Tart and delilcious.
Kiwi-Mango-Spinach Smoothie
with coconut milk and tart yogurt
Ingredients
1 whole kiwi (remove the skin)
1/2 cup coconut milk (refrigerated, unsweetened)
4 tbsp tart yogurt (plain European or Greek)
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1/2 banana (fresh or frozen)
3 tbsp chopped frozen spinach
Methods
Blend until smooth.
Optional: Get your zen on with some yoga. There are lots of great free videos online. Try this 20 minute session from ExerciseTV to get you started.
Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens meet Cilantro & Lime
This soup combines elements of the traditional southern black-eyed peas and collard greens soup with southwestern flavors of cilantro and lime. I traded the traditional pork or bacon of the “Hoppin’ John” for some lean cut 100% grass-fed beef marinated in fresh lime juice. The meat here is used as an accent flavor; the black-eyed peas are the stars of this dish. Enjoy throughout the fall and winter but bookmark this dish for January 1st. The recipe makes a wonderful New Year’s Eve dish as black-eyed peas are celebrated by many as a “lucky” food to begin the new year.
Black-Eyed Peas & Lime-Seared Steak Soup
with collard greens & cilantro
Ingredients
Methods
The Night Before: Rinse 1 1/2 cups dried black-eyed peas and soak in a large pot for at least 4 hours. I normally leave the beans to soak covered overnight. Place fresh 100% grass-fed beef, sliced thin in a zip-lock bag or container with a full lime’s worth of lime juice. Store in the fridge overnight.
1. Strain soaked black-eyed peas and add to large pot with about 4 cups water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about an hour stirring occasionally.
2. In a large stir-fry pan, begin searing lime-marinated beef at medium heat. Crush and chop garlic into thin slices and add about 3 of the 9 cloves to your pan with the beef. Toss in a few rinsed fresh cilantro leaves as well. If you have the optional shallots, chop these and add to your pan. Add 1/4 cup of your vegetable broth (I love Pacific Natural Foods Organic Vegetable Broth- low sodium) to the pan and cover, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until beef is fully cooked.
3. When black-eyed peas have cooked (after simmering for about 60 minutes) strain, rinse, and return to large pan with the remainder of your 4 cups vegetable broth. Bring heat to medium high. Rinse 2 handfuls of cilantro (also known as coriander) thoroughly and add to your soup pan. Also add 1 cup frozen chopped collard greens, the remaining garlic, and the lime juice from the second lime.
4. Stir in beef and spike with a dash of cayenne pepper.
Amply provides enough to serve 4.
Sweet peach & spicy ginger unite playfully in this calming smoothie.
Known for its soothing, anti-inflammatory properties and fiery flavor, fresh ginger creates a delicious contrast to sweet, mellow fruits like pears and peaches. Ginger is commonly believed to aid in digestion and to calm an upset stomach. Across cultures ginger has held many traditional uses. In the U.S ginger ale has often been used to help hydrate and combat nausea for those sick with a flu. While originally all ginger ale was made with real ginger, today it’s worth checking the ingredient list. On a daily basis, ginger provides powerful bursts of flavor and nutrients.
Ginger-Peach Smoothie
with banana and lemon
Ingredients
-3/4 cup frozen peach slices
-l small or 1/2 large fresh or frozen banana
-1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-4 tbsp non-fat European or Greek style plain yogurt
-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
-Dash of cinnamon (optional)
Methods
Blend until smooth.
Use more fruit and less liquid for a thicker drink. May store covered for up to 12 hours in the fridge.
Note: If you don’t have any fresh ginger on hand, frozen will also work but powdered ginger is not recommended for this recipe.
Save jars to bring your smoothies to-go! Just twist on the lid and tote to class/the office for an energizing snack.
Make it a good morning (or afternoon pick-me-up) with this Vitamin-C rich Tangy Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie.
A single kiwi provides more than 100% DV for Vitamin-C!
C-Blast Tangy Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie
with fresh kiwi, chilled strawberries, & banana
Ingredients
Amounts vary (add to taste). 2 servings.
1 Whole Kiwi
Handful Frozen Strawberries
1/2 Ripe Banana
3 tbsp organic Greek or European plain yogurt
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
Methods
1. Rinse kiwi. Slice kiwi in half and scoop out contents into blender. Discard skin.
2. Combine all other ingredients to taste. More liquid for a thinner drink, more frozen ingredients & less liquid for a thicker smoothie.
For a dairy-free version substitute yogurt with Amande dairy-free almond yogurt, or organic soy yogurt.
3. Blend until smooth. Serve freshly blended or keep chilled and store covered for up to 12 hours.
4. Chill out & enjoy!
A surprisingly refreshing mushroom soup. Accented by the flavors of fresh parsley, lemon, and cloves. I used 2 boxes Baby Bella and 1 box white mushrooms but any variety would work.
Mushroom-Parsley Soup
with black lentils and cloves
Yet another delicious soup to keep you warm this season! This recipe is an adaptation of this recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Member Recipes. Mushrooms, onions, and garlic are all wonderful immune-boosting foods. Parsley adds a refreshing complement to the flavors and a blast of immune-boosting vitamin C. Black lentils turn this soup from a tasty side dish to a filling meal, and are a remarkably good source of iron.
Ingredients
-3 10 oz boxes of mushrooms
-2 large onions
-1/2 cup dry black lentils
-1 cup chopped fresh parsley
-3 cloves garlic (crushed & chopped)
-1/2 tsp grated ginger (or thinly sliced)
-2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
-2 cups water
– 1/4 tsp cloves
-4 tbsp whole wheat flour or almond powder
-2 tsp lemon juice
-2 tbsp olive oil (or canola)
-2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
-Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Note: You will cook the lentils in a separate saucepan so have two pans ready.
Methods
1. In your smaller pan, add 1/2 cup dry black lentils and 2 cups water. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer and cook for at least 20 minutes. The lentils will cook while you prepare the rest of your soup. Add more water (or vegetable broth) if needed.
2. Chop onions and add to large saucepan (deep enough to hold at least 5 cups of volume) along with olive oil and heat to medium-high heat. Stir frequently. Immediately chop and crush garlic and add to pan. Wash mushrooms (removing dirt with a damp clothe or paper towel) and cut into small pieces. Add to saucepan and stir frequently.
3. While mushrooms, garlic, and onions cook for several minutes, prepare remaining ingredients. Wash and chop parsley, ginger, and thyme. Add remaining soup ingredients and stir well. Add your cooked black lentils as well.
4. Using an immersion (hand) blender, blend soup lightly until it reaches a smooth consistency but still has some texture from the mushrooms.
5. Serve hot and garnish with fresh parsley. Delicious when served with crisp garlic bread. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Peanut Soup: This super filling and delicious soup will warm you right up! Served with half a slice of whole wheat Tandoori Naan bread.
Cozy Pumpkin & Peanut Soup
with fire-roasted red peppers & scallion garnish
If you’ve been on the blog lately you’ve probably noticed I’ve been making a lot of soups lately. I must say that this recipe is probably my favorite of all I have made so far! This soup is incredibly satisfying: the combo of peanut butter and pumpkin puree (spiced up with some peppers) is such a pleasant surprise of a flavor.
I stuck very close to a recipe this time from Women’s Health Magazine. You can find the recipe here.
My Recipe Tweaks:
-Used olive oil instead of vegetable
-Chunky natural peanut butter (NO hydrogenated oils) instead of smooth reduced fat
-Cayenne Pepper instead of chili pepper flakes
-Non-fat European plan yogurt instead of sour cream (left this off when I reheated a bowl the next day)
Aguacate Relleno de Atun
Plantain Coconut Berry Smoothie
Here's the Dish 