Wild Rice Bean and Carrot Soup

A reminder about how important beta carotene is for human health set me on a mission to make a delicious soup today. The primary source of beta carotene is carrots, sweet potatoes and canteloupe melon. This soup has lots of carrots!

Ingredients:

1 cup (uncooked) wild rice or a combination of wild and brown rice
4 tbsps olive oil
5 medium carrots, washed, peeled and diced
1 vidalia (or sweet) onion, diced
4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups baby spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsps picante hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Generally wild rice will take about 50 minutes to cook and then another 10 minutes to sit.
2. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onions and garlic and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. In a large pot, heat the stock and water over medium high heat. Add the sauteed carrots, onions and garlic. Reduce heat to low. Gently stir in the beans, chickpeas and hot sauce. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Gently stir in the baby spinach and allow time for it to wilt, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon some of the cooked rice into soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the rice and serve.

Berry Walnut Spinach Salad

Although the weather is still cold, I served this as a side with some grilled salmon last night and it was quite delicious. You can improvise with the type of berry and nut you want to use. This is also a great stand alone salad for lunch! Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup walnuts pieces
1/2 cup of fresh rasberries
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
4 cups of baby spinach, washed
1/2 vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
4 square inches blue cheese, crumbled into large chunks
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup cider vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large wide bowl, place all ingredients except oil and vinegar.
2. Drizzle oil and vinegar over top and toss very lightly. Use a large serving spoon to gently transfer to individual salad plates for serving.

Baked Cod

We had this tonight for dinner & I served it with roasted asparagus and slices of tomato that were lightly dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Cooking time is 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the cod fillets. The asparagus can be roasted, for the final ten minutes, on the highest oven rack while the fish is baking. The asparagus is spread out on a baking sheet and lightly tossed with a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Serves two.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 cod fillets (each the size of your palm and the thickness of a deck of cards)
1/4 cup dry, finely ground whole-wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup panko crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried hot chili peppers (optional)
2 tbsps grated parmesan or romano cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425F. Brush both sides of the cod with mustard. Set aside.
2) Combine remaining ingredients in a tupperware type container and shake to combine well. Sprinkle contents out onto a dinner plate.
3) Using tongs, coat both sides of the cod in the crumbs. Place in a lightly oiled baking pan & bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.