Also called “The Dolly Parton diet,” for reasons that are shrouded in mystery, this 7-day diet really does work–in the short term, anyway. And there’s a great purity to it–especially in the summertime when it’s wonderfully refreshing served ice cold. Ingredient proportions can be varied according to your likes and dislikes.

Okay, are you ready? Here we go:

• 1 head cabbage, shredded or chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 16-28 ounces canned tomatoes, chopped
• 2 green peppers
• 4 stalks celery
• 1-2 packages Lipton onion soup mix, or any dry onion soup mix (optional)
• black pepper
• any fresh herb(s) of your choice, chopped
• 6 carrots, sliced
• 1/2 pound green beans, sliced on diagonal
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (optional)

Put all vegetables in a big pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, stir in the soup mix (if desired), and boil gently for 10 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until all the vegetables are soft. Stir in the black pepper and chopped herbs (saving some for garnish).
Eat as much of the soup as you like, as often as you like. Drink as much water as you like and non-caloric drinks including coffee, tea, and herbal teas.

Here’s what else you can eat, and when:

• DAY 1: All fruits except bananas.
• DAY 2: All vegetables, raw or cooked. This includes baked potato with a LITTLE butter.
• DAY 3: Fruits and vegetables, but no potatoes or bananas.
• DAY 4: Bananas and skim milk–eat as many as 8 bananas and drink as many as 8 glasses of skim milk.
• DAY 5: Beef, skinless chicken, and/or fish–as much as 20 ounces, total. You can (Read more ...)

Bean Soup – traditional Bulgarian recipe

6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups cannelloni or northern beans (soaked overnight in water)
  
• 1 cup red capsicum (chopped)
  
• 1 cup green capsicum (chopped)
  
• 1 cup carrot (grated)
  
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
  
• mint
  
• salt
  
• pepper

Cooking guidelines

Discard the soaking water and boil the beans in fresh water. Once you’ve boiled the beans, discard the boiling water and once again fill the saucepan with fresh water, and start adding the other ingredients.

Add the chopped onion, capsicums and carrot. Simmer until beans are cooked approximately 2 hours (if you use a pressure-cooker 30 minutes will be enough, but after all it depends on the type of beans you use).

Before the end of cooking, you can thicken the soup by lightly frying onion in a little oil in a frying pan. Add paprika and stir, remove the pan from heat, add flour and stir again. Gradually add a ladle of soup at a time and stir until flour is dissolved. Then gradually return this into the saucepan – a little at a time, continually stirring to prevent lumps.

Season with salt, pepper and mint at your taste, and simmer gently for another 10-15 minutes.

Papago Tepary Bean Soup

6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups tepary beans (soaked)
  
• 6 cups water
  
• 3 cups tomatoes w/juice
  
• slices bacon (diced)
  
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
  
• clove garlic (diced)
  
• 1 cup celery (diced)
  
• carrots (sliced)
  
• 1 teaspoon (Read more ...)

Red Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

• 1 cup lentils (soaked for 1 hour)
  
• 6 cups water
  
• 1 each onion, small (chopped)
  
• 1 tablespoon butter/oleo
  
• 1/2 each green chili (chopped)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Cooking guidelines

Drain and wash lentils in cold water. Place lentils in a saucepan.

Add water, green chili, salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 1hour 30 minutes.

Melt butter/oleo in a small frying pan and sauté the onion in it. Add the onion and the butter/oleo to the lentils and boil for 2 or 3 minutes.

Serving

Serve with fresh lemon juice. Rice is also a good addition – see next recipe…

Variation

You can also add 1/2 cup of mixed veggies, or 1/2 cup of chopped potatoes and cauliflower, or 1/2 cup of green peas.

Red Lentil and Wild Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

• 2 oz dried red lentils
  
• 1/2 cup extra fancy wild rice
  
• 6 cups light vegetable stock
  
• 2 centiliter garlic (minced)
  
• 1 small red onion (diced)
  
• 1 cup long-grain white or brown rice
  
• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaf (chopped)
  
• 1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
  
• salt and black pepper
  
• 1 bunch parsley or thyme for garnish

Cooking guidelines

In a small saucepan, heat 2 cups of the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Add the wild rice and season the stock to your taste, cook until tender (Read more ...)

Green Bean Casserole – Classic

6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 (16 oz) cans cut green beans (drained)
  
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
  
• 3/4 cup milk
  
• 1 (2.8 oz) can French Fried Onions
  
• salt and pepper to your taste

Cooking guidelines

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the beans, soup, milk and half the onions, add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in a medium sized casserole for about 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Top with remaining onions and continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until onions are golden.

Green Bean Casserole with Beef

Ingredients

• 2 cans cut green beans (drained)
  
• 1 lb. ground beef
  
• 1 can tomato soup
  
• 1 onion (chopped)
  
• 1-2 green capsicums (chopped)
  
• 2 cans refrigerator biscuits

Cooking guidelines

Brown and drain ground beef. Add the green beans and soup. Add the onion and green capsicums.

Bake in a medium sized pan at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

Put a layer of biscuits (use both cans) on top of the green bean mixture and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes or until top of biscuits are browned.

Variation

You can use chicken instead of beef.

Green Bean Casserole with Tuna

Ingredients

• 1 large can cut green beans (drained)
  
• 1 can tuna (water canned)
  
• 1 can mushrooms (dried and cut)
  
• a few onion and cheese slices

(Read more ...)