Herb-a-Licious Dishes Or Save the Salt for the Slugs

No, I don't mean salty slugs. I personally don't eat them although I'm pretty sure they are very high in protein. I mean save the salt to sprinkle on the slugs in your garden, because it kills them. And, guess what--it can kill you too!

My spice rack is where the magic of cooking flavorful salt-free foods begins. My son Ron made it for me, according to my needs and the space available. It's in a most convenient space a few feet from my stove, my counters, my table, and my pantry, and it's alphabetized (so my sister suggested; I used to have it arranged according to whether food is sweet, hot, spicy, meat, vegetables, etc.) so I just step over to it whenever I'm cooking or baking, and choose my spices and  herbs. I grow herbs too. My family is so accustomed to taste-full food that when we eat out they can tell that much of the flavor is just from salt.

I especially appreciate my spices and herbs now that I must stay gluten-free.

Lists are pretty boring, so skip this list unless you REALLY want to know what I flavor my food with. 

Allspice, ground; Allspice, whole; Alum; Anis; Arrowroot; Bacon bits (real);Basil (a dozen varieties in my garden too); Cayenne; Celery salt; Celery seeds; Chili powder; Chive rings(and in my garden); Cilantro (in my garden too); Cinnamon sticks; Cinnamon powder; Cloves ground; Cloves whole; Cumin; Curry (very hot); Dill leaves (and in garden); Dill seeds; Garlic minced; Garlic powdered; Ginger ground; Mace ground; Marjoram; Mustard ground; Mustard whole; Nutmeg ground; Nutmeg whole; Onion chopped (and in my garden); Onion powdered; Oregano (and in garden); Paprika; Parsley (and in a flower pot); Pepper black; Pepper red crushed (and from my garden); Pepper white; Rosemary; Saffron; Sage ground; Savory; Sesame seed; Tartar, cream of; Thyme (and in garden); Turmeric; plus 12 salt-free blends.

This spicy soup is delicious.

Curried Carrot Soup

Sauté in 1 T of oil

5 stalks chopped celery

3 chopped onions

Add

5# of chopped carrots (in a 2-gallon pot)

Water to cover

Enough low-sodium bouillion to flavor (I used 11 tsp)

2 T strong curry

In last moments of cooking, add fresh or dry parsley to taste

This recipe is delicious. It makes two gallons of soup, with only 1335 calories in the entire pot. That’s less than 42 calories per cup. We each had a very large serving bowl of this soup as part of the main course. However, I added turkey sausages in the last 15 minutes of cooking the soup, so we had meat in our main course too. My son ate his on bread. I ate mine with prepared mustard (no gluten I hope).

I HAVE LOST 48 POUNDS. MY OLD CLOTHES GOT SO LOOSE I FINALLY DONATED THEM TO GOODWILL AND I'M PULLING OUT SOME OLDER, SMALLER CLOTHING. SOME OF THAT IS TOO LARGE FOR ME TOO. MY WEIGHT LOSS IS STILL MUCH SLOWER THAN PREVIOUSLY, BUT I AM HAPPY THAT IT CONTINUES AS I CONTINUE TO KEEP COUNT OF AND AVERAGE MY CALORIE INTAKE. MY AVERAGE AS OF YESTERDAY IS 1550/DAY.

The Middle Way

Alfalfa sprouts. Grown in five days on my kitchen counter. Great tasting on sandwiches or in salads, and low in calories but high in nutrition.

The Buddha was clearly on the right track, wasn’t he? My knowledge of Buddhism has been gleaned from news articles (e.g., how Patrick Duffy and his family handled the tragedy of his parents’ death; Richard Gere’s devotion, etc.), public television (about the Buddha’s life), the Internet, a couple of Hollywoodized movies (not really the place to learn much from), and various articles I’ve read over the years, so I cannot speak knowledgeably about the great one and his philosophy. But I do know a little bit about the Middle Way, and to me, this diet I’ve invented seems to follow a middle path in several ways. It’s not only about “The Average Advantage” that I wrote about on April 24; it’s also about not going overboard. It’s about not eliminating any particular food or becoming an ascetic-like person. It’s about not having food on your mind day and night, or jumping into an exercise program that will break you, or jumping on the scale several times a day to see if you’ve lost a few ounces. It’s about not becoming highly emotional or self-defeating while curbing your appetite. I really do think it’s about being cool. I feel cool.

Here’s the recipe I promised. I do love to cook.

Turnip Greens and Carrot Soup

1 T olive oil                                                             120 calories

2 sauteed onions                                                      70

2 stalks celery                                                          20

1 # chopped turnip greens                                       125

2 # baby carrots (don’t bother cutting them)             373

1 15 oz. can red kidney beans                                  390

1 large can whole tomatoes                                     325

vegetarian bouillon (comes like a sauce in a jar)         80

garlic                                                                       miniscule

marjoram (don’t skip this—it’s like magic!)                miniscule

hot sauce to taste                                                   miniscule

lots of water                                                           nada

Makes appx. 25 cups of hearty, filling, tasty soup. Total calories are 1498.

Today my average calorie consumption is 1549. I have lost 22 pounds. My cancer surgeon asked me how I did it. I told her to read this blog. I feel good. And cool.