I’m not sure where the inspiration hit for a big pot of minestrone. But it hit hard.

Maybe it was the bounty of fresh veggies that are called for. Or the fact that it’s an incredibly low-maintenance kind of meal (my favorite).

Whatever it was, this minestrone is the perfect mid-week treat.

Pairing it with your favorite (hummus) sammich should be thought of as a major bonus.

You can thank The Hubster for that gem. It was his idea.

Did I mention it’s low-maintenance? Seriously, it takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

I was able to make it and eat it in the hour I had between finishing up a project and teaching a spicy social media class.

And for those of you that can’t do tomatoes (or gluten), may I suggest a delicious quinoa minestrone instead?

Magical Minstrone

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• dash cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta
• 1 cup packed spinach
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 6-quart pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add carrot, celery, garlic and cayenne pepper. Saute vegetables are slightly tender, about 3 min.
4. Add tomatoes, green beans, broth, water, and pasta and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pasta is tender, about 10 min.
6. Stir in spinach.
7. Serve hot!

For your reference:
This recipe is vegetarian and vegan. It is also dairy free, soy free, corn free, egg free, cinnamon free, and contains no MSG. It can also be made wheat free and gluten free, depending on choice for pasta.

This was one of the very first vegetarian meals I made when The Hubster decided he wanted to go veg.

It was also one of the last nightshade-laden meals I had before learning they gave me wicked migraines and cold sores galore.

So it was only fitting that a mere four years later, when those pesky food intolerance went away, we’d go back to that iconic meal.

It was that good.

Kind of like the Chickpea and Tomato Pasta.

We served ours atop a bed of jasmine rice. You could serve yours on brown rice. Or coconut rice. Or quinoa. Or millet. The possibilities are endless.

And I would be totally remiss if I didn’t mention that this recipe was inspired by one over on Simply Recipes.

Chickpea Potato Curry

ngredients

• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 8-10 red potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tbs safflower or canola oil
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups jasmine rice, cooked

Ever feel like there are certain recipes that just don’t get enough love and attention? Could be one of yours, or it could be a recipe from one of your favorite bloggers or cookbook author’s.

Either way, this is one of those recipes for me.

It sat happily under the radar basking in it’s simplicity when it should have be shouting from the rooftops about how flavorful and fun it really is. You know, if a soup could talk.

This is a go-to recipe on those nights when my taste buds need a little invigorating but my mind says no more work. It’s a go to recipe in the summertime when fresh corn is at it’s peak. It’s even a go-to in those cold winter months when we could use a little slurp of sunshine.

It is soup-perb with frozen corn. It is overwhelmingly out-of-this-world outstanding with fresh corn on the cob.

(How many  more adjectives do I have to throw into this post before I convince you to try it?)

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbs olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• fresh black pepper
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cups frozen corn (or fresh)

Directions:

1. Place onions into a medium stock pan and saute for 5-7 minutes, until translucent.
2. Add sweet potatoes and continue to saute for another 3 minutes.
3. Add herbs and salt and saute another minute more.
4. Add corn and stock. bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
6. Puree half of the chowder. stir to combine.
7. Optional: garnish with fresh basil.
8. Serve with fresh bread of choice. Also would be great paired with a fresh salad.
   

For your reference:
This recipe is vegetarian and vegan. It is also nightshade free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, gluten free, wheat free, cinnamon free, peanut free, and contains no msg.

From chocamole to guacamole, the avocado has been put to good use in our kitchen this week.

Good thing, considering I got seven at Costco last week. Two have found their way into smoothies and omelets. Another two have found their way into chocolate avocado pudding (it would have been three, but we ran out of cocoa powder).

The fifth avocado? It made it’s way into this little treat for The Hubster.

You see, he loooooves guacamole. Used to ask for it on a weekly basis from WholeFoods. And then they changed their recipe and he decided he needed a break. That was a year ago.

I’ve been told this batch is beyond fantastic.

I wouldn’t know, considering I don’t really enjoy guacamole (like, at all). Apparently, I prefer my avocados with a side of chocolate or fresh fruit. Who knew?!

Holy Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, mashed
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 2-3 grape tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and mix.
2. Serve with your favorite chip, burger, or other vehicle to get the guac into your grill.

For your reference:
This recipe is vegetarian and vegan. It is also dairy free, soy free, wheat free, gluten free, corn free, egg free, cinnamon free, peanut free, tree nut free, and contains no MSG.