Saturday's Super-Food Supper

Post By: Guest Blogger, Kiersten Washle


In an effort to utilize alliteration, we thought Saturday would be a positively perfect opportunity to feature food that is beneficial to the body! Below you will find 4 recipes, together they make a tasty table spread! Not only is everything incredibly tasty, but each dish also features a "super-food." Super foods are foods that offer notable amounts of important vitamins and minerals. 
The recipes are below, but first, a little more info about our featured super-foods:

Carrots:  

• Full of Carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A. 
• Excellent source of the Vitamins B & C
• Great for your hair and eyes 
• Full of fiber, benefiting the digestive system

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:

• Contains the antioxidant Vitamin E
• Data indicates olive oil consumption is good for maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol
• Has mild Laxative properties
• Helps build a balance between the Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats

Quinoa:

• Contains high concentrations of two flavonoids- quercetin and kaempferol
• Contains anti-inflammatory agents
• Provides more then half your daily value of Manganese
• Full of protein-great for Vegetarians who need to intake protein in the absence of meat

Dark-Chocolate: 

• Studies suggest that eating dark chocolate in moderate amounts is good for cardiovascular health
• Brimming with natural antioxidants-good for your immune system
• It is delicious!

Beta-Salad 2.0

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups Grated Carrots
• 1/2 cup Almond Slices
• 1 cup Parsley
• Lettuce Cups

Directions:

Grate carrots and add to a bowl. Add your almond slices and parsley. Stir together and serve in lettuce cups. Serve with pomegranate dressing (recipe below) for best flavor.  

Pomegranate Dressing:
Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Pom Juice
• 1/4 TSP Salt
• 1/4 TSP Pepper
• 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 TSP Honey

Directions:
Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl, serve on Beta-Salad 2.0. 


Quinoa-Veggie Soup
Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked Quinoa
• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1 1/2 cups Veggie Meatballs
• 2 cups Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a little more for garnish
• 1/2 cup Sweet Onion
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 1/4 chopped Basil
• 1/4 TSP Sea Salt
• 1/4 TSP Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:
Add the cooked Quinoa, meatballs, and tomatoes to warm vegetable broth. Set aside. Saute your onions, then add to broth. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. Remove one cup of broth and vegetables (no meatballs) and puree in a food processor. Add the puree back to the rest of the broth. Stir together well. To serve, divide among four bowls. Top each bowl with basil, dividing equally between the bowls. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top for garnish. 

‘Summer Dreams’ Tomato Bread

(Makes two loaves)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tomato juice (homemade is what I use)

• 1 cup water

• 2-1/2 tsp active dry yeast

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

• 2 TB minced fresh Italian parsley

• 1 TB minced fresh rosemary

• 1 TB fennel seed or sesame seed

• 1 clove garlic, pressed

• 1 tsp salt

• 5-1/2 cups flour, divided

Directions:

In small saucepan, combine tomato juice and water. Cook over low heat to 105-115°F. Pour into large warm mixing bowl and add yeast; stir until dissolved. Add honey, oil, scallions, parsley, rosemary, fennel, garlic and salt; mix well. Add 1 cup flour and stir until smooth. Stir in more flour until a firm dough is formed. Knead on a lightly floured surface about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large greased bowl; turn to grease all sides. Cover bowl and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch dough down and divide into 2 equal parts. Shape each piece into a loaf and place in a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Bake at 400°F about 30 minutes or until loaves have a hollow sound when tapped and crust is brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Dark-Chocolate Fudge

(Recipe from "The Home-Made Sweet Shop")

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Superfine Sugar
• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 TBSP Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
• 12 oz. Dark Chocolate, cut into small pieces
• 1 TSP Vanilla Extract. 

Directions:

Grease a 8x12in baking tin and line with baking parchment paper. Prepare and ice bath water. 

Put the sugar, milk and butter in a large heavy pan and cook over a moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. 

When the sugar dissolves and the butter is melted, stop stirring. Bring mixture to a boil. 

Without stirring, let the mixture cook at a slow rolling boil for about 10 minutes, or until it reaches 238 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir in the chocolate.

Immediately place the pan over the ice water bath for a few seconds. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour into tin. Leave to cool. 

Lift out of the tin by the sides of the parchment paper and place on a chopping board. Cut into squares and serve. Store in airtight container.