Roasted vegetables with Quinoa and a cabbage slaw salad

I was taking a walk with a friend and when we were saying goodbye she asked me to come in and help her make a pot of soup. We did start the soup, but there was so much left over that we prepared a dinner for her and her husband. She sent me this picture.

This is what we made,
Roasted vegetables
Quinoa
Cabbage salad

The roasted vegetables
2 bell peppers, any color you like. We used red and orange.
½ of a cauliflower that we sliced.
A bunch of broccoli florets
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Line a sheet pan with parchment. Place the vegetables in a single layer and brush with the olive oil.
Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, and season with a little salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Quinoa
1cup quinoa
1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
Place in a pan cover with stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.m
Let sit for 5 minutes
Fluff up with a fork and add ½ tsp of salt.

Cabbage
½ of a red cabbage, sliced very thin
¼ cup raisins
1/3 cup toasted almonds

For the dressing
Juice of one orange
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Combine all ingredients and mix together.

Pasta with sautéed vegetables. Serves 4.

1 ½ boxes of spelt pasta
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, sliced thin
3 carrots, peeled
2 zucchini , peeled
2 tsp olive oil
½ - 1 cup vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

I had all of this prepped and ready to cook with the pasta.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots and the zucchini in long thin slices. Set aside.

Heat a large pot of salted water. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, cook for 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms, zucchini
and the carrots. Cook for 2 more minutes Add half the stock, stir. Adjust seasoning. Mix in the pasta. add more stock if needed. Sprinkle with the cheese and some fresh basil or parsley.

This is what the vegetables looked like before I added the to my pasta.

6 mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, sliced thin
3 carrots, peeled
2 zucchini , peeled

I had all of this prepped and ready to cook with the pasta.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots and the zucchini in long thin slices. Set aside.

Braised celery

4 stalks of celery
2 Tbsp. clarified butter
½ cup water
Salt and pepper

I like to have the celery cut in rather large pieces. It is best to use a pot that the celery can lay in a single layer.
Cover the celery with the water. It’s okay if you need to add a little more water as every pan is a different size. Add the butter, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook about 15 minutes until the celery is very tender. Remove from the pan, transfer to a serving dish and pour a few tablespoons of the braising liquid on top. Season

Roasted Cauliflower with braised celery and roasted peppers.
Serves 4
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 cauliflower
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow or orange bell pepper
6 stalks of braised celery
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven 375 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.
Break down the cauliflower and place on the cookie sheet. Slice up the peppers. Add to the cauliflower. Toss with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally.
When done, transfer to a serving bowl add the braised celery and serve.

A new twist on Broccoli. A great presentation.
Cook the broccoli, I prefer steaming.
Let cool, chop it to small pieces.
Reheat in a pan with a little clarified butter, sliced mushrooms, salt,pepper and a little fresh lemon juice.

A great side dish to warm your appetite. Super easy.
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small butternut squash
2 turnips,
2 Rutabagas
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare the vegetables, peel and cut into 1 inch squares. Place in a bowl.
Mix in the olive oil. Salt and pepper. Pour into a baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for
40- 45 minutes.

Fish Gratin
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ cups cooked fish, I used halibut. Break up into bite size pieces.
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 small cooked potato, diced
½ cup cooked broccoli, break down into small florets
3 Tbsp. spelt flour
3 Tbsp. clarified butter
1 ¼ cups vegetable broth
½ tsp. dried herbs. I like oregano
Salt and pepper
Optional, 1-2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook about 6 minutes until the onions are tender and sweet tasting. Add the celery, carrot, and potato, cook until tender about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli. Sir in the fish. Season with the salt pepper and oregano.

In a separate pot, melt the butter, add the flour and mix together. Cook for 3 minutes on a low flame. Do not brown. Pour in the vegetable stock. Season with a little salt and pepper. Siri until the sauce is thickened. This should take just a few minutes. If using the cream, stir it in.

Pour the sauce over the fish and vegetables. Gently mix it in. Transfer the mixture into a baking dish. Top with the almonds. Bake for 30 minutes

Note: Any fish works in this recipe. Try it with canned salmon. It can also be made vegetarian.
It’s best to bring the vegetable stock to a simmer before adding it to the flour.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone will choose to eat healthier in 2013.
Look for more recipes and tips from Cook Alkaline.com
I’m looking forward to sharing my recipes to keep our bodies more alkaline.

Best
Sari

We are at the end of the season, but the tomatoes that I have been buying at the farmer’s market
have been so sweet, I was inspired to create this simple pasta dish that stars the tomato.
Serves 4 as a first course.

I box spelt pasta
6-8 red tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. clarified butter
Salt, pepper,
Basil or parsley
1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, in the same pot that you cooked the pasta, add the butter and tomatoes. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes for a few minutes. Add the pasta, stir in the fresh herbs, season. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Enjoy

Stuffed peppers

Recipe below

Stuffed Red Peppers
This is another version of stuffed peppers. I have one on my blog that has rice.
Be creative.
Serves 4

1 Tbsp. clarified butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 red bell peppers
1 onion, sliced thin
1 zucchini, diced
1 patty pan squash, diced
1 small clove of garlic, finely diced
½ tsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

Slice the tops off the peppers save for later. Using a spoon, scrape out the centers, removing seeds. Set aside.
Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion. Cook for 6 minutes. Add the zucchini and patty pan squash. Add the garlic, oregano, and parsley. season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, fill each pepper with the vegetables. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese. Place in a baking dish. Put the tops on top of the peppers. Bake for 45 min- 1 hour. Remove from oven and serve.

Baked Pears (adapted from a similar recipe of Martha Stewart)
Serves 8-10

This is a wonderful desert to make for company. It is easy to make and it bakes while you are having dinner. With just a few ingredients it will surprise you how much your guests will like this.
I make it all the time and there is never any left over.
This is what I did.

1 tsp.clarified butter
1 tsp. Sucanat, dehydrated cane juice, looks and tastes like sugar.
5 pears, I like to use ripe ones.
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Spread the butter on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the Sucanat over the butter. Cut each pear in half, using a melon baller or spoon, remove the middle core. Place the pears flesh side down in the baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pears have softened but still firm. Open the oven and pour the cream around the pears. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes to cool.

Chicken Breast Salad
Serves 2. Easy to double this recipe.

This makes a nice lunch or dinner. It is very easy to put together.

2 cups of lettuce
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 pieces of yellow squash, cooked and sliced
2 radishes, sliced thin
2 small Persian cucumbers, sliced thin
¼ cup parsley, chopped fine
1 Chicken Breast bone in
Salt
Pepper

Dress with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix together.

To cook the chicken, preheat oven at 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with tin foil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Pace on tin foil and roast for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove skin, the bone . Slice the chicken. Place on top of the salad.

This is a composed salad that makes a great lunch or side dish.

1 cucumber
2 radishes
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
½ avocado

Slice and dice up the vegetables. Arrange on a plate. Dress with a little Olive Oil and Tangerine juice.
Enjoy, it’s so refreshing

This is a very easy breakfast or snack.

Cut up one half of a fresh papaya. Sprinkle with toasted sliced almonds.

To toast the almonds:
Place almonds on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. It might take a few more minutes depending on your oven. Remove when toasted and store in a air tight container.

Arugula Salad

I went to a friends house and this salad was served.
Here is how we can make it more alkaline.

Approx. 4 cups of arugula
1 nectarine or peach
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup sliced cucumber
1 avocado, diced
Dress with the juice of one lemon mixed with 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Season to taste

Quick easy pasta. Serves two.

One box of spelt pasta
2 zucchini squash, sliced thin
1 small onion ,diced
1 small piece of garlic,finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
Fresh basil or parsley
Salt, pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta. Cook according to package.
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and cook about five minutes.
Add the zucchini and garlic and cook about 4 minutes more until the zucchini has cooked. Transfer the cooked pasta into the frying pan with the vegetables. Add a little of the pasta water to make a sauce. Stir in the basil and Parmesan cheese
Season with ground pepper or you can add some red pepper flakes.

This is a very hearty soup. It becomes a meal if served with a green salad, and a piece of spelt bread, spread with a little almond butter. I make lentil soup almost every week and this is a little different from my basic recipe. Experiment with different varieties of lentils. For this version I used the little French style green lentils. I like them because they maintain their shape and stay solid.
Feel free to add other vegetables to this soup.

Minestrone Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 pieces if squash, zucchini or patty pan, diced
1 tomato, seeds removed, diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 cup of lentils
6 cups vegetable broth or water.
2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and cook about three minutes. Add the celery, carrots, squash, tomato, potato. Stir and cook another three minutes. Add the lentils. Pour in the broth. Add the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower fire and simmer for one hour and fifteen minutes, it can cook longer if you prefer. I like topping the soup with a little bit of fresh parsley and a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. I hope you enjoy this.

To ensure that it will be easier to follow an alkaline diet, stock your pantry with the list of Alkaline Foods that I list on my blog. Look under the archive section for post of the past that list very useful information. 

The Pantry

This is a  list of foods that you should have in your pantry to make cooking alkaline a little easier. So I will share with you what is in mine.

Alkaline Forming                                                                     

Apple cider vinegar                                                              

Umeboshi vinegar                                                                      

Molasses                                                                                

Organic Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)                                    

Tahini Sauce(sesame butter)                                                    

Soy Sauce                                                                             

Olive Oil                                                                              

Almonds and Cashews                                                           

Raisins                                                                             

Pumpkin Seeds                                                                     

Sunflower seeds                                                                           

Flax seeds

Sesame seeds        

Sea Salt 

Wild rice and Japonica rice

Lentils                                

Horseradish

Herbal Teas Ginger Tea

Spelt Flour

Spelt Pasta

Oat Flour

Quinoa Flour

Quinoa Pasta

Spelt Pasta

Baking Powder  

Baking Soda  

Low Acid Forming

Balsamic Vinegar

Rice vinegar

Honey

Brown Rice

Maple Syrup

Dates

Kidney Beans

Garbanzo Beans

Dried Lima beans/ butter beans

Buckwheat Flour   

Mayonnaise