With the cold, windy weather getting ready to blow through, I’m planning a crockpot convention here at YHIOYP!  Over the coming two weeks, I will post four wonderful fabulous nutritious economical and delicious recipes for your crockpot.  If you don’t have a crockpot (which you should!), you can substitute a regular soup pot or a dutch oven.  

A couple of weeks ago I opened a lumpy white envelope from my dad, Chef Ira, and inside was a large piece of ginger root that looked a little, well actually a lot, like this.  You might ask why my dad sent me a huge piece of ginger root in an envelope.

If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!!  Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes!  Wondering why I capitalize the “f” in Food?  Here’s why.  

It turns out that when his friend Duane went out to pick up some groceries, my dad asked him to bring back a few pounds of ginger.  If you know my dad, that won’t surprise you in the least.  Of course, my dad meant candied ginger, but why would Duane know that?  Duane returned with a few pounds of ginger roots, and my dad figured out pretty quick that he’d better share the wealth.  Hence the lumpy envelope.  I guess I’m going to be making my own candied ginger root.  Here’s a recipe.

Peel 1 pound of fresh ginger root as well as you can.  It won’t be perfect, but it’ll be good enough.  Slice the naked ginger thinly, on the diagonal, about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick and up to 2 inches long.

Mix the ginger slices with 2 cups of coconut sugar or unrefined organic cane sugar until they are all coated evenly.  Measure out an additional one-half cup of sugar and put it aside.  Place the ginger into a large, heavy-bottom pot (stainless steel or enamel) with one-third cup of water.  Turn the heat to LOW and simmer 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the ginger cooks, sprinkle the extra one-half cup of sugar on a cookie sheet and set it aside.

Once the ginger slices turn clear and sugar crystals begin to form around the edges of the pot, lift out the slices with a slotted spoon and remove them to the cookie sheet.  Toss the ginger gently to coat it evenly.  Allow it to cool before storing.

Candied ginger is great in a cup of tea, or in baked apples, or sprinkled on yogurt, or just plain.  It’s a real, old-fashioned treat, a different kind of heat.

Out in the garden, the chives are gorgeous, as are the rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, and dill.  Next spring, when the chives are covered in pink blossoms, I intend to pick some, pack them into a nice jar, and fill it with white vinegar.

The fall has been my favorite time of year since I was a little girl.  Crisp air, crisp apples, cozy sweaters, and cleaning out the garden make me really happy.  Here is a little something you can do with the cabbages and apples that have been ripening in recent weeks.  The ingredients may seem less than inspired, but the result is truly delicious.

If you’ve never visited “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!!  Then check out “A Milestone Celebration — Your Favorite Posts” and “The Most Popular Blog Posts of All” for more great ideas and recipes!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thinly (after peeling)

2 macintosh apples, sliced thinly (core removed)

1 medium cabbage, sliced thinly (core removed) 

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Fry onion in hot olive oil in a large skillet on high heat until the onions are translucent and browning at the edges. Add apples and fry 2-3 more minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add cabbage, stir well, and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add cider vinegar and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until the cabbage is getting soft. Remove the cover, turn heat back up, and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Sprinkle with salt and serve.

P.S. If you don’t have time to do all this, dump all the ingredients into a crock pot, add 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 1/2 cup extra water, and leave it to cook all day.  The result will be different, but equally delicious.

Follow Dr Sukol’s posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol and at Your Health is on Your Plate.

It’s almost the New Year, when we make a special effort to prepare sweet dishes and wish each other a “Sweet New Year.”  We’ve been preparing meals since earlier this morning, and are looking forward to celebrating with our friends and family.  Here’s what’s on the menu tonight:

Turkey-Squash Soup

This past Wednesday, the bone from a turkey breast (plus a teaspoon of cider vinegar) was simmered after dinner for several hours in water that was left after cooking a dozen ears of corn.  After cooling, I retrieved the pot from the refrigerator this morning, stripped the bits of turkey meat into the stock, discarded the bone, and began chopping vegetables.  These included a bag of carrots, 6 stalks of celery, one large tomato, and a gorgeous, dark-orange squash purchased for me at a local farmer’s market by a dear friend.  I added paprika, turmeric, salt & pepper, and a generous pinch of saffron.  It’s all about the flavor.

Green-leaf Lettuce Salad  

Dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and kosher salt

Braised baby beet leaves

Planted a few weeks ago, and picked from the garden this afternoon!

Green tomato relish

Adapted from: 

 http://www.theatlantic.com/health/print/2009/07/how-to-eat-summer-food-all-year/21999/ 

With half the brown sugar, twice the red pepper flakes, a large orange (peeled and seeded), and hot pepper jelly instead of orange marmalade.

Roasted turkey

Chief-Cook-and-Bottle-Washer’s secret recipe

Roasted Yukon potatoes

Washed and cut into 1 inch cubes, mixed with olive oil, paprika, and kosher salt

Roasted carrots

Scrubbed and left whole, with 2-3 inches of green tops left intact, with olive oil and salt

Brownies served with fresh berries

Black-bean chocolate fudge

“You can never have too many chocolate desserts.”

Best wishes to all for a happy and healthy new year!

Today at the Farmers’ Market the produce was gorgeous. I purchased a quart of zebra tomatoes, so named for their magnificent alternating lime and dark-green stripes, a quart of rainbow-colored cherry tomatoes, a large bag of long and lovely purple eggplants, a mix of spicy greens, and a few other goodies.  

I was intent on making a traditional tomato gazpacho, but at the last minute I decided on this beautifully different gazpacho instead.  Think of gazpacho as salad soup.

8 cups watermelon (peeled from rind, seeded, and chopped)
3 small-medium pickling cucumbers, diced
1 red bell pepper (cored, seeded, and diced)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Blend approx 2-3 cups of the ingredient mixture in a blender or food processor, pulsing until chunky, not smooth. Collect the blended mixture in a second bowl.

Continue to blend one small batch at a time until approx 1/2 cup of the original mixture remains. Add this to the contents of the second bowl as is, without processing, and stir. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, and serve chilled. Garnish with basil or parsley. Yield: 6-7 cups

Follow Dr Sukol on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol.

In honor of my colleague and co-worker’s beautiful baby girl, Rosemary!
 
The herb garden is filled with basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and chives, among others.  I absolutely adore having fresh herbs at the kitchen door to snip and savor at a whim.  Here is a great recipe to make with rosemary.  It also works wonderfully with a combination of thyme and chives (use 1 teaspoon of each).