Provencial Greens Soup

I found this recipe from "Eat Foods, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants."
I am super excited to make this, and I think I am going to go hiking and see if I can find any good weeds to put into it. I know, I know, you balk when I say weeds, but there really are some that are super good for you. I am mainly going to look for dandelions (because that is all I can identify), and we will see how it goes from there. It might just end up being swiss chard and beat or raddish greens. At any rate, here is the recipe:

Provencal Greens Soup

I love the NYTimes well blog and recipes, which is where I saw this. This sounds really good.

In France this simple, nutritious soup is made with wild greens that you might forage on an afternoon’s walk, such as nettles, watercress and dandelion greens. If you must use one green, I recommend Swiss chard.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, cut in half length-wise, sliced, rinsed of dirt and drained on paper towels

4 garlic cloves, sliced

6 cups chopped greens (leaves only), such as Swiss chard, dandelion greens, watercress and beet greens

1 1/2 quarts water

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 large eggs

4 thick slices country bread, toasted and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic

Grated Parmesan for serving (optional)

1. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, and add the leeks. Cook, stirring, until tender, three to five minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add the greens, and stir until they begin to wilt. Add the water and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender and the broth sweet. Add pepper, and taste and adjust seasoning.

2. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Making sure that the soup is not boiling, whisk a ladle of it into the beaten eggs. Take the soup off the heat, and stir in the tempered eggs. Brush the garlic croutons with olive oil, and place one or two in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, sprinkle on some Parmesan if desired and serve.

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: You can make the soup through step 1 several hours before serving.

Menu March 16-21

This week has been nice. I haven't really had to cook. Sunday we went to a parent's house, Monday I can't remember what we did, but I do know I didn't have to cook. Yesterday we ate at my in-law's house, so this week's menu is going to be fairly short.
We will be having:

Wednesday: Baked Spaghetti (sorry, I can't give the recipe out. It came from a friend, and it is her family's secret recipe), asparagus, salad

Thursday: Provencial Greens Soup, mashed potatoes, salad

Friday: Pizza (every Friday, remember?), salad

Saturday: Egg Rolls, fried rice and veggies, salad

Also on Saturday I am going on a picnic. Does anyone know of any great picnic treats or meals? I mean aside from the macaroni salad type thing. Please let me know!

Black Bean Burgers

Okay, so the black bean burgers were a huge hit. Again, I got this recipe from a blog called "Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" and I LOVE it.
I am merely putting the recipe here so I can reference it easily. That is what I am doing with all the good recipes I find. Just putting them here, so I can have a bunch to cook from. Once I get a ton, I will then make a cook book out of it. Good plan? I thought so.

Black Bean Burgers

These burgers are awesome! Cooking the onions and peppers over high heat helps to give the burgers a "grilled" flavor. I also added a little Liquid Smoke which gave it a great taste.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, large dice
1 red bell pepper, large dice
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. grill seasoning (such as McCormick Grill Mates)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans black beans, rinsed and well drained
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. Panko bread crumbs

Heat oil over medium-high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir constantly to avoid scorching. When onions are golden brown, reduce heat to low; add garlic, grill seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. Stir occasionally until onions and peppers are softened.

In a food processor, pulse the onion and pepper mixture until finely chopped. Add the black beans, and process until the desired texture is achieved. TASTE the mixture at this point to check for seasonings. If necessary, add more salt or pepper.

Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the bean mixture and the bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Use a large ice cream scoop to form balls, and shape into patties using wet hands. Place patties on an oiled baking sheet, and cook at 375 for 10 minutes. Flip the patties over, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Avoid overcooking or the burgers will be dry.

Serve the burgers on crusty rolls with your favorite burger fixins'.

Menu March 9-14

So I decided I am going to start posting the menu for the week. Every Saturday I sit down, make a list of all the foods I am planning to make, then make out my grocery list.

For easy reference, I am going to start posting them here. I make a list of what we are having during the week, but I don't have a set menu. I pick and choose what I want to make each night... and eventually go through them all. I hope this is helpful to you all, and if not, it is super helpful to me, so thanks for your patience and forbearance.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic, Zucchini and Tomato (Cuisine Nie)
Sauteed Mushrooms and Spinach on Toast (Cuisine Nie)
Black Bean Burgers (Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants)
California Spaghetti
Whole Wheat Pizza

If any of you have good whole wheat pizza crust ideas, please send them my way. I am still looking for a favorite. We have pizza every Friday, so finding a good one is important. Thanks.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Garlic , Zucchini and Tomato

Whole Wheat spaghetti with garlic zucchini and tomato

This is a delightful summer dish, and easy to make!

I have to admit, this is another Nie specialty. She is an incredible cook. What can I say?


Whole wheat spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
course salt and pepper
small red onion cut into thick slices
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini cut lengthwise into sticks
2 plum tomatoes cut lengthwise into strips
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Boil noodles in salted water
Sautee 3 garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 3 minutes
Add zucchini and 1/2 cup water. Let sit on med. for 10 minutes
Add tomatoes, onions and 1 tablespoon of oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Add cheese.

Ratatouille

I made this for dinner tonight and am loving it! I think that we are going to eat it while watching it's namesake when my hubby gets home. I added a little here and there, tweaking it to make my taste buds rejoice. As follows is my rendition of this delightful dinner:

1 medium eggplant, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 zuchinni, diced
Saute in olive oil and season to taste with seasoned salt and freshly ground pepper.
Add;
16 oz tomatoes (with juice)
A dash or two of balsamic vinegar
Put in baking dish and cover with 1/2 cup each parmesean and mozzerela cheese. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

We ate this with some home made Lavish crackers. Yummy. Try it. Go make it right now, and tell me if this isn't absolutely delicious! I am thinking of garnishing it with some fresh parsley. I will let you know how it goes.

Chickpeas and Spinach

I found this recipe on a wonderful blog called "Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" and I have to say, it is pretty tasty! My hubby tasted it and was so happy at the flavor along with the healthiness of it. I guess you can't go wrong with garlic and onions, hu?

Chickpeas and Baby Spinach

I saw this recipe was in the NYTimes today and I thought it looked great--especially as a quick and healthy pantry meal.

Chickpeas and Baby Spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
Salt, preferably kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or water
Cayenne to taste (I didn't have cayenne, so I added some red pepper flakes and some chili powder. So Yummy!)
1 6-oz. bag baby spinach

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, tomato paste and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring for one to two minutes, until fragrant and the tomato paste has turned a darker color. Add the chickpeas, the stock or water, and the cayenne, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until each addition of spinach wilts. Add salt to taste and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for five minutes. Add lots of freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt and cayenne, and serve.
Note: Another way to make this dish is to blanch the spinach separately in salted boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, drain and squeeze dry. Add to the chickpeas as in step 2, but stir together for only two to three minutes.

You can serve it on its own, with couscous or pasta, or over a thick slice of toasted bread rubbed with garlic.