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.

Chocolate avocado pudding. Also known as chocamole (ie – chocolate guacamole). Also known as the best damn dessert (that’s actually good for you) on the planet.

Even The Hubster liked it. And y’all know how he feels about chocolate, right?

Did I mention that it’s drool-inducingly delicious? And that you’re going to want to make a double (or triple) batch, pronto?

I am already annoyed that we ran out of maple syrup during the first batch, and have had to survive a tortuous two days without it. TORTUOUS, I TELL YOU.

And I seriously wish I could take credit for this dessert masterpiece. But, alas. I cannot. It came from the annals of Out to Lunch Creations. Jesse was kind enough to give me permission to repost the recipe (in full) here.

Please make sure to also leave her some loving about how much you adore this dessert. You can tweet her (@OutToLunchC) or comment directly on the original post.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp almond milk or milk alternative

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor.
2. Blend well until smooth and enjoy!

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

Since this seems to be the week of recipe renovations, I thought it made sense to talk about these hot potatoes.

I am on a quest to make the perfect crispy baked sweet potatoes fries. And I am still on that quest. Even after my latest batch of dinner spuds.

These sweet spuds are tasty. They are flavorful. And they are soggy.

In case you didn’t know, soggy is the antithesis of crispy.

THE ANTITHESIS, PEOPLE.

(I might just have to give up and fry the little bastards.)

Sweet + Spicy Spuds

Ingredients:

• 2 yams, evenly sliced into french fry shaped chunks
• 1-2 tbs corn starch
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1-2 tbs olive oil (regular or spray)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Place corn starch, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper into a ziploc bag.
• Add yams and shake what your mama gave ya, until all fries are coated.
• Transfer to a baking sheet and spray (or coat) with olive oil until covered.
• Place in oven and cook for about 15 minutes, flipping at the 8 minute mark.
• Remove from oven, serve with your favorite lentil burger, and devour. Just don’t expect them to be crispy.

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

Lentil burgers are a thing of glory in this house.

They have been a staple on our menu since the mere thought of opting for a plant-based diet.

They are an unwavering favorite in The Hubster’s mind. They are, simply put, awesome.

They have also seen about two hundred revisions from the original recipe. Each revision, or renovation, has enhanced the flavor tenfold.

And this is the way we currently do it.

With green lentils.

With diced carrots and chopped onions.

With rolled oats…

…that get miraculously pulverized into oat flour.

With chickpea flour and ground flax meal.

And a few other ingredients that combine to form these beauts.

Now tell me how you do it. And what you like to do it with. (Ahem.)

The Loverly Lentil Burger

Ingredients:

• 1 cup green lentils, well rinsed
• 2½ cup water (or vegetable broth)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tbs organic soy sauce
• ¾ cup rolled oats, finely ground
• ½ cup flax meal
• ½ cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour
• 1-2 tbs safflower or canola oil

Directions:

1. Place the lentils, water, and salt in saucepan, bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until water is nearly gone and lentils are very soft, with splitting skins.
2. Sauté the onion and carrot in oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Mix the lentils, onions, carrots, pepper, and soy sauce in the large bowl.
4. Add in the ground oats, flax meal, and chickpea flour and mix to combine.
5. Form the lentil mixture into patties. Reserve what you want to make, and place rest on a baking sheet and transfer to freezer.
6. In a frying pan, heat a bit of canola or safflower oil, place a burger on top, and fry until brown, 1-2 minutes.
7. Repeat on other side and serve atop your favorite bun or bed of lettuce.

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

When The Hubster asked for an “energy drink of epic proportions,” I was more than a little surprised.

The Hubster never asks for stuff like that. Never.

To say that I felt obligated to create him a subtly-soothing sweet treat that would give him enough energy to make grass grow in our backyard was an understatement.

The Hubster is most definitely not a smoothie fan.

Or, at least he says he’s not. I caught him enjoying a black and blue super smoothie a few weeks ago. He claims it’s the temperature of the smoothie (ie – not cold enough). I think he would just rather have a milk shake.

But this particular smoothie? Got a green thumb’s up.

He must have been really…parched.

The Green Thumb Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 12-15 green grapes
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and chunked
• 1/2 – 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbs chia seeds (can also use flaxmeal)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and pretty.
2. Pour into your favorite drinking vessel.
3. Sip, sip, sip your day away.

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

It takes a lot for a smoothie to make me take notice these days.

Don’t get me wrong, I love smoothies. Problem is, after a while, they all start to taste (and look) about the same.

And then we went to Costco and bought the biggest bag of spinach I’ve ever seen (2.5 lbs worth!!), 6 ripe avocados, and a gorgeous pineapple. The result? The most amazing smoothie I’ve ever made.

And just look at how bright and vibrant it looks.

It radiates health. And believe me when I say it’s an explosion of flavor in your mouth.

The Green Smoothie Machine

Ingredients:

• 15 or so chunks of fresh pineapple + 1/4 cup juice
• 1 granny smith apple (with skin), cored and chopped
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 of an avocado
• 1 tbs chia seeds
• 1/4-1-/2 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into your favorite glass, grab a straw, and sip to your hearts content.

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

I’m not sure who was more surprised when I told The Hubster we were having pasta with kale in it for dinner. Me, him or the kale.

You see, I’ve had this love/hate relationship with greens my entire life.

For a while, I loved to hate them. Salad and I were besties, but that was about it. More recently, it’s been a love of raw greens (hello smoothies, green juices, and salads) and an intense hatred of cooked greens (what?! they made me nauseous). So this craving for cooked kale in my pasta was a bit…odd.

My taste buds must be growing up. Or something.

The idea for this plate of awesomeness came from watching a cooking demo from the lovely Janet McKee at the Farm to Table Conference over the weekend.

It was also inspired by the beautiful campari tomatoes that we found at Costco. And the 10lb bag of onions that I now have to use in every single meal. As if that will be difficult.

Kale-i-fied Pasta with Tomatoes and Beans

Ingredients:

• 1lb cooked pasta of choice
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
• 10-15 campari tomatoes (or roma tomatoes)
• 6-7 leaves kale (regular or dinosaur), washed, destemmed, and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp dried basil (1-2 tbs fresh)
• salt + pepper to taste
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 (15-0z) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbs white balsamic

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package, until al dente.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Saute onion until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and garlic, and saute 2 minutes more.
5. Add kale and stir until it begins to turn bright green and wilt.
6. Add basil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and navy beans; cook 2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in balsamic vinegar.
8. Serve atop your favorite pasta and enjoy!

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