From my Mom's colletion of cookbooks, is an old, tattered book held together with rubberbands. Recently she discovered within Tastes and Tales: A Collection of Texas Recipes a delicious soup that originated from the Texas Peanut Producers Board that she wanted to try so I made it for her.

Velvety, easy to prepare, relatively quick to make and made with ingredients that most likely stocked in your kitchen, Colonial Peanut Soup is a winner.

This verion is a healthier version in which I've modified the original recipe and it has no added salt, more celery and onions and more chicken broth. Other versions of the recipe found online feature heavy cream and  more butter so that's an option if you want to added creaminess, fat and caolories.

This makes for a nice lunch paired with half a sandwich or salad or as a starter for dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced 
• 2 tablespoons  diced onion 
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 or more cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup crunchy organic peanut butter
• Chopped roasted peanuts for garnish

Instructions:

1. Melt butter over low heat and then add celery and onion until the onions are soft. Add flour and a small bit of chicken broth,  whisking the flour in until fully blended and there are no lumps. Add lemon juice if you like.
2. Add the remaining chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Strain out the celery and onion and return the broth to the heatied pot. Whisk in the peanut butter until it is melted and the soup is . 
4. Divide among bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and coarsely chopped peanuts.

Time to make
Serves 3-4
Ok to refrigerate and eat within a few days

Yearning for a wholesome and nutritious dish as well as colorful and tasty? Try this recipe, raw broccoli and avocado soup  from Ecobaren Restaurant in Stockholm!

Ingredients
1 Avocado
3 Bouquets Broccoli
1/2 a Lemon
1 tsp Nettle powder
1/2 tsp Crushed garlic
1 pinche Chiliflakes
20gr Baby spinach
1 tsp chia seeds
4 dl water
1 tsp sea salt

Garnish:
1 tsp chili marinated Hijiki algae
1 tsp chopped chives
Red beet sprouts
Buckwheat cracker


You can find Ecobaren - Life Source on Facebook & website
For our interview with Michael Friberg, click here

Just in time for summer! Try these cold, yummy "raw" chocolate treats  from Matthew Kenney's cookbook Everyday Raw Desserts.

INGREDIENTS 
1 cup cashews, soaked
1/2 cup young coconut meat
1/2 cup agave or maple syrup
1 cup nut milk
1/2 cup cacao powder
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
pinch of salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight. Run hot water over molds to help remove easily. 

CHOCOLATE SHELL (optional)
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup agave or maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients until smooth. If you would like to dip the popsicles in chocolate, once you remove from the molds, refreeze, and then dip into melted chocolate. The cold fudgesicles will cause the chocolate to harden immediately. Enjoy!

Chokladboll ("chocolate ball") is sweet concoction enjoyed by Swedes  that is uber popular for many reasons.  It is one of the first recipes that  children learn to make and chokladbolls are found almost at every cafe and shop.  Quick and easy to make and enjoyed by everyone, these yummy chocolate balls take less than 15 minutes to make, take one bowl  and no cooking so clean up is a cinch.

How did I discover chokladboll? I am a chocolate lover and it seemed every cafe, food shop and hang out in Stockholm offered these chocolate confections.  My curiosity was piqued and  I had to try on.  I was was easily won over so much so, that upon returning to the U.S. I made a batch for a family party whee they were an instant hit. Now my family is making Swedish chocolate balls. That's the beauty of food and travel -  introducing others to new places and experiences through other traditions. Wellness is about balance  it's ok to indulgence once in awhile, especially when it's with family and friends and creates lasting memories.

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 lb or 1 stick unsalted butter (soft and at room temperature) 
• 21⁄2 cups rolled oats
  
• 11⁄4 cups sugar
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar 
  
• 1 tbsp strong coffee (cold)
•  2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa 
• Coconut flakes, chocolate nibs or sprinkles

Directions:

1. First mix butter, sugar and coffee together and then add all the other ingredients. Make sure the butter is mixed very well. You can use your hands or a food processor.
   
2. The batter should be easy to roll and not too sticky, you can adjust consistency with oats or coffee.
   
3. Roll batter into about small balls. This recipe should make around 25.
4.  Roll the balls into t coconut flakes, chocolate nibs or sprinkles.
   
5. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more before eating. 
   

I had the amazingly good fortune of sampling 16 dishes from Sweden's Michelin-rated restaurant, Gastrologik prepared by co-founders Chef Anton Bjuhr and Chef Jacob Holmström. One of my favorite dishes was the spruce ice cream, made with pine needles. Both Chefs are down-to-earth, friendly and happy to share the recipe below.

Ingredients
750g milk
250g whole cream
200g egg yolk
135g sugar
15g  spruce needles

Directions
Bring milk and cream to a boil, whisk sugar and eggs together. Pour the hot milk/cream to the egg mixture. Put back in a pan and warm during stirring to 84 degrees celsius. Add the spruce needles to the ice cream mixture and leave to cool down, keep in fridge over night. Then with a blender, mix a small amount of the ice-cream mixture with the spruce needles, then strain. Freeze in a ice-cream machine.

Wondering where to find the right pine needles? Chef Anton Bjuhr gave the following advice, "Any pine needles will do. Sometimes it´s possible to find pine needles at the florist but they can be sprayed with different toxics (so you want to be very careful). Straight from the forrest is better, but wash them thoroughly."

The Food Scene in Stockholm: An Interview with Anton Bjuhr

WTJ: Please describe the Nordic culinary scene and what are some of its characteristics?
I would say that is all based on the produce that you can find around you, to respect our own produce and listen to nature and what it has got to offer


WTJ:  How did you get your start; what was the inspiration?
After many years of working in different restaurants in different countries, we came to a point where we wanted to express ourselves, and like many other chefs our dream was to open our own restaurant. And so we did after some years of planning.

What's the philosophy of Gastrologik? 
Focus on the ingredients and produce, close cooperation with producers and suppliers
We put as much effort in finding the best ingredients as in refining them.
Respect and honesty

How did you meet your partner?
We met in a restaurant called Linnea in Gothenburg, in 2002. We started working there at the same time . Jacob works with savory and I ( Anton) work with sweet and bread.

WTJ:  Tell our readers about your garden....about how you source your dishes (example lichen in the forest - is this your staff or do you have a vendor?)
In april this year we built a small garden in the back yard of the restaurant
To involve the whole staff, to learn and understand more about how and why things grow as they do
To be able to harvest some things minutes before serving. We start every week by harvesting vegetables at Rosendahl Garden, which is a biodynamic garden on the island of Djurgården. It's a 5 min drive from the restaurant. This is where our week begins from early spring to late autumn. And for the winter we make sure to harvest enough during summer and autumn to preserve and to winter store.
We forage for wild things as the season allows, this way we see whats good to use now and what is about to happen, like this we adapt to nature and can follow it A lot of this we do ourselves but we also work with a long list of different producers, depending on their specialty. We try to get to the source straight away like this we get better and fresher produce and it's easier to get an understanding
As little as possible we work through vendors  
 
WTJ:  What's very typical of traditional Swedish food? What's typical of contemporary culinary scene in Stockholm?
Quite heavy food (using a lot of butter and cream) I would say that we use a lot of preserving techniques, like pickling, curing and drying for example.
Using the same techniques as above, but in a more modern way.
Fresher in that way of using less butter and cream, letting the produce it self take more place

www.gastrologik.se

To read about Stockholm, click here.
To read about Josefin Haraldsson of the Stockholm Tourist Board, click here

Polish Clear Beet Soup - Borscht
(Barszcz Czysty Czerwony)

Ingredients
5 Medium size red beets
Meat or vegetable stock
1 Garlic clove
2 Tablespoons of vinegar
Vegeta gourmet seasoning
Salt and pepper
Sugar to taste
Chopped fresh dill for garnish

Directions
Boil beets with skin on in water until soft. Drain water and let beets cool. Then slice into julienne. In medium size pot boil stock, beets, garlic, vinegar, Vegeta seasoning, salt and pepper.  Let simmer for 15 minutes.

Note:  Serve borscht hot alone or with meat or mushroom tortellini  or croquettes stuffed with mushrooms or meat. Garnish with chopped fresh dill. Borscht  is very tasty when reheated!

Smacznego! 
(Which means Enjoy your meal! and Bon Appetit in Polish)

Take a culinary trip to Poland! www.PolandCulinaryVacations.com
"Meet" Sarna Rose of Poland Culinary Vacations.
Contact Sarna directly to inquire or book your next amazing culinary adventure!
Take a peek at her carefully curated wellness + culinary + wine tour coming up in 2015. Click here

CRUSH Kale Salad (serving for 4)

Ingredients:
1 bunch Kale
1 whole Fried Artichoke Heart (see method below)
¼ cup Ricotta Salata Cheese
1 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Salt and pepper to taste

Fried Artichoke:
Thinly Slice artichoke hearts then fry in cooking oil until golden brown.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 thinly sliced Portobello mushroom
1 small diced shallot
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
Method:
Sauté shallots and mushrooms in the vegetable oil for 5 minutes, then add balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Keep warm

Salad:
Place all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix well. 
Serve on favorite platter and enjoy! Yum!


To read more about Executive Chef Billy DeMarco click here
For more information on CRUSH click here

Ingredients
2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 whole green onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried mint
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1 16-ounce jar grape leaves in brine, drained
3 large carrots, cut into diagonal slices
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 cups water

In a large bowl, combine long-grain rice, parsley, tomato, yellow onion, green onion, mint, 1 teaspoon salt, cayenne, black pepper, and ¼ cup lemon juice. Set aside.

Cover the bottom of a 2-quart pot with a layer of grape leaves follow by a layer of sliced carrots.

Remove stems on remaining leaves and place vein side up on your work surface. Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling on each leaf and roll, tucking in edges as you roll.

Stack rolled grape leaves in a circular fashion in the pot. Add remaining ½ cup lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and enough water to cover the top of the rolled leaves. Season with remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes, adding additional water during the cook time as needed.Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes before serving warm or cold.

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!(Printed with permission from  Idiot’s Guides: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook)

Here's a healthy dessert recipe courtesy of Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts in San Antonio, Texas. 

Ingredients:
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, skins peeled off or left on
1/4 c. natural peanut butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips 


 Directions:
1. Open and drain chickpeas. Remove outside skin or leave on.
2. Put chickpeas in food processor and pulse about 5 times.
3. Add peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Pulse until creamy.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.

Serve with sliced apples or whole grain pita chips, or graham crackers. We heard this recipe tastes amazingly like chocolate chip cookie dough and hope you enjoy this recipe. Let us know what you think in our comments section.

Nutrition Tip:
Craving chocolate? Stick to dark chocolate. Dark chocolate chips are a better choice than milk chocolate because they have less sugar and more antioxidants.

Nutrition facts:
serving size ¼ cup hummus
Calories 141 kcal, Total Fat 5.0 g, Total Carbohydrates 19.9 g, Dietary Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 4.7 g

About: While other weight-loss organizations use celebrity endorsements and lots of advertising, Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts has been quietly helping people lose weight and keep it off for more than 40 years.  Shane Resorts operates out of the AAA Four Star La Cantera Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, Texas.  http://www.shanedietresorts.com

I recently was sent a review copy of the new book, "Eat Right, Train Right" and came across this easy, healthy recipe.

This is another recipe for the microwave that you can cook directly in your lunch box. However, the result is so mouthwatering that you may want to invite guests over for a festive treat. The nutritional values below are calculated for one serving, and just like with any of the recipes where you are using the microwave, you can’t cook huge quantities of food simultaneously. If you are cooking more than two servings, you should cook the fish in two batches. Also keep in mind that you may need to adjust the cooking time—a larger quantity of fish may need another 30 seconds to cook.

1 serving European plaice fillets 1 bunch of baby spinach
grated nutmeg
1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper flake salt

Place the spinach in a microwave-safe plastic container with a tightly sealed lid. Sprinkle with some freshly grated (or already ground) nutmeg. Place a fish fillet on top of the spinach, and pour lemon juice and olive oil on top. Sprinkle with black pepper and flake salt. Cook in the microwave for 90 seconds at 500 watts. Serve on plates.

CAMILLA’S COMMENT: European plaice is a lean source of protein. Always choose an eco-labeled kind, because just like cod, it is threatened by overfishing. Spinach gives you a health boost with iron, vitamin C, folic acid, and plenty of fiber. You can choose an energy-rich carbohydrate dish, or a filling vegetable dish to serve with the lean plaice.