Author Archives: heidicolella

Italian Potato Salad

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2 lbs of baby potatoes cut in half

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1 cup cherry tomatoes

3 celery sticks

2 cups small broccoli pieces (or sub green beans)

1/2 red onion sliced thinly

1/2 cup pitted kalmata olives sliced in half

1/4 cup basil chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

1/4 lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (I like lemon olive oil) optional

1 can (2 cups) kidney beans rinsed (or bean of choice)

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a steamer over boiling water cover and let steam 15-20 minutes until tender. Remove potatoes to cool and steam broccoli or green beans 3-5 minutes.

Cool potatoes and vegetables completely. Place them in a large bowl, add tomatoes, celery, onion, olives, chopped basil, chopped parsley, lemon juice,  olive oil if using, sea salt and pepper to taste. Toss until combined and serve!

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Simple Black Bean Soup

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This soup is perfect for a cold evening. Simple to make, filling and packed with protein.

 

1 large onion chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
black bean soup

1 red bell pepper cored and chopped

2 carrots chopped

5 cloves of garlic minced

3 cups of vegetable stock or water (I do half and half)

4 15 oz cans black beans rinsed and drained

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons each, cumin, and chili powder

1/2 teaspoon chipotle  powder

1 tablespoon oregano

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes.

Saute onion in oil for 2-3 minutes until it softens. Add peppers, carrots and garlic. Continue sauteing 3-5 minutes more.

Add beans and liquid, bay leaf and spices.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes.  At this point, optional for thicker soups blend with an immersion blender or remove 1-2 cups of mixture and blend in a blender to the thickness you enjoy. (I like my soups thicker)

Add canned tomatoes with liquid. Simmer 15-20 minutes longer.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months!

Kale Salad 2 ways

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The kale in my small garden is enjoying this cooler weather so I have been experimenting with some new dressings for my kale salads. Although I like kale, I most often use it in soups or in smoothies. I have had delicious kale salads at restaurants but never felt mine came out as well!

Here are two that I enjoyed!

#1

4-6 cups of chopped kale

#1 kale salad

#1 kale salad

#2 kale salad

#2 kale salad

1/4 cup white miso

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Massage above into chopped kale (I chop mine in the food processor as I like the pieces smaller)

Add almonds, grated carrots or beets, or dried cranberries, and walnuts. Garden tomatoes!

#2

4-6 cups of chopped kale

1 small avocado (1/2 cup)

1/2 tablespoon raw honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 large apple chopped

Massage first 5 ingredients in to kale (avocado smashes easily and mixes well) Add rest of ingredients and toss well.

Enjoy!!!

SWISS CHARD STIR FRY

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This is one of my very favorite recipes, healthy, easy and satisfying! We grow swiss chard in our small garden as it does not take up too much room and is so nutritious!

4 cups of swiss chard leaves chopped  (stems removed)


swiss chard1one onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic chopped

olive oil or coconut oil to coat the bottom of the cooking pan

1/4 cup kalamata olives chopped

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped.

swiss chard2

Cooked whole wheat pasta

In a large frying pan  or wok, saute onion in oil 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and saute 2-3 minutes more. Add the chard leaves, it will seem like a lot but they will cook down. Stir all to coat the leaves. Continue stirring until leaves have wilted. Add olives and tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Optional, add crushed red pepper, and/or cherry tomatoes from the garden.

Serve over warm pasta! At our house this serves 2 people!

Enjoy!!

 

 

Scrumptious Brownies

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These brownies are actually extremely healthy AND satisfy your craving for something sweet!

1 cup of old fashioned oats

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1/4 cup flax meal

1/3 cup cacao powder

1/4 teaspoon each of baking soda, baking powder, and salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 egg
1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup cooked beets

1 cup black beans rinsed

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.

In a food processor, add all dry ingredients and blend until they are fine, like flour. Add vanilla, coconut oil, egg, and honey and blend to mix. Add beans and beets. blend until batter is smooth. Hand mix in 1/2 cup of the chips. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth, and sprinkle the rest of the chips on top. Bake for 25 minute. Allow to cool in the pan. Cut into desired sized brownies and enjoy!!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH NOODLES, BRUSSEL SPROUTS, AND MUSHROOMS

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I am still enjoying trying recipes with my new spiralizer. In this recipe I tried a new way to cook the noodles and I think I like the taste better!


squash noodles

1 neck of a butternut squash peeled and spiralized

1 teaspoon of olive oil

salt and pepper.

Toss above together to coat and place on a pan lined with parchment paper in a 400 degree oven for 8-12 minutes. Toss halfway through.

2 cups of brussel sprouts prepared and sliced in half or quartered

1 cup mushrooms of your choice, sliced. I used shiitake as I love the flavor.

1 tablespoon of olive oil

While squash is roasting, cook brussels and mushrooms in a small frying pan with olive oil until the brussels are cooked but still crunchy.

Place the squash noodles on a plate, top with brussels and mushrooms, drizzle with *tahini lemon dressing or dressing of your choice.

Simple, healthy, and filling!

*Simple Tahini dressing 2Tablespoons of tahini, juice of half a lemon, zest of half a lemon (optional) stir, add water carefully to desired pouring consistancy

BUTTERNUT NOODLES WITH KALE, WALNUTS AND POMEGRANATE SEEDS

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As many of you know spiralizing vegetables has become a “thing”. Knowing that adding as many vegetables to our meals is healthy, and making it fun and tasty is even better! Here is a link to my first recipe, zoodles

Butternut Squash Noodle Recipe

1 butternut squash, peeled and only the straight end is used. Make sure you have two flat cut ends for you spiralizer. Spiralize with the small noodle blade.

2 cups of baby kale, chopped if necessary
butternut squash noodles 21 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

In a large frying pan with a lid, add oil and heat. Add noodles and cook over medium heat tossing occasionally for 3-4 minutes. Add kale, lemon juice and zest, toss to coat and mix the kale in and cover. cook 5 or so minutes more checking and tossing occasionally to make sure noodles do not stick. Noodles should be tender but still have some crunch.

Divide in two plates and top with walnuts and seeds!

Enjoy!!

 

Rhode Island Spinach Pies

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Only in little Rhode Island are the “pies” pictured above named spinach pies. Anywhere else in the country they would have other names, like calzones. This recipe is similar to my favorite vegetarian spinach pie served at our amazing Vienna bakery in the town I grew up in. Their traditional pies have pepperoni however their vegetarian counterparts have black pepper as the alternative and it is delicious!!

The recipe was much easier to make than I anticipated and lends itself to many add ins, such as chopped olives or sundried tomatoes.

 

For the filling:

 

20 oz chopped frozen spinach, defrosted and all the liquid squeezed out

1-2 teaspoons finely ground black pepper (I used 2 as I like them spicy)

¼ teaspoon or less of sea or himalayan salt.

1 teaspoon olive oil, I used lemon infused olive oil and really loved the flavor. Plain olive oil will work well also.

Mix above together really well (it is a little tricky due to the squeezed spinach)

Other add ins I have tried and liked are garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. Use your imagination for other options!spinach pies

 

For the dough: *

1 pkg or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast.

1 tablespoon honey

⅔ cups warm water

2 cups of flour. (I use half whole wheat and half organic unbleached white. Any combination would work.

 

In a food processor with the regular blade, pulse all ingredients until a ball forms. Continue running blender for 1-2 minutes more.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Let dough rest of 1-2 hours or longer.

When ready to make pies.

Heat oven to 400

Place dough on flour and knead again. Cut dough into 6 pieces.

Roll out dough to about 5-6 inch rounds.

Place ⅓ cup of filling in the middle and fold dough over to seal.

Place on parchment paper

Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly browned on top.

Cool and eat!

* You can also buy premade pizza dough at the supermarket and skip this step!

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Avocado

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GARBANZO BEAN SALADAs I transition into spring and add many more green salads to my day, I like to have bean salads to add for nutrition and variety. Here is my latest!

1 can garbanzo beans preferably no salt well rinsed

1/4 cup finely diced red onion

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup of cilantro leaves chopped (do not like cilantro just sub in parsley!)

1 lime zest half and juice of whole lime.

1/2 bell pepper diced. (I used a yellow pepper in the photo)

1/2 avocado diced

1tsp olive oil

Add all ingredients in a bowl except avocado. Toss well to blend. Add black pepper and a little salt to taste. Add avocado and toss gently. Best if allowed to refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors blend!

Bean Salad

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As we transition to spring, I look forward to eating more green salads.
I have been making several different bean salads as toppers. This is one
of my new favorites. I really like the mix of corn and beans with greens!

1 1/2 cups of corn (frozen works well, always organic!)

1 1/2 cups of your favorite beans cooked or canned rinsed well (I used Eden brand small red beans today.)

bean salad1/3 cups small diced red onion

1 cup diced cucumber

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes ( I used cherries today)

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley

Juice and zest of one lime

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons of olive oil ( I am trying to keep my fats to a minimum and this seemed like plenty for this salad)

Toss all of the above except the oil, into a container and stir. Drizzle olive oil and stir some more. Allow to rest in refrigerator for several hours or over night for the flavors to develop. Serve over salad, greens or even rice!  Enjoy!!