Healthy eating

I eat a lot of tomatoes… How much is a lot? Well, that I guess is relative. I can easily go through 20 lbs of tomatoes a week by myself. There are so many varieties of tomatoes. Beefsteak, heirloom, cherry, roma… I don’t discriminate and love all varieties! My favorites though are those varieties that are meaty with low acid content.

One of my favorite ways of enjoying tomatoes are tomato burgers. For tomato burgers, you want a meaty beefsteak or heirloom tomato with low water content.

To create the “buns,” slice the tomato twice lengthwise. The bottom of the tomato, then becomes the top “bun” and the the flat piece is the bottom.

Next, you choose your “meat.” I have used portobello mushrooms, tofu, tempeh, bean burgers and mangoes.

Then you can add your fixings… onion, lettuce, sprouts, avocado, cucumber…

You can also add a sauce if you want such as hummus, ketchup, salsa, etc…

So far here is my favorite combination:

• large heirloom tomato
• 1 portobello mushroom
• homemade BBQ sauce
• caramelized onion
• avocado
• thinly sliced cucumbers
• handful of sprouts

To make the portobello mushroom:

slice 1/2 of a yellow onion into long strips and spread them out on a skillet. Lay a portobello mushroom on top of it.

In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 T tomato paste, 1/2 t of chili powder and 1 clove of minced garlic. Pour it on top of the mushroom and onions.

Turn the stove on medium heat and cover the pan. Cook the mushroom until it is soft (about ten minutes), turning halfway through and keeping the lid on unless there is too much liquid. The sauce should be thick and have caramelized.

Lay the burger onto your bottom ‘bun,” next the the caramelized onions with the sauce, the toppings and the top tomato “bun.”

Enjoy!

Chestnuts… where have you been all my short life? Growing up in Montana, I don’t remember having chestnuts as a child. In England though, they are everywhere! Although most people eat them roasted, I even like them raw! I will agree though that they are better roasted! They are rather labor intensive, but so worth it. I can’t imagine anything made with chestnuts not being good. Around this time of year, you usually see recipes for chestnut stuffing and roast. The versatility of chestnuts are amazing. They are used in everything from ice cream to soups. Their nutty, sweet, buttery flavor gives dishes a lovely addition. Of course they are amazing just by themselves, freshly roasted as well. Someone said that the flavor of chestnuts were like freshly baked vanilla, hazelnut bread (and when they are roasting in your oven, you will know what I mean!)… if that doesn’t entice you to give them a try, I don’t know what will! 

Chestnuts are technically a nut, but are not fatty like other nuts. Instead, they have a higher carbohydrate content which is why they are sweet. After eating hundreds a few of them, I figured I should try using them in a recipe.

This chestnut soup is so silky and the nutty chestnut flavor is to die live for. The recipe is quite simple, but the roasting and peeling of the chestnuts can be quite tedious. It really is worth it though… (btw… plan on roasting more than the recipe calls for, as I am sure some won’t make it into the pot!) 

3 cups roasted and peeled chestnuts

1 stock of celery

4 leaves of fresh sage

1 T fresh thyme

1 T fresh parsley

dash of nutmeg

1 clove of garlic

1 onion

1 T miso (opional)

15 cashews

2-3 cups of water or broth

Cut an X on each chestnut with a sharp knife and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Peel the chestnuts while still warm. Meanwhile put the celery, onion, garlic in a pot with 1/2 cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chestnuts and another cup of water and simmer until very soft. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend smooth!

I am actually in Spain for the holidays… enjoying the sun! Pictures to come! 

Although I rarely make a complicated or “recipe worthy” salad for myself, I enjoy making foods that take a bit more preparation for friends and family. I get satisfaction from seeing people enjoy something I made, not by eating it myself. Because it is most of the time just my mom, dad and I all of us have very specific palates, we usually each end up eating something a little bit different. I am usually the cook in the house (not because I have to, but because I enjoy it) and like coming up with new and different recipes. This refreshing cucumber salad is perfect for summer. Cucumbers which are actually a melon, are 96% water and are therefore very hydrating.

The mint and lemon in the salad are fresh and light, while the arugula adds a nice peppery undertone.

Inspired by Oh She Glows

• 1 cucumber peeled into long, flat noodles
• 1/3 c sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1 mandarine segmented and cut into half pieces
• 1/4 thinly sliced red onion
• 2 T chopped fresh mint
• 1 T chopped fresh dill
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 T coconut cream*
• 1 handful of baby arugula, chopped
• Juice of half a lemon

Slice red onion first and marinate it in the lemon juice

Put cherry tomatoes, mandarine, chopped arugula and cucumber noodles in a bowl

mix coconut cream with lemon, onion and herbs

pour over salad and enjoy!