Recipes

Vegetarian West African Soup (shout out to Marilyn)
This hearty one-dish meal is packed with fiber and can be ready in less than an hour.
2/3 c roasted peanuts
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 c chopped onion
6 c (1") cubed peeled sweet potato
1 TB ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 (15.5 oz) cans chickpeas, drained
2 (14..5 ox) cans vegetable broth
1 (28 ox) can diced tomatoes, undrained
Flat leaf parsley sprigs (opt)
1. Place peanuts in a food processor, process until smooth (~2 min) scraping sides of bowl once.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion, saute 7 min or until lightly browned. Add peanut butter, potato, and next 6 ingredients (potato through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered 30 min or until potato is tender. Garnish with parsley if desires. Yield: 8 servings (1.5 cups)
CALORIES: 477 (18% from fat); FAT 9.4g (sat 1.3g, mono 3.5g, ply 3.3g); PROTEIN 13g; CARB 89.7 g; FIBER 13.1g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 3.2mg; SODIUM 904mg; CALC 110mg


Bean Soup with Kale
 (recipe by USA WKEND columnist Jean Carper)
*Each serving supplies 7 mg of lutein, a healthy dose for the day
Ingredients
1 tb olive oil or canola oil
8 lg garlic cloves, crushed or minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 c chopped raw kale
4 c low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 (15 oz) cans white beans, such as cannellini or navy, undrained
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c chopped parsley

Directions
In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion; saute until soft. Add kale and saute, stirring until wilted. Add 3 cups of broth, 2 cups of beans and all of the tomato, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, mix the remaining beans and broth until smooth. Stir into soup to thicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with chopped parsley.


Spicy Bean, Pesto & Vegetable Soup with Swiss Chard (from glutenfreeturtle.com)

Add less vegetable broth if you prefer - the soup becomes more chili-like.

Ingredients:
3 lg French shallots (or regular onions if you haven't any shallots), roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 leeks, greens removed, whites sliced thinly
2 tbsp olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
1 lg can crushed or diced tomatoes, preferably salt-free (do not drain!)
6 c (1.5L) vegetable stock, preferably salt free
1 red bell pepper, cut in cubes
2 c swiss chard, chopped
2 carrots, sliced thinly
1 yellow bell pepper, cut n cubes
1 can Romano beans, drained and rinsed (2 c dried, soaked overnight if you haven't any canned)
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (2 c dried, soaked overnight if you haven't any canned)
1/2 c parsley chopped very fine
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried
1/4 tsp chili oil or more if you like things spicy. Chili powder can be used if you don't have chili oil, just add slowly until you have the taste you desire
1 tbsp pesto, canned or homemade
salt if needed
pepper to taste
rice pasta (optional)

Directions:
1. In a large stock pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add shallots, garlic and leeks; saute until soft
2. Add tomatoes, the juice from the can, the stock to the pot, the parsley and the thyme. Bring to low boil.
3. Add vegetables to the pot, simmer until carrots are soft, time will depend on how thick you sliced the carrots
4. Add the rest of the ingredients but NOT the rice past, to the pot. Simmer for about 10 minutes
5. Meanwhile boil the rice pasta as per package instructions.
6. To serve, add a bit of the rice pasta to the bottom of the bowl, pour soup over pasta. Don't forget to discard the thyme sprigs!

Chicken and Tomatillo Soup
Time: 1 minute         Serves: 8

Ingredients:
8 c chicken stock (homemade or canned)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (Hunts makes them)
2 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
1 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 sm can diced green chilies
2 c finely chopped tomatillos (about 8 tomatillos, remove husks, coarsely chop)
4 cups cooked chicken, diced in 1" pieces
2 cans pinto beans drained
4 cloves garlic, pressed
freshly squeezed lime (opt)
1/4 c finely chopped fresh cilantro (opt)

Directions:
In large soup pot, combine chicken stock, canned tomatoes with juice, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, chopped onion, oregano, green chilies and finely chopped tomatillos. Simmer for 30 minutes until onions and tomatillos are cooked and soup flavors are blended.

Add diced chicken, pinto beans, garlic and lime and simmer about 45 minutes. Turn off heat and add finely chopped cilantro. Serve immediately. Garnish with more cilantro if desired.


The Perfect, Protein Energy Balls

Ingredients

·       1 1/2 cup almonds (or other nuts) I use peanuts

·       1 cup pitted medjool dates

·       1 tbsp coconut oil

·       1 tbsp cacao powder

·       1 tbsp protein powder 

·       1 tbsp chia seeds I use 2 tbsp

Instructions

·       Blend nuts in a food processor.

·       Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until you get a smooth mixture.

·       Roll into little balls and store in the fridge or freezer.

 

This can be doubled and stored in the freezer (I put them on wax paper in a pyrex container)

 

Avocado Protein Mousse

From Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado (peeled and pitted)

1 Cup frozen banana slices (sit out for a few minutes to partially thaw)

¾-1 Cup milk or oral supplement (oat milk, almond milk, soy, etc.)

1-2 scoops vanilla-flavored protein powder

2-3 Tablespoons cacao powder (can use unsweetened cocoa powder)

Agave, maple syrup or honey to taste (optional)

 

Directions:

1.   Blend all ingredients with an immersion hand blender or food processor.

2.   As needed, add more liquid for a thinner consistency.

3.   Transfer mousse to a storage container and cover.

4.   Keep leftover mousse in the refrigerator for no more than one day.

 

 

Note:  BiPro Protein Powder:  tested by NSF, a 3^rd party testing company for purity of ingredients.