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

The Grain-Based Macro Bowl

I probably make a variation of a Macro Bowl about 3-5 times a week. So comforting, so full of flavor and so incredibly healthy for you. This “easy to throw together” bowl will make a wonderful staple for you and your family during these stressful times.

Feel free to play around with the base ingredients that I have listed below. Please use whatever you currently have in your pantry and fridge because there are no strict rules for this bowl.

For the bowl pictured above, I used chickpeas, quinoa, a variety of sweet potatoes, raw kale, sauerkraut, chopped almonds, and a tahini/lemon/miso-based dressing. The idea is to use some sort of plant-based protein ( tofu, tempeh, beans or lentils ), some sort of grain ( quinoa or rice ) or another whole plant carb like sweet potatoes or squash, some veggies ( raw or fresh ), some sort of fat ( tahini, avocado, or nut butter ) some seeds or nuts for some crunch, some sort of fermented food like sauerkraut or kimchi and, ideally, some sort of sea vegetable like crushed nori.

The Grain-based Macro Bowl

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1/2 cup of roasted sweet potatoes

• 1/3 cup of chickpeas

• 1 large handful of shredded kale

• a couple of tablespoons of sauerkraut

• 1 Tb chopped almonds

• a couple of Tbs dressing ( see recipe below )

• 1/2 of a sliced avocado

• Layer in a bowl, top with dressing, and serve.

Prep for Roasted Potatoes

Take 2 or more sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes ( you may skin them if you prefer ). Toss potato cubes with 1-2 tsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Next, spread seasoned potato cubes on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Roast potato cubes at 425F for 40 mins until crispy and browned. Flip potatoes halfway through. Oven temps can vary so some potatoes may need less of more time to reach the desired crispiness. Save any leftovers in the fridge for the next day.

Prep for cooked Quinoa

Rinse 2 cups of dried quinoa if a mesh strainer for about 1 minute. Place in a medium-size soup pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over med-high heat then cover and reduce heat to very low. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, leave the lid on, and “steam”. Remove lid and fluff cooked quinoa with a fork. This makes a lot of quinoa. I like dividing this into 1 cup servings and placing it in the freezer for later use.

My favorite Macro Bowl Dressing

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 Tbs water

• 2 Tbs avocado oil

• 2 Tbs tamari or low sodium soy sauce

• 1/4 cup light miso

• 1/3 cup tahini ( you can omit this for a lower fat dressing )

• Mix in a small mason jar. Keeps for about 1 week in the fridge.

Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

Ever since having lunch at The Girl and Fig in Sonoma, I’ve been really craving risotto. But for whatever reason since I’ve been home, I’ve been putting off making it?

Why? Because in the past ( back when I was a vegetarian vs vegan ) it always seemed like such a labor-intensive dish? Well, I was wrong. Or maybe I was just making it wrong LOL? I dunno? But I’m so glad I finally decided to give it a go!

This Spinach and Mushroom Risotto is the bomb. It’s gooey, rich, warm and full of umami flavors. Honestly, it tastes like it’s really high fat but it’s really not. No dairy ( obvi ) but no “vegan cheese” either. However, I did use a good dollop of Miyoko’s vegan butter at the end. I believe this step is key so try not to skip it. I think this, combined with the creamy arborio rice really did the trick. This is so satisfying and delicious!

Spinach and Mushroom Risotto

• 1 cup Arborio rice

• 3 cups veggie stock - feel free to add more broth ( or water ) about halfway through cooking if needed

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 3 tbs dry white wine ( optional )

• 1 large diced white or yellow onion

• 5 cloves minced garlic

• 2.5 cups sliced mushrooms ( I like Cremini )

• 1/4 tsp salt ( feel free to add more at the end if needed )

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Added near the end of cooking

• 2 cups chopped spinach

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 tbs vegan butter 

• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

In a large pot on medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic with salt and pepper until translucent ( about 5-7 mins )

Add white wine, add sliced mushrooms and saute another 2-3 mins

Add veggie broth and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15- 20 mins. Stirring occasionally.

Add chopped spinach, yeast, butter, and lemon juice and stir until incorporated. Add more broth or water if needed. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes or so. Taste, and add additional salt/pepper if needed.

Top with chopped fresh parsley or minced chives

Enjoy!

Couscous Salad

We love the Il Fornaio restaurants in California and we almost always end up at either their Carmel or Walnut Creek location when visiting my mother in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, so many of their delicious dishes are not vegan ( without alterations of course ) but I was surprised to find some exceptions this time. The Walnut Creek location was offering a large vegan couscous salad on their lunch menu. It was full of unique flavors, surprisingly filling and absolutely delicious so I knew I would have to try to recreate it once I got home. 

So below, my version of Il Fornaio's “Insalata Regina”. This salad is sweet, tart, salty, and slightly bitter thanks to the abundance of arugula. Throw in some diced avocado for some extra healthy fat if you desire, but either way, it’s great!

I find this salad tastes best a room temperature so let the couscous cool a bit before tossing in the other ingredients. This makes roughly two large main course servings or four smaller side salads.

Insalata Regina - 2 to 4 servings

• 1 cup dried couscous

• 1 and ¼ cup of water

• 2 cups arugula

• 2 tomatoes, diced

• 1/3 cup red onions, finely diced

• 1/3 cup raisins ( dried currants could work too )

• 1 tbs capers, drained

• Avocado, diced optional

Dressing

• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp lemon zest

• 1.5 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp sea salt

Cook couscous according to the brand’s instructions. I usually go with 1 and ¼ cup of water to one cup of dried couscous. Boil the water and add dried couscous, stir, cover, and lower heat to a low setting. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool while prepping other ingredients.

Make the salad dressing - I usually place the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar, cover with a lid and shake until incorporated an aerolatte would work too. Store any leftover dressing in the fridge for later use if desired. (keeps about a week)

In a large bowl, toss cooled couscous with tomatoes, arugula, onions, raisins, capers (and diced avocado if using). I usually end up using 3/4 of the prepared dressing. Taste and then add remaining dressing if needed.

Simple Black Bean Tacos

It’s been a hell of a week.

Starting with the fact that I’m going on week number three with no car! Yep, a new auto repair shop has failed to fixed my brake system yet again. Multiple faulty parts ordered from the Mainland ( and god know what else happened ) but I’m seriously about to lose my cool. Obviously, having a car with no brakes is frustrating enough, but has anyone ever looked up what it costs to rent a car on Maui? Ya, not cheap. Oh, and did I mention that I work about an hour away from my house? So ya, I kinda need a car.

Also, I started a new job this week. And while I’m extremely grateful for this new opportunity, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the new position and the much longer day it requires. At the moment I’m leaving my house before 6 am and getting home after 5 pm. I know that’s normal for a lot of people but it’s new for me and my body is still trying to adjust. Thankfully these hours will be getting shorter soon.

And lastly, I’m sick. Slight fever, allergy-like sneezes, and lots of fatigue. It’s nothing major but considering what I mentioned above. It’s pretty bad timing.

So what does this have to do with tacos? Well, it’s because they’re pretty much all I could muster to throw together for dinner this week. I gotta say though, they were really really satisfying! My husband doesn’t get home until late so I’m usually on my own 5 nights a week when it comes to food. Because of this, my solo dinners tend to be really simple. I get asked all the time about super easy, super quick, weeknight vegan meals and this is one of them. One of my tricks is to always prep a batch of vegan sour cream at the beginning of each week. See my recipe HERE. I also recommend having a pantry full of beans and lentils for quick, high fiber plant-based proteins that you can add to all sorts of dishes.

So if you can rally yourself on a long day to make a 10-minute healthy dinner, this simple taco recipe is for you. I’ll continue to post simple recipes like this ( along with the more intricate ones ) because I do understand that so many people are bit lost when it comes to just super easy, plant-based meals when time is tight.

Simple Bean Tacos

• Tortillas - I love the gluten-free brand by Siete ( the ones made with Cassava flour are my favorite yet ) you can also use corn tortillas if gluten-free or any plant-based flour tortilla if you are not gluten-sensitive.

• 1 can of organic black beans, rinsed, and drained. Any leftovers ( I usually use 1/2 a can ) will keep well in the fridge for a few days

Avocado Salsa 

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1 large tomato, diced

• 1/4 of a red onion diced

• a handful of chopped cilantro

• 1 jalapeno pepper diced ( or you can use jarred jalapenos and dice them )

• 1/2 lime juiced ( the other half can be used if needed at the end )

• 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar

• a good pinch of salt and cracked black pepper.

• Throw all ingredients in a small bowl and toss.

Toppings

• Arugula or shredded romaine lettuce, vegan sour cream, and hot sauce

To make tacos

• Rinse black beans and prep avocado salsa. Then, heat skillet or grill pan and warm tortillas. Next, heat the beans. When I’m really lazy, I just do this in the microwave. Then, layer warm tortillas with beans and avocado salsa and top with lettuce, sour cream, and hot sauce. It doesn’t get easier than this! Enjoy!