Chickpea and Leek Soup

This yummy soup comes from Jamie Oliver. I've simplified it, veganized it, and made it several times-- that's quite a testament, because there are many things that I only make once or twice. I love the combo of butter (margarine) and olive oil and it's all just very tasty. And so quick and easy that it's perfect for these days when we're never sure if it'll be chilly or not. Without further ado... the recipe:

Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon margarine
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
•  1 clove garlic (optional)
• about 4 cups sliced leek (about 2 leeks)
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups vegetable broth (I use Swanson Flavor Boost packets mixed with water bc they're cheaper and take up less room)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:

• Prep your leeks: remove tough green parts, rinse the outsides, and slice into thin rings. Rinse very well in a colander or salad spinner. Lay on a towel to somewhat dry if using a colander, spin the thingy if using a salad spinner. This can be done a couple of days in advance if you want. Also, whatever I don't use in the soup, I freeze in baggies and it's so easy to just scoop a 1/2 cup or so out for stirfrys, pasta, or whatever you're making later.
• Add leeks, margarine, oil, and minced garlic to a pot. Cook over medium heat until leeks are fragrant.
• Add chickpeas and cook until slightly toasty.
• Add veggie broth and water and bring to a boil.
• Add nutritional yeast if you want (I think it enhances the taste).
• Eat a bowlful, curled up on the couch-- or at a table if that's your thing.
• Enjoy!

Per cup: cals: 155kcal | fat: 3.85g | carbs: 27.98g | prot: 7.57g

Mushroom Soup

This soup is my new go-to for a decadent-feeling treat. It's creamy, earthy, and at 49 calories per cup it's really, really low-calorie-- woohoo for that!

It's also really, really easy to make. That makes it just about the best soup ever. But don't take my word for it-- try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup diced onion (I like to dice up a large onion when I get back from the store and just keep it in the fridge in tupperware for use throughout the week-- just don't store it in a plastic baggie or your entire fridge will smell/taste like onions)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2-3/4 pound cremini, button, or portabella mushrooms, sliced thin (about 5 cups)
• 2 cups veggie stock (I like Swanson Flavor Boost mixed with water for a super quick, cheap stock)
• 4 cups Original Unsweetened Almond Breeze Almond Milk (or any other plain, unflavored milk)

Directions:

• Add onions and oil to a soup pot. Turn heat to medium low.
• Once the onion start to color just a bit and get fragrant, add the mushrooms. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
•  Turn heat up just a bit and stir occasionally until the mushrooms release their moisture. They'll get smaller and browner-- this is what you want. The pan shouldn't dry out or burn but if it gets dry, add a little water and keep going.
• When you think your mushrooms are done, add the broth and milk and bring to a slow boil.
• Add a bit more salt and pepper!
• Once it starts boiling (don't let it get too fast or you'll curdle your milk-- it'll just make the appearance a little less creamy, it's not really a big deal) turn it off.
• Transfer about 1/2 of your soup to a blender and blend away (this could take a couple of minutes).
• Transfer it back to the pot, stir, and check and adjust your seasonings.
• Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh cracked pepper.
• Makes about 7 cups.

Per 1 cup: cals: 49kcal | fat: 2.82g | carbs: 5.08g | prot: 2.22g

 Also, it can be made with unprocessed ingredients if you make this with homemade veg stock and almond (or other) milk!

Pureed Beet Soup

I found this recipe a long time ago on marthastewart.com and it's one that I go back to again and again. I just swapped out the chicken broth for veggie stock, lessened the onion a bit, and added more water, since I like it thinner. The result is a sweet, low-calorie soup that can be eaten hot or cold, and it's one of the only ways I'll eat beets! I'm really picky about my beets-- I really love beets in this soup and in chip form, and in green juices, but other than those, I haven't found another way for me yet-- I'd love to hear how you like your beets! This soup is especially good with simple accompaniments, like the kale and polenta in the photo-- I just cooked the kale in 1/2 tsp olive oil until it was the wilti-ness I wanted and used about 1 tsp of oil, plus salt and pepper for the polenta and just cooked that over medium high until crispy on the edges.

Here's the recipe!

Pureed Beet Soup

makes 9.5 1 cup servings

Ingredients:

•  1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 large beets, peeled and diced (about 7.5 cups)
• 2-3 boullion cubes or 2-3 cups veggie stock
• 6-9 cups water

Directions:

• Add  the oil and onions to a soup pot and saute on medium high, adding a little salt and pepper.
• And the beets, veggie stock, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Blend with an immersion or regular blender, in batches if needed, making sure to vent the lid and cover with a towel to allow the heat to escape but so that it doesn't splash you with hot soup if using a regular blender.
• Serve with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. So yummy and really healthy too!

 cals per 1 cup: 70kcal | fat: 1.93g | carbs: 11.06g | prot: 2.75g

Look at that pretty beet-pink!

Veggie Soup and Sunshine Burgers

This is what I've been having for lunch for the past 3 days-- so yummy!

So I noticed (or rather, Sam noticed) that in the background of the picture in this post, there's a sneaky little visitor. That's Stanley the Seal. He belongs to this little guy.

This is Yosemite (and me in my pj's behind him). And I just realized that he looks giant in this picture because of the angle of the camera and his relation to me-- he weighs about 8 pounds, he's pretty small. Anyway, that's one of our our amazing pups-- I'll introduce the others another time! Now it's on to recipes... Well, sort of recipes. The pita sandwich is one of these amazing veggie burgers from The Vegan Chickpea in a pita with some spicy mustard-- that was weird, I just typed "hummus" after "spicy", I wonder if that means I secretly want some spicy hummus, I'll have to look into that-- anyway, veggie burger in pita with mustard and iceberg lettuce. I think iceberg gets a bad rap from foodies sometimes. Sure, it doesn't have the good looks, nutrition, or varying tastes of your darker greens, but it's delicious in it's own right. It's light and crunchy and really cheap, so that's good too. I used the sunflower seeds I had left over from making sunflower butter-- which by the way, was gone after a week and a half, yum! The only things I changed in making the sunshine burgers is that I doubled that batch and made 4 patties, meaning they were bigger, and I left out the garlic. You''ll probably want to make a double batch of these, they're seriously good.

And now for a recipe from me, sort of. I say sort of because it's a "throw everything you have in a pot" kind of soup, but it's the method I use over and over.

The ingredients are highly variable, but this is what I put in this last time:

Directions:

1. Add the olive oil (or canola, or other neutral oil) to a large soup pot and then start chopping.
2. Rinse everything and chop roughly, adding the chopped veggies to the pot as you go.

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 large carrot
• 4 stalks large celery
• 1.5 medium onion
• 2 large zucchini
• 4 large summer squash
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 poblano pepper, de-seeded for less spice or with seeds left in
• 1 clove garlic, minced

3.      Then add the crushed tomatoes and their juice-- I add fresh chopped tomatoes instead when they're on sale. Then rinse your split peas and add them to the pot as well. Then fill your (very full) pot the rest of the way up with water, stopping when the water level reaches about 2 inches from the top. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, simmering for 30 minutes.

• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1.25 cups uncooked split peas

4. After 30 minutes, add your Old Bay Seasoning (my favorite way to season veggie soup), collard greens, and mushrooms and simmer for another 30 minutes.

• 2 tablespoons Less Sodium Old Bay Seasoning
• 4 cups, or 1 bunch collard greens, de-stemmed and chopped roughly
• 9 large button mushrooms

This recipe makes a whole bunch of soup. I usually make it when the veggies go on sale during the season and freeze some of it to enjoy later. It’s also really low calorie, meaning it’s good for people eating lower-calorie, or meaning that you can eat it with bread and margarine, whichever way you want to look at it. I hope you guys enjoy!

Per 1 full cup: cals: 59kcal | fat: 0.42g | carbs: 12.47g | prot: 3.98g