Black Bean Soup

1 large can black beans, undrained
2 cups vegetable stock or water

Chopped vegetables:
1 small onion
4 cloves garlic
4 stalks celery
4 carrots
1 cup cabbage
1 tomatillo

1/2 cup buckwheat groats (kasha)

1 large can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 - 12 oz. can V-8

1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cajun seasoning

Combine all in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more water or broth if needed to make it soupy enough.

When veggies are soft, remove from pot in batches and blend (or use a stick blender). Serve hot with sherry if desired.

** any additional veggies you have on hand would just add to the soup.

Dad hasn't been finding too much to be tasty lately but he loved this soup - three bowls worth!

Chickpea Burger

This is my own creation. I tried to write down exact quantities, but didn't measure everything perfectly...the good thing about this recipe is it's easily adaptable and can tolerate some differences in amounts. And it tastes great, too!

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup cooked quinoa
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp. coconut or olive oil
Sea salt, pepper, cajun seasoning to taste
1/4 cup vegetable broth or other liquid (I'm using V-8 next time!), more if needed
garbanzo flour - as needed - I used 4 Tbsp.

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Put first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until it forms a paste and garlic is incorporated. Add 1/4 cup liquid gradually while processing. Add garbanzo flour gradually as needed until a stiff dough is formed.

Refrigerate dough for 1/2 hour if possible. You can skip this step if you don't have time, but it will be easier to roll if you do.

Roll into balls and form into patties. This recipe made 3 large patties. You could also make "meat"balls or smaller patties.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. of coconut oil in a frying pan. Fry patties over medium heat until golden; flip and do the other side. It took abouut 5 minutes per side. Season as desired.

I served it on a bed of spinach with marinara sauce on the side and a fried onion slice on top.

Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash

1 medium onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. coconut or olive oil
1 large butternut squash
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 lb. lentils
2 Tbsp. curry powder
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. sea salt
cayenne pepper to taste
vegetable broth or water as needed

Prepare squash: Cut in half and place face down in a baking pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. When cool, remove seeds, peel, and dice into 1 inch chunks.

Rinse and sort lentils. In a large saucepan with lid, bring 5 cups of water to a boil, add lentils, cover and reduce to low heat. Cook until soft (water will be absorbed)

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Saute onions and peppers until onions begin to look translucent. Add squash, raisins, walnuts and seasonings. Cook until heated through and squash is tender.

Add lentils and 1 cup vegetable broth. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if it's too dry or you want it to be soupy. Serve hot on a bed of brown rice, kasha or quinoa.

John’s Marinara Sauce

I finally got the hubby to type out his marinara recipe!

Ingredients:

1 28-30 oz can crushed tomatoes (no additives)
1 cup Miripois (roughly diced bell pepper (1/2), onion (1 medium) , carrot (2) , & celery (3 stalks))
1/2 cup vegetable stock
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
I tsp fresh oregano – minced
1 tsp fresh thyme – minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper (if desired)
3 bay leaves
2 tbs olive oil

Procedure:

Place the olive oil in a cast iron Dutch oven. Sauté the miripois & garlic over medium high heat until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, herbs, salt, red pepper (if desired), & bay leaves. Simmer stirring occasionally for an hour (or longer – longer is better). Remove bay leaves & serve.

Note: This recipe freezes well. We usually use some immediately and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. A few cubes can be added to dishes for instant marinara!

Kale and Cabbage Soup

I went looking for a way to use up some of that St. Patty's Day cabbage. This was unbelievably delicious, and so healthy! We served it with a side of lentils mixed with buckwheat groats.

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. kale, thick stems removed, chopped
1 lb. green cabbage, chopped
1 - 2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium pot. Add chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the cabbage, kale and tomatoes along with 1 cup of vegetable broth, and seasonings. Mix well. Cover and simmer until kale softens, about 30 minutes. Add more broth to make it as soupy as you like. Simmer longer if you like the kale softer.

Roasted Okra

This is so simple it'll surprise you. And it's really good!

Small, whole fresh okra
Olive oil
Sea salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the okra on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the okra with more olive oil.

Bake for 15 minutes, turning a few times. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

That's IT! You can mix it up by trying different seasonings. Eat with your fingers, plain or dipped in marinara sauce or salsa. Delicious!

Quinoa Banana Pudding

1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used rice)

bring to a boil and add

1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Stevia packet (not sure how to convert that to drops)
1/2 honey

Mix well and whisk in

1.5 tsp. corn starch, dissolved in a small amount of the milk

Simmer and stir until thickened. Stir in

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Allow to cool, then stir in 1/2 banana, chopped or sliced. Serve warm or cold. Yum!