This salad is very flexible if you have different vegetables. Make a double recipe and bring it to a picnic or cookout! It’s perfect for your Fourth of July celebration.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 beefsteak tomatoes, sliced thick
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
1 large green bell pepper, top & bottom sliced off
2 ears corn on the cob, shucked
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thick lengthwise
1/4 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 head romaine lettuce (or mixed salad greens), washed and shredded
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
In a large bowl, add garlic and 2 ounces of olive oil. Add all vegetables except the lettuce, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Grill vegetables on medium heat and set aside.
Chop all vegetables into medium sized pieces just before serving. In a small bowl, whisk balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and remaining olive oil until blended. Toss vegetables with vinaigrette and place on top of shredded romaine lettuce.
What better way to honor your dad than by devoting the entire day to improving his health?
Start the day by sharing a fun, healthy activity, like going for a walk, swim, or bike ride. Play tennis or golf. Play basketball. Get out the yard games, like croquet, badminton, horseshoes, and bocce ball. Involve the whole family!
Then make a healthy, great-tasting meal to honor your dad. Check Healthy Holidays for delicious recipes like Barbeque Chicken with Homemade Sauce, Asian Grilled Salmon, Orzo with Roasted Vegetables, Four-Bean Salad, Sweet Potato Chips, Baked Garlic Fries, and Double-Trouble Chocolate Bundt Cake.
Celebrate the dads around you, too – your husband, your brother, your uncle, your son. Share the stories and memories about the dads in your family (c’mon, you have your own version of $&(# My Dad Says… and Does – don’t let it be lost to history).
The school calendar, which rules so much of our lives, is suspended. Even if no one in your house is in school, you probably feel the effects of no school in all kinds of other areas.
People come out of hibernation – neighborhoods come alive with socialization and activity. Walking paths and beaches are busy.
All those evening-only activities crowd into the daytime… and more hours of daylight means there’s more daytime for those activities.
Sit down with your family and plan your summer. Figure out what you want your summer to be about – is it all rest & relaxation? Or do you have goals for a garden? For learning something new? For connecting with friends and neighbors? Plan the vacations, and the ball games and performances, and the weddings and graduations, and the holidays. And then plan your daily exercise. Plan your play time. Plan your parties.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
~ Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on 3 May 1915 (World War I) after he witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, 22 years old, the day before.
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
~ US Professor Moina Michael in 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Field”
1 can (16 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and mashed
2 Tablespoons uncooked oatmeal
One package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely shredded cooked carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup Nayonaise or Veganiase
2 Tablespoons chopped scallions
1 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons olive oil
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil. Shape the mixture into 4 to 6 burgers, pressing firmly. Chill for 2 hours. Before grilling, brush burgers with olive oil. Grill 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning only once. Serve on multi-grain rolls with mustard and ketchup.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Garlic Grilled Corn on the Cob Blue * per serving
One ear of sweet corn for each person – corn needs to have the husk still attached.
Per ear of corn:
1 teaspoon Olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
a few squirts of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
a pinch of dried basil (or your favorite herb)
a light dash of cayenne
Carefully pull the husks down on your cobs, but don’t detach. Clean off all silk and wash corn, then soak in cold water (mainly for the husks – they need to be soaked before the corn goes on the grill).
Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Pat dry only the cob parts of the corn, and then brush on the seasoning mixture. Put the husks back up around the corn, twisting the tops to keep the husk closed (or tie with string that has also been soaked in cold water). Throw these on the grill and let them grill over the moderately hot part of the grill for about 45 minutes (they will char, but don’t let them burn) or till they feel as tender as you like. You can also roast these in the oven.
Do you like the thought of staying in bed on Friday the 13th?
Or is this just another day for you?
Statistics (at least those reported via the first couple of pages of a Google search) go both ways on this being a day of bad luck. Perhaps it’s what YOU make of it.
What can you do to sway your luck today?
Eat a healthy breakfast.
Drink plenty of water.
Smile.
Pay someone a compliment.
Eat your vegetables – all different colors.
Do a random act of kindness.
Pay attention when someone talks to you.
Give a hug.
Skip the unnecessary snack.
Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Wear your seatbelt.
Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in the US, and whether you’re a mom, a grandmother, an aunt, a sister, a daughter, a niece… you’re probably mothering someone.
Thank you for the nurturing, and the caregiving, and the feeding and clothing, and the carpooling, and the endless cooking and laundry that you do.
Thank you for the hours you’ve spent listening, the heartaches you’ve shared, the band-aids you’ve applied, and the tears you’ve cried.
Thank you for the joys you’ve shared, the hugs you’ve given, the encouragement you’ve offered, and the celebrations you’ve organized.
Thank you for all the advice, and for the times you were brave enough to share it – and brave enough to keep it to yourself.
Thank you for being there for all the special people in your life.
This soup is great for warmer weather, and it’s easy to put together, especially with a Vitamix (our directions included below).
We like to add a peeled cucumber and a couple of tomatoes to the mix of veggies, too. And we’ve been known to serve the soup with a small wedge of lime or lemon – if we have it.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ SPArty Gazpacho Purple * Serves 4
2 yellow, or Vidalia, onions
2 green peppers, seeded and chopped fine
2 red, orange or yellow peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/2 cups tomato juice
pinch of cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoons chopped dill
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
4 small slices avocado for garnish
Chop all vegetables, put in large bowl or tureen. Whisk oil, vinegar, and tomato juice together, adding cayenne, dill and cilantro. Pour over vegetables, mix gently. Chill 3 hours or more, covered. Serve plain or with small slice of avocado on top.
To make in a Vitamix *
Keep the produce in the fridge until you’re ready to make the soup. Don’t chop it fine, just remove seeds or peels (as appropriate) and cut it in big chunks. Put the ingredients in the blender container in this order – tomato juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, onions, peppers, cayenne, dill, cilantro. Put the switch on variable 1. Turn on, and increase the speed to 4. Blend about 30-45 seconds, so it’s still a little chunky. No need to chill unless you want the flavors to blend a little. Serve.
Yes, today’s recipe for St. Patrick’s Day is a day early… so you can prepare!
Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of potatoes and cabbage, and sometimes other things. This is a vegan version, and it’s awesome (especially if you love potatoes). You can increase the nutrient value by using half the amount of cabbage and a bunch of kale. Wash the kale, remove the leaves from the stems, and chop the leaves. Add the kale with the onions and cabbage.
We like to serve this with spicy chicken or vegan sausages (and some good Irish beer on St. Patrick’s Day).
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Arky’s Colcannon Blue * Serves 8
3 large Idaho potatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper
2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them in chunks, put them in a pot, and cover with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat to maintain a low boil for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and cabbage, and cook until transparent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. When the cabbage looks thoroughly wilted, add the potatoes, and mash them into the dish. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the paprika and parsley, stir well.
Mound the potato mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Don’t pat it down, you want a mound of potatoes. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until it gets a light brown crust.
Start the day by sharing a fun, healthy activity, like going for a walk, swim, or bike ride. Play tennis or golf. Play basketball. Get out the yard games, like croquet, badminton, horseshoes, and bocce ball. Involve the whole family!
