Day 131 Mexican Delight is the best chili ever. check+++

This is the best chili recipe I've ever found and it is so simple to make. Mexican Delight pg 115, is so good that the entire potfull of chili was devoured. I cooked the chili and cornbread seperately instead of layering them in a baking pan as suggested in the recipe. Sam said it was the best chili he ever tasted so it rated check+++ which is my highest rating. Let me know if you would like one of the cookbooks that Bill brings me. If you live close by you will save on shipping and get the $5.discount that Bill gives to those following the blog. You can email me at backriverbend@gmail.com

It would be fun to cook together......................

Day 130 and recipe 108

Chard Peasant Tomato Pasta (pg79) was our fare for dinner tonight. I used multi color chard for the dish and which made it a very attractive as well as tasty meal. I have Swiss Chard in the garden now and it soon will be big enough to eat so I will repeat this recipe in a few weeks with very fresh swiss chard.

Bill and Debra are coming for an overnight on the 29th so I will be re-inspired. They are bringing with them a case of cookbooks that I can sell for them at $5. off the regular price and if you live nearby there will be no shipping fee either. So, its a great chance to get cooking with Bill!

We are having family come for the 4th weekend (8 adults and 3 kids) and I am planning a Chaos in the Kitchen Party. These parties are all the rage in the city. Everyone comes prepared to cook a dish and all cook in the kitchen at the same time. What will make our party special is that we will all cook from Bill's book. Sounds like fun doesn't it. It will also help me get caught up. I think if it is cooked in my kitchen it will count..............

Day 129 Strawberry Shortcake

This is a great dessert and healthy too. First, you make Bill's Drop Biscuits (pg 164) and then top with sliced strawberries. I use maple syrup to sweeten them. It gives you lots of juice to soak into the biscuit and you really don't taste the maple flavor at all. Next, top with Non dairy whipped topping. I like to use Whole Foods Non-Dairy Whipped Topping as it is not full of chemicals as Cool Whip is.

You can make extra biscuits and have them for breakfast with jam. They are deliciuos either way. Enjoy!

OUr company left today. We were sad to see them go. We will look forward to seeing them next in Sweden.

Day 127 &128 Swedish Mid-Summer Festival

We had the most wonderful time tonight with our Swedish guests. We celebrated the Swedish Mid-Summer festival with flowered wreaths in our hair, with singing and dancing, and with a fabulous, tradtional meal prepared by Ulla, Maja's mother.

We ate on the terrace at a flower bedecked table as the sun was sinking into the river. One of the simple dishes she made was tiny Yukon Gold potatoes (unpeeled) boiled in water with a generous quantity of Dill. There were so delicious.

I will try to send you some photos of this special meal tomorrow.................

Day 126 Tri Color Salad Recipe check ++

 

This is an incredible salad. It was well worth the embarrasement of having to confess to the young grocery clerk that I had no idea what endive looked like, nor did I know what radicchio was. I'm sure he was thinking "Some vegetarian you are!"

I made 1/2 the recipe and it fed eight people generously. Everyone loved it. I did not use the olive oil listed in the vinaigrette recipe, as it is not mentioned in the directions and I accidentally overlooked it. I am sure a little olive oil would make the salad even better.

Please try this and let me know what you think.

I served it with Bill's Vegetable Stew that was left over and sitting in the refrigerator for a few days. I would say it was ten times better having sat for a few days. That always seems to be true of stews

One of the great things about cooking Bill's recipes is that you usually have leftovers that you can eat for lunch the next day. If there are good healthy dishes all prepped in the frig
you are less likely to reach for those coldcuts or cheese.

Day125 and recipe 105

Getting back in the groove with Cream of Broccoli soup (pg 28). It was very tasty and received well by Mom and Sam alike. The recipe is a little confusing. I used 6 cups of vegetable soup stock and sauteed the onions in the oil before making the cream sauce. The herbs should be added to cook with the broccoli.

Speaking of herbs: I was able to grab all the herbs for the soup right from my kitchen garden: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Wait a minute that was a song in the 60's there is no call for sage in this recipe! Was it Simon and Garfunkle...?

We had such a wonderful time with Maja's parents. We had to do all the traditional Maine things for them like Lobster for dinner, blueberry pancakes with real Maple syrup for breakfast etc. So now, I will have to catch up on cooking Bill's great recipes.

It is so easy to let the urgent things of life squash out the important things like eating healthy meals. If I wasn't doing this blog I am sure I would be tempted to grab a frozen bag of something out of the freezer.

Day 122 -124

We have had such a marvelous time with our Swedish guests. They are delightful people. Our son, Loren, is blessed to have such wonderful in-laws-to-be. Today, we took them out in a friend's boat to Damariscove Island just a few miles out to sea. The island is now a nature preserve and so beautiful.

Tonight, I served Bill's Salad dressing pg 53 over spinach, red onion, pecans and dried fruit. It was delicious. I gave you the dressing recipe back on Day 78. It is a versatile dressing and is absolutely scrumptious.

Tomorrow, I will be cooking some new recipes. Can't wait..............

Day 121

Well, I succombed to the crazy spring schedule: Cottages opening tomorrow, shopping for 60 people coming to Father's Day cookout at Church Sunday, guests arriving from Sweden any minute, Kids coming up tomorrow for Father's day weekend.....
End result Chinese take out for dinner!

Actually, it was a nice change change and all vegan! The next few days may be challenging to do much serious cooking but I will try.

I think I will revisit the Vegetable Stew. It needs something but I can't figure what.
Tomorrow, I am planning to make Bill's Spinach Artichoke Dip and his Strawberry shortcake. We'll see how it goes........

Day 119 & 120

I spent the day with my daughter-in-law, my 2 year old grandaughter and my new one month old grandson which was delightful. So, obviously, there was no time to cook.
I bought dinner for all at Whole Foods which was very good, quick and easy but very pricey. Whole Foods is a great place to get all those odd health food items. I stocked up on Casein free Parmesan cheese subtitute. Bill uses it in quite a few recipes and they are the only store I know of that carries it. I also stocked up on Roma which Sam uses as a coffee substitute and loves it.

However, Loren and Maja saved the day and cooked Bill's Vegetable Stew here at home. I just got back and tried a spoonful and I think you are going to want to try it too. There is plenty left over so I will let you know how a whole, warm bowlful of this stew tastes tomorrow night...........

Day 118 Recipe 103

Here is a photo of the Green Summer Salad that I raved about last night. I will send a second blog tonight with the recipe.

For dessert tonight, I made Bill's Death by Decadence (pg 177). It was over the top for sure. It begins with drizzled carob sauce on the plate, 1/2 of Bill's healthy muffins, cover that with a large slice of banana, top with banana icecream (made in juicer), spoon 3 Berry delight over that and sprinkle walnuts on top. Decadent hardly covers it. We sure are deprived on this vegan diet!

Still Day 118 Here is the Green Summer Salad recipe

 

I wanted to tell you about last night's near disaster. As you know, I made Bill's Applesauce crepes (pg 173), but what I didn't tell you is that as my guests were waiting for the dessert to be served, I was rapidly sticking and burning every crepe
that I attempted to cook as I did not have a non stick crepe pan. As I was beginning to tear my hair out, I got the idea to put the batter on the dessert plate and microwave it. Presto Chango! After 45 seconds in the microwave, I had a lovely crepe perfectly cooked and already on the dessert plate. I actually did not make the compote but topped each crepe with Bill's Three Berry Delight and a dollop of non dairy whipped topping (you can buy it at Whole Foods). This was incredibly delicious. You have to try it.........

Day 117 and recipes 100, 101, & 102

Today was a homerun with three great hits. What a meal!!. Everyone was asking for seconds and thirds. That is always a good sign!

Loren and his Swedish fiance were here for dinner. Since Loren is somewhat of a vegan connoisuer and Maja had traveled all the way from Sweden, I had to make a very special meal and Bill's book came through for me again.

We started with the Green Summer Salad (pg 38). It was so beautiful to look at that I took a photo and will send it on to you tomorrow. This was one of the best salads I have ever eaten. Everyone had seconds and we cleaned the platter. For the greens
I used mesculin greens that I had planted in the garden. They were so fresh and pretty.

Next, we had Spaghetti Squash Casserole (pg 139). Have you ever tried Spaghetti squash? Bill's method of cooking it is so easy. You just put the whole squash in a pot of water and boil it for 45 minutes. Pour of the water and let her cool slightly and the skins just pop off. What a great tip that is.

The rest of the recipe is easy to prepare and easy to serve as the spaghetti squash is baked in a casserole with all the other vegies and topped with bread crumbs. It rated a check ++ from all. It was so good. Even after all five of us had seconds, there was enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

I will tell you about recipe #102 (the dessert we had) tomorrow. Oh, my gosh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Its worth buying the book for this alone.

Day 116

We had the Sweet Potato salad tonight after letting it marinate overnight. It was yummy but a little hard for Grandma to chew the raw sweet potato. I think if I made it again I would cook the sweet potato atleast partially or shred it. The seasoning was great and all raw is good for you.

Tomorrow, I will cook recipe 100 for my son Loren and his fiance, Maja, who is just arriving from Sweden. It will be something very special............

Day 114 & 115 and Recipes 98 & 99

Wow! I am almost to 100 Recipes cooked. This has been challenging at times, but fun most of the time. The best part is that we have a new healthy lifestyle and we don't feel in anyway deprived. In fact, we feel blessed to have such wonderful fare on our table each night.

Tonight, we had Penne with Artichokes and Black olives (pg 124). We all loved it and it earned the check ++ rating. This is relatively easy dish to prepare and most of the ingredients you probably have on hand as I did. I did use canned artichokes instead of frozen (which I cannot find)and it was delicious.

I also made the Sweet Potato Salad (pg 56) but after I made it I read the last line which said to marinate in frige overnight. So, I will let you know about this one tomorrow..................

Day 112 &113 Two Fantastic Recipes

For a great dinner, try Bill's Shepherd's Pie (pg 136). It earned a check +++ by all at the dinner table tonight (that includes Josh, age 16, and Mom, age 98!). Sam raved about it. It is fairly fast to prep and requires fairly basic ingredients. I added Earth balance (butter alternative) and Bragg's Aminos to the mashed potatoes and it really made them zing (even found myself licking the mashed potato pan!)

The other dish I made was the Tangy spring Salad (pg 57). This was marvelous too even though I was missing a few ingredients and didn't chill it before serving as suggested. The nice thing is that leftovers can be chilled and enjoyed the next day. This salad is surprisingly different. So if you want a change from the usual salad, try it.

I got my herb garden in yesterday. Today, was drizzly and a perfect first day for all my plants. I use seaweed compost that we make right here. Its great stuff. I put a shovel full in each hole before planting. I put in Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Dill, Basil, Italian parsley, curly parsley, and cilantro. I can't wait to start cooking with them......

Day 110 & 111 Great Recipe (#95!)

Almost to 100! Whoopee! Made a great dish tonight and brought it to our women's Gourmet Potluck Dinner at church. Wild Rice Salad with Pine Nuts pg 64 rated a check ++. It is a very attractive dish with the black and white wild rice and the red sundried, tomatoes and the green parsley, the black olives, the white artichokes etc. Very pretty, as well as, delicious! The rice takes a little time to cook, but other than that it is quick to put together.

I am still trying to get my herb garden in. I have several beds of greens growing but just have not had the time to get the herbs in the ground. Hopefully, I will get to it tomorrow.

Today, we toured the Coastal Botanical Gardens in Boothbay with our house guests. They were so impressed as there is nothing like this in Ct or any other New England state, as far as I know. It is well worth the drive.

Day 108 &109 New Smoothie Recipe

Today, we had a church cookout and I thought Bill's Watermelon Salad with mint Leaves (pg63) sounded very interesting and that was the exact comment I received when people tried it, "Very interesting" . Maybe I should have gone for the gusto and added more onion and crushed red pepper. I must admit I was timid with the spices.

Tonight, I concocted a delicious smoothie for two:
2 Bananas
1 cup almond milk
3 T carob powder
1 T Maple syrup
4 ice cubes
It tasted so good and it is healthy to boot.

Hope you enjoy the recipe.

Day 107 and recipes 91,92 & 93

Back in the saddle again with three great recipes prepared tonight. We started with Bill's "Salad with Avocado Dressing"(pg52). You have got to try this dressing. I could eat it by the spoonful. I used Emeril's Essence instead of mixing up the one called for which saved a little time. This is a wonderful salad even without the frisee (as I have no clue what it is).

Next, came the Sauteed Spinach (pg 67) and the Lemon Rice Pilaf (pg 66). Both were delicious. I especially loved the sauteed spinach with the mushrooms and Sam especially loved the Lemon rice pilaf. I am begining to use my own fresh herbs now. It is so handy to have my kitchen herb garden just outside my door. Have you all been inspired to plant fresh herbs?

I would rate all three dishes with a check ++. This was a very satisfying meal!

Day 105 &106 Another Ice cream treat

Sorry, but I have had a few extremely busy days filled with church meetings and summer preparations for our cottage rental business. Excuses, excuses....

Tonight, we went out to eat with some old friends from Virginia. We invited them back to our house afterwards for tea and coffee. I was scrambling for something to serve them for dessert, when I thought of Bill's Raw Fruit Pudding (I call it ice cream). It is the perfect quick dessert. You can always have frozen fruit on hand and all you have to do is throw it in the blender with a little almond milk and ground flax meal.

I used 3 frozen bananas with 2 or 3 cups of Dole's mixed fruit (strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mango,and grapes. Add enough almond milk to to help the blender blend (about 1/2 cup). Then add 2 T of flax meal. Mix and serve. How easy and good can it get???????

Day 104 Recipe 90

This is my super busy time of year so tonight I picked the quickest recipe in the book, Chinese Green Bean Salad (pg 24). My mother complained about it being too spicy. It didn't float my boat, but Sam said he thought it had an interesting flavor. Got to crash. Its almost midnight!