Sunday, October 16, 2011

Good Eating Continues

I made some awesome veggie soup today. I put a cup or so of pearl barley in a pot with about 8 cups of water. While I waited for this to boil I cut up one pork loin chop and fast fried the chunks. Then I cleaned, sliced and chopped the following vegetables:

- 2 small onions
- a few stalks of celery (the last of them from the middle part)
- 2 skinny carrots
- about 1/4 of a small head of cauliflower
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1 medium russet potato
- a few broccoli florets
- 6 radishes cut into thick slices
- small amount of chick peas left over from my hummus 

After the water began to boil I put in the onions, celery, carrots and pork cubes and boiled them all until tender. I added some light soy sauce and Himalayan crystal salt sparingly as flavouring.  I didn't add too much because I wanted the taste to come from the vegetables.

Once this mixture boiled and the barley began to soften, I added all the other vegetables and cooked them just until they began to soften. Then the soup was done.  This is perfect soup for the cooler weather we are now experiencing. The days are either filled with wind and rain, or they are a bit mixed with sunshine and cloud and a hint of chill. We are gearing up for winter and if advance reports are to be believed, it is supposed to be a cold one!

This soup was very delicious and the whole wheat fried bread was tasty too!

While the soup was cooking,  I whipped up some batter for some fried bannock bread. This was made with 2 and  half cups of whole wheat flour and about 1 and a half cups of white flour. Add a bit of salt and a few tablespoons of baking powder. After mixing these dry ingredients together add just enough water to make a soft but not sticky dough.  When the water is all mixed in you can determine whether you need more water, or more flour, to make a nice soft dough.  You will have the right consistency when the dough does not stick to your fingers or the counter top when you pull it apart.

Next, roll the dough on the countertop and cut off some pieces off to flatten. After you cut off a piece, flatten it between your hands or press it against the countertop.  Then make a few cuts through each piece so that it will cook evenly when fried.  Heat some oil in the frying pan and let it get hot, then lay a few pieces of the dough into the frying pan. When the dough begins to rise, which will only take a short while, turn it over carefully so you don't splash oil on yourself or onto the burners.  Once the dough is cooked on both sides, place each piece of cooked bread on a paper towel to blot out excess oil.

Tips:  Too much loose flour on your dough pieces will burn in your oil and begin to smell so do watch carefully.  Also, I find that the mixture with the whole wheat will burn easier than using white flour alone, so don't leave each piece to cook too long on one side. You will know when it is done by seeing the golden brown colour. In my case, you will see the dough is a little more than medium brown. It is not burned, nor does it taste burned. If you like your bread lighter, the oil must be very hot when you put the dough into it or it will take too long too cook or it will not be cooked through when you take it out. Finally, your dough will rise quite a bit due to the baking powder. If you want a bread that is less high, then be sure to roll it out or pat it out more thinly before frying. If you are diabetic like me, limit yourself to one bannock bread at your meal or as a snack.  Traditionally this bread is eaten with butter on it or jam, or sometimes both. Enjoy!

I thought I would end this post with something different. It captures in a short video why I am changing my diet and why I'm finally getting serious about finding more and more ways to reduce bad fats, increase good fats, eliminate junk and artificial sweeteners and add more good nutrition through fresh and wholesome foods.


17 comments:

Roan said...

That soup sounds and looks yummy! Soup weather has arrived.

Jo said...

Oh wow, Penny, the video is an eye-opener. Thanks for the recipes. I'm copying them and will try them this week. Blessings Jo

Phillip said...

Looks delicious. Will try those two recipes soon.

Angelika Poe said...

eating healthy is so important to Penny, but I get the point but not always, my visitors have gone home, I cook for tomorrow too small broccoli and cabbage to the soup, but sometimes I'm also very hungry at that very unhealthy :-(((

From your video, I did not understand everything, but it was to see how wrong feed themselves but the many people and then resort to pills and other toxic things.

warm greetings from Geli

Linda said...

Penny, your soup recipe sounds delicious. I've never heard of putting radishes in soup, but I'll give it a try. Toward the end of summer I always start yearning for cooler weather just so I can make hearty soups! Thanks for the new recipe!

Linda

Christina, Sweden said...

I like soups, so suitable for this colder season. always nice with new ideas of ingredients!

Dimple said...

Sounds yummy. I am gluten intolerant, so would leave the bread and barley out. Probably would substitute rice or quinoa for the barley...But I love soup on a cold day!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Great looking soup and enjoyed your Youtube clip too. Thanks.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

sounds like delicious winter soup. very healthy and filling.

George said...

The soup sounds absolutely delicious. Now that cooler weather has arrived soup would really hit the spot.
Thanks for visiting my site and for the kind comment.

Anonymous said...

I just realize that I used the wrong ID in my comment above.
Thanks again for your visit and comment.

Brenda Green said...

My friend,
The soup looks really good, I like the fact that sweet potato is in it. Your fried bread looks great. I hope to try it soon. Thank's for the recipe. me

Joyful said...

Hello everyone, thanks so much for all your kind comments. Since some of us are now experiencing the chill of Fall and the expectation of Winter, it is a good time to start thinking of filling soups.

Geli, I think most of us share a similar problem. When we are tired or busy we do not eat so healthy. All we can do is try to be prepared as best we can and every now and then it doesn't hurt to indulge.

Joyful said...

Dimple, I love quinoa and brown rice in soup too!

Angelika Poe said...

Good morning Penny, I think I've learned a lot in recent years about healthy eating, but it would just be more, because I have diabetes, I should be with me even more stringent, but it's hard, I respect even when cooking out but sometimes I am overcome by hunger but :-), a wonderful day for you from the Geli

EG CameraGirl said...

I like homemade soups very much. This looks great. Too bad we never have any leftover huumus at our house. Every time I make it. it's totally consumed!

Candice Suter.....Sweetstuff said...

Sounds and looks so yummy! Hey I love your new blog format! Very cool!

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