Natural Family Recipes Blog

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous, uncooked

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ cups V8 or seasoned tomato juice

1 ½ cups water

1 cup lentils, uncooked and rinsed

1 bay left

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tomato, chopped

½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Instructions:

Heat oil in a saucepan until hot, then sauté garlic until soft. Add vegetable juice, water, lentils, bay leaf and season. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. Lentils should be tender, but not mushy.

Remove the saucepan from heat and take out the bay leaf. Stir in couscous, chopped tomato and basil. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

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Ingredients:
½ cup wild rice
1 red onion, sliced
2 celery sticks, cut in julienne sticks
2 carrots, cut in julienne sticks
2oz butter
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2 medium courgettes, cut in thicker sticks
a few toasted almond flakes to garnish
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
Soak the rice overnight in water to reduce the cooking time.

Drain rice and cook according to package instructions for about 15 – 20 minutes or until soft and most of the grains have burst open. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan and gently sauté the onion, carrots and celery for about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the courgette sticks and cook for a further minute. Add the rice, mix well and reheat gently.

Top with the toasted almond flakes and serve immediately.

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Ingredients:
2 tbsp ghee or substitute with unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp red mustard seeds
1 ½ tsp of salt
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp saffron
4 medium potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
¾ cup vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions:
Heat the ghee in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion, ginger, mustard seeds and cumin seeds until the onion is lightly brown and tender. Then add the chili powder, saffron and salt and mix well. Stir in potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the stock, cover and cook (on low heat) for about 25 – 30 minutes. Add the peas and heat through.

Serve immediately with rice.

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Ingredients:
8 oz fresh asparagus
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 tbsp butter, melted
Fresh lemon juice
2 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:
Trim the asparagus stalks and peel off the tough bits at the base.

In a saucepan, poach the asparagus stalks in lightly salted water for about 3 – 6 minutes or until tender (but not overcooked).

In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Pour over the asparagus, sprinkle with the chopped eggs and parsley.

Serve warm as an appetizer at your next dinner party.

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Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

¼ cup onion, minced

2 lbs boned and skinned chicken breasts (eight 4oz halves)

16 oz (1 can) cranberry sauce, whole berry

2 cups green apples, peeled and chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

4 tbsp walnuts, chopped

2 tsp curry powder

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease large shallow baking dish. Add oil and onions and bake uncovered for about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and stir well. Place chicken breasts in the baking dish and baste the top of the chicken with the vinegar/onion mixture. Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine cranberry sauce, apples, dried cranberries, walnuts and curry powder and spoon over the chicken breasts. Bake for an additional 15 – 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink in the center.

Serve immediately with green vegetables and rice.

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Ingredients:

1 ½ to 2 lbs firm white fish fillets (such as Haddock)

1 can cream of cream of celery soup

½ cup milk

2 tbsp sherry

½ cup mild Cheddar cheese (grated)

1 ½ cups bread crumbs tossed with 3 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp fresh parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Grease a baking dish with butter and arrange fish fillets.

In a saucepan, combine celery soup with milk and heat over medium heat. Add sherry and stir. Pour soup mixture over the fish fillets. In a little bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese and parsley and sprinkle over the fish.

Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the fish is cooked through and flaky.

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What You Need:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

4 C water

1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 small carrots, chopped

2 (4 oz) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1 (16 oz) jar chunky salsa

How to Make It:

Place the meat in a skillet over medium heat.

Cook the meat 12 minutes or until completely browned.

Drain the meat well in a colander and pat with paper towel.

Pour all of the water into the crock pot.

Add the ground beef, potatoes, onion and carrots.

Pour in the drained mushrooms.

Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix in with the vegetables and meat.

Blend in the salsa being sure all the ingredients are incorporate together.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serving Size: 8

If you aren’t partial to ground beef, ground turkey or pork will also work.  Stew meat cut into small chunks also makes this soup a treat.

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 Serrano chile sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons lime juice

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot over medium high heat. Add the mustard seed to the hot oil. Cover the skillet and heat the mustard seed 30 seconds or until the popping stops completely.  Add the coleslaw mix, cilantro and chile and blend together.  Sprinkle in the salt, cumin and turmeric and stir well to incorporate the flavors.  Continue cooking and stirring continuously for 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender.  Pour in the lime juice and cook an addition 1 minute.

Serves 6

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes and juice
1 (7 ounce) container sun dried tomato pesto
2 eggs
2 (15 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 (14 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (8 ounce) package Italian cheese blend, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oven ready lasagna noodles

Instructions:

Pour the oil into a large skillet and place over medium heat.  Once the oil has is hot but not smoking add the onion.  Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking 1 minute garlic should be fragrant. Pour in the tomatoes and use the back of a spoon to crush being sure to leave chunks in the sauce.  Place the heat on low and cook 3 minutes.  Add the pesto and stir well. Remove the skillet from the heat.  Beat the eggs slightly in a large mixing bowl.  Add the ricotta cheese, spinach and 1/2 of the cheese blend.  Stir well.  Add the Parmesan cheese and salt and continue stirring until completely combined.   Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with sauce.  Lay 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.  Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles.  Cover with sauce.  Repeat layers 2 more times ending with sauce on the top.  Bring the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with the remaining Italian cheese blend.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.  Bake 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Allow lasagna to stand 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

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Ingredients:

1 slice bacon, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/2 cup French bread, cubed
1 pound lean ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 oz) package mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook 3 minutes or until browned.  Remove bacon to a paper towel. Using the bacon drippings cook the tomato, carrot, celery and onion, covered for 6 minutes or until tender.  Stir the bacon back into the skillet.  Place the bread in a bowl.  Place just enough water in the bowl with the bread to cover.  Allow the bread to stand in the water 5 minutes.  Drain the water and squeeze the excess water out of the bread cubes.
Place the bread back into the bowl.  Add the ground beef, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to the bread.  Mix the ingredients together with you hands.  Form a square loaf when the ingredients have been mixed together.  Place the loaf in a square baking dish.  Form a well in the middle of the loaf.  Place the cooked vegetables into the well.  Sprinkle in the mozzarella cheese.  Form the loaf back over the top of the vegetables.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 50 minutes.  Remove and let the meat loaf stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Serves 4

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