Okra, Tomatoes and Black-eyed Peas

Okra is plentiful in our CSA and this is our favorite way to eat it:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 lb whole okra, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces (2 cups)
2 large tomatoes, chopped, or 15oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 can black eyed peas, drained

1.  In a large skillet cook and stir the onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in oil about 5 minutes or till tender.
2.  Stir in okra, tomatoes, salt, pepper.
3.  Bring to boiling.  Add black-eyed peas, reduce heat and simmer, covered 20 to 30 minutes.
4.  Serve as side dish or over rice for main dish.

Almond and Peanut Butter

Almond Butter/Peanut Butter

I have discovered making almond butter and peanut butter at home which is very good considering the insane amount we go through and the fact that Trader Joe's can't keep almond butter on their shelves

Basically, you dump almonds or peanuts in a food processor, add a little sea salt as desired and turn it on.  That's about it.  You may need to stop the processor and scrape the sides every once in a while.  I have had no problems doing this with my food processor but I understand that sometimes the food processor may start smelling like it is burning - please turn it off if that happens :)  You may want to give the processor a rest during this if you run into any of those issues.

I have used both raw unsalted almonds (Trader Joe's) and oven roasted unsalted almonds (Aldi's).

For the peanut butter I used dry roasted unsalted peanuts from Aldi's.

I sprinkle some sea salt in the mixture as it starts getting creamy.

Here are some pics of the almond butter.

The nuts will turn to flour first and then butter.

Stuffed Cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage

1 head cabbage
1 lb ground turkey
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 egg, beaten
1 can beans (I used pinto, but whatever you have on hand should be fine)
1/4 cup minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz can tomato sauce
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Boil cabbage for a few minutes (this makes it easier to peel off the leaves).

In a large bowl, combine turkey, tomatoes, egg, beans, onions and salt and pepper.  Place a spoonful of the mixture in center of each cabbage leaf and roll up, tucking in ends.

In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.  Place cabbage rolls in baking dish and cover with tomato sauce.

Cover and cook at 400.  Check at 45 minutes to see if done.

Grilled Shrimp and veggies with black beans and salsa

Finally!  It is warm enough to grill!

Grilled Shrimp
2 lbs shrimp - peeled and deveined (I either buy them on skewers or put them on skewers)

Marinate shrimp in following marinade for 20 minutes and then grill

1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 TBSP hot sauce
3 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP tomato paste or sauce (I have also used ketchup)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


With our yummy shrimp, we also grilled onions, asparagus tossed in olive oil, garlic and sea salt and skewers of grape tomatoes.  We made black beans and salsa by combining 1 can of rinsed and drained black beans with 1 cup of salsa and warming on stovetop.  The girls had corn on the cob and we made some roasted baby portobello mushrooms (see previous recipe).  We definitely enjoyed our taste of summer.

The picture is of the veggies waiting for the grill

Stuffed Green Peppers - Gluten Free

6 green bell peppers
salt to taste
1lb ground turkey
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans condensed tomato soup

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds.  Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain.  Sprinkle salt inside each pepper and place in a baking dish

In a large skillet, saute turkey and onions for 5 minutes or until browned.  Drain off excess fat and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce,  black beans and 1 can of soup.  Cook until a low boil.

Preheat oven to 350.  Stuff each pepper with the turkey mixture and place open side up in baking dish.  In a medium bowl, combine the other can of soup with just enough water to make a gravy.  Pour over the peppers.  Bake 20 minutes covered with aluminum foil.  (You can add grated cheese to top of peppers if you wish, but I see no reason to.  They are yummy without it).

 **  Elsa does not like stuffed peppers, so I usually make 5 peppers and reserve some of the turkey mixture (adding some tomato sauce if necessary and some oregano, basil, garlic etc. to make a spaghetti type sauce).    I cook her some noodles and top with the sauce.  Everyone is happy!

Tortilla Soup

The recipe for this soup from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook calls for 3 cups of corn and no beans.  Paul does not eat corn on his diet, so I substituted beans for the corn.
This soup is very thin.  It is basically a broth with vegetables, but it has a great flavor and you can thicken it up with avocado, sour cream and cheese if you want.

1 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 canned chipotle pepper, diced *see note
2 tomatillos, husked, seeded, and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
1 TBSP ground coriander
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
8 cups chicken stock
1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp adobo sauce from chipotle pepper can
1 TBSP chopped cilantro, to taste
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
(the original recipe called for 3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels instead of beans)
8 corn tortillas (6 inch) cut into 1/2 x 2 inch strips  (we just used tortilla chips dipped in and/or crushed up in the soup
avocado cubes
monterey jack cheese
sour cream

*note*  You can buy the chipotle peppers from the mexican section of the grocery.  You only use 1 pepper from the can.  You can freeze the remaining peppers.  I put the peppers and adobo sauce in my food processor and processed.  Then I froze 1 TBSP portions to use for later recipes.

In a soup pot, warm oil and saute onions, jalapenos, chipotle, tomatillos, bell peppers, and zucchini for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.  Add the coriander, cumin, and oregano and saute for about 3 minutes.  Stir in the stock, lime juice, and adobo sauce and bring to a simmer.  Add cilantro and beans (and/or corn) and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bake the tortilla strips on an unoiled baking sheet for 15-20 minutes or until crisp at 400.

To serve, place tortilla strips in bowl and fill with soup.  Top with avocado, cheese and sour cream as desired. (Paul has his with mashed avocado only).

Here is a picture of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that I am going to freeze.  I processed them in my food processor, put them in about 1 TBSP scoops on a plate covered in plastic wrap and stuck them in the freezer.  Once frozen, I will put them into a ziplock bag and store in the freezer.  I will add 1 of them to other soups, stews, chili, etc.

Spinach, eggs and beans

For dinner Friday, we sauteed 2 cloves of garlic in 1 TBSP olive oil, added one can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans.  Cooked until heated and then added 1lb of spinach and cooked just until wilted.  I topped it with hard boiled eggs (like my momma used to do with spinach) and enjoyed with a baked sweet potato.