Summer days are here for sure. How do you know this? I’m MIA from regular posting. Sorry about that. I do miss connecting with you, dear lovely blog reader that you are.
At the present moment, I’m taking a break from our long (and I tell you what, fun, but exhausting) summer days, to share a recent lunch.
Before I do that though, I have to be honest. My lunch usually looks a lot different than my childrens. My kids usually like PB & J sandwiches, tofurky wraps, brown rice w/ soy sauce and cut up veggies, fruit salad, beans and chips, leftover pasta…simple, redundant stuff. That said, my kids (especially my 2 year old girl) loved the salad below. I have a hard time getting them to eat soup unless I have the assistance of their father who can help me enforce sitting and eating something like soup, that requires a bit more attention than a 2 or 3 or 4 year old can give in the middle of the day.
I don’t have the recipe, because I just made it up. But I’ll tell you what I put in it. It’s inspired by Jeff Novick’s Longevity Soup recipe (which really provides a springboard for endless variations of healthful yumminess).
I know what your thinking. Soup in the summer? I don’t mind eating warm soup in the summer (as long as it’s not too hot!) and sometimes, depending on the soup, I don’t mind eating it cold or at room temperature.
Lima Bean Summer Squash Soup
Ingredients:
1 16 oz. bag frozen yellow summer squash
1 16 oz. bag frozen lima beans (love, love, the lima bean!)
1 16 oz. bag frozen veggie stir-fry mix
16 oz. no salt diced tomatoes
16 oz. no salt crush tomatoes
2-3 cups water (depending on how much “broth” you want)
1 cup diced frozen potatoes (I used Ore-Ida brand)
1/2 cup frozen chopped cilantro (I chop and freeze mine for convenience)
Seasoned with: Minced garlic, Mrs. Dash salt-free original blend, a few dashes of Tabasco
Simmered for about 15 minutes, until all veggies are thoroughly cooked. As with all soups, the taste was richer after letting it sit for an hour, but by all means, eat right away, and you’ll most likely have leftovers for later. As you can see, I’m a fan of the frozen veggies. I eat what I can out of my garden (enjoying my kale and mixed greens, but my peas aren’t doing so hot, and the radishes were kinda a flop), and do half fresh (mostly salad stuff) and half frozen (for main dish, entree type dishes).
Here’s another little somethin‘ somethin‘ I non-cooked up. Inspired by my vegan sista’s favorite salad recipe, I improvised and added a few extra ingredients. 
Jicama Artichoke Cauliflower Salad
- 1 medium yucca (jicama) root, diced
- 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 2-4 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (I buy mine, in a jar, I make it oil free by rinsing in a colander)
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
Seasoning: Several splashes of red wine vinegar, juice of one lemon (more or less, depending on your love of lemon), Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning, a little mild chili powder and/or smoked paprika. Sorry about not having measurements. What can I say? I’m a girl who doesn’t like to measure.
Place a scoop in a big green lettuce leaf, wrap it up and eat like a taco or burrito. Yum.
Question for YOU: What veggies are you eating these days? and how? Do share.
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