Rice and Veggie Soup

With all the super grains now being promoted everywhere, sometimes it's nice to enjoy good old rice (brown rice of course). Growing up my grandma used to do two amazing dishes with rice - tomato based risotto (with butter too of course) and rice soup. In both the star and the only feature was the rice. I was really wanting some rice soup, but I somehow can never just make a simple dish without adding lots of veggies. So I made this brothy tomato soup with lots of veggies and rice and just a hint of spice. Honestly, it's nothing like anything my grandma made, but it's delicious and very satisfying on a cold "spring should be here, but it's not" day. The photo above was from the day I made it and the photo below was the next night after the rice had absorbed more of the broth. I like a thick soup, but you could always thin it out with more broth when reheating (or add more to begin with).

Rice and Veggie Soup
How I Did It:

1 cup short grain brown rice
2 onions, peeled and chopped
8 carrots, chopped
1/2 stalk of celery, chopped
bunch of rainbow chard, chopped
64 oz low sodium vegetable broth
28 oz diced tomatoes
15 oz cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
5 oz spinach, roughly chopped


1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and then stir in the rice. Lower heat and cover, but leave the lid off a crack to let out steam. Add additional water as necessary until cooked.

2. While the rice is cooking, heat 1/8 cup of water in a large stock pot and add the onions. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed. Adding more water if necessary, add in carrots, celery, and the chopped stalks of the chard. Cook until slightly softened.

3. Pour in the broth, diced tomatoes, and beans. Stir to mix everything up. Stir in the thyme, oregano, rosemary, and chili pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover and lower heat,

4. Cook until your vegetables are as soft as you want them and then stir in the chard leaves and spinach. Cover and let the greens cook down,

5. Once the greens are cooked down, stir again to distribute and then stir in the rice. Cook for a couple more minutes and then remove from heat and serve.

Fontina Farro Risotto with Roasted Cauliflower

Have you had farro? I adore the texture - very chewy, but in a soft and welcoming way. It's high in fiber, protein, iron, and calcium making it a fun alternative to rice and even quinoa. I made farro with lemon a few months ago and was blown away and decided to incorporate into my meals more often. This is a slightly less healthy way to prepare it (cheese instead of lemon), but it is still pretty healthy and trust me when I say that it tastes amazing and does not feel heavy and cheesy. All of the flavors really work well together. I have been really into roasting cauliflower so I had to throw that in of course and it complimented everything nicely. Oh, just thinking about it makes me wish I still had some left.

Fontina Farro Risotto
How I Did It:

1 head cauliflower, sliced lengthwise into 1-inch chunks
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cups farro
16 oz low sodium chicken broth
6 oz fontina cheese, grated
6 oz peas
spinach, roughly chopped


1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Spread cauliflower out on a large cookie sheet and drizzing with olive olive and then sprinkle with salt and pepper (using more pepper than salt). Flip all of the chunks and repeat. Roast for about 20 minutes or until parts of it start to crisp up and it is soft.

3. While the cauliflower is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of water in a large pot and add the onion. Cook for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent.

4. Add farro and let cook for 1 minute while constantly stirring.

5. Add 2 cups of broth or enough to cover the farro. Lower heat and cook until the broth has been mostly absorbed (stirring frequently) before adding more broth, 1/2 cup at a time until the farro is cooked.

6. Stir in peas, spinach, and cheese and cook on low until cheese is melted and everything is well combined.

7. Cut up cauliflower and stir in, reserve a couple larger pieces for garnish.

Ribollita (Tuscan Vegetable Stew)

Ribollita means "reboiled" in Italian and historically, that is what this soup is. Yes, Italians love their bread, but it was actually added to soup to make it last longer. So this vegetable stew was made with inexpensive vegetables and beans (cannellini...larger than navy beans, but very creamy) and before there leftovers were reheated, old bread was added to thicken it.

Have you ever put good bread in soup? Not crackers, bread. Well, I hadn't and was skeptical, but it's amazing. The flavors of the whole wheat sourdough bread I used (not old) and the broth meld together wonderfully and while soggy bread (from a rogue tomato, etc) is disturbing and unpleasant, in soup it becomes delightful and exciting. I decided to put the bread in before each serving so it wouldn't break down too much in between and it created the perfect texture for me. The soup is good without the bread too, but once you try it with bread you won't be able to go back.

Ribollita (Tuscan Vegetable Stew)
How I Did It:

1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp ground sage
1 zucchini, chopped
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch kale, destemmed and roughly chopped
26 oz good quality diced tomatoes with liquid
32 oz low sodium vegetable broth
whole wheat sourdough bread

1. Cover the bottom of your soup pot with 1/4 inch or so of water and heat. Add in onion, garlic, carrots, parsnips, celery, and all of the spices. Heat on medium-low for about 20 minutes until everything has softened. Stir occasionally, adding small amounts of water as necessary.

2. Add in the zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Add in the beans, kale and then the diced tomatoes and broth, Stir well to submerge the kale. Lower heat, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

4. Rip one piece of bread per bowl into pieces (not too small). Serve the soup and then stir in the bread. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole 
How I Did It:

1/2 head cauliflower
1 orange pepper, chopped
1/2 can no sugar added corn
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground chili pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp dried cilantro
ground black pepper
9 small corn tortillas
1 bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped (keep seeds for extra spice)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large jar medium salsa


1. Preheat oven to 400. Place the first 5 ingredients (cauliflower, orange pepper, corn, onion, and garlic) on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with pepper. Mix around a bit to make sure everything is covered and then spread the vegetables out so they are (mostly) not on top of each other.

2. Bake for about a half hour or until tender and just before they start to crisp up. You will want to stir them around once or twice.

3. Remove from oven (lower oven to 350) and let cool slightly.

4. In a bowl, combine roasted vegetables, jalapeno, black beans, chili pepper, cumin, and cilantro.

5. Cover the bottom of an 8x8 inch baking pan with salsa. Layer 3 tortillas on top and then cover with about 1/2 of the vegetable mixture and then cover with cheese. For the second layer of everything start with the tortilla, then the salsa, then the vegetable mixture and finally the cheese. Top with another layer of tortilla, salsa, and the remaining cheese. Sprinkle lightly with chili pepper and cumin.

6. Cover and bake for about 40 minutes, removing the aluminum foil after about 25 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before digging in!

Apple Cinnamon Whole Wheat and Oat Pancakes

I don't know why I haven't posted about these before. Maybe because I usually eat them all before I can take a picture. A couple years ago I decided I wanted to make healthy pancakes that still tasted good. Though there were others that were pretty good, these came out on top for me. I just love cooked apple. These are the pancakes you eat when you want something tasty and filling, but don't want to feel slothful afterwards. They almost look like cookies, don't they?

Apple Cinnamon Wheat Pancakes
How I Did It:

1 egg
4 oz unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp honey
1/3 cup oats, slightly processed
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 apple, peeled and chopped

1. Whisk the first 5 ingredients together.

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the apple. Let sit for 15 minutes.

3. Lightly coat two large frying pans with oil (I used light olive oil) and heat on low.

4. Stir in the the apple and when the pans are heated, pour or spoon the batter in making the size pancakes that you prefer.

5. Cook until small bubbles start to form and the edges look set. Flip, and cook on the other side.

6. Serve immediately,

Rosemary Potato and Kale Vegetable Soup

Rosemary is definitely one of my all time favorite herbs. It makes everything better from bread, cheese (grilled cheese!), homemade popcorn, potatoes, chicken, and even cocktails! The one thing I hadn't tried was in soup. I was in the mood for a good soup and almost made up a new chili (that will also happen soon), but I had rosemary on the brain. I tried to pick vegetables that I thought rosemary would compliment. Sadly, I was unable to get parsnips, but I would recommend adding them in as well if you can. If you don't like rosemary, this soup is not for you, but the flavor is in no way over-powering. The photo is from right after I made it, but now it is two days later and the broth has definitely thickened up a bit which I like.

Note that I like to made a crazy amount at once and then freeze part of it. You can easily cut the recipe down as desired.

Rosemary Potato and Kale Vegetable Soup
How I Did It:

1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 large red potatoes, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
30 oz (no salt added) diced tomatoes
3/4 tsp black pepper
6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
64 oz low sodium vegetable broth
1 zucchini, chopped
15 oz navy beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz green pigeon peas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch of red kale (any variety would work), removed from stems

1. Heat two tablespoons of water into a large pot. Once the water is heated, add in onion and garlic and cook until the onion is softened, stirring occasionally. 

2. Stir in potatoes and celery and cook for about 5 minutes. 

3. Add in carrots, diced tomatoes (not drained), and 1/2 tsp black pepper and let cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Throw full rosemary sprigs in, stir around and then add broth, zucchini, beans, peas, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir to combine and turn up the heat and cover. Once it starts to almost boil, turn the heat down, but not too much below medium.

5. Let cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the rosemary (it will fall off stems). 

6. Remove rosemary twigs (pulling off any pieces of rosemary that might remain), mix in kale, stir to combine and cook for another 10 minutes.

7. Serve!

Quick Brown Rice Veggie Noodle Soup

With evenings that have been officially feeling like fall, I was craving some soup, but far too hungry to turn it into a huge planning/grocery store ordeal. I quickly threw this together with what I had around and it turned out really well. The broth was even tasty.

Quick Brown Rice Veggie Noodle Soup
How I Did It:

4 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium dry chicken flavoring
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped dried vegetables
3 tsp thyme
2 tsp parsley
1/4 cup bell peppers, chopped
2 cups of broccoli, chopped
1/4 package of brown rice noodles

1. Bring water to a boil and stir in chicken flavoring and dried vegetables.

2. Add in all of the vegetables and spices. Stir, reduce heat, and cover for about ten minutes.

3. Stir in uncooked rice noodles and let cook in soup for about ten more minutes.

4. Serve!

Lentil Curry Stew

Lentils are great in soup, but in the past I haven't varied too much from the tried and true lentil barley soup until last year when I added some cumin to the traditional lentil barley soup. I'm not sure why I never tried adding curry. I mean, curry and lentils...not exactly a new concept. When I was home over Thanksgiving my mom made lentil curry stew from a recipe that she had found in the American Institute for Cancer Research's newsletter which she apparently receives. We all loved it and I knew I would have to make it myself. Of course, in typical fashion I changed it around a bit. Among other things, I subbed cauliflower for the potato, added more curry and some extra veggies (rainbow chard for one). In my opinion the curry flavor is just right and everything works really well together. I think this will be my new go-to lentil soup.

Curry Lentil Stew
How I Did It:

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp garlic
2 cups onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
3 tbsp curry powder
3 tsp thyme
64 oz vegetable broth
28 oz canned San Marzano diced tomatoes
2 cups lentils
2 tsp parsley
1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped
1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped

1. In a large pot, heat oil and then add in garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and the ribs of the chard. Saute for about 3 minutes.

2. Add the curry and thyme and stir to coat. Pour in vegetable broth, tomatoes, and lentils. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Lower to just above a simmer and cover and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

3. When the lentils are tender add in the chard leaves, cauliflower, and parsley. Stir well and cover again for about 10 minutes. Serve.

Tomato Vegetable Soup

What's better on a lazy cold day than a nice, brothy tomato soup full of veggies?

Tomato Vegetable Soup
How I Did It: 

32 oz san marzano whole peeled tomato

32 oz low sodium vegetable broth

1 celery stalk, chopped

6 carrots, chopped

32 oz diced san marzano tomatoes
3 tsp oregano
3 tsp basil
3 tsp parsley

1 summer squash, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped

2 green peppers, chopped
40 oz green pigeon pea beans

1 bunch kale, de-steamed and ripped

1. In a large pot empty the San Marzano tomatoes. Using your (washed) hands, squeeze the tomatoes until only bite sizes chunks remain. If you really don't want to use your hands you can use wooden spoon - just stir vigorously, mashing the tomatoes against the side of the pot. Add broth and let come to a boil. 

3. Stir in celery, carrots, diced tomatoes and half of each of the spices. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes and then add in summer squash, zuchinni, peppers, pigeon peas, and remaining spices. Cook for another 15 - 30 minutes (depending how soften you want your veggies), stirring occasionally. 

4. Stir in kale well and let it cook down. You can keep cooking it if you still want your veggies softer or serve immediately. Once cooled, store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.

Polenta Veggie Lasagna

I love polenta. These days everyone seems to be talking about polenta, but I can't remember a time when polenta wasn't part of my life. I used to look forward to my grandma making us polenta with her homemade tomato sauce and meat balls. Not quite as good as her risotto, but it was sure up there.

When I first saw the tubes of it that Trader Joe's sells I was so excited. I would slice them and cook them in a pan. They even have a polenta/quinoa option which is delicious. I told my grandma about my discovery and she gave me some quick cooking polenta. And boy is it quick! I would make a double batch and eat half of it runny and the other half the next day after it had become more solid. They also make regular, finely ground corn meal that cooks almost as fast, but my latest discovery is stone-ground corn meal. I orginally bought it as it's a bit more nutrious in that it retains (at least some of) the hull and germ. It's more coarse and due to the oil in the germ, more flavorful! I didn't realize it would taste so much better until I found myself scraping the remains from the pot to nibble on. I used to douce my polenta in tomato sauce and shook my head at the plain polenta that would stick to the spoon b/c it was just bland on it's own. I guess now I can come up with some new recipes. This one uses only minimal tomato sauce, but you could always add more (or less).

Polenta Veggie Lasagna
How I Did It:

5 cups water
1 1/2 cups stone ground corn meal (or finely ground if you prefer)
10 oz frozen spinach, defrosted with liquid
1 cup frozen chopped stop light peppers
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
15 oz tomato sauce of choice*
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar jack cheese

1. Lightly grease two 8x8" baking pans (I used one 8x8" and one 9x9") and set aside.

2. Boil water and cook the corn meal until is has thickened up. You will need to stir frequently to avoid it sticking. Pour into both of the pans, spreading out with a spoon to make sure it is flat and even. Place in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes.

3. While the polenta is in the fridge, prepare the veggies. In a large skillet place the spinach, peppers, and onions. The water from them should allow you to cook without oil, but if you need to you can add some olive oil or water. As they are cooking, add in the spices.

4. Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the baking pans of polenta from the fridge. Layer all of the vegetable mixture on top of the 9x9" polenta, spreading it out evenly all the way to the edges. Coat the vegetables in a layer of tomato sauce. Gently flip the 8x8" polenta square out of its pan and place it, bottom side down, on top of the veggie and sauce layers. Coat with more tomato sauce and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes or until  the cheese is melted and the tomato sauce starts to bubble.

*I like to make my own sauce from San Marzano canned peeled tomatoes or tomato puree to which I add my own spices, etc, but you can use your favorite canned tomato sauce.

Vegetable Quinoa Soup

Did you know that 2013 is the "International Year of Quinoa"? Interesting, but not why I decided to include it in this soup. I love quinoa for it's taste and consistency and it is surprisingly high in protein as well. Oh, and did I mention all of the health benefits? I loved it in this vegetable soup. It was a great replacement for the traditional noodles of a "vegetable noodle soup" and really gave it a great stew-like feeling. The photo above was from the day it was made. Keep in mind that it will continue to absorb moisture making it thicker (goodbye broth). Personally, I love nice thick soups, but if you don't then add extra broth (or less quinoa and veggies). For maximum enjoyment, don't be shy about keeping your vegetables nice and chunky or the quinoa will steal the show.

Vegetable Quinoa Soup
How I Did It:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped
3 tsp garlic
5 parsnips, peeled and chopped
6 carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped

1 bunch swiss chard, chopped and stems kept separate

64 oz low sodium vegetable broth

3 tsp basil
3 tsp thyme

1 handful green beans, chopped in 1/2 or 1/3
1 green pepper, sliced and chopped
28 oz San Marzano diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup quinoa

1. Heat oil in a large pot and add in onion and garlic. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. 

2. Stir in parsnips, carrots, celery, and swiss chard stems. Add 1/4 cup of broth and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the rest of the broth along with the basil and thyme, turn up the heat and let cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in green beans, peppers, and diced tomatoes and cook for another 15 minutes. 

4. Stir in the quinoa and cook for another 15 minutes and then add the swiss chard greens. Cook for another 10 minutes (or longer) on medium/high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.

Turkey Chili

Whoa, I cooked meat! Or maybe I should say, I cooked with meat. I make chili several times over the course of each winter and as you have probably guessed from my other soups and stews, it is usually without meat. This time (not for the first time) I decided to add some turkey which adds wonderful texture and flavor (sorry non-meat eaters). I've made the same chili before without turkey (and just added garbanzo beans and more black beans) and it's great like that as well. This chili has more of a kick than is typical for me, but it's not crazy spicey - just enough to make you feel like you're really eating chili!

Turkey Chili

How I Did It:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 leeks (with greens), chopped
3 tsp garlic

1 lb lean ground turkey
6 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
3 green peppers, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
68 oz San Marzano diced tomato, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp cumin
3 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3.5 oz sodium-free chicken bullion

1. Prepare all of your vegetables, keeping the leeks and garlic separate from the peppers.

2.  Heat olive oil in a large pot and once heated add the leeks and garlic. Let the leeks and garlic cook in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the ground turkey, basil, and 2 tsp of the oregano. Cook until there is no more pink, stirring frequently.

3. Add the peppers and then the tomatoes, beans, and spices. Stir well to combine and distribute. Let cook for about an hour before serving to let the juices and spices meld together. 

Note: Chili is noticeably better the next day...and the day after that! Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze the leftovers for later enjoyment.

Veggie Filled Black Bean Soup

I'm not sure how or why I hadn't made black bean soup before. Well, now I have and I am hooked! There are more beans in there than it may appear, but in traditional Amy fashion I added a lot of veggies as well. I mashed up some of the black beans to give the broth and thicker, beanier texture and that worked out pretty well. Yet another soup that I would love to make again!

Veggie Filled Black Bean Soup
How I Did It:

2 28oz cans of San Marzano diced tomato (with juice)
3 cups water

1/2 onion
1/2 celery heart, diced
5 carrots, peeled and diced
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cauliflower head, diced
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp garlic
3 tsp thyme
3 tsp cumin
3 tsp oregano

1 bag baby spinach, de-stemmed

1. In a large pot on high, dump in water and onions. While onions are cooking dice up your other vegetables. Put the carrots and celery in first, adding them as they are ready. Keeping the water boiling, add in the diced tomatoes. Add the peppers and cauliflower as they are ready.

2. Add 3 cans of black beans and stir in well, breaking up some of the beans. Take the last rinsed can of beans and mash up before also stirring into the pot. Stir hard for a few minutes to break down the beans and create a thicker base. Add the spices and stir hard again and then stir in the spinach.

3. Once everything has been added, keep the soup on medium-high and stir hard every few minutes for at least 30 minutes.

4. Serve immediately and store the rest in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Vegetable Strata

I know, I know, what an ugly picture. I wasn't even going to post it, but it was so good I couldn't let it be forgotten. Yes, trust me it tastes so much better than it looks. I was really happy with how it turned out. I made it for a brunch gathering (and when I took the first bite I said, "Oh, this is good!" in front of everyone) and had the leftovers for lunches and dinners. Perfect! I'll definitely be making this again (maybe add even more veggies next time...you can never have too many veggies)!

Vegetable Strata
How I Did It:

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 green peppers
3 cups broccoli, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
5 whole wheat English muffins, toasted and torn into pieces
2 cups cheddar jack cheese, grated
2 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs

1. Coat a 9x13" pan with oil and line with the torn english muffins. Set aside.

2. In a large pan, heat olive oil and then add the salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and onions. Cook for a couple minutes and then add garlic, green peppers, and broccoli. Cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Spread vegetable mixture over the english muffins and top with 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.

4. In a bowl whisk together eggs, milk and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Pour mixture evenly over the vegetables and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let everything meld together (I made it the night before and kept it in the fridge overnight).

5. Preheat oven to 350. Bake strata covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil, coat with 1/2 cup cheese and bake for another 30 minutes or so until it starts to golden and is set.

Vegan French Toast

This morning I had my heart set on french toast. I had been thinking about french toast since Friday when my co-worker gave me cinnamon honey butter that she had made. I tried it on regular toast and realized it's sweetness would be perfect on french toast. As I was pulling out the ingredients  (all 3 of them) I realized I didn't have eggs. I could have run to the store, but instead I decided to improvise and hope for the best. As it turns out adding a little flour to milk (I used vanilla almond milk)  not only thickens it, but makes for really good french toast! It seemed like it took longer to cook than normal, but it was worth the wait! I did use the butter that I had been looking forward to, but I'm sure it would be good with a regular non-dairy spread. I tried a piece plain first and it was moist and flavorful enough to eat it that way too (maybe with a sprinkling of powdered sugar?).

Vegan French Toast
How I Did It:

3 slices of sandwich bread
1 cup of vanilla almond milk
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
canola oil for frying

1. Combine milk, flour, vanilla and cinnamon together in a medium sized bowl.

2. Coat a large frying pan with canola oil and set to medium heat.

3. Dunk one piece of bread into the mixture at a time. Keep it fully submerged until it is soaked in the mixture.

4. When the oil is heated, carefully place each of the dripping pieces of bread in the pan. Cook until lightly brown and no longer soggy and then flip.

5. Serve immediately with your favorite spread or topping!

Lentil and Swiss Chard Tomato Soup

The thought process that goes behind my soups/stews is usually based around 1-2 ingredients and what I think will taste good with them. Sometimes I just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and keep tasting it until makes me happy and other times I plan it out a bit more.

This time I knew I wanted to make lentil soup and I was trying to think of what vegetables I wanted to include before I took a trip to the store. My mom is always talking about swiss chard and I liked it when I have had it stir-fried, so I thought I would give it a try. I really liked it with the lentils and the sweetness of the stems really worked well with the spices. I don't usually add cumin and curry to much other than of course cumin in chili, but I knew they would taste good with lentils and I was in the mood for something a little different from my usual style.  If I was making it somewhere else I might have added more curry powder, but I was worried about my stinking up my apartment. The curry flavor does stand out, but is certainly not over-powering and did not leave a lingering curry smell in my kitchen. I was a little nervous about the dill, but I have heard it pairs well with cumin, so I tested it out on a small amount and liked what it added to the soup so I added more!

Lentil and Swiss Chard Tomato Soup

How I Did It:

2 - 32 oz veggie broth
2 cans 28 oz San Marzano diced tomatoes
1 cup barley (pearl)
1 1/3 cup lentils
4 carrots, chopped
1 stalk leeks, chopped
1 stalk celery heart, chopped
1 bunch swiss chard, ripped into pieces
5 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry powder
4 tsp garlic
4 tsp dill
3 tsp oregano

1. Pour broth and diced tomatoes into a large pot. Bring to a gentle boil and add barley and lentils and half of the spices. Cover and cook while preparing your vegetables.

2. Add carrots, leeks, celery, and swiss chard. Stir in well and the rest of the spices. Stir and cover.

3. Continue on medium heat, stirring occasionally until vegetables are desired texture. Sure immediately and store remaining soup in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for later enjoyment. 

Kale and White Bean Tomato Soup

I am a big fan of kale. Let me rephrase that...I am a big fan of cooked down kale in soup and I think it tastes especially good with tomato. And it is so good for you! All greens are great, but kale especially.  Despite this I hadn't made a soup that was kale based yet so I decided to give it a try. I know "kale and white bean soup" is a thing so I decided to try that, but with a tomato base and of course it wouldn't be soup made by me if I didn't add a few extra veggies in there!

I am continually surprised with how much kale cooks down. I started out by putting half the amount of kale in thinking that would most likely be plenty, but I ended up using the full amount I had bought which turned out to be just right. The only protein in this is the white beans and there is no grains at all, but just one bowl was enough to fill me right up! Other more seemingly hearty soups have had me going back for seconds, so this is a big deal. I have had it on several different days now so it is not a fluke. Beyond that, I love the kale, tomato, and white bean flavors together. This is a soup I will definitely be making again.

Kale and White Bean Tomato Soup
How I Did It:

2 cans San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes
32 oz low sodium veg broth
16 oz Kale
3 celery, chopped
2 cans white (navy) beans, drained and rinsed
1 zucchini, sliced and halved
1 yellow squash, sliced and halved
1/2 onion, diced
3 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp basil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tsp parsley
3 tsp oregano

1. Pour peeled tomatoes with sauce into large pot on and mash with a spoon until the tomatoes are broken up, but large chunks still remain. Add broth and turn heat up to create a gentle boil.

2. Add kale, celery and half of the spices, including the onion and garlic. Stir well and cover.

3. Once the kale has fully cooked down add the zucchini, yellow squash, beans, and the rest of the spices. Mix to combine well. Keep covered and gently boiling, stirring occasionally.

4. Cook until celery has softened and serve. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for later enjoyment.

Vegetable Bean Noodle Soup

I'm going to be honest. When I made this soup I had no intention of posting about it, therefore I didn't accurately measure everything. With soup measurements tend to be not as important...I have never made soup that came out tasting anything but delicious. In the fall and winter I tend to make soups and stews quite often, but for some reason I never record what I have done. This leads to me never really making the same thing twice. Part of this is intentional (I love trying out new ideas), and part of it is that I don't always remember exactly what I have done in the past!

So there I was, two full days after actually making the soup, enjoying a quiet bowl with my latest read when I realized I really wanted to write down how I did it. It turned out really well and I wanted a record of it, even if it wasn't exact, so I could either make it again in the future, or, more likely, use it's basic principles to come up with something else! I took a couple more bites before I was able to pull myself away long enough to take a few pictures of it. Thus, what you see is a few days old, but still very good soup. Which brings me to another point...I always make a ridiculous amount of soup/stew and eat it for several days and then freeze the rest. And yes, it is that thick and wonderful on purpose. I like my broth/goodness ratio to be very skewed towards goodness. :)

I'll definitely be making some version of this again. All of the flavors worked so well together and with the noodles and beans it was really quite filling (and unlike some soups, still plenty of energy for my runs the next morning)!

Vegetable Bean Noodle Soup
How I Did It:

2 quarts (2 32 oz cartons) organic low sodium vegetable broth
2 cans no salt added diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic
1 tbsp parsley
3 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp basil
2 tbsp oregano
1 1/4 cup lentils
3 turnips, peeled and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 package celery heart, chopped
1 summer squash, chopped
1 can black eyed-peas, rinsed
1 can green pigeon peas, rinsed
4 cups yolk-free egg noodles

1. Pour broth and diced tomatoes into a large soup pot on high. While it is coming to a boil, prepare your vegetables. After it comes to a boil, add onion, half of each of the spices, and all the lentils and reduce heat to medium.

2. Add the vegetables in as they are ready, saving the squash for last.

3. Thoroughly rinse your beans before adding to the pot (to remove excess salt). Reduce heat to medium-low and add the rest of the spices.

4. Cook covered on medium-low until the texture of your vegetables is to your liking. About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, add the noodles in and mix well.

5. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for late enjoyment. It will taste even better the next couple days once all of the flavors have had a chance to meld together, but keep in mind that the noodles will continue to absorb the broth.

Tomato Vegetable Stew with Bulgur

All day at work I was craving tomato soup so I had to make it when I got home. I have never been a huge fan of traditional tomato soups - just too boring and lacking in flavor, but I do adore tomatoes. With that in mind, I decided to make chunky tomato sauce, add some broth, and build from there. I wanted to add a grain of some sort and decided to use the bulgur I already had. Have you made anything yet with bulgur?  I highly recommend it! So far I have only added it to soups and stews, but it's really great. I threw in some garbanzo beans for protein and they were a great compliment to the tomato flavor. I should mention that my soups are always so thick that they are more like stews which is how I think all soup should be, but I labeled it stew to avoid confusion - it is very hearty! I will definitely be making this again - maybe swapping around some of the veggies for a little variety!

Tomato Vegetable Stew with Bulgur
How I did it:

(Servings: about 6)

2 cans San Marzano peeled tomatoes
16 oz broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 hearty splash of red wine
3 celery stalks, chopped (not 3 bunches!)
1/4 lb kale
2 green peppers, chopped
1/2 cup green onion (scallion)
2 summer squash, chopped
1/2 green beans, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 tsp Italian Seasonings
1 tsp Parsley
1 tsp Basil
1 can garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cups bulgur

1.  Chop all vegetables and set aside place in a bowl. Drain, rinse, and de-skin the garbanzo beans.

2. In a large pot (I used a stalk pot) empty the San Marzano tomatoes. Using your (washed) hands, squeeze the tomatoes until only bite sizes chunks remain. If you really don't want to use your hands you can use wooden spoon - just stir vigorously, mashing the tomatoes against the side of the pot.

3. Turn heat to medium and add the spices and red wine, mixing well. Cover for 3-5

4. Stir in the vegetables and cover pot. Let cook for at least 15 minutes and then add the bulgur and beans. Stir in well and re-cover for another 15 minutes.

5. Serve and let any remaining cool. Once cooled, store in and air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for future enjoyment!

Black Bean Burgers with Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries

Yes, I make and eat food that isn't filled with sugar! I generally try to eat pretty healthy meals, especially when I myself am cooking (I just tend to follow up those meals with chocolate...). I really enjoy coming up with something that tastes good and knowing that it is pretty good for me as well.

While I am not vegan or vegetarian, I don't tend to cook that much meat. This works out well as my roommate (Miss Polyglot) basically eats like a vegan and every now and then we like to make dinner together. We both enjoy black bean burgers, but neither of us had tried making one before. I printed out about six different recipes as I was concerned about texture, but in the end we just made it up as we went along. We each did our own thing as I decided I wanted Panko crumbs in mine. In place of store-bought bread crumbs she toasted bread and crumbled them in and it worked out well for both taste and texture. It's great making a burger that you can taste-test before you cook it!

I was really excited to try the sweet potato fries. I love sweet potato fries, but they never really have a good outer crunchy texture to them. Well, a co-worker had told me that if you coat them in corn starch before baking they will be crunchy! It worked and they tasted great! Next time I think I would make them a bit thicker though.

Black Bean Burgers
How I did it

(makes two burgers)


1 can black beans
1/8 cup panko crumbs (or your breadcrumbs of choice)
1 tsp flaxseed meal (or more breadcrumbs)
2 tsps water (may need more or less depending on desired consistency)
1/8 cup diced green pepper
1/8 cup diced carrot
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 dashes cumin
2 dashes chili powder
1 dash cayenne pepper
olive oil

For serving (optional):
100% whole wheat with flax sandwich flats
Salsa and/or tomatoes
Avocado
olive oil

1. Drain and rinse black beans and then pour into a medium-sized mixing bowl (while still wet). Mash the beans up with a potato masher or your hands. Add breadcrumbs, flax meal, and combine until you reach your desired consistency. Keep in mind that if it is too try or too wet it will fall apart more easily.

2. Add carrots, peppers, and spices and combine well.

3. Seperate equally and form two balls. Flatten balls into desired thickness. I made mine the size of the bread, so they were a little thinner (see photos), but perfect to me.
[Note: If you make them too thin they will be hard to work with (flip...eat).]

4. Coat a frying pan with olive oil and place on medium heat and once heated, toss your patties on (except don't really toss them or they will come apart!). Cook for about 5 minutes and then carefully flip. When done both sides should be solid and warm.

For serving:

5. Lightly coat a frying pan with olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Once heated place your bread on and push down. Check on it every few minutes and flip when done to your liking.

6. Place burger in the "bun" and top with salsa (or tomato) and sliced avocado. Grab the sweet potato fries and enjoy!

Crunchy Sweet Potato Fries
How I did it

(serves 2 people)

2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup corn starch
olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 and (olive) oil a large baking/cookie sheet - set aside.

2. Wash and peel sweet potatoes. Cut ends and any remaining skin and slice into desired thickness.
[Note: If you make them very thin, they will be extra crunchy. About 1/2 inch thickness will get you crunchy on the outside with the potato still nice and soft on the inside.]

3. Dump the corn starch into a large zip-lock bag. Put all of your raw chopped sweet potatoes into the bag with the cornstarch, seal, and shake until coated. [Note: The sweet potatoes only need to be thinly coated]

4. Place on oiled baking sheet so none are touching (if they are touching they will not crisp up, but instead turn soft and soggy). Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

5. Remove from tray and let cool for a couple minutes before serving.