I made Gazpacho the other night for the first time in a long time. I truly forgot how refreshing this soup is.
Seriously it took about 10 minutes to chop the veggies and in no time at all you will be enjoying a fabulous summer time soup.
This weekend is going to be H-O-T, so this soup would be ideal. In fact I purposely didn’t post this recipe till today! (there is a reason behind my madness. LOL)
See these ingredients? Simply wash them and start dicing.
Soon you will have gazpacho once you add those diced veggies into the tomato juice! (plus some spices and other goodies)
My Favourite Gazpacho recipe is from Moosewood Cookbook.
Ingredients:
4 cups tomato juice (I use V-8)
1/2 cup finely minced onion
1 medium clove garlic, crushed
1 medium bell pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon honey
1 medium cucumber, finely diced
2 scallions, minced (I didn’t have any and my gazpacho was just fine)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced fresh, ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded)
Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
Directions:
1. Finely dice the onion, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, garlic
2. Add vegetables into the tomato juice
3. Add lemon juice, lime juice, honey, oil and spices.
*you could puree all the ingredients but I like my gazpacho chunky
4. CHILL and enjoy
Final Result
Happy Summer Cooking!!
chopping, gazpacho, Moosewood, Soup, Summer, tomato, vegetables
The school year is coming to an end and I swear I’ve finally perfected the “what’s-going-into-the-lunch-box” syndrome.
Here’s the options:
a) FRUIT: This is the easiest part, as there’s always fruit hanging around. (apple, orange, banana, strawberries, blueberries etc). On the occasion, I will mix it up and include a kiwi or starfruit or something exotic.
b) VEGETABLES: Again – kind of easy as there’s always veggies hanging around in the fridge (cucumber, red pepper, baby carrots)
c) THE MAIN COURSE: Seeing as my kitchen is dairy. I can’t send meat sandwiches to school. So I send: veggie hot dogs wrapped in a tortilla, tuna sandwiches, smoked salmon/cream cheese on whole wheat bread, pasta in a thermos, rice/veggies in a thermos. For special occasions, I will send party sandwiches (which are always a hit)
d) YOGURT: These drinkable yogurts are bought on a regular basis.
e) SNACKS: Lately I’ve been including Sabra Hummus in the lunchbox. This is a new addition to the lunch box and I’m all too happy to add it in there. No joke – my daughter can tell the difference between Sabra and other brands. Hands down, Sabra is her favourite brand. (specifically the hummus with roasted pine nuts)
True Story: I still remember that my mom put Frito’s in my lunch when I was a kid. I can’t remember what else was in my lunch bag but I remember those small bags of Frito’s.
For more information about Sabra and their wide range of products, , please click here.
Disclosure: I was provided with product, however all opinions are my own
Fruit, Hummus, lunch, Main Course, sabra, snacks, vegetables, Yogurt
Actually there isn’t much in my fridge these days. Although I can’t say the same thing about my freezer. It’s packed. So what do you see in my fridge? hmm…lots of egg whites, dairy products, peanut butter and a Brita Pitcher.
I’m really trying hard to stick to a low carb diet these days – can you tell?
As for vegetables: I’ve got a goal to reduce the amount of vegetables that I seem to buy and then not use. (arghh). Therefore I seem to be eating more and more “prepared” salads and stir fries. Recently I tried Fresh Attitude Microwavable Ready to Eat Stir Frys. These kits allowed me to have flavourful stir frys in just minutes. Um – to be exact, my meal was ready in about 4 minutes. Flavours include: Sweet ‘n Sour, Thai, Teriyaki and General Tao. Bonus: no plates required as you can eat right out of the bowl.
I’m also trying to drink more water seeing as my Brita pitcher is providing me with tastier and cleaner water!! This brand has been in my kitchen for decades seeing as my friends husband worked at Brita back in the early 1990’s.
What I love about the Brita pitcher is the Filter Changer Indicator. How. Brilliant.
Seeing as I’m trying harder to drink more, I’m participating in #BritaBootcamp. There is no question that this statement is true: When water taste better then you drink more! Thanks to the Brita Water Filtration System, I’m now enjoying water that tastes better. Much better!
Tell me what’s in your fridge!!
Disclosure: I was provided with product and/or compensated however all my opinions are my own.
Brita, freezer, Fresh Attitude, Fridge, vegetables, Water
If you asked me “what is my definition of a healthy meal?”…this is how I would reply.
The meal would consist of fruit, veggies, protein and some carbs. Now how would I ensure that these meals would appeal to kids? Let’s see…here’s a few TIPS.
a) Make sure that the meal is colourful. It’s funny how presentation can go along way!
b) A deconstructed salad (see photo) is a great way for your kids to choose what THEY like. This is perfect for those families where one child doesn’t like tomatoes and the other child does. (you know exactly what I mean..LOL).
c) Have fun with your food! Again – presentation goes a long way. This is a photo of a homemade healthy pancake with just a touch of Nutella.
d) Invest in a Spiralizer and turn boring vegetables into FUN vegetables. Trust me – this works!!
To ensure that I stay within my budget, I always shop at No Frills so I can get the best prices and take advantage of using my PC Points. I signed up for the PC app when I attended the launch of the PC Plus program back in May 2013. I’ve been a faithful user ever since. In fact I’m pretty sure I was downloading the app while Kathy Buckworth was talking about it at the launch. (yup – I’m an eager beaver when it comes to saving $$)
There is no doubt that making healthy meals is important to me and it’s also important to me that I spend my money wisely. No question that the PC Plus program and No Frills helps me obtain my goals.
For more information:
No Frills: www.pcplus.ca
Instagram: #PCPlus
Disclosure: I am blogger participating in a program with No Frills. I have received compensation for this blog post however all opinions are my own.
App, Deconstructed Salad, Fruit, Healthy, Kathy Buckworth, Meals, No Frills, Nutella, pancakes, PC Plus, presentation, vegetables
I recently was involved in a conversation where we discussed “what food would you feel funny about, if you didn’t eat it every day”?. I have to admit there are days where I don’t eat any fruit but there’s hardly a day that goes by without me eating vegetables. Here’s a few of my favorite QUICK and SIMPLE veggies dishes.
1. Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Wash, trim, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper …stick them on a tray in a 425 oven for 15 minutes. VOILA.
2. Kale with Red Pepper, Onions and Goat Cheese: Stir fry the onions, add some red pepper and then the chopped (washed) Kale. Add some goat cheese for some creamy-ness. SO SO good for you.
3. Stir Fried Veggies; No need to explain. Right? LOL
4. Roasted Root Veggies: Try Cookstown Greens…it’s worth the $$. Promise. Wash the veggies, stick them on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake in a 425 oven for 30 minutes. YUM.
5. I’m perfectly happy with a salad too!
What’s your favourite vegetable? Do share…
Next blog post…will be all about FRUIT. Stay tuned.
Brussel Sprouts, Cookstown Greens, frui, kale, root vegetables, salad, stir fry, vegetables
