Sun Soup

I take the outside onion peel (respiratory benefits) and stuff it into a glass jar with water and sit it in front of a window where the sun shines through, like sun tea only inside.  Then when I use a clove of garlic I add the garlic peel cuz I figure hale if onion peel is that good for you garlic peel must really be a life saver.  Sometimes my way of thinking doesn't pay off but hey, live and learn.  When I get around to it or think about it while I'm cooking something I add some spices to it like Italian seasoning, basil (fresh if I have it), red pepper flakes, black pepper, whatever comes to mind that I learned from Dr. James Duke, Botanist, over the years, that will have a good health benefit and add to the flavor.  I may toss in some fenugreek, some fennel, whatever hits my fancy while I think about it and watch it brewing slowly in the sun for two or three days.  Add some apple cidar vinegar for safety plus it gives it that sweet and sour flavor.  Then when I'm ready to finish the soup for a meal, I add what ever I have on hand.  Noodles work well.  Maybe some carrots, celery, whatever you have that you like in soup.  I might toss some meat in if I have it.  Chicken, bacon bits, etc.  Yep, I've been whipping up my own soup broth, for years actually, but not sun soup broth.  That's recent.  Course it may become a little rare now.  I mean with less sun this time of year.  It is still an experiment.  I experiment with food quite often.  That's how I learn what works for health and weight.  I'm my own ginny pig.  There are times it doesn't turn out so wonderful though and I have to have my jogging shoes ready for a quick sprint to the thrown - better known as the toilet.

Hot Morning Salad Breakfast

     This is a good healthy breakfast for a hot morning.  I have it every so often with different variations depending on which vegetable's and fruits are in season.  Grab a handful of loaded with nutrition spinach and toss into salad bowl.  Spoon some of the giant Lula or Pollock avocado out of the shell into a bowl.  These avocado's are as big as pinapples.  I always leave my avocado in the skin unless I'm going to eat it all at once and I would have to be pretty hungry to eat one of these all at once.  I feel it keeps longer that way.  I can use it for four meals.  Had a green onion so I chopped it and threw it in the pile. I added a half of a large tomato, some Swiss  cheese, bacon bits, fresh garlic and five green olives chopped.  Then I added some dry spices.   Italian Seasoning, hot red peppers flakes and black pepper.  Fresh is always better but don't always have fresh.  Last but not least, flax seed and a squirt of mustard because mustard eats fat and gives your dish a tangy twist.

Two Dollar Dinner & Breakfast

     Nope - it ain't pizza - you single men.  Gross!  You can't get a pizza for two dollars.  I opened a can of  black beans for dinner.  Added a can of diced tomato with green chili's.  I sprinkled some basil, cumin, rosemary in and a clove of chopped garlic.  Then used my corn chips as a spoon.  Mmmmm yummy.  Couldn't eat it all in one sitting so hoped it wouldn't spoil during the night.  It didn't so w a l l a.....there was breakfast ready and waiting for me when I woke.  Not hungry when I wake but didn't want to give it time to spoil so had an early breakfast.  Rinsed well and added some left over fresh spinach that was trying to sog, to my tomato/bean concoction and ate up with my corn chip spoons.  Still yummy and not unhealthy.  The corn chips are some what fattening but have some health benefits too like omega 6 fatty acids along with some important minerals.  Limit yourself to a handful.  You have two healthy meals for less than two dollars. 

For a good healthy salsa dish see July/August issue of AARP - pg 24.

Raw Salmon Brunch

     I made a raw salmon brunch this morning.  It was delicious!  I bought some fresh wild Alaska Salmon this morning at Winn Dixie . Very fresh and very inexpensive for five or six ounces of this omega-3 rich salmon. Before eating my favorite raw brain food pieces of salmon, I always soak it in fresh squeezed lime  juice only about an hour.  I then drained most of the lime juice off and added a clove of fresh garlic chopped.  Tossed in some fresh spring mix, just a handful so not to overpower the salmon.  Poured in about two tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce and dropped several pieces of pickled ginger in and a large pinch of fresh basil.  Couldn't find any fresh wasabi or would have tossed some of that in too.  Didn't need a whole jar of horseradish, but could have used that in place of wasabi.  Stir and eat up.  Absolutely delicious!  I could eat this for breakfast every day.  It's very healthy and low calorie.  I actually learned a large portion of my healthy eating habits from the "Duke" around 15 years ago.  He's a genious.