Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Thank you thank you thank you SLO Veg (an awesome business in SLO County that deliveries fresh produce and veggies right to your door) for this delicious recipe. I replaced the normal butter for vegan butter, but to me it didn't change the flavor at all. It is SO good! I also made some little garlic toast crostini to go with it, you definitely don't have to do that though.

2 tablespoons vegan butter (original called for unsalted butter)

2 tablespoons good olive oil 

4 cups chopped yellow onions (2-3 large) 

2 tablespoons mild curry powder 

5 pounds butternut squash (2 large or 3 medium) 

1 1/2 pounds apples (4 apples) - I used Fuji

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2 cups water 

2 cups good apple cider or juice 

Directions

• Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. 
• Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot. 
• Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks. 
• Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. 
• Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. 
• Process the soup in a blender. Pour the soup back into the pot. I liked to leave some small chucks in mine.
• Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. 
• The original recipe says to drizzle a little bit of heavy cream over the top to make a pretty display- I would LOVE this- but did without :) 
• Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.
• To do the garlic toast crostini, you just drizzle olive oil on a good baguette and put under the broiler until the edges turn brown. Then rub it with a piece of garlic to get it nice and garlicy- then sprinkle a little salt and pepper on it. 

Mexican Lasagna

So this is a recipe, that like chicken enchiladas, I am sure everyone has their own. For this one, I am going to break some of my rules and use some ground turkey meat, but you can most definitely just leave that out and you have yourself a dairy free, sugar free and gluten free Mexican lasagna! If you do leave out the turkey, I would suggest adding an extra can of beans- and quite honestly, this dish doesn't even need the meat! It is delicious, give it a try!

1 lb lean ground turkey breast

1 can black beans

1 can vegetarian re-fried beans 

1 can corn
1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 bag soy cheese

8 blue corn (or regular corn) tortillas, cut in half

2 green onions, chopped

cilantro, chopped

1 medium jar of your fav enchilada sauce (or 1/2 a large can)

tomatillo sauce (optional)

1 orange pepper, chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons vegetable stock

Directions

• In a skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and add onion. Cook until tender.
• Then brown turkey meat in the same pot. Because the turkey breast is so incredibly lean, you likely will not have to drain it. 
• Then when it is browned, add your seasonings, beans, corn, veggie stock, and bell pepper. 
• Mix to incorporate. 
• Cut your tortillas in half so they are easier to assemble. 
• Spray your baking pan and layer 1 layer of tortillas
• Follow with 1/2 of the meat mixture
• Add 1/2 of the enchilada sauce
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Repeat the layers. 
• Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 375 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. The lasagna should be bubbling. 
• Remove the aluminum and let bake another 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. 
• Serve!

Spicy Garlic Chow Mein

I have been so lame with posting recipes the past few days. I keep forgetting to take pictures, or do a dish that is relatively similar to others so I haven't been posting. Sunday I made this yummmoo chow mein (as I am calling it). It had some heat, garlic and some sweet. Was so good!

Sauce: 

1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce (uses mushrooms rather than oysters)

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (optional- add more for more spice)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon thyme 

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Chow Mein: 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 8 oz package of asian rice noodles

1 onion, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

1 cup swiss chard, cut in thin pieces

2 pieces of dried seaweed, for garnish

2 green onions, chopped for garnish

Directions:

• Mix all the ingredients of the sauce in a small bowl and set aside. 
• Cook the noodles according to the packaging- drain and rinse with cold water. 
• In a pan, add the coconut oil and all the vegetables. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook about 3 minutes. 
• When the vegetables are starting to cook but are still firm, add the sauce and let it cook with the vegetables about 5-10 minutes. Until the veggies have soaked up some of the sauce, but they are still firm. 
• Then add the noodles and mix, making sure the noodles get covered in the sauce. 
• Plate it up and then sprinkle with green onions and seaweed pieces. 

Boxed Soup Night

I was on my own for dinner tonight, and I didn't want to dirty up my beautifully cleaned kitchen, so I grabbed a Trader Joe's soup I bought recently.

 It is gluten free and with the exception of honey (which isn't technically allowed on the cleanse- but hey, I am a rebel) it is sugar free and vegan. I am pretty picky with soups from the store, I usually stick with the "tomato basil bisque" type soups. But I mean who can go wrong with anything with cream? :)  Well, this soup from Traders is really really good! It is called "Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup."  I won't lie, it is not the most appetizing color coming out of the box, but it has great flavor. A good quick and easy (and pretty healthy) soup to incorporate into your diet on nights that you would typically want to grab something not so wonderful for you!

The soup has only 110 calories per serving. I added a can of corn to add some texture. I definitely recommend!

Green Packed Pasta

Tonight was a night I wish I could have just gone out to dinner. Stephen has been sick the whole week, I had to run a ton of errands after work and I just wanted to be lazy! Luckily I had a TON of greens from farmers' market I needed to use up. This was a dish I literally threw together in about 10 minutes. Was pretty darn good too!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon vegetable stock

1 cup Swiss chard, chopped

1 cup kale, chopped

1/2 cup spinach, chopped

5 tomatoes, diced very small

1 container of mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic

corn & quinoa pasta

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon dried minced onions

1 teaspoon oregano

Directions

• Boil and drain pasta according to the directions. 
• In a large saute pan, add your olive oil and garlic and let cook about 3 minutes. Then add tomatoes, seasonings, and vegetable stock and let the tomatoes cook about 5 minutes then add mushrooms. 
• Add all the greens and stir to get all of them mixed with the tomato garlic sauce. Then add cooked pasta right to the dish!
• Serve!

Coconut Bars

Ever have one of those days where you are craving gooey brownies? Well fortunately, I found an awesome website that had this recipe for coconut bars that are vegan, sugar free and gluten free! They take about an hour to set up, but making them literally took me 5 minutes! Best part- they are no- bake too!! I found the original recipe way too sweet, so I made some adjustments below.  Also- if you are OK with having a small amount of caffiene, these would be EXCELLENT with some chopped dark (at least 60%) chocolate mixed in or drizzled on top! If you are making these for more than 2-3 people I would double the recipe to make more.

1 cup unsweetened coconut (make sure it is not sweetened)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 cup agave

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon vanilla (I used my homemade vanilla!)

Directions

• Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until all incorporated and no large lumps
• Push into a small Tupperware or dish, mine was like 4 x 5 inches. 
• Put in the refrigerator and let set up 45 mins to an hour. 

Get Better Soup

Stephen was super sick this weekend and asked for me to make him some chicken soup. I had every intention of not eating it, but it smelled SO dang good, I had to :) I think it was worth it though. We are at day 20 of the cleanse and it was still gluten & sugar free. Chicken soup just isn't the same without the chicken! I added a bunch of veggies to make it extra yummy and good for you. I watched my mom for years make this recipe and it was one of my favorites she made. I just added a couple little twists to make it mine. This is a must make soup for someone that isn't feeling very well, thanks mom :)

1 whole chicken, washed and innards removed

large pot of water

2-3 onions, chopped

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon Natures Seasoning

4 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

3 red potatoes, diced

2 large leaves kale, chopped

2 baby bok choy, chopped

1 cup split red lentils (my mom always does barley but I was out & got creative)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons oregano or parsley

Directions

• Put washed chicken in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Let it cook about 40 minutes. Sometimes there will be a foam that forms over the water, skim that off. 
• Add seasonings, onions and red lentils and let cook about 2 hours until chicken is cooked and stock is ready
• Remove chicken and separate the meat from the bones and add the chicken meat back into the broth
• Add the rest of the ingredients and let cook until vegetables are soft but still have a bite to them. 
• Sample the broth and see if it needs more seasonings
• Enjoy!! You can serve it with some noodles if desired.