Tues. Oct 23rd

Balsamic Broccoli Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts for a Snack!

Daily Tidbit:  Tonight I read about the "12 Foods that Fight Diabetes" and am thrilled that I managed to hit a few of them today, one being Nuts, like the Toasted Pine Nuts I threw into my Balsamic Broccoli Salad at snack time (pictured above).  To see the other 11 foods that fight diabetes, check this out:

www.menshealth.com/nutrition/diabetes-fighting-foods 

     

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Puffins Cereal with Walnuts in Milk

Breakfast:  Puffins Cereal & Walnuts
1 cup Puffins Cereal
1 cup Fat Free Milk
2 tbsp plain chopped Walnuts
5 oz. Orange Juice
Regular Coffee, black
 

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Pea Curry Turkey Wrap

Lunch: Pea Curry Turkey Wrap

1 Santa Fe Whole Grain Wrap

1 cup Pea Curry Dip

Red Onion slices

5 Thin Slices of Reduced Sodium, 98% Fat Free Smoked Turkey Breast Cold Cuts

Baby Carrots  

Green Tea, plain 

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Balsamic Broccoli Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

Snack: Balsamic Broccoli Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

1 cup Broccoli Salad (recipe below)
1/8 cup Toasted Pine Nuts
Fat Free Milk 

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White Fish Fillets over Arugula

Curry Butternut Squash Soup

Dinner: White Fish Fillets & Curry Butternut Squash Soup

3 White Fish Fillets
1 handful Arugula
1 tbsp Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup of Curry Butternut Squash Soup (recipe below)
Red Chai Tea, plain

 

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Dessert:  Local Red Delicious Apple, Water
 

 
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RECIPES:  

Pea Curry Dip Recipe:

Into food processor put:

1 cup thawed frozen Small Sweet Peas

1 cup canned White Cannellini Beans (rinsed/ drained)

2 Scallions

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

Salt, to taste

While processing the above items, stream in 1 tbsp EVOO.   Process to desired consistency and serve with Veggies, Crackers, Bread etc.

    

Balsamic Broccoli Salad Recipe:

4 cups Broccoli Florets & 1/2 White Onion, chopped, sauteed in pan with 1 tbsp EVOO for 5 minutes.  Add 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar and 1/8 cup Golden Raisins, cover and cook another 5 minutes.  Toss with additional tbsp of EVOO before serving.


I found this recipe in Family Circle Magazine and I tweaked it just a little bit.  It was in the current issue discussing possible side dishes for Thanksgiving.  This was was pretty good after I added in the toasted Pine Nuts!



Curry Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

1/2 medium White Onion

1 tbsp EVOO

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 tbsp Curry

1 tsp Ginger Paste

Salt/ Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

1-2 cup of Baby Carrots

1 medium Butternut Squash, skinned & chopped

1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth

3 cup of Water (using more or less for desired consistency)

Microwave Butternut Squash (piercing it in various places first) for several minutes, turn and microwave again for a few more minutes – until is it soft enough to easily cut into pieces and remove the skin and seeds.  Meanwhile heat soup pot, add the EVOO and Onion and sauté 5 minutes or so.  Throw in the sliced Garlic and sauté a couple minutes (not letting the Garlic burn or brown at all).  Then add the Ginger, Curry and Salt/ fresh ground Pepper and cook for a couple more minutes.  Then add Carrots and Butternut squash; stirring and covering in spices for a minute or two.  Then add the broth and water if more liquid is needed and heat to boil.  Put to simmer for 30 minutes, and cover.  Cook longer if needed, until all the veggies are super soft. Then using an immersion blender, blend the whole thing into a velvety creamy puree.* Serve plain or with Scallions or Cilantro.

*The immersion blender is a magical tool which gives this soup with no butter, bread or milk or cream that ‘creamy’ texture that is so well, creamy!  If you don’t have one, you can ladle the soup into a food processor to puree it, but again there is something magical about the immersion blender which transforms the texture of the soup into fooling your mouth into thinking that you are enjoying a decadent creamy soup, even though you are basically just eating a bowl of veggies!

Tip:  This soup, like many dishes, is always better a day later, which makes it a great ‘make ahead’ meal for a speedy meal the next day!  The soup is also very filling, so it makes a great snack as well.  

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