Lentil Soup

This lentil soup recipe is definitely one of our favorites for cold nights. It’s very filling, full of healthy vegetables, and is super flavorful.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry red lentils
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 potato, diced
1 zucchini, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups water
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
Fresh lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in pot over medium high heat until hot
2. Sauté onion, stirring, until golden (about 5 minutes)
3. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes
4. Add carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, zucchini, cumin, and sauté for 3-4 minutes
5. Add lentils, chicken broth, and water. Simmer, stirring and mashing occasionally, until lentils are cooked (about 25 minutes).
6. Mash soup to a puree consistency using fork or potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with fresh lemon juice, adding to each bowl as desired.

Pesto Sauce

2016-02-20 06.04.48 Serve it with Linguine or Bowtie pasta, topped with chicken or Portobello mushrooms or just on its own.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/3 cup Pine Nuts
3 medium garlic cloves, sliced or minced
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Directions:
Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a food processer and pulse a few times. Add the olive oil slowly to the mixture and continue pulsing (make sure to scrape the sides!). Taste, and add more lemon or salt as needed.

Tip:
Drain the pasta after boiling (do not rinse), then mix with the pesto sauce. Add the sauce one tablespoon at a time until desired “sauciness.” Serve immediately.

Mashed Cauliflower

2016-01-24 04.50.52 A super simple and perfect side dish to serve instead of potatoes. My kids could not tell the difference.

Ingredients:
2 heads of fresh cauliflower
1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
1. Cut the cauliflower into florets
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the florets, and boil until tender (about 10-15 mins)
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor
4.Add the olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste) and process until smooth (about 20-30 seconds)

Serve with your Chicken Marsala, chicken Piccata, or your choice of saucey meat.

Simple Salad with Avocado

2016-01-23 18.36.11 An everyday salad that compliments any meal. Rather than using cheese, we’ve discovered that avocado is a great substitute for adding substance and texture.

Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 cup Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 a cucumber, sliced
1 avocado, diced
White Modena vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
1. In a salad bowl, mix the ingredients together
2. Mix the dressing in a small bowl (Olive oil, Modena vinegar, salt and pepper to taste)
3. Add the dressing to the salad and mix

Fruit and Yogurt Popsicles

2016-01-24 04.26.39 A delicious recipe for healthy fruit pops that can be eaten at anytime, even for breakfast. The sweetness really comes from the fruit and depending on how ripe and sweet they are, you can reduce the sugar to taste.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh berries (mixture of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries)
1 sliced banana
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups organic soy yogurt (plain)
6-8 pop molds, or 8 small paper cups and and 8 popsicle sticks

Directions:
1. Place the fruit, yogurt, and sugar into a blender. Cover and blend until fruit is smooth.
2. Fill the pop molds. If using paper cups, fill the paper cups 3/4 full with fruit mixture. Cover the top of each cup with a strip of aluminum foil. Poke a popsicle stick through the center of the foil on each cup.
3. Place molds or cups in the freezer for at least 5 hours.

Tip: I also tried this with vanilla coconut milk yogurt, skipping the sugar, and it turned out great.