Tabbouleh

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! A hint of green - mint and parsley - with this Mediterranean festivity served with toasted pita bread, assorted cheeses, and various prepared spreads.
1/4 cup bulgur
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 green onions, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt to taste

Place the bulgur in a small mixing bowl. Add the boiling water, mix and cover with a towel. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain any excess water.

Combine the parsley, mint, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
Add the bulgur; mix well and serve.

Vegetable Stew on Polenta

Ah...the comfort this stew brings with its root vegetables. Serving four as a main dish, it can also be served over a variety of grains - polenta, quinoa or couscous.

3 T extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 large red onion, cut into 1 inch dices
3 celery ribs, cut into large chunks*
4 carrots, cut into large chunks
1/2 lb white mushrooms, halved
1 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 c chopped tomatoes (or one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice)
1 T tomato paste
1 c corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 c chopped green beans (blanched)
2 T chopped fresh parsley
Fresh ground black pepper

1 recipe of polenta or desired grain

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil, red pepper and thyme until the thyme sizzles. Add the onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and salt; cook for 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to release their juices and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic; cook 1 minute more.

Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. If using fresh tomatoes, add 1/2 cup water. Cook 15 minutes. Stir in the corn and beans. Bring back to a simmer; season with parsley, salt (if desired) and black pepper.

Spoon the stew over the polenta. Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

*Feel free to experiment with your preferred vegetables - parsnips would be a nice addition, as well as later asparagus in place of the green beans and oregano in place of or alongside the parsley.

Cranberry Muffins

A very special thanks to Mom for sharing this favorite quick and tasty muffin recipe. Cranberries have moderate levels of vitamin C, dietary fiber, and the essential dietary mineral, manganese. Enjoy this bursting little antioxidant!
1 c cranberries *
2 T sugar
2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel **
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 c milk
1/4 c melted butter

In a medium bowl, toss cranberries and sugar - set aside.
Combine dry ingredients. Stir well.
In small bowl, combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the flour mixture and add wet and cranberries. Stir until just moist. Batter should be lumpy.
Spoon into greased muffin tins - 3/4 full.

Preheat oven to 400. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool in tins for 5 minutes; then remove and serve warm.

*I freeze recently purchased fresh cranberries (they will keep a few months in the freezer) and then use them frozen in the recipe.
**I have omitted the orange peel since it was not on hand.

Conventional vs. Organic

Conventionally grown peaches, apples, and lettuce are marinated in a toxic cocktail of pesticides, which have been shown to cause everything from dizziness to cancer, as well as headaches, rashes, and liver toxicity. But not all fruits and vegetables are affected equally (or receive the same amount of chemical treatment). Bananas, for example, are perfectly safe in their conventional (less expensive) form, thanks to a protective peel.
So which conventional fruits and vegetables are the most toxic? The Environmental Working Group — an environmental research firm in Washington, D.C. — recently tested the pesticide levels of 44 kinds of produce to find out.

10 Most Toxic Conventionally Grown Fruits and Vegetables (in descending order of pesticide toxicity levels):
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers (11 different pesticides found on a single pepper)Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes
Pears (86 percent of samples tested found with detectable pesticides)

10 Least Toxic Conventionally Grown Fruits and Vegetables (in descending order of pesticide toxicity levels):
Cabbage
Bananas
Kiwi
Asparagus (7 percent of samples tested found with detectable pesticides)
Sweet Peas
Mangoes
Pineapples
Sweet Corn
Avocados
Onions (1 pesticide found on a single onion)

Source: Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, Fifth Edition, The Environmental Working Group

Mac' and Cheese

Here's to an unusual twist on an all-American favorite!
2 c dried macaroni (or other pasta shape)
1/2 onion, sliced
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
3 T dried bread crumbs
2 T grated cheese*

Cheese sauce
3 T butter
1/3 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 c milk
1 c grated cheese*
pinch of cayenne pepper and salt

Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, adding the onions to the boiling water. Once the pasta is al dente, drain well and place the pasta and onions into an oven safe dish.
To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk.
Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Simmer for about 2 minutes, until the sauce is thick and glossy.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cheese, and season to taste with salt and cayenne.
Pour the sauce over the macaroni, add the hard boiled eggs, and mix lightly. Arrange the tomato halves on top. Mix together the bread crumbs and finely grated cheese and sprinkly over the top.
Cook under a preheated broiler for 3-4 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbling.
Serves 4.

*I prefer a sharp cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever brick cheese you have on hand.

Kale Pepper Toss

A quick dinner with a few of my favorite ingredients...without sacrificing any nutrients!

1 package whole wheat pasta

1 T olive oil
2 medium bell peppers, chopped (whatever color or type you have)
1 -2 c roughly chopped kale
4 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch dried basil
pinch ground cayenne pepper
salt and ground black pepper to taste
feta cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and follow instructions on package or until al dente; drain.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in peppers, kale and garlic. Season with basil, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender.
In a large bowl, toss cooked pasta with skillet mixture. Sprinkle with feta cheese to serve.

Serves 4.

Chip lovers unite...

Terra Chips are an assortment of root vegetable chips. The Exotic Vegetable Chip promises the delightful crunch of a potato chip with the health benefit of the sweet potato, parsnip, taro, yuca, batata, and ruby taro.

Special thanks to a friend who introduced them to our house!

Interesting to note, Terra became part of The Hain Celestial Group in 1998 - which has familiar names Celestial Seasonings, Westsoy, RiceDream, Arrowhead Mills, Health Valley, Jason, Alba Botanica, Avalon Organics.

Look for them at your grocery store -- and learn more with a visit to http://www.terrachips.com/