When my kids were little I would mix vegegetables into red pasta sauce to hide them. Now I can just put them on top. The early girl tomatoes are in the farmers market right now and they will not be around too much longer. I just love the punch in their flavor. I made this pasta and got a little creative with the garnish of zucchini. It’s a fun presentation and the zucchini folds into the pasta.
1 tsp. sea salt
1 box spelt or your favorite pasta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
10-12 early girl tomatoes
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium size zucchini
2 Tbsp fresh basil

Being a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta

For the sauce
Heat a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cut up 12 early girl red tomatoes, add to the pan.
Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic. Add right on top of the tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes, using a fork, occasionally smash the tomatoes. If the sauce is too thick, add a spoonful of the pasta water.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zucchini unto long strips.
Drop Into the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from the pan, cover and set aside. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.

When the pasta is done, drain, and put in the pan with the sauce. Add the basil and stir. Place the pasta into individual bowls and put a portion of the zucchini on top.

Summer is almost over and soon the peaches will disappear. I bought these white peaches that were so sweet and delicious I just wanted to put them In everything I was making. These beauties ended up on my salad.

1 head of butter lettuce
4 radishes, sliced
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 cucumber, seeded and sliced
2 sliced peaches

Basic vinegerette :
1 tablespoon Apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons. Olive Oil
If you have any fresh peach juice, reduce the vinegar and add the juice.

I was out with a friend yesterday at our favorite taco shop, Tacko on Fillmore Street in San Francisco. We always order the Skinny Guacamole. Instead of chips ( highly acidic), it is served with sliced vegetables.
Next time you are out and see guacamole on the menu, ask for some sliced vegetables. Most places will be able to accommodate you. Trust me, you don’t need the chips, nor will you miss them.
You can make this at home too.
Easy Quick Guacamole
2 avocados, mashed
4 tablespoons of your favorite salsa
Mix together and put into a serving bowl. Add you sliced mixed vegetables and serve.

Make your own salsa.
Put all in a blender and just pulse a few times, for a chunky salsa. I like all of my ingredients to be about the same size, so when I blend them together it comes out looking better.

2 cups roughly chopped tomatoes, you can use any type.
½ small onion, sliced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeño pepper, seed and pulp removed. (Start small you can always add heat)
1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley.
Juice of 1 lime.

The farmers market had some beautiful squash last week and I got inspired to create a quick ratatouille. You can make this in under an hour and it will grace your table. Put this on your table and there will be nothing left in the pot when you clear the table. This is a side dish that goes with almost anything. It can be a main course if you serve it with a bowl of quinoa.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 globe eggplant
2 zucchini squash
2 yellow crookneck squash
1 14oz. Can of diced tomatoes
1tsp. dried oregano
Salt and pepper

Slice the eggplant and sprinkle salt over the slices. Set in a bowl for ½ hour.
Wipe the salt off the eggplant and cut into I inch squares. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, eggplant, squashes and the tomatoes. Stir, add the oregano and a little salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for 45 minutes to an hour.

Note: if you have fresh sweet and delicious tomatoes, you can use them instead of the canned ones. About 1/12 cups fresh chopped tomatoes.

This is a kale salad, rich in vitamins and especially calcium. It’s so delicious I urge you to make this at home. The trick to a kale salad is to dress it about an hour before you serve it. This helps to soften the kale. These are the vegetables I had on hand. You can use whatever you have.

1 bunch curly kale, finely minced, or just cut it into really small pieces.
I/2 -¾ cup, minced flat leaf parsley
1 carrot, cut up into little squares,
4 radishes, cut into little squares
1 stock of celery, sliced thin
Dressing:
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all together and pour over the kale. Let stand at least one hour before serving.

Morning Smoothie

Put all in a blender
1 banana
5 strawberries
A handful of raspberries
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup oatmeal

Blend until well mixed. Enjoy

I bought some fantastic sweet juicy peaches the other day. They inspired me to make this salad.

2 cups fresh chopped spinach
2 cups lettuce
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced cucumber
½ cup sliced radishes
½ cup chopped parsley
1 avocado, diced
1 peach, sliced.

Dressing
For a basic vinegerette, use 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar to 3 tablespoons good quality olive oil. You can use less oil buy adding some fresh peach juice , or orange juice.

What’s for dessert? It’s summer in California and the fruit is coming in from the farmers to market. Take advantage of all the delicious melon right now. Buy a melon scooper/ baller and create fun colorful, low cal sugar free deserts. I used watermelon and cantaloupe the other day. I promise that when you being a bowl of fruit this way to the table, everyone will have a smile on their face.

It is summer and the vegetables at the farmers market are plentiful. I’ve tried to get more creative with my salads. I know I post a lot of salads on my blog, but living alkaline, salads are a mainstay of our diet. We should be eating them every day. So try this one. I hope you like it.

Summer salad
A combination of red leaf lettuce, and fresh spinach.
Watermelon radish
Garbanzo beans, fresh or canned
Carrots, using a vegetable peeler to make the ribbons.

For the dressing,
Mix together,
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of mustard

To make your own garbanzo beans,
Place 2 cups of dried garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Pour a generous amount of water over the beans. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 6 to 12 hours. Drain the beans and place in a pot. Add fresh water to cover, 1 carrot, 2 stocks of celery, ½ of a onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 50 minutes - 1hour. Taste to determine doneness. Drain the beans. They are now ready to use. I always keep a container in my freezer.

Note: Do not salt the garbanzo beans until they have finished cooking. If you add salt during the cooking the beans will harden.

Roasted vegetables
½ head of cauliflower, sliced
A small bunch of broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, quartered.
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the vegetables on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil. Drizzle the oil over the vegetables, sprinkle on the oregano, salt and pepper. Gently mix. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve with a bowl of quinoa and a tossed green salad.

This is my new purchase. Chanson alkaline water is now connected to my kitchen sink.

Create your own salad bar, invite your friends over and wow them. It’s just a fun way to serve a salad. Just be creative and place your favorite salad components into bowls.
I used, grated carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, radishes, avocado, red and orange bell peppers, tomatoes, chopped celery, toasted sunflower seeds and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Serve with a big bowl of your favorite greens.

Quinoa Pilaf
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
½ purple onion, sliced very thin
1 stalk celery, slice thin
1 leek, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 ½ cups Quinoa
3 cups vegetable broth
Sea salt

Cook Quinoa according to package directions. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, leek and celery. Season with the salt and pepper, cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add the garlic , stir. Add the broth and vinegar, cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. check seasoning.
Mix the vegetables into the Quinoa. Transfer to a serving dish.
Serve hot or warm. This is a crowd pleaser. Serve it with a side salad and you have a nice light meal.

This is a very easy dinner to prepare and you can make it in about 15 minutes. Add a tossed green salad and you have an alkaline meal.

Serves 2

½ lb. fresh halibut
2 yellow potatoes , quarted
2 cups broccoli
Lemon
Sea salt

Heat a grill pan, place the potatoes in a pot with salted cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Meanwhile, season the fish with a little salt and pepper. Place the fish on the grill and cook for 12 minutes.
Add the broccoli to the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and broccoli . Take the fish off the grill.
Squeeze the lemon over the fish and broccoli

That’s it.

My breakfast this morning.

I love to start off my day with a cup of ginger tea. I prefer to use fresh organic ginger. It is so delicious and easy to make. It is also known to have strong anti inflammation properties.
I start by peeling the ginger, then I cut a few slices off and put them in a cup of boiling water. Let steep for just a few miutes and then it’s time to enjoy the wonderful taste of fresh ginger tea.

Slice a papaya in half. Remove the seeds. Squeeze on little lime juice. Add about ½ cup of sliced strawberries. A small handful of almonds complete this meal. This is also a perfect afternoon snack.

Asparagus Soup

Spring is in the air and the asparagus in the farmers markets is just beautiful. I could not resist buying some. Use in a basic sauté, or compose a salad. This week, I decided to make a soup. This soup is good just about any time and it is also elegant enough to serve as a first course for a dinner party. It is very easy to make and within ½ hour you can make something that your family and friends will enjoy. Keep in mind that everything is going to be puréed so the size does not really matter. I always cut everything about the same size to ensure even cooking. This recipe is easy to double. Just use 6 cups of water.

Serves 4

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 ½ cups asparagus stalks, chopped (reserve the tips to garnish)
1 small potato, about 1 cup diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1/12 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. white pepper

In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook about 6 minutes, until they have softened. Add the potatoes and the asparagus. Season with the salt and pepper. Pour In the stock.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Put a strainer in a large bowl. Strain the soup, reserve the liquid. Place the vegetables in a blender or Cuisinart with 1 cup of the liquid. Purée. Add back to the pot and pour in another cup of the liquid. This might be enough. If you like your soups thinner, add more liquid. If you have leftover liquid, you can freeze it for making soup the next time.
Heat the soup and add the asparagus tips. Cook about 5 minutes. Serve.

Breakfast

I grated potato
½ small onion, sliced very thin
Clarified butter 1Tbsp.
Salt, pepper

Heat the butter a small frying pan. Add the onions. Sauté about 5 minutes. Salt the potato and form into a round patty in the pan. Cook about 4 minutes and flip to the other side.
Cook another 4 minutes.
minutes.
Crack an egg and place on the potato patty. Cover, and cook 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and enjoy.

Swordfish with mashed cauliflower, broccoli and japonica rice.

Serves 4

11/2 lbs fresh swordfish
1 head of cauliflower
4 cups of broccoli florets
1 ½ cups japonica rice
1 small onion , sliced
1tbsp. Olive oil
3 cups vegetable broth
½ cup vegetable broth
Salt, pepper, white pepper
Lemon

Make the cauliflower first. Break down the cauliflower into medium sized florets. Place on a steaming rack in a pan with water.
Steam about 10-12 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to a blender. Purée, use the stock to get a creamy consistency as if you were making mashed potatoes. Add the ½ cup stock slowly as you might not need all of it. Season with salt and a little white pepper . Set aside.
Note: you can make this hours before dinner and It reheats easily.

Make the rice in a rice cooker or according to package directions.
I used a rice cooker, first heat a skillet add the olive oil, add the onion and cook about 6 minutes
until they have softened. Stir in the rice. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rice cooker. Add the stock, cover and cook. The rice timer will tell you when it’s done, about 40 minutes. This can also be made early in the day and reheated.

Place a steam rack in a pot, add water to come up just under the rack. Add the broccoli and steam about 6-8 minutes to desired doneness.

This fish is easy to grill. I used my grill pan on my stove. Heat the grill pan. Put a little olive oil on a paper towel and gently apply it to the grill pan. Season the fish with a little salt and pepper. Place the fish on an angle to get good grill marks. Let the fish cook about 6 minutes, do not touch it. Then turn it over and cook about two minutes. Remove from the grill, transfer to a serving plate, garnish with a fresh lemon.

My friend Lisa sent me this picture last night. I was so happy to receive this and to know that my alkaline lifestyle is rubbing off on my fiends. So I thought I would post it and share this delicious salad with you. Eating alkaline does not have to be boring. Not only is this salad beautiful to look at, it’s a crowd pleaser with great bursts of flavor in every bite.

Don’t worry about the amount of ingredients, just use what you have to make a nice combination.
I have given you an idea of what to go on.

Serves 4

About 2 cups Kale, chopped
About 2 cups Cabbage, chopped
1 cup Broccoli florets
1 cup of cooked Quinoa
A handful of cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
½ cup Parsley, roughly chopped
½ green onion, diced
A few mint leaves
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. minced garlic or ¼ tsp. minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

This is a variation of my basic lentil soup. It turned out so good, I thought I would share it with you.
It’s a creamier version. I used some orange lentils and they added a wonderful creamy texture to the soup. Here it is.
Note: I like to chop up my vegetables all the same size. The soup will cook more evenly this way.
And it looks very nice in the bowl.

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 small onion diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 turnips, diced
1 parsnip, diced
2 small or 1 large potatoe, peeled and diced
1 zucchini squash, diced
¾ cup small French style lentils, black or dark green
¾ cup orange lentils.
4 ½ cups vegetable stock or water
11/2 tsp salt. Wait until the soup is done before you add the salt. It can harden the lentils while they are cooking.
Optional: red pepper flakes. If you prefer a little heat. If you feel the soup is getting too thick, just add a little water. Remember, it much easier to add liquid, it’s hard to take it out.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and cook about 6 minutes to soften. Add the celery, carrot, turnip, parsnip, potato and zucchini. Stir in the lentils. Cover with the stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.
I hope you enjoy this.