Cool Honey Lime Gazpacho

It is just plain HOT! With record tempuratures, and a heat bubble (whatever that is) hanging over most of the United States, it is to hot to do anything, let alone cook something. So, hear is a simple recipe to use what is in season, and beat the heat.

1 large ripe red tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut up

2 medium cucumbers, seeded and cut up

1 medium orange sweet peppers, seeded and cut up

1 jalapeno chile pepper; seeded and cut up

1 clove garlic, minced

2 TBSP raw honey

2 TBSP fresh cilantro leaves

1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp sea salt

ice cubes

lime wedges and/or green onions

In a large bowl combine tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, chile pepper, and garlic. Place half tomato mixture in a food processor; pulse several times in to large chunks. Repeat with the remaining tomato mixture. Return all of the mixture to the food processor. Add lime juice, honey, cilantro, ginger, and 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Cover and pulse several times until the mixture is chunky. If desired, season to taste with additional sea salt.

To serve: place 2 or 3 ice cubes in each of four shallow bowls or glasses; ladle soup over ice. If desired, serve with lime wedges and/or green onions to garnish.

MEAL TWO- EASY CHICKEN STOCK and LEFT OVER VEGGIE SOUP

I never have made my own chicken stock before this year. It looked too hard and why bother when it comes in a can already??? Well, when I started this diet and realized how much sodium was in canned stock, I was appalled. Then, when I lost my job, I was looking for ways to save money and use up all my food. So, when I saw how inexpensive roaster chicken was AND I could get several meals out of it…well, I make my chicken stock from scratch whenever I can.

So here’s chicken (or any other meat) stock in a few simple steps:

1. Place your carcass, or bits of chicken on the bone, into a large pan that has a lid. Pick off any leftover meat and set aside for another yummy dish.

2. Cover with water until the water comes about an inch above the bones.

3. Add an onion (cut in half), a carrot or two (roughly chopped) and a bit of fresh parsley.

4. Cover the pan with the lid, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.

5. Leave for a few hours (I usually do it for 3 hours – 2 hours as a minimum). It’s ready when the water has turned a creamy color and any bones you fish out are clean (or meat is falling off the bones leaving them spotless)

6. Using a colander or large sieve pour off the stock into a large bowl.

7. Take your time picking over the pile of bones and gristle, retrieving any remaining scraps of meat you can find (but careful to avoid the really tiny bones and pieces of gristle that you will previously never have known existed – this is a perfect way to learn chicken anatomy). These bits of chicken can be eaten or saved to go into the soup.

Use right away in the leftover veggie soup or freeze for later use.

Leftover Veggie Soup

This is a great recipe for using up leftover veggies from last night’s meal or when you have veggies that are beginning to expire. Because, man I hate to throw out veggies that are going bad – it is like money going down the drain! So, I found this recipe on About.com by Elaine Lemm and made a few changes for Paleo lovers.

• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 2 celery stalks, washed and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cups vegetables, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks**
• 20 fl oz vegetable, chicken or beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
• ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
• Iodized sea salt and black pepper

Preparation:
• In a large stock pot or soup pan heat the vegetable oil, add the onion and gently cook until the onions begin to soften. Add the celery carrot and celery and cook for another 5 minutes taking care not to burn the garlic.
• Add the chopped vegetables and stir, add the stock and bay leaf (and spices if using) and cook until all the vegetables are soft and cooked through (approx 20 minutes).
• Blend the soup in the pan using a stick blender or pour into a food processor and blend.
• Cook the soup for a further 5 minutes to reduce slightly, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

**Great vegetables for soup include - parsnips, celeriac, leeks, sweet potato, or any other winter roots, broccoli, cauliflower. Make sure they are all cleaned, peeled and cut into similar size chunks. Leafy greens great in soup include, spinach, watercress, cabbage, collard greens. And, don't forget fresh herbs for even more flavor.

Asparagus

Ah, you know spring is in the air when the grass greens up, the trees are blooming, and the asparagus is in season. I love this spring vegetable! The asparagus is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennial, whose cousins are the onion and garlic. It’s stout stems and feathery foliage rise up out of the ground, announcing that winter is soon over and spring is about to arrive.

Often, the asparagus has been used for medicinal purposes, but it is also highly nutrient dense. Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, iron, potassium, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.

Mostly you see asparagus in stir fries, roasted or grilled as side dishes. But, it can also make a nice main course, in a light soup. Try this for lunch or dinner entrée, paired with a nice salad.

ASPARAGUS SOUP

• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed


• 2 med leeks or 4 large shallots


• 1 Tbsp olive oil


• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 cups of water or chicken stock


• 2 TBSP fresh dill weed or 2 tsp of dried dill


• Pinch nutmeg

Slice off the tips of the asparagus and reserve them. Cut the remaining stalks into 1” pieces. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and wash under cold water to remove any sand. Slice into ¼ “ pieces. Sautee the leeks or shallots in the oil over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and sliced asparagus stalks. Cook, stirring, another minute or two. Add the water or stock and dill. Simmer 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool 5-10 minutes. Puree half the volume at a time. Return to pan, add the reserved asparagus tips and simmer 3-5 minutes or until tips are just barely tender. Add nutmeg. If soup is too thick, thin with additional water or stock