Kale yeah! This is SOUPer simple and delicious. I recommend taking the time to soak dried cannelini beans (I order mine online) because I find the canned ones of this particular bean are just mush. And that little blast of lemon juice at the end? Absolutely zingy delicious!
Rainy spring days have me wanting healthy soups. Not the dense soups of Fall but something both warm and bright. Enter SOUPA GREEN! A vegan Spring soup that uses the veggies of the season that just all happen to be green. Note - the peas and the splash of lemon juice MAKE this soup. I add beans for protein and some bite, you could also add a small pasta in this soup if you'd like to make it even heartier.
This is a riff on a favorite recipe of mine that I make every week. Sometimes I change up the legume or the greens, other times I change up the grain. This version uses barley, a high-fiber (with decent protein!) grain that is most commonly used in soups but has a nutty flavor that makes it amazing in salads. These salads feel like "shoulder season" salads to me, where I'm ready to move out of the heavier foods of winter but not quite ready for the light salads of summer.
Pesto has been a family fave for decades but two ways I've kicked it up over the years are the addition of lemon juice which adds a bright and welcome sour kick to the salty, herbacious pesto, giving it a little more lightness and the addition of a Hulk sized portion of super greens to kick up the vitamin profile of pesto!
This bowl hits all the marks of being satisfying, healthy, easy, delicious and even gluten-free. Cauliflower rice is sautéed in coconut oil and combined with massaged kale for a strong veggie base. Add rotisserie chicken (or leave it off for a vegan version!) for a protein boost and then add the party of apples, cranberries and almonds. I added some cayenne-spiked date syrup to my usual balsamic dressing for this one but that may be hard to find. Consider adding a dash or two of cayenne powder to your dressing for a similar effect!
This versatile Fall salad takes advantage of Fall fruits and veggies like sweet potatoes, apples, pomegranates and kale. Keep it vegan or add a protein like roasted chicken, garbanzo beans or marinaded tofu. This can be a gorgeous side dish to any holiday feast too!
Beets bring some of that Earth energy to Fall - its time to get grounded! Beets are high in important vitamins and minerals, are thought to support athletic performance, are high in fiber and may support brain health! This One Bowl Wonder by Gina Caputo features the best of beets along with apples, dates and garbanzo beans!
One day during quarantine I got a wild hair to use mostly pantry items to make a stew but I still wanted it to be high in protein. So I ended up making a chickpea on chickpea stew with a coveted can of coconut milk! This is easy, delicious and can be served on its own, over rice or you can dip pita or naan in it. AND if you listen to Harry Nilsson's song Coconut while you make it, it's guaranteed to be infused with that special spice called FUN.