Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

In the book The Blue Zones by Dan Beuttner, Blue Zones are the longest living cultures in the world, one common dietary staple in all the areas is beans, all different kinds of beans. I love to use any kind of bean in my recipes, from soups, chillies, pastas and especially salads. Chickpeas( garbanzo beans ) are one of my favorite to use in my recipes like this Live to 100 Chickpea Salad.  I've added some crunch and sweetness to this salad with pecans and dried cranberries. Nuts also play an important role in Blue Zone cultures! You can like I do use this salad as a base for a more hearty dinner salad combining a protein such as tuna, chicken, tofu just to name a few. If you want to keep the salad vegan you can add more crunchy veggies such as red peppers, carrots, fennel and so many more different colors and textures. Experimenting you can find so many different uses for this basic salad while adding years on your life! Live to 100 Chickpea Salad Ingredients:...

We are really having a tough winter here in New England with the temperature at minus fifteen this morning when I went out to yoga.  What could be warm me up better than a hot bowl of soup. I love all the ingredients in the Sausage Soup I made today which taste so good and filling on a cold winter day. Healthy and tasty my favorite combination! Chicken Sausage White Bean Kale Soup with Mushrooms 5-6 chicken sausage 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup chopped leeks, white part only 1/2 cup celery, chopped 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 2 cups Kale, chopped leaves no stems 62 ounces(cartons) chicken broth, either homemade or bought.  I use low sodium, low fat chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried french thyme Cook sausage in large frying pan on medium heat turning frequently for 15- 20 minutes. Sausage should be browned. Drain on paper towel and set aside. Heat olive in large stock pot. Add garlic, leeks and celery ...

  Lemon Curd Cream Cheese Pound Cake Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 3 cups sugar 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 6 large eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour  1 teaspoon lemon extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 jar Lemon Curd Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add cream cheese, beating until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. 2. Gradually add flour to butter mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Stir in lemon and vanilla extracts. Pour one-third of batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (14-cup) tube pan (about 2 2/3 cups batter). Dollop 8 rounded teaspoonfuls lemon curd over batter, and swirl with wooden skewer. Repeat procedure once, and top with remaining third of ...