Sylvia's Scenario

We are getting our hot weather now - welcome summer!  We actually have no rain in the forecast for the coming 10 days.  Really?  After that, everything will get back to our Seattle normal.  In the meantime, I am going to enjoy our summer weather.  I am posting this new recipe from  Hannah Freese, RD  that is my new favorite summer salad recipe.  I made it last weekend and it actually tasted better during the week after it sat for awhile when all the flavors had time to blend together.  So, be sure and make the whole recipe because it tastes really good leftover.  I've been eating beans everyday as part of Hannah's eating program and now this recipe is my new go-to bean dish.  Before, I was eating homemade refried beans everyday.  I buy the pinto beans in bulk and put a cup or two in salted water on the stove to cook in the morning. I use enough water to cover the beans to about 2-3 inches.  They cook about 3 hours until so...

I've been feeling like Tex-Mex food ever since I returned from my trip to Sedona last weekend.  My friend, Marge, and I took this trip as a restorative trip because of the loss of her mom and her husband recently.  It's been tough for her the past few months so we knew we needed to take this trip and we're so glad we did.  The Red Rock Country, where Sedona is located in Arizona, is known to have a very healing effect on people so that's why we headed there.  Nature is always good for the soul and the nature in Sedona is over the top.  The natural beauty is in every direction that you might look.  As if the natural beauty there wasn't enough, Sedona is also known for it's vortexes or spiritual "power spots".  This is where the energy of the life force of the earth is especially strong and they are all over the place in Sedona.  These are places that help you become more in touch with your feelings and find inner peace and solace.   There are ...

I am continuing my quest for more summer salads.  One salad that I eat a lot for lunch is this  Green Goddess Salad with Tuna .  I've changed it up recently now with the addition of beans and this recipe has an easier salad dressing of just olive oil and lemon juice so it's super easy.  I love a tuna salad for lunch or any salad with chicken breast which can be easily substituted in both these recipes.  This tuna chickpea salad is another recipe from  Hannah Freese, RD   and Bruce loves it as much as I do.   I like adding it to a bed of lettuce because the salad dressing tastes good with lettuce, too.  I generally don't drain the can of tuna so I get lots of juice in the mixture.  That allows extra liquid for the salad dressing so there is plenty for the lettuce, too.  Hannah's recipes are all part of my "anti-inflammatory diet".  I really got to test it out these past few weeks because I had my second total knee replacement on...

I made another really great salad this weekend when my family came over for dinner that is from  Heather Christo's blog .  She is a food blogger who I've followed for a long time who lived in Seattle.  They have since moved from the area but I still love reading her blog.  Her family has a lot of food allergies so her recipes are geared toward omitting common allergenic foods such as gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, etc.  It's really interesting to read her story  here  and she also has a lot of information about allergies or just food intolerances in general.  She also has a cookbook you can get here .  I've used a lot of her recipes on my blog, mostly in the "alcoholic beverage" section of my blog.  For whatever reason, Heather has A LOT of really good cocktail recipes and her photos are gorgeous.  Hey, the girl knows how to have a good time, is all I can say... Now that I am on this journey to clean-up my own diet, I am more attracted t...

This is another recipe that I've adapted from Hannah Freese, RD.  I am still following her  Freese Method  eating plan and am totally off of sugar now and have lost five pounds.  I'm in week 4 and if you follow her plan, you slowly start losing your craving for sugar and in addition, I now don't even feel that hungry.  I definitely feel more energized and my mind feels a lot more sharp.  For example, when talking with somebody and they can't think of the name of a person or place, I immediately know what they are talking about and I blurt out the name.  Usually, I'm the one who can't think of the right word or name of something.  I've had "brain fog" before when I had thyroid problems so I know what it's like to not be able to think of the right word or a person's name or a place.  Right now, I have the opposite of "brain fog", if there is such a  condition.  I want to say "hyper".  I think it's just because I have a...

We had another delicious dinner tonight from  Cooking Light Diet Plan  that won over our taste buds.  This recipe is really filling so you don't need to eat much before you are completely satisfied. I love greens like Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, etc. with a little vinegar sprinkled on it.  If you like this then you will love this recipe. Tonight, I used Swiss chard for this recipe.  It's a very simple recipe just like yesterday's recipe so you can whip up dinner in less than an hour.  It's a low carb. recipe so once again, Bruce made rice to go with his but I ate mine without rice and was totally satisfied.  The black-eyed peas go really well with the greens and the vinegar making a good combination.  I also love Southern cooking so this is one to add to my list.  It's a Southern tradition to eat black-eyed peas and collard greens in the New Year so now is the time to try this recipe.  Happy New Year...

Black-eyed peas are a favorite food in the South and since our Super Bowl party is in honor of beautiful New Orleans, I am naturally serving black-eyed peas.  This recipe is a version from  Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook - the best Southern food you can get!  Black-eyed peas are a traditional good luck dish in the south that are served on New Year's Day.  I guess it makes sense to serve them on Super Bowl Sunday to bring luck that your favorite team will win! Serves 8-12 1 -16 ounce bag dry black-eyed peas, picked over and washed 12 cups hot water 1 ham hock 1 chopped onion  2 tsp. salt 1 cup uncooked rice 1 pound sausage, browned 1 green pepper, chopped 1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce salt and pepper 1.  Place the peas in a kettle with water, ham hock, onions and salt. 2.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2-1/2 hours or until tender. 3.  Drain (but save the liquid) and discard ham ...

My mom use to make Ham and Lima beans with a ham hock - it was probably a cheap meal back then, good for feeding a family of nine. I'm not sure if she had a recipe for that meal but I still crave that recipe to this day. I had ham leftover from the Super Bowl party so decided to try Ham and Lima Beans like she did it and it turned out pretty decent, at least decent enough to keep so I won't forget how I did it. It's probably not the way she did it but it did cure my craving and my husband loved it, too. Serves 4 1 bag of dry lima beans 32 ounces chicken broth leftover ham or a ham hock 1. Add the bag of lima beans and chicken broth to a crock pot. 2. Add the ham or ham hocks. Add enough water so all is covered. 3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

This hearty vegetarian soup warms up chilly nights.  Use any type of canned beans you happen to have on hand and add chicken or Italian sausage for a heftier dish, if you prefer. Makes 4-6 servings 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 tsp. salt, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups vegetable broth, divided 7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch) 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and divided 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1.  Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add onion, carrot, and celery, and saute 6 minutes or until tender.  Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt and garlic; cook 1 minute.   2.  Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simme...

Here is another recipe from  Flavor First  cookbook.  I love it and it's so healthy and delicious  I could just scream!  I still have some tomatoes and Swiss chard in the garden and this recipe uses both so if you're trying to use up your last little bit of garden delight, here's the recipe for you. Serves 4 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or drained canned, diced tomatoes 1 Tbsp.  chopped garlic 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini or great Northern white beans, rinsed and drained 3/4 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth 3 cups chopped Swiss chard or 1-1/2 cups thawed frozen spinach 1/3 tsp. ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. salt (optional) 4 ounces dry whole wheat rigatoni pasta, cooked until al dente 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil 1.  In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, or until  the tomatoes are tender. ...