Vegetable and Bean Soup

Aloha friends!

I made this yummy veggie soup for lunch yesterday! Honestly, I just wanted to use up the random leftover veggies I had before they went bad. Apparently, this turned out pretty well because I caught my husband standing in front of the fridge late last night just eating the leftovers cold. He just kept saying, “OMG this is so good. So so good…”

I swear, it’s even better heated up babe. LOL.

ENJOY!

Vegetable and Bean Soup

• 2 large white onions, diced

• 2 large carrots, sliced

• 2 stalks of celery sliced

• 2 cups waxy potatoes, skinned and cubed ( about 2, small/med size )

• 8 cloves garlic, minced

• 1, 14oz can organic diced tomatoes with juice

• 1, 14oz can of beans ( cannellini, chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto are all good ) rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup sliced Kalamata olives

• 4 cups good vegetable broth

• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ( optional )

• 1/2 of a lemon, juiced

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or any herbs you want honestly

• 1 Tb good olive oil

• a handful of fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

• 1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt ( if needed )

• cracked black pepper

Toppings

• olive oil or basil oil ( to finish, optional )

• chopped chives

• fresh parsley

• vegan parmesan

*In a large stockpot over med-high heat, saute onions and garlic in a little water until soft and translucent ( about 5 minutes ). You can use olive oil to saute but I prefer water. Add some cracked pepper and a pinch of salt.

*Add remaining ingredients except for lemon juice, parsley, and thyme. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer ( covered for 40 minutes ).

*Right before serving, add olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. Stir until incorporated. Taste and add more cracked pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt if needed ( I usually don’t but this depends on how salty the vegetable broth is )

*To serve, ladle into soup bowls. Top with additional parsley and chopped chives

Easy Thai Curry

We loved this recipe so much we made it twice this week!

After chopping some fresh veggies and potatoes, this was actually pretty quick to throw together on a rushed weeknight. By the way, I do like steaming the potatoes ahead of time to speed things up a bit but that’s totally up to you. Also, feel free to play with different curry pastes out there. I found this delicious yellow curry paste by Mae Ploy at my local health food store so I decided to give it a go in this recipe. Red or green curry paste will work well too here. Just make sure to check the ingredient list! Some curries contain shrimp paste!

Don’t be too worried about what veggies you decide to throw in this. I just used up some odd bits that I still had left in the fridge before a shopping day. Feel free to add or sub whatever veggies you want! Extra-firm tofu cubes might be a nice addition as well.

Easy Thai Curry - makes 4-6 servings

• 2, 14 oz cans of coconut milk. I went with full-fat coconut milk.

• 1 cup of vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup curry paste

• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder ( optional, I use this for color )

• juice of one lime

• 1 Tb of coconut or brown sugar

• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin

• 2 medium yellow potatoes, skinned and diced.

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 3 medium carrots, sliced

• one Bell Pepper, diced ( I used a yellow one )

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 1/2 zucchini, sliced

• 1 cup frozen peas ( optional )

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Steam - skinned and cubed potatoes to save time. ( optional )

While potatoes are steaming…in a large deep pan over med-high heat, saute diced onions and minced garlic with a little water ( or oil ) until translucent ( about 5-7 minutes ).

Next, add vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry paste, turmeric powder, coconut sugar, juice of one lime and stir until combined.

Add carrots, Bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, and frozen peas to the broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered until veggies are tender ( about 12-15 mins ). Be careful not to overcook. You don’t want “mushy veggies”. Next, add steamed potatoes and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. You can add raw potatoes to this instead of steamed however, you will just need to increase the cooking time until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.

Top with crush peanuts, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, and/or sambal. Enjoy this curry on its own or serve over jasmine rice.

Plant-Based Mac + Cheese

Sometimes I just really crave some comforting carbs and this particular dish is perfect for those times! Not only does it check everything off my list ( warm, savory, and cheesy ) it’s shockingly low-fat, full of B vitamins, potassium, and probiotics. So yes, it’s good for you!

Toss in some lightly steamed kale or broccoli florets to add something green if that makes you feel better. I usually do and it’s delicious! Oh and don’t forget something spicy on top! I put sambal on practically everything and this dish is no exception. Enjoy!

Plant-Based Mac + Cheese

• 1.5 cups of water ( start with 1.5 cups and check the consistency before adding more )

• 2.5 cups white potatoes ( skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes )

• 1 cup carrots ( peeled and roughly chopped )

• 1/2 cup dried instant oats

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 3/4 tsp salt

• 1 tsp corn starch

• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

• 1.5 tsp onion powder

• 1.5 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp turmeric ( optional but this adds color )

• 2 Tbs lemon juice

• 1.5 Tbs white miso

• 2 Tbs tahini paste

1, 12 oz bag of cooked pasta ( I like to use gluten-free organic brown rice pasta by Tinkyada ) Spirals, Shells, Penne, or Macaroni shapes work well with this sauce.

Steam potatoes and carrots until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat and place in a high-speed blender. Add all other ingredients and blend until very smooth. 

Cook and drain pasta and place back into the pot. Slowly add “cheese “ sauce to cooked pasta and stir until well coated. You might not need all the sauce so if you have leftovers, this makes an excellent cheese dip. Just add some jarred chipotle salsa!

Top Mac + Cheese with some smoked paprika or even better, some spicy Sambal!

*Feel free to mix in some chopped kale or some steamed broccoli florets for a bit of green.