midsummer never-ending lunch party involves flowers in your hair, dancing around a maypole, singing songs while drinking schnapps, and downing a whole load of traditional Swedish foods from the year’s first harvest, like strawberries, and delicate new potatoes. All in all, a grand day out.

How to make your own crown of flowers. All you need is an inexpensive supermarket bouquet of flowers, thin wire, and thread! The flower crowns are worn by children and adults alike.

Besides the crown of flowers, there are many fun activities for children for understanding and celebrating the summer solstice, like making cosmic suncatchers, sundials, sun prints, summer resolutions, and bucket lists.

Smithsonian Solstice Saturday

In Washington, DC, the Smithsonian Museums mark the first Saturday of every summer-“Solstice Saturday”-by staying open late, hosting exhibits, programs, and activities. “Solstice Saturday” includes free parties, programs and performances throughout the day and night June 24. Several museums on the National Mall will have extended hours, with three museums staying open until midnight. Visitors who stay late can explore exhibitions, join a garden dance party or enjoy activities on the Mall. including games and performances throughout the day and night. On Saturday, June 22, 2024, the Smithsonian’s Hirschhorn Museum hosts Hofstra University’s “Astronomy Festival on the National Mall” from 6 to 11.

Investigate your community for Midsummer events nearby.

Traditional Swedish Midsummer Recipes and Menus
New Potatoes with Fresh Dill
6 Savory Toppings for Crunchy Swedish Hard Bread
Gravlax with Mustard Sauce
Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
Katherine’s Crepe-Style Swedish Waffles with Succulent Strawberries
Princesstårta
(Instead of making your own Marzipan Dome, you can buy one pre-made)

This Weekend’s Batch Recipe: Katherine’s “I Can’t Believe There’s No-Meat Chili” Step-By-Step

When The Washington Post food section was considering a feature story about my new book, Diet Simple, among the recipes they tested was my chili. I made the cut, and I, and my book, Diet Simple, were featured on the front page, no less!

The Washingtonian Magazine loves it too. And here it is for you

A recent client told me it only took 20 minutes to put together. Try making this recipe a day ahead of time so the flavors and textures have a time to develop. But there is no need, as it’s delicious just after cooking. I love this simple, quick chili recipe.  It’s meatless but you don’t miss the meat because it’s so flavorful and the meat-like texture is deceptive.  You should use the amount of garlic or chili powder that appeals to you.  I like it hot and spicy! I double the recipe, using a whole pound of dried black beans,  so I have plenty for the week.  I use this dish as a lunch or dinner alongside a green salad.  I also serve it at parties as a dip next to my fresh tomato salsa, nonfat Greek yogurt, and guacamole.  It’s perfect rolled up in a tortilla or stuffed in a taco with some reduced fat cheese.

Serves 4 as a main course, 8 or more as a dip or topping

3/4 Cup Water (To Hydrate the Bulgur)
1/2 Cup Bulgur (Cracked Wheat)
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive or Canola Oil, or more
1 Large Onion, Chopped
3 Large Garlic Cloves, minced – more or less – to taste (optional)
1-1/2 Tbsp Hot Chile Powder
1-1/2 Tbsp Chipotle Chili powder
A dash of smoked paprika, called “Pimentón,”
A pinch of Cinnamon
1 Large Fresh Green Bell Pepper, chopped roughly
1 can of chopped Italian Plum Tomatoes, drained (optional, to taste)
1 lb. dry Black Beans, or two cans of black beans, whichever is preferred
2 Seeded Jalapeño Peppers, chopped (optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Place the bulgur in a microwavable bowl. Add the boiled water. Place in microwave for 3 minutes. Keep in the microwave while it fluffs up.

Meanwhile, add oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the spices and sauté the spices while constantly stirring, for a minute or two on low heat. Be careful the spices don’t burn.

Add the onions and green bell peppers to the same pot, stir over medium heat until soft, 15 or more minutes.  Add the chopped fresh green bell pepper and onions. Sauté on medium heat while stirring. Cook until soft.  Add the bulgur and beans. No need to cook further. Adjust seasonings to your preference. 

Step-By-Step Instructions

Start by Fluffing the bulgur/cracked wheat, so that it’s ready to pour in the pot when you need it, saving time.

While using canned beans is fine, I like using dried black beans to enhance the flavor by adding carrots, celery, and onions to the pot. If you like garlic, add whole cloves, too. Add salt if using dried beans, according to the package directions. But if you use canned beans instead of dried, no salt is necessary.

Once the beans have been cooked slowly (to preserve the whole bean), remove the vegetables.

If you used dried beans, pour the beans into a bowl while you wash the pot. This way, you only need to use one pot for the recipe – for fast and easy cleanup.

In a clean pot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the spices. Sauté over low heat. Stir constantly so the spices don’t burn.

Chop green bell peppers so that they remain chunky. Chop the onions the traditional way.

Sauté the chopped vegetables, and stir. Use medium heat until they are soft, or al dente. 15 minutes or more.

When the veggies are cooked, strain any water out of the bulgur/cracked wheat, and add the bulgur, and the beans, to the pot. Taste. If you like it as is, you won’t need tomatoes. But if you think you might like to add chopped tomatoes, strain them to remove the liquid. But don’t add too much, or the tomatoes will be all that you taste.

No need to cook further.

I love this chili as a dip. I always add Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt (with salt and pepper) on the side. It’s cool flavor complements the spicy flavors – to perfection!

No one has ever guessed that there is no meat. I don’t tell anyone it is meat free until they are finished and rave about it. They are always surprised when I tell them that it is meatless.

When offering a dish to guests or family, NEVER use the words “healthy,” “low calorie,” or “high fiber.” Though all of those things are true, those are YUCK words! If someone tells me to taste something, as in, “Try this, it’s good for you!” it sounds unappetizing, and even I’m turned off.

The way to describe anything you offer to others is “It’s delicious! You’ll love it!”

Hash Browns Have Never Been Easier, Healthier and Tastier: Katherine’s Easy & Simple Recipe

For breakfast, lunch or dinner, and with any accompaniment your heart desires, these hash browns are versatile, nutritious, and to die for. I love potatoes. Just about everyone loves them too. But the internet and low carb followers have, inaccurately, described potatoes as non nutritious and high calorie. At 160 calories for six ounces, I dispute that claim. These are unfounded rumors preventing you from eating one of the most delicious and nutritious foods on the planet.

In fact, potatoes are so filled with essential nutrients, they’ve kept countless cultures alive and healthy for thousands of years. Think of countries with colder climates like Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, Ireland, that couldn’t grow citrus or many other fruits and vegetables. Potatoes were virtually their only source of Vitamin C and potassium. An infamous example of how critical the potato has been in the past, is how the devastating loss of them caused The Great Irish Famine in mid-1800s-Ireland. At the time, one third of the Irish people subsisted on potatoes. The loss of the potato crop left around 1 million people dead from starvation or disease, with another million fleeing the country.

Today, potatoes are recognized as a subsistence crop for developing countries with high levels of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Because they’re inexpensive and easy to grow, readily available, accessible, high quality, nutritious, and stable, potatoes are the perfect food to feed the world’s 822 million undernourished people.

The bottom line: It’s a mistake to underestimate potatoes.

Katherine’s Hash Browns

I developed this recipe because I love crispy potatoes, but I don’t want the excess calories of frying them in a lot of oil, or without sacrificing their flavor and texture. It’s an easy recipe, and clean-up’s a breeze.

Serves 4 as a Side Dish

Ingredients:

2 or more large Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes – enough to cover your pan with 1/3″ thickness when laid out on the size-of-your-choice non-stick frying pan
2 Tbsp Canola or Peanut Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Herb of Your Choice, ie, Rosemary
A Dollop of Nonfat, Plain (Fage) Greek Yogurt sprinkled with Kosher Salt and Pepper, on the side

Scrub the potatoes clean, then grate the potatoes using the largest holes on a large box grater. I don’t peel them, but that’s your option. Once they’re grated, to remove excess starch, put the grated potatoes in a bowl with cold water to soak them, then place them in a large colander, pouring cold water over them, until the water is clear. Squeeze as much water out of them as possible, using a cotton towel or cheese cloth.

Once the potatoes are relatively dry, add the oil to the frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, swirl it around the pan, and add the potatoes. When they are laid out across the pan, they should be about 1/3″ thick.

Add salt and pepper and any herb of your choice.

Don’t stir the potatoes. Flip them when they are golden brown. Continue to cook them until they are golden brown on both sides.

Serve them on four plates with scrambled or fried eggs. Add a bit of smoked or grilled salmon, chicken sausage of your choice. Any veggie would be delicious along side them. Fresh tomatoes, sautéd mushrooms, onions, sweet orange or red peppers. Have them alongside your “Original Boca Burger” and whole wheat bun. With ketchup? To each his own!

I always have potatoes with a dollop of nonfat, plain Greek yogurt. I prefer Fage. I sprinkle salt and pepper on the yogurt, and use the yogurt the way you might use sour cream. You won’t know the difference, I promise

And more…

Corned Beef with Caramelized Cabbage, Roasted Potatoes, and Carrots: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal? Of course, it’s “Corned Beef and Cabbage.” And it usually has carrots and potatoes thrown in. It’s a beautiful dish that satisfies three of the five taste elements: sweet, salty, and umami (the other two are bitter and sour). Umami is an elusive flavor that is rarely present in a meal. It can be described as a pleasant “brothy” or “meaty” taste with a long-lasting, mouthwatering, and coating sensation over the tongue. In this meal, the corned beef is the source of umami. This meal is irresistible, and one of the only occasions when I’ll breakdown and eat red meat.

Now, you may be thinking, “Katherine, isn’t red meat bad for you?” It absolutely is! But my motto is, “every food fits.” You see, you’re protected from the damaging effects of the red meat by the array of vegetables containing antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory nutrients in the meal. They help neutralize the negative aspects of the cured, red meat. Plus, if you rarely eat red meat, that makes a huge difference, too.

If you’d rather not eat red meat, roasted salmon or chicken can be delicious substitutes.

I maximize the natural flavors and sweetness in the vegetables by stir frying the cabbage, and roasting the carrots and potatoes until they are golden brown and caramelized. Both stir frying and roasting exposes them to open heat. That heat caramelizes the sugars within, and mellows strong flavors into rich, multilayered perfection, adding depth and complexity to the overall dish.

When vegetables are prepared using these methods, they taste like candy, I promise. They are definitely tastier french fries!

Clink my links for the easy “recipes,” that are, actually, more like simple preparation instructions, with only one pan to clean up!

4 Recipes For The Best Darn Mexican Feast Ever – Perfect For Parties!

Katherine’s Especially-For-Parties-And-Game-Days Spicy Layered Bean Dip

A layered dip can be made any way you wish, with each ingredient and recipe personalized to your tastes. This is the way I like to do it!

Everything except my Spicy “Re-Fried” Bean Dip and my “Chili Non Carne” can be bought pre-made at the grocery store these days. You can usually find Fresh Salsa and even Guacamole in the refrigerator sections. But I have great, quick and simple recipes (below) for both, if you are so inclined.

Instructions for Layering:
Use the amount of each layer that you prefer, or the amount that fits your bowl. Layer the ingredients in the order you like best. Use the leftovers as delicious lunches and dinners for days to come!

Ingredients:

Spicy “Re-Fried” Bean Dip OR Katherine’s Chili Non Carne (see both recipes below)
Low Fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Mild Guacamole, at least triple the recipe (below)
1 Quart Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt (I like Fage the best)
Fresh Salsa (see recipe below)
Sliced olives (optional)

Use a glass dish, if available, so all the beautiful layers are visible. First, pour the hot or warm Bean Dip or the Chili Non Carne into the dish, then sprinkle grated low fat cheddar or jack cheese (if this is the next layer, it will melt). Next, spread a double or triple recipe of the Guacamole, then a layer of Plain Greek Nonfat Yogurt over that. Top with the Fresh Salsa. If desired, decorate with sliced olives.

Katherine’s Spicy “Re-Fried” Beans
This is a delicious, spicy crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Cups Dry Red Kidney Beans or Black Beans (use about 4 cups, if the beans are already cooked or if they are canned)
1 to 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1-1/2 Onions
1 Tbsp Salt (only 1 tsp, to taste, if using canned beans)!
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced, to taste
1 Cup Peeled, Chopped Italian Plum Tomatoes (You can buy them already chopped)
2 Small Jalapeño Peppers, seeded and minced (wear gloves!)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Cloves
Top with Low or Reduced Fat Grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese, if desired

In a very large skillet over a low flame, heat the canola oil and sauté remaining onion, chopped, and the garlic until soft and golden; about 15 minutes. Add the spices and jalapeño peppers, simmer a few more minutes. Next, add the tomatoes and lemon juice.
Pour the canned beans, together with their liquid, into the seasonings and stir. Over a low flame, and stirring often, cook the beans together with the seasonings until the mixture is quite thick, but still moist. Time will vary, but it could take as long as 45 minutes.  If the beans become too dry, just add a little water. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, if desired. Use as a dip, as a side dish or in a burrito.

If using canned beans, start the recipe at paragraph #2 and use less salt.

Adapted by Katherine Tallmadge from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas

Katherine’s You-Won’t-Belive-There’s-No-Meat Chile
(excerpted from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations (LifeLine Press)

Try making this recipe a day ahead of time so the flavors and textures have a time to develop. I love this simple, quick chili recipe.  It’s meatless but you don’t miss the meat because it’s so flavorful and the meat-like texture is deceptive.  You should use the amount of garlic or chili powder that appeals to you.  I like it hot and spicy! I double the recipe, using a whole pound of dried black beans,  so I have plenty for the week.  I use this dish as a lunch or dinner alongside a green salad.  I also serve it at parties as a dip next to my fresh tomato salsa, nonfat Greek yogurt, and guacamole.  It’s perfect rolled up in a tortilla or stuffed in a taco with some reduced fat cheese.

Sometimes I make the recipe without tomatoes. Give it a taste and decide for yourself. You don’t want the tomatoes to take over the flavors. I don’t use garlic.

Serves at least 6 as a main course, or many more servings as a dip

1 Cup Water (To Hydrate the Bulgur)
1/2 Cup Bulgur (Cracked Wheat)
1 to 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Large Onion, Chopped
1 Large Fresh Green Pepper, Chopped in Large chunks
2 Seeded Jalapeño Peppers, minced
3 Large Garlic Cloves, Minced (more or less) – Optional
1-1/2 Tbsp Hot Chile Powder
1-1/2 Tbsp Chipotle Chili
Dash of smoked paprika, called “Pimentón,”
Pinch of Cinnamon
1 lb. dry Black Beans, or 2 lbs. canned (whichever is preferred)
1 28- oz. Can Chopped Italian Plum Tomatoes, drained, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Place the bulgur in a microwavable bowl. Add the boiled water. Place in microwave for a couple of minutes. Keep in the microwave while it fluffs up. Set aside.

Heat the oil. Sauté the onions, green peppers, jalepeño peppers, and garlic in the oil over low heat in a large pot until soft, 15 or more minutes. 

Add the spices to the sautéd vegetables and cook a little longer – perhaps a minute.

Add the bulgur and beans. Simmer slowly over low to medium heat until flavors are well blended and vegetables are cooked to the desired consistency … a few minutes or longer, if desired. Adjust seasonings to your preference.  Since many canned items were used, additional salt will probably not be needed.

Add the chopped tomatoes

NOTE: Best if made in advance or, ideally a day in advance to meld the flavors

Katherine’s Spicy Fresh Mexican Salsa
excerpted from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations (LifeLine Press)

Fresh salsa – Pico de Gallo – doesn’t really need a recipe. These are proportions I have found pleasing. But you may want your salsa, with more or less onions, more spice, sweeter (use half tomatoes and half watermelon), parsley instead of cilantro… The options are endless.

Ingredients

1 large onion, peeled and chopped (about ½ pound)
2 lbs. fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (start with about 3-1/2 lbs.) (Use canned tomatoes, if good tomatoes aren’t available) NOTE: I don’t bother peeling or seeding!
3 – 4 jalapeño peppers (1 – 2 ounces), to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ tsp salt, or to taste
3 – 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice or the juice from 1 – 2 limes (optional. I often skip the limes)

Add the onion to the tomatoes. Finely chop 2 of the jalapeño peppers to start with. Taste. If you desire more heat, add 1 – 2 more jalapeños. Mix in the cilantro. Add the salt depending on your taste. Mix in the lime juice.Simple Guacamole

Katherine’s Basic Guacamole

There a a million recipes for Guacamole. You can keep it mild, or make it hot by adding hot peppers. Throwing in fresh salsa makes it chunky and yummy, too.

12 Servings

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut avocados in half lengthwise and pull out the pits. Scoop out the meat. Place ina medium bowl and mash, keeping some large chunks. Mix in the cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Now, relax and have some FUN!

Michel Richard’s Chicken, Mushroom & Barley Soup

4 servings (or more if you add more mushrooms)

Nothing could be simpler or more delicate than this dish.  The flavors are rich and earthy, and contain that elusive fifth flavor, umami. It contains all the elements of a complete meal.  It’s nutritious and filling.  I feel honored that Michel Richard provided this recipe for Diet Simple. It fits perfectly as something you can cook, store in the refrigerator and eat for several meals. A favorite of anyone who tastes it. Using my method for slicing the chicken, it will be delicate and moist, instead of dry, like most chicken breast dishes.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Small Onions, Peeled and Diced
1 Pound Thinly Sliced Mushrooms
2 Quarts Unsalted Chicken Stock (defatted)
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp Pearl Barley
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
About 1 pound chicken, boned, skinned, and sliced thin (see instructions)

Heat the oil in a heavy, large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the onion, cover, and cook until translucent, for about ten minutes – or more, while stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms. Increase heat to medium-high and cook uncovered until lightly browned, for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, barley and garlic.  Simmer gently for about 45 minutes to cook barley and blend flavors.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at cool room temperature for up to four hours or refrigerated for several days.)

To make perfectly tender slices of chicken for your soup, put the chicken breast in the freezer. When it is half frozen, place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice as thinly as you can – across the grain. It’s virtually impossible to cut raw meat this thin.

Once the vegetables and barley are cooked, turn off the heat. Toss in the thinly sliced chicken breast. It will be cooked throughout, and opaque, in less than a minute. Ladle into four or more soup plates.

Medicinal Magical Mushrooms: One of the Most Significant & Potent Foods-As-Medicine

Compared to any other food or supplement, mushrooms’ health and healing benefits are spectacular and unique. And not only do they significantly boost your health, they are natural healers of the environment, too.

“Mushrooms possess antioxidant activity, anti-hypertensive activity, hypocholesterolemic activity, liver protection, as well as anti-inflammatory activity, anti-diabetic activity, anti-viral activity, and anti-microbial activity,” according to this scientific review of all studies to date.

“Mushrooms have been consumed since our earliest history. Ancient Greeks believed that mushrooms provided strength for warriors in battle. The Romans perceived them as the ‘Food of the Gods.’ For centuries, the Chinese culture has treasured mushrooms as a health food, an ‘elixir of life’,” according to this study, which is a great source for learning edible mushroom facts, function, and history.

Healing mushrooms may be edible – or not! If you look up each one, you’ll find which is which. You can buy the exotic, edible types at Farmer’s Markets, or specialty shops. While some healthy ones are safe, you wouldn’t want to eat them because they are bitter and tough. Those are consumed through capsules, extracts, sprays, powders, teas, and syrups, instead.

An ardent and renowned mycologist, and mushroom enthusiast for 30 years is Paul Staments. A big and burly Grizzly Adams of a man, he is a pioneer in the cultivation of edible and medicinal mushrooms, and is credited with the discovery of at least five new mushroom species. He’s been featured in scientific papers, and in the fascinating documentary, “Fantastic Fungi,” in which he and a host of scientists excite you – in stunning technicolor – about, well, fantastic fungi! I watched it, mesmerized, while suffering in my dentist’s chair! It’s a must-see for anyone interested in health or the environment.

Staments founded HostDefense.com, which has great information about various mushrooms’ health benefits, and where you can buy mushroom powders and supplements. He also founded Fungi.com, with products that help you grow your own mushrooms, go mushroom hunting, and buy identification guide books. You can even buy mushroom “grow kits” for beginners and those with more advanced experience. I’m experimenting with growing Reishi and Lion’s Mane mushrooms. They are two of the most beneficial mushrooms.

According to a recent study in the journal, Foods, Reishi Mushrooms boost the immune system. They have anti-viral effects, reduce inflammation, and oxidation, potentially reducing the risk for a host of illnesses, including infections, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Reishis tend to be tough and bitter, so they’re consumed in supplemental capsules, powders and teas. But just like any supplement, which are concentrated versions of a food or nutrient, they are not recommended in high doses. Eating whole foods is always ideal, but since Reishis aren’t really edible, and supplements provide a concentrated version, be careful not to overdo.

Lion’s Mane may regenerate nerves and enhance brain activity, thus improving memory and other nervous disorders. Luckily, they are edible, and sought after as a culinary delicacy.

While mushrooms have been used medicinally for centuries in the Far East, scientific research on their specific nutrients and benefits is in the early stages in the West. Initial studies are promising, with many benefits already established and recognized by the scientific community.

In Sweden, my home country, mushroom foraging is a national past time. The most desired mushroom there is the chanterelle.

We find their golden clusters in the vast forests, then we run home with our brimming baskets and sauté them. I’m sure they have a host of health benefits, but I don’t really care, because they’re just darn tasty!

Recipe: Find as many chanterelles as you can. Brush them to remove soil. Slice in quarters. If you wish, parboil them for a minute to remove dirt and (possibly) worms. Sauté in hot canola oil until golden brown. Add herbs like thyme or rosemary to the sauté. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you like, top with a little grated parmesan cheese. Et Voilà! We serve them on toast.

The following is a scientific chart of medicinal mushrooms’ extensive and established benefits.
(At the bottom of this chart, see * , and ** , to help us understand this chart’s terms and definitions better):

*To translate this chart, consider the “Host,” as YOU when it describes their health benefits of the gut’s microbiota. **Google the scientific name to get the mushroom’s name in English. For instance, “Grifola Frondosa” is “Hen-Of-The-Wood.” “Ganoderma Lingzhi” are “Reishi.”

Mushrooms Clean Up Pollution – Goodby Oil Spills, Plastics & Poisonous Drinking Water

While my dentist was fitting me for three crowns (bad teeth genes), and while I was thankfully distracted from the drilling in my mouth, I learned how mushrooms can absorb and reduce pollutants. “More than 20% of global deaths can be traced to pollution-related health complications. Pollution impacts almost every aspect of our existence, the living, and nonliving components of the environment,” according to this review of plastic pollution. Mushrooms are remarkable, alien-like creatures. They even clean up oil spills!

Mushrooms are the perfect solution for so many reasons. They eliminate the need to transport toxic materials to treatment sites. They’re environmentally friendly, need only a small amount of space, and are a low cost solution. The work can be done with less skilled people, and can be used easily wherever needed.

Mushrooms are a simple tool for cleaning up the environment. Using mushrooms is a biological approach to “clean technologies,” which emphasizes maximum production, reduced waste generation, treatment, and conversion of waste into a useful forms. These clean technologies focus on the use of biological methods for the remediation of waste. Mushrooms improve the environment in a vast number of ways. They absorb like sponges, and their enzymes break down a wide range of environmentally persistent pollutants:

1) Plastic pollution has been a persistent and global problem for more than half a century. Various health conditions such as thyroid dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, and reproductive impairment have been attributed to plastic pollution, according to this review in Frontiers in Marine Science. Plastic pollution comes from synthetic fibers, paints & coatings, tire tread abrasion, cosmetic products, packaging, and more. According to some, we have become a plastic society.

2)2,4-Dichlorophenol (DCP), a pervasive pollutant, DCP is a deadly byproduct of improper disposal in the manufacture of various consumer products, drugs, pesticides, food additives, fuels, and industrial solvents. It’s found in water, air, and soil. Agricultural use of pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides are the main source of water pollution.

3) Oil spillages into the environment have become one of the biggest problems in the last century. It is notoriously resistant to clean up efforts, with oil spills, tank leakages, and waste water disposal the major sources, according to this review in 3Biotec. Oil pollution has been implicated with higher risks for asthma and other respiratory conditions. It weakens the immune system, causing a multitude of conditions, including a higher rate of various cancers, and poor pregnancy outcomes. This study, in Saudi Arabia, with its preponderance of crude oil pollution, found certain strains of mushrooms significantly degraded crude oil. The researchers found they helped preserve the environment and cleaned crude oil in the soil.

4) Healthier protein sources have been developed using mushrooms, with their naturally-occuring enzymes. They eliminate the need for environmentally and health damaging sources of food proteins, for instance, industrial animal farming. Mushrooms have a low cost of production, an abundant supply, and thousands of bioactive phytonutrients (phyto is Greek for plant), compounds beneficial for health.

Mushroom Recipes

Michel Richard’s Chicken, Mushroom and Barley Soup 

excerpted from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations

4 servings (or more if you add more mushrooms)

Nothing could be simpler or more delicate than this dish.  The flavors are rich and earthy, and contain that elusive fifth flavor, umami. It contains all the elements of a complete meal.  It’s nutritious and filling.  I feel honored that Michel Richard provided this recipe for Diet Simple. It fits perfectly as something you can cook, store in the refrigerator and eat for several meals. A favorite of anyone who tastes it. Using my method for slicing the chicken, it will be delicate and moist, instead of dry, like most chicken breast dishes.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Small Onions, Peeled and Diced
1 Pound Thinly Sliced Mushrooms
2 Quarts Unsalted Chicken Stock (defatted)
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp Pearl Barley
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
About 1 pound chicken, boned, skinned, and sliced thin (see instructions)

Heat the oil in a heavy, large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Once the oil is jot, add the onion, cover, and cook until translucent, for about ten minutes – or more, while stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms. Increase heat to medium-high and cook uncovered until lightly browned, for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, barley and garlic.  Simmer gently for about 45 minutes to cook barley and blend flavors.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at cool room temperature for up to four hours or refrigerated for several days.)

To make perfectly tender slices of chicken for your soup, put the chicken breast in the freezer. When it is half frozen, place it on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, slice as thinly as you can – across the grain.

Once the vegetables and barley are cooked, turn off the heat. Toss in the thinly sliced chicken breast. It will be cooked throughout, and opaque, in less than a minute. Ladle into four or more soup plates.

Eggs Scrambled with Mushrooms, Onion, Garlic, and Sweet Cherry Tomatoes

This is a great meal for me any time of the day – quick, easy, and delicious

Servings: 1

Heat a teaspoon to tablespoon of canola oil in a shallow nonstick pan. Saute 1/4 chopped sweet onion and a smashed garlic clove over medium heat until almost soft. Add a handful of tomatoes to the pan (or any other vegetables you happen to have such as chopped spinach or peppers) and cook for another 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk 2 eggs. Pour eggs into the pan containing the onion, garlic and tomato – add 1 ounce lite cheese (I love the Trader Joe’s. It melts beautifully and tastes even better). Stir continuously until eggs are cooked. Pour over toasted whole rye bread.

NOTE: Use canola oil instead of olive oil. Olive oil is more likely to burn. It also loses all of its nutrients when you cook with it. Save it for drizzling.

The Perfect Storm: Battling the Blizzard Bloat Blues

These days you may have noticed a subtle expanding of yours and your friends’ waistlines. Take consolation in knowing you are not the only ones suffering from… “BLIZZARD BLOAT,” that creeping up of body fat that has hit many of us recently, according to an informal survey of frustrated, and slightly fatter colleagues and friends.

In the animal kingdom, fattening up for the cold winter months is critical for survival. For human animals, that leftover caveman-instinct to gorge on fattening foods, and hibernate, just causes trouble

Though these old instincts are plausible as a partial cause of winter weight gain, there are more complex—and controllable—causes too. The most important involve decreases in sunlight, physical activity, increases in cravings, and comfort eating. It’s the perfect storm of factors that create the calorie imbalance leading to blizzard bloat.

The Perfect Storm

• Physical Inactivity. When it’s cold outside, we tend to exercise less and even cut back on subtle calorie-burning activities such as short walks, light outdoor chores. This lack of calorie burning may only add up to about 100 fewer calories per day, but a deficit of 100 calories every day, translates to a 3-4 pound weight gain during the winter months, and 10 lbs in a year,

• Perpetual Darkness. Most of us are affected by winter’s gray days, and sunlight deprivation. We need light so our brains have enough of the neurochemical, Serotonin. A decrease in seratonin can increase our chances of experiencing a low mood, and food cravings. A small percentage of people are particularly vulnerable. About 5 percent of the population become markedly depressed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

• Cravings for Warm Comfort Foods. Being light deprived, and hibernating inside instead of getting outside and moving, reduces the happy chemicals in your brain, like endorphins, and serotonin. This can lead to increased cravings of fattening food. Studies show excess calories contribute more significantly than any other factor to the calorie imbalance causing blizzard bloat.

Strategies for Battling the Blizzard Bloat Blues

• Get some daily sunshine. You’ll feel refreshed and less bored if you walk outside, and your appetite may be more controllable. The amount of needed daylight varies for each individual. In general, the more the better. One hour daily in the morning, ideally at sunrise, is most helpful. If you’re not an early bird, several hours on the weekends may help make up for a lack of sun during the week. But the sun has to reach your eyes, so no sunglasses. If you don’t feel comfortable with the guidelines, or If going outside isn’t always an option, light therapy, also known as phototherapy, may help. Ask a mental health professional about the special lamps you can buy to make up for light deprivation. They work! Studies show they increase serotonin and help decrease depression in most people.

• Up your activity level. Just a little means a lot. During just one exercise bout (only 10 minutes), your brain releases the feel-good neurochemicals, endorphins and serotonin. They reduce pain, increase feelings of well-being, elevate your mood, and will help reduce cravings.  If you’re regularly active, these benefits multiply. A brisk 30-minute walk – just as effective as running – three times a week relieves major depression just as effectively as an antidepressant in most adults. Of course, moving even more, gives you even more significant benefits.
  
• Hold on to your favorite dishes, just rearrange them a bit. In the winter, we tend to crave more fattening, warm, comfort foods, and fewer healthy cold foods, like salads. But your comfort foods don’t have to be fattening. My advice, which has been successful for me and my clients, is to continue eating your favorite foods, just change their balance slightly. It’s been well established that you can increase the volume and satisfaction of your meals and dishes – that is, you can eat more food for fewer calories – by simply incorporating veggies or fruits so they comprise at least 50% of the volume on your plate (eat them first to slow you down) or in your dish,

• Veggies and fruits are predominantly water. But because the water is incorporated into the food, as opposed to just a glass of water, the meal will empty from the stomach more slowly. The slower a food empties from the stomach, the more satisfied we are with it. With that in mind, all you have to do is incorporate water or broth into your main course to create a soup or stew, add veggies to a favorite stew or casserole, so that vegetables comprise half or more of the volume. Try having a simple veggie soup as a first course to any meal. Try this technique that makes veggies taste even better than French fries! These strategies – incorporating water, and adding fruits and/or veggies to your meals and dishes – allows you to enjoy your favorite foods. But it also means that you can eat more food for fewer calories. Studies show that, for each meal that you use this strategy, you save 100 calories, naturally – without even trying. That amounts to keeping off 10 lbs a year or preventing blizzard bloat. Try my sumptuous soup recipes to feel full, satisfied, but still keep calories under control.

The New, and Improved, “Once-A-Day-Keeps-the- Doctor-Away” Superfood: Move Over Apples!

While our grandmothers told us that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, modern science begs to differ. Move over apples – There’s a new boss in town. YOGURT!

For years, I wondered why my clients, whom I encouraged to eat yogurt, lost weight more easily – while also increasing muscle. They said they felt more energetic, too. Scientific research is now backing my observations of 30+ years.

Around 2010, I attended a three-day National Institutes of Health consensus conference presenting all of the research to date about the human gastrointestinal tract’s microbiome, that is, its microscopic “ecosystem” of cells. By 2010, a wealth of new data had found that its effects were so vast and profound, it could make – or break – your health.

Your body contains human cells and microbial cells (microbes). The human’s gastrointestinal microbiome also contains both types of cells. The major difference is that human cells contain genetic material inside its nucleus. Whereas microbial cells – what I’m discussing in this article – which includes bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses, do not. Both microbial cells and human cells play critical roles in your health. Our bodies have 10 trillion human cells, but, at 100 trillion, there are 10 times that amount of microbial cells. Given the enormous number of microbial cells, or bacteria, their effect is immeasurable, and extremely influential. That said, you must make sure your healthy microbial cells outnumber the dangerous ones – big time! Here’s the full story…

There are healthy, beneficial microbes and unhealthy, dangerous types. The most dangerous microbes, the ones that cause disease, are those that are easily transmitted. They are virulent, and invasive to central organs like the blood and lungs. They’re survivors. They have a low infection dose, and are without any specific treatment or vaccine. Most of them are transmitted from animals or insects. The most dangerous microbes cause a very high death rate, are identified as high-risk agents or “biohazard-level 4” agents, and are treated at the highest level of infection protection, with strict isolation measures: Think COVID.

But most of the time, microorganisms live in harmony with their human hosts, providing vital functions essential for survival. Microbes inhabit just about every part of the human body, living on the skin, in the gut, and up the nose. They are essential for good health.

If infants are born naturally, as opposed to a cesarean delivery, and if they are breastfed, they start their lives with the highest number of healthy microbes. Whereas, their cesarean section, bottle-fed counterparts don’t develop those advantages. The higher amount of beneficial microbes give them a superior immune system, better health, and a high level of safety from numerous communicable, and non-communicable diseases in early life. That’s because the birth canal, and breast milk, contain a host of beneficial microbes that are impossible to regain as adults.

The infant’s microbial advantages continue later in life, too. Even as adults, they provide numerous advantages over people who were bottle fed, and cesarean born. The lack of those healthy microbes correlates with inflammation, and a number of illnesses, potentially effecting every organ in the body. This increases your risk for the metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions – insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol – and a host of other illness. More than five decades of established research has found that, if babies are not breastfed, it correlates with overweight and obesity (I learned this in college, though that was NOT 50 years ago, I’ll have you know!). The metabolic syndrome increases your blood levels of insulin, a known “growth factor.” Growth factors increase inflammation and unchecked cellular growth (cancer). Growth factors increase your chance of illnesses that can effect every organ in your body, including coronary heart disease, colon, breast prostate cancer, eye conditions, reduced bone mass, and more.

Aging is also associated with fewer beneficial microbes. Aging affects virtually all tissues and cellular circuits in our bodies resulting in frailty and death. Not only aging, but other factors, such as overweight, obesity, inactivity, and stress, also decrease beneficial microbes, leading to inflammation, compromised immune systems, susceptibility to acute and chronic illnesses causing sicknesses, hospitalizations and even death. They include infections of every type, colds, flu, COVID, reductions in vaccine effectiveness, food borne illnesses like salmonella and E-Coli, bone loss, even mental illness. To counteract those disadvantages, living a healthy lifestyle makes a significant positive difference.

THE POSITIVE NEWS

That said, you can still achieve a healthy gut filled with beneficial microbes, even if your mother required a cesarian section, or couldn’t breast feed. .

YOUR DAILY PRESCRIPTION

However, an exceptional diet and lifestyle are necessary to make up for those disadvantages. The most important foods to eat are those that naturally contain probiotics, namely, dairy yogurt, and possibly the new non-dairy varieties. Also, dairy, and non-dairy kefir. Both are the only foods associated with significant health benefits. Probiotic supplements, and foods/drinks with probiotics added, haven’t been studied adequately to determine their effectiveness. Yogurt and kefir have been found to improve wound healing, recovery from illnesses, reductions in inflammation, colon, breast and prostate cancers, and eye diseases. They have also been found to decrease the risk for conditions caused by inflammation, like Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea and/or constipation, bone and dental health, infectious diseases, and others.

But probiotics can’t work alone. To be effective, you also need foods containing prebiotics to create the healthy gut you need. Prebiotics nourish probiotics. Together they form the critical prebiotic/probiotic duo creating a microbiome teeming with healthy microbes that achieve the superior level of beneficial microbes that fight off chronic and acute diseases. Only then can you achieve maximum health advantages. Prebiotics can be found in various high fiber plant foods as diverse as almonds, agave, barley, wheat, oats, garlic, leeks, onions, flax seeds, artichoke, asparagus, bananas, and more.

Breast milk contains both prebiotics and probiotics, which is why it is so protective.

Problem is, most Americans have an unhealthy diet that increases the damaging microbes in their gut. They don’t eat enough, if any, foods high in either pre- or probiotics. This may explain our high incidence of chronic illnesses.

Based on research, and my own observations, I believe eating yogurt daily is the easiest way to make up for the healthy gut we abused by eating the typical American diet growing up – and even now. Can you imagine anything easier? (besides dreaming, wishing, and hoping?)

All you need to do is include yogurt, a few veggies, fruits, almonds, or oat-based cereals (Cheerios, oatmeal) here and there. Try “Katherine’s Simple ‘Oatmeal Cookie’ Oatmeal: an Easy Step-by-Step Guide” That Even Your Kids Will Love!. How about this great dessert? “Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Balls.” It’s a fun activity for you kids, too! (don’t tell anyone it’s healthy)

As of yet, there is no reliable clinical test any doctor can use to measure your gut microbes, or the health of your microbiome. We don’t even know everything that we need to be looking for. The gastrointestinal tract is still quite mysterious and idiosyncratic, so your best strategy is having the best diet and lifestyle habits you can.

I work with many clients with gastrointestinal issues, and their solutions vary widely, but, in my experience, when their nutrition is tailored to their individual needs, their lifestyle, and medical condition, a personalized nutrition plan makes a profound difference – virtually to a person.

If you think you don’t like yogurt, I’ve found that if you do some taste testing and experimenting, you are guaranteed to find one or more that you enjoy. There are savory, and sweet ways to try it.

Savory variations: Use Nonfat, Plain Greek Yogurt (my favorite is Fage) in place of sour cream. Make dips, for instance, Onion Dip, by mixing in chopped/minced onions, salt & pepper. How about a spicy dip by swirling in Sriracha sauce. Create an Italian version with pesto. Use it in burritos and tacos. In many parts of the world, yogurt is eaten together with spicy dishes, especially with chopped cucumbers. With curry, and many Middle Eastern dishes, for example. I love placing a dollop on my potatoes (instead of sour cream) and soups. My technique for eating it with soups and savory dishes is to place a little yogurt together with the accompanying food in one spoon. The cool and the hot together are delicious complements to each other. Stirring all of it together, well, it doesn’t bring the added excitement that I crave in my food. Remember to add a little (Iodized) salt & pepper, or it may taste too bland. In the summer, Cool Cumber Soup with Dill or Cilantro, and Swedish Cucumber Salad with Dill are party favorites. In fact, whenever I make my mother’s Cucumber Salad, it disappears quicker than anything else. It can lead to all out war between the party’s, normally civilized, competitors.

Of course, we all know about the sweeter versions. Fruited yogurts, lemon, vanilla, chocolate, you name it. Give all of them a try. ANY yogurt contains probiotics. And please, don’t worry about the small amount of jam in yogurts. Studies show fruited yogurt doesn’t raise blood sugar significantly, so they’re not associated with high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, or the illnesses that go along with it.

I enjoy it as part of desserts, too. A traditional Swedish meal is crepes with sour cream and lingonberries. But I’ve found that my favorite Fage Greek Yogurt is an excellent, even better, substitute for sour cream. Swedish Waffles, Vanilla Bean Yogurt and Fresh Summertime Peaches/Fruit, while not 100% healthy, still gives me an opportunity to eat yogurt in a delicious way – as an occasional dessert, or decadent breakfast.

After all, everything you eat must be DELICIOUS! That’s the only way we can continue eating healthfully, in a sustainable way.

6 Savory Toppings for Crunchy Swedish Hard Bread

Sliced Radishes and Hard Boiled Eggs

My Favorite Simple Summer Toppings: Fresh Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Variations for Open-Faced Swedish Hard Bread Sandwiches

Sweden’s Midsummer Festival is the celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, when the sun never sets.

At the Midsummer feast, it’s always traditional in Sweden to eat seafood, like herring, salmon and shrimp. Gravlax (cured salmon) is a favorite and prominent food in Sweden. Important vegetables and fruits from summer’s first harvest, like radishes, onions, potatoes and strawberries are featured, too. Dill is the herb used in abundance.

Gravlax is the most ubiquitous and popular Midsummer delicacy and topping

Swedish Shrimps are Tiny and Sweet, Very Different From Their American Cousins. Found in the freezer section of IKEA

Even Avocado! The options are endless

With regard to Swedish hard bread toppings, think of what might be in American sandwiches and the options are endless. As well as the typical seafood and vegetables, cheese, cured venison and ham are regular additions. There are even modern versions with out-of-season vegetables using avocado, tomatoes, carrots and beets, you name it!.

Besides the flavor and crunch of Swedish hard bread, the nutrition and low calorie content are added bonuses! In the U.S., WASA bread is the most common brand of Swedish hard bread.

My favorite is always Sourdough, whether it is 100% rye, 100% whole grain or 100% whole oats

Pickled Herring, Fresh Dill and Sliced Red Onion on 100% Rye Coarse Hard Swedish Bread

Herring, fished locally, is omnipresent on the Swedish table. It is delicious pickled, smoked and grilled. It is a fragile fish – as are sardines and anchovies, its cousins – so it is mostly cured where it can’t be caught right out of the sea.

Since we in the U.S. are unlikely to find fresh herring (recipe below), it can be served with a store-bought version of pickled herring. It is easily found in the refrigerator section of virtually all grocery stores. The most authentic jarred pickled herring is found at IKEA.

Ingredients:
Pickled Herring, from a jar or home-made
Thinly Sliced Red Onion
Chopped Green Onions, optional for color
Thinly Sliced Potatoes, optional for smooth texture
Thinly Sliced Radishes, optional
Dollops of Swedish Mustard, optional

Directions:
Top the hard Swedish bread with thinly sliced boiled potatoes and smother with the pickled herring. Top with sliced red onion and dill.

Home-made Pickled Herring
From SwedishFood.com

Herring spoils fast, so it is almost always cured. Pickled and smoked herring are especially prolific and popular in northern Europe.

7 oz salted herring fillets
(6 fl oz) water*
(4 fl oz) granulated sugar
2 fl oz vinegar, 12% if available
1/2 sliced red onion
6 white pepper corns
2 allspice berries, optional
1 pice of peeled horseradish
1 small piece of ginger (optional)
2 bay leaves (optional)

1. Soak rinsed filets in water while preparing the pickling liquid.

2. Place the water, vinegar and granulated sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to cool.

3. Drain the herring fillet, dab them dry with kitchen towel and cut them into ¾ inch wide pieces. Layer with all the remaining ingredients in a glass jar.

4. Pour the cold pickling solution over the herring and transfer to a fridge and keep for at least 24 hours before serving.

5. If the pickling solution becomes a little cloudy, pour it off and make a new solution, but allow it to cool before pouring it on to the herring.

Katherine’s Silver Lining Approach: Your Mediterranean Diet Pantry & Featured Recipe

What science has discovered as the ideal diet hasn’t changed for more than half a century. What we’ve learned since then, though, are why and how the diet is so perfect. It’s worth making the switch, for many reasons! For one, it boosts your body’s immune system dramatically, thus, its ability to fight diseases from colds to flu, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, even today’s scourge: COVID.

The Mediterranean Diet is a complex diet containing many foods that contribute to its health benefits. It’s plant-based, high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish, low-to-moderate in high fat dairy and red meat (very low in saturated – animal – fat) and the occasional glass of wine. Olive oil is the diet’s principal source of fat.

It was first observed in the 1950s by nutrition scientist, Ancel Keys, that people in Greece, southern Italy, southern France and other countries bordering on the Mediterranean, eating their local food, experienced few nutritional problems and rarely suffered from heart disease. Since then, many studies have confirmed that this mixture of foods we now call the Mediterranean diet has significant properties which may help prevent not only heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, dementia, arthritis, many of the diseases of aging, and even weight gain.

While every element in the Mediterranean diet is important, eating fresh, extra-virgin olive oil may trump everything. The type of fat you eat is critical to your health. This is because fat ends up in all of your body’s cells. It acts as a cell lubricant, improves flexibility and communication between cells, and is important for cell metabolism and gene expression. If the fat you eat is saturated – solid at room temperature – as in butter or animal fat – this decreases cellular flexibility and functioning. So, following the Mediterranean diet, but eating the wrong kind of fat, could reduce your health benefits.

Olive oil, the staple of the Mediterranean diet, is unique in many ways. First, it’s made from a fruit which is exposed to the elements. This exposure forces olives to synthesize antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients to protect themselves and concentrates the valuable nutrients in the oil, which is high in compounds called polyphenols, Vitamin E and carotenoids, like beta-carotene. New research shows high polyphenol olive oil turns OFF genes that cause the metabolic syndrome, the constellation of high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.

Polyphenols are also found in wine, tea and cocoa and are known for protecting the heart in many ways – reducing blood clotting, lowering bad (LDL) cholesterol, raising good (HDL) cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. Vitamin E is a well-known antioxidant which helps prevent oxidation and cellular aging and may help prevent diseases such as cancer. Caretenoids are plant compounds giving the olive its color. They’re important for your immune system, your skin, your vision, bones, reproduction, and may reduce cancer risk. Olive oil is also high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acid called Oleic acid.

Eating the Mediterranean diet is the most economical way to eat. In fact, it is a diet borne of poverty. The original Mediterraneans, who ate the purest form of the diet in the 1950s and 60s, ate mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, fish, and olives, all of which were local. This is all they could afford and it happened to be the healthiest diet on the planet. They were also quite thin and naturally very active in their regular routines. All of these factors contribute to its health benefits

Buying Olive Oil

Olive oil’s beneficial health properties, its polyphenol content and acidic pH, degrade over time, as days, weeks, and months go by after harvest. Other factors play a role, too: the harvesting method, the age of the trees, the ripeness of the olives, the processing, and the storage. Since time, heat, and light affect polyphenol content, choose olive oil that:

• Is no more than one year old (look for the harvest date – not a sell-by date – on the label),
• Is in an air-tight, dark glass, or tin container,
• Is stored in a cool environment, and
• Smells and tastes like olives, which could be fruity, grassy, or peppery.

The Mediterranean Diet pantry

This is the perfect way of eating during our collective isolation. It’s inexpensive and most foods can be dry, frozen or canned, when fresh aren’t available, which is the case this time of year. Some examples:

• Canned chopped tomatoes, or any frozen fruits and vegetables
• Dry or canned beans, peas, whole grains such as bulgur, barley, oats, canellini beans, black beans, lentils, chick peas,
• Nuts and seeds
• Fresh lemons, and citrus fruit or vinegar, and olive oil for salad dressings, canola oil for cooking with high heat,
• Fresh onions, garlic, and root vegetables when available,
• Canned wild Alaskan Salmon, herring, anchovies, sardines,
• Whole wheat breads, pasta, crackers and cereals
• Dry or fresh herbs and spices such as basil, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, oregano,
• Yogurt, enough to eat daily for its natural probiotic benefits,
• Cheeses such as Mozzarella, Ricotta, with small amounts of Parmesan and Reggiano.
• Eggs

Katherine’s White Beans with Garlic and Basil
Excerpted from Diet Simple by Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RDN, LD

 This is the perfect Mediterranean recipe. My friends love these beans. I love these beans. They’re always a hit. Every time I serve them, I’m asked (begged) for the recipe. They taste deceptively rich and are easy to make. The abundance of fresh basil added at the end fills the house with irresistible aromas. This is a warm and satisfying dish which can be eaten in many ways. My friend David uses them as a dip (what can I say, he`s a shrink and a priest!). My (very healthy) friend Alan loves them so much he eats them for breakfast! I bring them to potlucks.

I love to fill a large plastic container with them in the frig, ladle a heap into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat them up for lunch along with a slice of hearty whole grain bread topped with smoked turkey, salmon, light cheese (or all of the above) – and some crunchy lettuce. One of our favorite ways to eat these beans is with spicy chicken sausage. Just slice a spicy chicken sausage of your choice into a microwave-safe bowl, smother with the beans and pop in the microwave. Together with a greens salad and a tart dressing, you’ve got a winning combination.

I usually double the recipe so I have plenty of servings during the week. Without any meat, it’ll last more than a week in the frig.

4 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dried small white (cannellini) beans, or 24 oz. canned rinsed bean
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-1/2 Onion, Chopped
4 Garlic Cloves (more or less to taste)
1 Quart defatted Chicken or Vegetable Stock (only 2 Cups if using canned beans)
Salt and pepper to taste
12 Oz. (3 medium) fresh or canned Tomatoes, drained, peeled and chopped
1 Large Handful of Fresh Basil
Juice from 2 to 4 Lemon (1/4 to ½ cup)
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Directions:

If you’re using dried white beans:

Soak the beans in one quart of water overnight or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse. Add one quart Chicken Stock (or more if you like the dish more soupy) to the beans along with one clove of garlic and 1/2 onion.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1-1/2 hours or until the beans are almost tender. Add more water or stock to keep moist. Add salt to taste and finish cooking until beans are tender.

Continue with your cooked dried beans or start here if you’re using canned white beans:

Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot or casserole and sauté the remaining one onion and garlic over low to medium heat for 10 or 15 minutes or until soft and caramelized. Add the tomatoes, and more salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Simmer about ten minutes then add the beans with their cooking liquid and simmer 15 – 20 minutes. If you used canned beans, use enough stock to keep the beans moist while cooking. At the end of the cooking time, add the fresh basil (it will get bitter if overcooked), fresh lemon juice, and freshly ground pepper. Mix together.
You can also add greens to this dish for more authentic Mediterranean flavors and nutrition.

Paleo Diet Linked with Increased Heart Disease Risk

The “Paleo Diet” is based on the idea that the human genome has not adapted to eating products of agriculture. Paleo dieters eat meat, fish, eggs, nuts, vegetables and few fruits, with no processed foods, grains or dairy products included. Short term, it may have the benefit of weight loss for some because of the sudden exclusion of refined starchy and sugary foods. But the long term picture isn’t so positive, according to a new study in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The study divided participants into groups of people consuming a strict Paleo diet, more relaxed Paleo plans and a traditional healthy diet, based on current health guidelines. The study found that because the strict paleo diet adherents ate zero whole grains, this apparently caused the increase of a compound called trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) in the blood, which is associated a significant rise in cardiovascular disease risk.

The researchers attributed this negative result to the disruption in the gut microbiome caused by the lack of fiber and nutrients contained in whole grains. The gut’s microbiome is the collection of 100 million microorganisms in the digestive tract, which we now know, can make or break your health. Two recently published clinical studies confirm decades of evidence demonstrating that the nutrients and fiber in whole grains, such as whole wheat, oats, barley, rye, brown or wild rice, etc., are essential for overall well-being. They improve gut health (an emerging factor contributing to overall health), the immune system, cardiovascular health, blood sugar regulation, weight loss, and reductions in inflammation, a risk factor for diseases such as colds, arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

How much whole grain should you be consuming? My advice would be three to four one-ounce servings daily. For instance, two one-ounce slices of whole wheat, whole oat or whole rye toast in the morning, or two slices of whole grain bread for a sandwich at lunch, would be two servings. One cup of cooked brown rice or whole grain pasta would comprise another two servings. It doesn’t take much to receive health benefits. And the calories are lower than you’d expect.

One whole grain serving (about 70 to 100 calories) = 1 ounce dry or 1/2 cup cooked whole grain. Read more about whole grains.

Celebrate the beginning of Fall with my popular Chile Non Carne – a client favorite, and surprisingly, made with cracked wheat.

A favorite hearty salad of mine and my clients is Tabouleh with Chick Peas, Seasonal Vegetables and a Lemony Basil Vinaigrette.

Sweet Strawberries! First Fresh, Local Strawberry Salad of the Season!

The First Local Strawberries of the Season… Sweet as EverD!

Strawberries! Strawberries! Strawberries! Come and get your strawberries! I’m surprised the first strawberries of the season are sweet. I stopped by Quaker Valley Orchards at the Dupont Circle Fresh Farm Market on Sunday (as I always do), tasted one, and the sweet juice ran down my arm – a good sign.

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Usually the season’s first strawberries aren’t sweet, but these are – and I recommend them – in case you haven’t guessed already. And lucky for us, Quaker Valley also sells their exceptional produce at the Rose Park Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. 

Of course, most of the strawberries I bought – 8 pints – will be popped into my mouth as is. But, this salad is also a great way to celebrate strawberries.

Fresh Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Toasted Almonds and a Balsamic Vinaigrette

Learn about health benefits of strawberries…

Katherine’s 5th Batch Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Holiday Treats!

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Balls Taste Better Than Peanut Butter Cups!

My fifth and final 2018 weekly batch recipe is all about holiday celebrating. This batch is a fun – and messy – activity for children, and adults, of course. They make an impressive gift, or even a dessert or snack for a holiday gathering. They taste like fresh peanut butter cups, but unbelievably … every. single. ingredient … is natural and healthful!

Batches make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and ease some stress from your life. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat, or serve for guests, on a moment’s notice. And, believe it or not, though it may take a little extra time to prepare the batches on the weekends, it actually saves time overall and calms the daily whirlwind of your life.

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter & Oat Balls

I always at least quadruple this recipe. It’s only four ingredients. It’s fast. It’s simple. These treats are so addictive, they’re gone in a flash, so be on your toes!

A Heaping 1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter (or any nut butter you like, such as Almond Butter)
3/4 Cup Old Fashioned or Quick Rolled Oats
1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Natural, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (optional)
Chopped Roasted Nuts (optional)

Mix oats, peanut butter and maple syrup. Roll into about 12 or more balls (the smaller the balls, the more chocolate on each one!) and place them on a baking sheet which is covered with parchment paper. Freeze about 15 minutes or until set.

Pull the frozen balls out of the freezer. Roll them in the melted chocolate and, if you wish, sprinkle with chopped nuts and/or coconut. Melt the chocolate carefully to prevent it from burning. Use a double boiler and stir until melted, or use a microwave stirring every 30 seconds until melted.

You may need to heat the chocolate again as the frozen balls may harden the chocolate while you’re “working.” Once every ball is generously covered and every last bit of chocolate is used up, freeze until the balls are set, at least 15 minutes.

Pull them out of the freezer and enjoy. You can save them in a plastic container in your refrigerator for three weeks. The more you make, the better!

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine.

This Week’s Batch Recipe: Cauliflower Vichyssoise

Cauliflower Vichyssoise

My second weekly batch recipe, based on what you can find at your Farmers Market this weekend is Cauliflower Vichyssoise. It is a take on the French Classic Vichyssoise – leak and potato soup – substituting most of the potatoes for cauliflower. Even though Vichyssoise is usally served cold, in the winter I serve my Cauliflower Vichyssoise warm.

Batches are all about making the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and easing some stress from your life. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat on a moment’s notice. And, believe it or not, even though you’re spending time putting the batch together, overall, it actually saves time.

Soups are some of the best “batches” in the cold dark days of winter. They’re warm, filling, psychologically satisfying and sate the natural urge for comfort food in the winter. Eating soup also makes it easier to lose weight. How?

Classic studies have found that soups are effective weight loss foods. As long as the volume of a food is high (when water or air are incorporated into the food), people can feel full with fewer calories. In one study, researchers varied the water content in three different first courses to see how it would affect peoples’ intake at the main course. The study subjects were fed either 1) chicken rice casserole, 2) chicken rice casserole served with a glass of water, or 3) chicken rice soup – basically the casserole with water/broth added. The researchers found the subjects who ate the soup consumed 26 percent less, about 100 calories fewer, at the main course, compared to the other conditions, even though all three conditions provided the same amount of calories. As I always say, “A calorie isn’t always a calorie!”

Researchers surmise that a large food volume caused by water, even without added calories, helps us feel more satisfied for several reasons. It causes stomach stretching and slows stomach emptying, stimulating the nerves and hormones that signal feelings of fullness. Also, visually seeing a large volume of food can increase your ability to feel satisfied by it, even though the calories are relatively low. Finally, the larger a meal and the longer a meal goes on, studies show, your satisfaction declines and you lose interest in completing it. Water is the component in food which has the largest influence on how much you eat. This study, and many others like it, find eating a high-water-content, low-calorie first course, such as soup, enhances satisfaction and reduces overall calorie intake.

Cauliflower “Vichyssoise”
excerpted from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season

Cauliflower is in the species of foods called “brassica.” The brassica family of foods has extremely high nutritional values and contain high levels of antioxidants and nutrients such as vitamin C, selenium, calcium, potassium, folic acid and choline – important for the brain, as well as soluble fiber, which reduces cholesterol and helps level blood sugar. Brassica, a huge category of foods including broccoli, cabbages, mustard seeds and greens, also contain potent anti-cancer compounds which help detoxify carcinogens in the liver before they continue to circulate in your bloodstream. These compounds also aid your immune response with anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

4 to 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Leeks
1 Head Cauliflower
1 Medium Potato
6 Cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock), fat removed
1 Cup 1% Milk
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
8 leaves Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Blending the cauliflower, leaks and potatoes with my favorite “Cuisinart Smart Stick”

Slice the white part of the leeks, cut the cauliflower into florets and set aside. Heat canola oil in an iron skillet over medium heat. Add sliced leeks, stirring frequently for about ten minutes until soft. Stir in the stock, cauliflower and potato. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about twenty minutes or until vegetables are soft. When mixture has cooled a bit, puree with the  The Cuisinart Smart Stick… No mess, no fuss! (or blender or food processor), add the milk. Serve hot in the cool weather, cold in the hot weather. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley.

700 calories in the entire pot of soup

This Week’s Seasonal Batch Recipe: Thanksgiving Turkey, Veggie & Barley Soup

Turkey, Veggie & Barley Soup, an adaptation of Michel Richard’s Chicken, Mushroom & Barley Soup in my book, “Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations”

The second best part of Thanksgiving is leftovers! I try to encourage my clients to focus on healthy leftovers, of course, but perfection is never possible or even a healthy objective. One Thanksgiving, I saved the French Apple Cake dessert for breakfast the next morning (It’s better for your weight and health to eat the most fattening food earlier in the day – Sometimes, it’s all about STRATEGY!). It was one of the best breakfasts of my life!

This is the first recipe in my “Seasonal Batch Recipe” series. My advice: Make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and ease some stress from your life by batch cooking. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat on a moment’s notice. And it actually saves time. When you get home from work in the evening, just zap the batch in the microwave and Voilà! Instant delicious, nutritious dinner.

Studies show you’re more likely to eat whatever is in your environment. If you surround yourself with yummy, healthy, wholesome foods, that’s what you’ll end up eating. It’s simple physics: You naturally take the path of least resistance. So why not make things easy on yourself? Plan to make a few batch meals, or even just one, this weekend so you and your family will have their home-made favorites at your fingertips all week long.

Let’s take advantage and start batching with America’s favorite holiday-for-leftovers!

Thanksgiving Turkey, Vegetable and Barley Soup

Adapted from Michel Richard’s Chicken, Mushroom and Barley Soup, excerpted from Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations

4 servings

Nothing could be simpler or more delicate than this dish.  The flavors are rich and earthy. It contains all the elements of a complete meal.  It’s nutritious and filling to boot.  I feel honored that Michel Richard provided this recipe for Diet Simple.  It fits perfectly as something you can cook, store in the refrigerator and eat for several meals and is a wonderfully delicious addition.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Small Onions, Peeled and Diced
1 Pound Thinly Sliced Mushrooms, or other Vegetables
2 Quarts Unsalted Turkey Stock (defatted)
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp Pearl Barley
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
About 1 pound, boned, skinned and sliced Turkey into bite-size pieces or small slices
About 1-1/2 Cup (about 3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onion, cover and  cook until translucent, for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms – and/or other leftover vegetables. Increase heat to medium-high and cook uncovered until lightly browned, for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the turkey stock, soy sauce, barley and garlic.  Simmer gently for 45 minutes to cook barley and blend flavors.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at cool room temperature for up to four hours or refrigerated for several days.)

To serve, bring the soup to a light simmer, add turkey, reduce heat and simmer just until the turkey becomes warm, for about two to three minutes.  Ladle into four soup plates.  Pass Parmesan, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis:

Calories320
Total Fat5g
Saturated Fat2g
Cholesterol70mg
Sodium1,100 mg
Total Carbohydrate26g
Dietary Fiber6g
Soluble Fiber 1.20 g
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.1 g
Sugars1g
Protein 34g

Nutritional Analysis with Parmesan

Calories500
Calories from Fat 200
Total Fat22g
Saturated Fat9g
Cholesterol100mg
Sodium 1800mg
Total Carbohydrate28g

Healthy Peach Cheesecake Parfait

“Healthy Peach Cheesecake Parfaits” made by my Salvation Army “Nutrition, Health & Wellness” class

Two weeks ago, I bought a huge bushel of peaches from my Farmers’ Market, and they were perfectly fresh today! I gave away as many peaches as I could to friends and neighbors when I got home from the market, but there were still some left.  To save as many as possible, as soon as I brought them home from the market, I put them gently into my refrigerator, and in a glass bowl, to protect them from bruising, completely unsure as to the outcome.

As soon as I got home from the Farmers Market, I carefully placed the ripe peaches in a glass bowl in the refrigerator

I cautiously tried one this weekend for a recipe I was hoping to make, and I was completely surprised at how perfect, sweet, and juicy they still were.

I highly recommend popping by your Farmers Market soon to get what may be some of the last of this season’s peaches.

Healthy Peach Cheesecake Parfait

This is an outrageously delicious dessert, especially because the main ingredient is sweet, tender, locally grown peaches (It was yummy with strawberries, too).

My Salvation Army Addiction Recovery class made this recipe this weekend, and it was a huge hit. My “Nutrition, Health & Wellness” classes include recipes and tastings designed to demonstrate how eating more fruits and vegetables can be deliciously fun. The recipes we make must be healthy, simple, inexpensive, quick, and with no cooking necessary.

For 10 Servings or More

Ingredients:

Use 3 medium bowls, one for each layer:

1 bowl:
Crush in Large Chunks: 9 Graham Crackers or 1-1/2 Cups Granola or Vanilla Wafers
Add Chopped Nuts, if desired

In 1 bowl, toss:
3 Cups sliced peaches
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar

In 1 bowl, Blend, then refrigerate until set, if desired:
8 Ounces Low Fat Cream Cheese
1 Cup Nonfat Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Garnish with extra peaches, granola, and/or chopped nuts on top
Optional: Place a Sprig of Mint on Top

In a wine glass, martini glass, or clear cup, place a layer of the crushed graham crackers, a layer of the cheesecake mixture, then a layer of the sliced peaches. Repeat.

This recipe is adapted from “Life Made Sweeter.” More peach recipes…

The Sweetest Surprise … Yellow Watermelon!

Yellow Watermelon from Quaker Valley Orchards

The sweetest watermelon at the moment is yellow, according to moi after tasting every darn watermelon at Sunday’s Farmers’ Market. I’ve always avoided the yellow watermelon; I guess you could say I’ve been kinda prejudiced against a watermelon colored … yellow! But with fruit tasting so bland and mushy this year because of excessive rain, I was desperate to find something sweet. So I reluctantly tried a yellow one at a familiar farm stand. I was surprised by its sweet juicy-ness; the best at the market! Give up any watermelon biases you may have, and just try it  🙂

A yellow watermelon is a natural variety of watermelon hailing from Africa. It’s high in beta-carotene – which provides its yellow color – and vitamin C.

“To broaden the narrow watermelon gene pool, US Department of Agriculture researchers went back to wild watermelon relatives in Africa to find genes resistant to problems like watermelon vine decline, root-knot nematodes, zucchini yellow mosaic virus, and wilting diseases,” According to USDA’s monthly Agriculture Research Magazine.

What to do with yellow watermelon? Of course, any watermelon (even the yellow kind) is great completely naked, cubed in any salad, crushed into popsicle molds or a margarita. Its watery and slightly crunchy sweetness perfectly complements heat or salt in many recipes. Here are just a few of my favorites…

Katherine’s Fresh Summer Salsa with Watermelon
excerpted from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!

Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta and Fresh Mint
excerpted from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!

Nora Pouillon’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Lime and Mint
excerpted from Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!

Nora Pouillon’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Lime and Mint

Watermelon Gazpacho with Lime and Mint (photo from “Cooking with Nora” by Nora Pouillon)

Nora Pouillon’s Watermelon Gazpacho with Lime and Mint

6 lbs seedless watermelon, cut up, rind removed
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 jalapeno (or to taste)
1/2 c chopped red onion
2 minced garlic cloves (optional)
1/3 c packed, minced mint
1 diced zucchini
1 seeded and chopped green bell pepper
salt & pepper
cubed watermelon & fresh mint for garnish

Puree watermelon in batches until smooth. Leave some puree in the blender and add juices, jalepeno, onion and garlic. Puree again till smooth. Add mint and buzz till it’s just chopped.

In a large bowl, mix both purees. Stir in zucchini, green pepper, and watermelon cubes. Add salt & pepper to taste.

serves 4

Adapted from “Cooking with Nora” by Nora Pouillon

Peaches! Peaches! More Peaches!

“A Still Life Painting of Peaches” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Peaches are so abundant right now, our local Farmers Market is practically giving them away. What to do with all those peaches? Freeze slices for peach smoothies all year long. And lots, lots more!

Katherine’s Summertime Peach Crisp with Roasted Nuts, Dried Fruit & Ginger

Fresh Kale and Summer Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Creamy Summer Peach Fruit Smoothie

Swedish Waffles with Vanilla Bean Yogurt and Fresh Summertime Peaches

Creamy Peach and Ginger Surprise

Nora Pouillon’s Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt & Cilantro

Excerpted from “Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!“

If you’re not sure you’ll like the idea of cold cucumber soup, you will! Give it a try, you won’t be sorry…

4 Servings

3 Cups Lowfat Yogurt
3 Medium Cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 Medium Green Pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 – 6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
Juice of 1 Lemon
Peel of 1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Cilantro Leaves
1 Jalepeno Chili Pepper with seeds, stemmed
1 teaspoon sea salt
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Put the yogurt, cucumbers, green pepper, garlic, lemon juice and lemon peel, olive oil, cilantro, and jalapeno in a blender. Puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and refrigerate.

ASSEMBLY: Pour the chilled soup into 4 bowls, garnish with cilantro.

Calories: 128

Note from Nora: “Since the fruit I use is organic, I always use the skins. I zest or peel my lemons or limes with a vegetables peeler. Then I peel off the white pith from the fruit (you need a sharp paring knife) and put the whole lemon or lime and its peeled skin into the blender.”

Kjerstin’s Swedish Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill

Excerpted from “Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!“

This recipe from my mother is a typical Swedish side dish (though I substituted yogurt for sour cream). When she (and I) serves it at parties, it is always a huge hit. It’s especially delicious using locally grown, just picked cucumbers. It’s great served alongside smoked salmon, but also any spicy dish, such as an Indian Curry.

1 English Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced (any seasonal cucumber will do)
1 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1 Cup Water
2 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Dill
1/2 Cup Low Fat or Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Dash Pepper

Mix water, vinegar and salt. Add cucumber slices and let sit for about an hour. Drain well. In clean bowl, mix together yogurt, dill, sugar and pepper.  Mix cucumber slices in the yogurt mixture. Let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour to blend flavors. Will last several days in the refrigerator.

Susan Belsinger’s Creamiest Summer Peach Fruit Smoothie

Excerpted from “Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes: 50 New Reasons to Cook in Season!“

“Another great combo is raspberries with peaches. Besides being quick and easy, the best thing about this recipe is that it tastes good and it is good for you!   Sometimes when I know I’m going to be burning a lot of energy—I add a handful of dry oatmeal—if makes it thicker and more filling, adds protein, and keeps me going longer. Just double the recipe if you are making smoothies for two,” says Susan. I’d like to add that soymilk makes extra creamy smoothies. Try it!

Serves 2

About 1 to 1 1/2 cups peaches and/or other fruit, cut into chunks
About 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 cup cold soy milk
3 to 5 ice cubes
2 drops pure vanilla extract

Put the fruit in the blender. Drizzle the syrup or honey over it. Add the ice cubes. Pour the soy milk over all and add the vanilla. Blend until pureed and frothy. Serve immediately in a tall glass with a straw.

My Favorite 15 Minute – or Less – Summertime Recipes

Caprese Salad: A Simple Summertime Dish in 5 Minutes

Summer is my favorite time of year for food that needs NO COOKING!

Caprese Salad

Fresh Kale & Summer Peach Salad with Toasted Almonds and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sweet Summertime Melon Chunks with Crumbled Feta & Fresh Mint

Fresh Summer Salsa with Watermelon

Zucchini Ribbons with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

Swedish Waffles, Vanilla Bean Yogurt & Fresh Summertime Peaches

Kjerstin’s Chicken Salad with Summer Grapes, Peaches & Toasted Walnuts

Creamiest Summertime Peach Smoothie

Kjerstin’s Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill

Nora Pouillon’s Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt & Cilantro

Eggs Scrambled with Onions, Garlic & Sweet Cherry Tomatoes