I desperately need to catch up on my food blog...

What a year! Some things have languished while we've been caught up with many changes in our lives, including this food blog.

A friend of mine, Angie, who is an incredible cook and one of the most selfless, giving persons I know, not only cooks for her family at home but also for hundreds of local at risk kids and homeless adults on a regular basis. Check out her blog Cheffess for some terrific recipes and colorful culinary concoctions. Today, Angie posted on Facebook: "I desperately need to catch up on my food blog." WOW, that is me in spades!!

Her true confession challenges me to get back on board with attempting regular posts about some of the scrumptiliumious meals me and my family having been cooking and sharing these past months. I am so far behind on sharing some of our delicious gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and pescetarian recipes that I doubt I can ever catch up.

But, my next post coming this week will be about the delightful slow process of making ratatouille with fresh, local produce and herbs from our garden. I wish you could smell the savory aromas wafting from my kitchen right now, even long after we've enjoyed our evening meal... imagine, if you will, inhaling the bouquet of freshly chopped basil, Italian parsley, bay leaf, savory, thyme and garlic in a stew of fresh tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and onions.

Please stop by again, later this coming week for the recipe. It's sure to be a hit amongst friends and family who love their veggies!

Homemade Italian Seasoning

Most stores carry an Italian herb seasoning, but it's easy and perhaps less expensive to make your own blend from the collection of dried herbs you already have in your kitchen spice cupboard.

Here are two options for blending your own dried herbs to create  homemade Italian Seasoning.

Measure, mix together and store in an airtight container:

Five Herb Blend

2 Tablespoons Basil
2 Tablespoons Marjoram
2 Tablespoons Oregano
2 Tablespoons Rosemary
2 Tablespoons Thyme

Seven Herb Blend

1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Marjoram
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Sage
1 teaspoon Savory

Home-crafted Vitamin Water

I don't know where these vitamin water recipes originated from, as they came from a post that went viral on Facebook. I'm sharing them, because it makes sense that we make our own "vitamin water", which is far more refreshing and nutritious than anything we could buy off the grocer's shelf.

Just as important as eating healthy foods, it's absolutely critical to stay hydrated, especially when exercising. How do we know when we are dehydrated?

• Confusion
• Dry Mouth
• Extreme Thirst
• Feeling Dizzy or Lightheaded
• Headache
• Little or No Urine (or urine that is darker than usual)
• No Tears (when crying)
• Sleepiness or Fatigue

I've experienced all of these symptoms. You? Let's not wait until we notice symptoms, which are often hard to recognize at the time, often masking as other problems. 

Let's hydrated, drinking plenty of water, enhancing our enjoyment of staying hydrated with vitamin rich, home-crafted flavors made from organic fruits and herbs. Here are eight recipes:

1) The Classical : Lemon/Cucumber:
Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + 1 cucumber and a lemon, thinly sliced + 1/4 cup fresh finely chopped basil leaf + 1/3 of finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

2) The Granite : Strawberry/Lime or Raspberry/Lime
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 6 strawberries / 0r Raspberries and one thinly sliced lime + 12 finely chopped fresh mint leaves. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

3) The Digestive : Fennel/Citrus
First: infuse 1/4-3/4 teaspoon of dried and crushed fennel in 2/3 cup of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Allow to cool. Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water + lemon juice (put the leftover lemon in the mix) + a small thinly sliced orange + 12 fresh chopped mint leaves + the infusion of fennel seeds. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

4) The Anti-OX : Blackberry/Sage
Note that a part from the berries, sage leafs is the herb that has the highest antioxidant content.
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of blackberries that have been very slightly crushed + 3-4 sage leaves. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

5) WATER-melon : Watermelon/Rosemary
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of watermelon cut into cubes + 2 rosemary stems. Leave in refrigerator overnight before serving.

6) The Exotic : Pineapple/Mint
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of pineapple cut into cubes + 12 fresh mint leaves finely chopped. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

7) The Traditional : Apple/Cinnamon
Mix in a pitcher : 10 cups of water + 1 cup of apple cut into cubes + 2 cinnamon sticks + 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

8.) The Zingiber : Ginger/Tea
In advance: heat 1 teaspoon of ginger in two cups of tea, let it cool down. Mix in a pitcher: 10 cups of water with two cups of the ginger tea + 4-5 pieces of fresh ginger cut into cubes. Leave in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Meatless Monday Campaign

After a busy weekend of preparing food and entertaining guests, I wanted something on this cold and frosty day that was warm, nourishing and easy to fix for dinner tonight. One of the benefits of be a member of Linkedin.com is that you can join groups, and groups email digests, and group members share a plethora of information. The downside, of belonging to any online community or surfing anywhere on the Internet is that you can be inundated and overwhelmed with solicited content. I recently had to change a bunch of email preferences to curb the quantity of emails I am receiving daily and weekly. That said, from time to time I find a tidbit of info that has meaning or benefit to me. This is how I found out about the Meatless Monday Campaign and this delicious morsel shared by Tracy Ritson of the Green Publishing Group on Linkedin.

The following recipe "Meatless Monday Winter Warm-Up - Hearty Lentil Soup" comes from Angela on Sustainable Scribe by PLANET FORWARD.

"Monday! As you may or may not know, Planet Forward supports the Meatless Monday campaign – a non-profit initiative in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It’s part of an eco-friendly worldwide movement to reduce consumption of animal products in favour of more plant-based meals to fight global warming and improve our personal health. This week we bring another vegetarian recipe for you to try.

Beans are a staple for vegetarians as they are a healthy (and fat-free) source of protein and carbohydrates. Plus they are more familiar to flexitarians and other non-full-time vegetarians than tofu, tempeh and seitan. Our hearty lentil soup recipe can be made ahead of time and you can even freeze it (in an air-tight container) if you make too much. I am a huge soup fan especially during the long-cold Canadian winter and this is one of my favourites.

Hearty Lentil Soup - serves 4 people as a main course with a salad and bread (gluten-free ideally but whole-wheat/grain is good too)

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt/pepper to taste (if needed)
• Tabasco Hot sauce (optional and to taste)

Note: To the above, I added green onions, corn, peas and fresh tomatoes quartered, and a half tablespoon of Mountain Rose Herbs All Purpose Seasoning.

Preparation:
In a large pot, saute onions, celery and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions are transparent. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaves and salt/pepper (if needed).

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in hot sauce (if desired) and that’s it. Easy-peasy. Serve with a side salad and fresh bread to round off a great and satisfying meal.

Don’t forget - to join the movement, sign up online by going to your local Meatless Monday site or you can go here http://www.meatlessmonday.com/ to learn more. If this Monday passed you by, next week is another chance to go meatless – it’s only one day for an eco-friendly cause. Join us.

Bon (vegetarian) Appetit!" - Angela

Salt Substitute - Homemade Herb Blend

Want to cut down your salt intake or simple incorporate more spices into your cooking? Whether you buy dried organic herbs or dry your own, this medley of herbs is a great flavor enhancer for savory entrees, veggies, salads and eggs.

It took me five minutes to make this herb blend. I stored it in a clean, empty Spice Island jar I saved for such a time such as this. I used garlic salt, since I love salt and appear to be out of garlic powder right now.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon each of Garlic Powder and Dry Mustard
2 teaspoon each of the following dried herbs: Parsley, Dill Weed, Savory, Thyme, Onion Powder, Paprika, and Ground White Pepper
1 teaspoon dried Lemon Peel

Directions:

If you have a garden, air-dry your own organic herbs. Be creative. Experiment with other herb and spice recipes that will compliment ethnic dishes, including desserts. Blend the herbs and seal the mixture in an airtight container or vacuum-seal to store or freeze. Homemade herb blends also makes excellent culinary gifts! Be creative. Make your own labels and gift tags.

How to make and store herb salts.

Celebrating Columbus Day with Polenta

I ask, what is more appropriate than to cook polenta on Columbus Day?

Excerpted from the Light and the Glory - Did God have a Plan for America? by Peter Marshall and David Manuel, we read:

"Columbus and his men were enjoying the fruit of this bountiful Eden, to which a merciful Creator had led them. They ate food that no white man had ever tasted before - sweet, juice-giving fruit, corn, and a pulpy bread made from cassavas - and they drank water purer than any they had ever known." - page 43

I follow Bob's Red Mill recipe for Basic Italian Polenta, except that I add Italian or Mexican Seasoning from Mountain Rose Herbs. I add the cheese to the polenta mixture, and I decorate the top with fresh basil leaves and garnish with a thin slice of cucumber from the garden.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits
• 3 Tsp. butter
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  

Directions:

1. Grate or shred 1/2 cup cheese, either Parmesan, Romano, Fontina or Monterey Jack.
2. In a deep pan, over high heat, bring water and sea salt to a boil.
3. Gradually stir in the corn grits (polenta) using a long-handled spoon.
   
4. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until the water is absorbed.
5. Stir frequently to prevent mixture from sticking to the pan.
6. Stir in the butter, cheese, herbs and more salt to taste.
7. Oil a deep, medium-sized bowl.
8. If you want to decorate the top as I do, lay your garnish in the oiled bowl and gently spoon the polenta into the bowl over the top of the basil, or garnish of choice. Let set for 10 minutes.
9. Invert the bowl of polenta onto a plate; mixture will unmold and hold its shape.
10. Cut polenta into thick slices and serve hot.
11. Ladle over the top a homemade vegetarian or meat marinara sauce that is intended to serve with pasta and top with grated cheese.
    

Serves 6-8. Gluten-Free!