Dill Cabbage Soup

Dill Cabbage Soup

We harvested several cabbages from the garden and I wanted to try something new.  Since it's still winter time....I decided to try a cabbage soup.  We also had a lot of dill in the garden, so I went with a Dill Cabbage Soup.  It turned out lovely!  If you are not a big fan of dill, I would most definitely cut back on the dill.  If you're a dill lover, keep it the way it is!!!  I don't really like cooking when I get home during the work week, so I made big batch so we could have leftovers during the week.  This recipe made enough for 10 servings.  You could always cut the recipe in half if needed.

The Ingredients:

800 - 1000 g of cabbage, sliced how you like
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons paprika
3 tomatoes, pureed
8 cups vegetable stock
1 pepper (you choose, we used Serrano)
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
cayenne (optional if you like it spicy)

The Procedure:

Chop the onion, red bell pepper, and pepper. Slice the carrots.  Put the olive oil in a pot with the onion, red bell pepper, pepper and carrots and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne (optional) and saute for another minute.  Add the chopped cabbage to the pot and stir well.  Try to coat the cabbage with the seasonings as much as possible.  Put a lid over the pot and let it cook for another 3 minutes.

Now add the pureed tomatoes and vegetable stock.  Bring the soup to a boil.  Once the soup begins to boil, turn the heat down to low, add the parsley, dill and thyme and let it cook for 30 minutes covered.  Taste test your broth as needed to get your salt and pepper as you like it.

Enjoy!!! Nom Nom!!!

The Procedure Story Book:

Chop the onion, red bell pepper, and pepper. Slice the carrots.  

 

Put the olive oil in a pot with the onion, red bell pepper, pepper and carrots and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. 

 Add the paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne (optional) and saute for another minute.  

Add the cabbage to the pot and stir well.  Try to coat the cabbage with the seasonings as much as possible.  Put a lid over the pot and let it cook for another 3 minutes.

Now add the pureed tomatoes and vegetable stock.  Bring the soup to a boil. 

Once the soup begins to boil, turn the heat down to low, add the parsley, dill and thyme and let it cook for 30 minutes covered.  Taste test your broth as needed to get your salt and pepper as you like it.

Melt in my Spelt Pancakes

Melt in my Spelt Pancakes

This is a good ol' recipe for some good ol' fashion pancakes....turned vegan of course.  First we'll go over the ingredients used and then get into the recipe and variations that can be made.

The Ingredients:

All of the ingredients came from Whole Foods.  A great place to find good organic foods!  Here's what you'll need:

Spelt Flour: Spelt is an ancient grain that is closely related to common forms of wheat. Spelt flour can be used in place of whole-grain wheat flour in most recipes. The flavor of spelt flour is more robust and nutty than wheat flour, and it offers many nutritional benefits. Many of the nutritional properties of spelt flour are the same as whole-wheat flour, but there are some slight differences between the two. Spelt flour is a rich source of many B vitamins, including niacin, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate and pantothenic acid. It also contains small amounts of vitamins E and K. Additionally, spelt flour contains choline and betaine, which have been shown to help decrease inflammation, according to World's Healthiest Foods. Spelt flour is a source of essential minerals, particularly manganese and selenium. It also contains moderate amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and copper. Consuming spelt flour with food sources of vitamin C may help increase the bioavailability of its iron content.  Spelt flour has many components that make it particularly heart healthy. Along with other whole grains, spelt flour's fiber content may help decrease cholesterol levels and prevent heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. World's Healthiest Foods also notes that spelt flour is a source of phenolic phytonutrients, whose antioxidant properties help protect the body from both cancer and heart disease (Lalevich, 2010).

Baking Powder: Aluminum Free of course!!!  If you've ever experienced a bitter, "tinny" flavor when biting into a muffin, that's because of the baking powder used—and often the overuse of it. Using aluminum free baking powder not only will keep you from ingesting aluminum, but will also take away that bitter flavor.  Recent medical reports suggest that ingested aluminum has a direct link to Alzheimer's, attention deficit disorder, bone degeneration, kidney dysfunction, and even Parkinson's disease. Studies have also shown that aluminum salts can be absorbed from the intestines and concentrated in various human tissues. Most baking powder products, a staple in some households, contain toxic levels of aluminum (More Than Alive, 2012).  So...you might as well try aluminum free baking powder.

 

Agave Nectar:  Agave nectar is a naturally sweet syrup somewhat similar to honey. It comes from the agave cactus that grows in Mexico, and it is becoming increasingly popular because it spikes blood sugar levels slower than other types of sugar. Many people are starting to use agave nectar instead of table sugar, honey or artificial sweeteners (Davis, 2011).  Agave is great for those strict vegans who choose not to use honey (an animal product).

Almond Milk:  We used the Almond Breeze Vanilla Unsweetened today.  We also use Coconut Milk sometimes.  Doesn't really make a big difference.  We just use something besides an animal milk :)  Almond milk is a good creamy substitute for cows milk.  It contains calcium, vitamin D, protein and vitamin E.  Check out this link for more info on Almond Milk.

Vanilla Extract: This has little to no nutritional content, but it sure makes things taste good!  Our favorite kind is the Madagascar Vanilla Extract.  We always try to get an organic kind that is alcohol free.

Sea Salt: A great alternative to regular table salt.  Because of the way sea salt is procured, it retains the trace elements and minerals that it had while still in the ocean. Table salt loses these nutrients because it is a processed product. Also, table salt generally has iodine artificially added while it is processed. Sea salt contains only natural amounts of iodine. Due to these factors, sea salt offers an all-natural, pure alternative to processed table salts (Henshaw, 2011).

 

 

 

Coconut Oil:  Coconut oil is a tropical oil that is used both for cooking and medicinal purposes.  The lauric acid contained in coconut oil can have a positive effect on the health when it is consumed or used as a topical solution. Oral consumption of coconut oil may prevent heart disease, eases digestive symptoms and inflammatory bowel diseases and reduces inflammation throughout the body. Coconut oil applied to the skin may fight fungal and bacterial infections, keeps the skin supple and elastic, and may control itching from both dandruff and hemorrhoids.  People who cook with coconut oil may choose to use the oil for many reasons, among them being the health benefits and the sweet tropical flavor allegedly imparts. Coconut oil also has a higher smoking point than some other oils. Stir frying and sauteing at high temperatures without charring the food may be easier to achieve with coconut oil  (Roth, 2011).

Earth Balance:  A great, soy free, vegan substitute for butter!!!!  There are many kinds of Earth Balance, be sure to get the one you want!!!

 

 

The Recipe

1 cup of spelt flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nondairy milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil or non-dairy butter
3 tablespoons of agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Additional butter or oil for cooking (optional)

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl:  spelt flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients:  milk, oil, agave, and vanilla extract.

Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until moistened.  Don't overmix or you'll get some tough and rough pancakes!!!

Heat a nonstick griddle or saute pan over medium heat  (we placed the nonstick griddle on 350 degrees).  Add some oil or butter to the pan or griddle, but with a nonstick pan, you won't need any.

 Pour the batter onto the griddle to form circles as big as you like.  Cook the pancakes for a couple of minutes on one side until bubbles appear. 

Get your spatula and flip that bad boy over.  Cook the pancakes on the other side for about 2 minutes.  Once the pancake is golden brown on each side, it is ready to plate!

 

Disclaimer:  I am horrible at flipping pancakes.  They may not be pretty but they taste awesome!!!!

I hope you enjoy!!!!

Variations

You can use several different toppings:

Black Strap Molasses

Maple Syrup

Fruit Syrup

You can also use other things in the pancake mix:

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Fruit

Nuts