Simple and Nutritious Vegan Pea Soup

I was recently in Portugal and I had the most amazing pea soup in Lisbon at the TimeOut Market. I had never tasted a pea soup that was so fresh, simple and flavorful. I came back from Portugal with a mission to recreate it! I really wanted the full sweetness of fresh peas to come through, so this recipe is again… super simple and nutritious. Vegan pea soup for the win!!!

I love fresh peas but I don’t care for shelling them. So much work for so few peas! I recommend using the Trader Joes fresh English peas… the only bummer is they’re not organic. Obviously organic is preferred, so feel free to swap out fresh for frozen. Peas are a great source of vitamins and minerals. According to the WHfoods, “Green peas are a very good source of vitamin K, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin B1, copper, vitamin C, phosphorus and folate. They are also a good source of vitamin B6, niacin, vitamin B2, molybdenum, zinc, protein, magnesium, iron, potassium, and choline.” Also, just one cup of peas has 8 grams of protein! So many reasons to eat your peas. I guess mom was right. LOL.

ayurveda plant based pea soup

 

Ingredients for Fresh Vegan Pea Soup

  • 1 10 oz. package of fresh English Peas from Trader Joes (you could also use frozen peas– but IMO fresh is best)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 medium-sized shallots, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • micro greens (optional)
  • croutons (optional)

Vegan Pea Soup Cooking Instructions

  1. In a medium sized pot, over medium heat, add your oil and shallots. Saute the shallots until soft.
  2. Add vegetable broth and peas. Bring to a boil and then drop back down to a simmer. Cook until peas are just soft, but not mushy.
  3. Transfer to a blender and blend away. Transfer back to your pot and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Top your soup with your favorite toppings. I like to add microgreens and croutons… my husband likes to add pancetta.

 

 

Delicious Spinach and Broccoli Soup

I love the Autumn and Winter seasons because I love slurping on a delicious bowl of warm soup. Last week I was craving broccoli soup, but it seems most of the broccoli soups out there are dairy-rich. In lieu of destroying my gut, I made this super nourishing vegan spinach and broccoli soup. The spinach lends a bit of sweetness to the soup, while the broccoli lends a bit more body. This soup turned out so great that I have to share it!

Soups are one of my “go-to” meals year round. They’re one-pot wonders. And now that we have upgraded our blender to a Vitamix, I love making soups even more… lol. This spinach and broccoli soup is particularly vitamin packed with all kinds of goodies. According to Healtheating.org, “A cup of cooked broccoli contains as much vitamin C as an orange and is a good source of beta-carotene. Broccoli contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc too. It also provides fiber and is low in calories.” And according to the Vegetarian Times, “When you eat spinach that has been heated, you will absorb higher levels of vitamins A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, thiamin, calcium, and iron.”

 

vegan broccoli soup recipe

 

Vegan Spinach Broccoli Soup Ingredients

  • 2-3 heads of broccoli, thick stalks removed, cut the heads into small-medium size pieces
  • 4 large handfuls of spinach
  • 3-4 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1 leek, sliced, whites and light green parts only (if you don’t have any leeks substitute 1/2 of a medium yellow onion)
  • 1 stalk of celery, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • splash of extra virgin olive oil
  • microgreens

Spinach and Broccoli Soup Cooking Instructions

  1. In a large pot, over medium heat, add a splash of oil and leeks. Saute leeks for 2-3 minutes, add celery and garlic and saute another 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add your vegetable broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil and then drop down to low heat and simmer until the broccoli is tender.
  3. When your broccoli is tender add your spinach and stir.
  4. Transfer the soup to your blender and blend until desired consistency. Add more broth or warm water if it is too thick.
  5. Garnish with the micro greens.

This soup is ready to eat in under a half an hour… from prep to finished product, so it’s perfect for a nourishing weeknight dinner.

vegan broccoli soup recipe

Spiced Pumpkin Chia Pudding

It’s fall, so that obviously means pumpkin in everything! I love fall and I find fall foods deeply comforting and grounding. I can eat pumpkin and squash soups for days, but sometimes I crave a sweet treat and since I can’t do ice cream I have to get a little creative. Chia pudding is ridiculously easy to make and it’s pretty healthy too (although I suppose that is determined by what goodies you add). Here is my fall take on chia pudding: Spiced Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Why should you eat pumpkin chia pudding? Pumpkin is an excellent source of vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, E, and K. It is also high in iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese and dietary fiber. Boom! That’s a lot of goodness packed into one veg. Chia seeds are an excellent source of healthy fat and dietary fiber and provide calcium, phosphorus and manganese. Coconut milk, if you’re buying the pre-packaged beverage kind, like Silk Brand, it is fortified with other vitamins and minerals. If you’re going with the natural stuff, perhaps you’re hardcore and make it yourself or are blessed enough to have fresh coconuts at your disposal, your coconut milk won’t be fortified with vitamins and minerals, but it still remains a healthy source of fat. Remember that not all fats are bad for you. Our brains need fat to function.

vegan dessert

Ingredients for Spiced Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Serves 2.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk beverage (not the canned stuff… it’s way too high in fat)
  • 1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup (or 1 teaspoon maple syrup and one Medjool date pitted and minced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice blend or make your own (ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine your chia seeds and coconut milk. Allow the chia seeds to soak 5-10 minutes.
  2. With an immersion blender, give them a quick spin.
  3. Add your pumpkin, maple syrup (and date if you’re using one), vanilla and spices. Spin again.
  4. If your impatient, you can eat it now, but it’s best after it has had a chance to set in the fridge for 30+ minutes.

**If you’re kapha, cut your coconut milk with water or extra pumpkin.

Quick and Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Hello yogis and fellow veggie lovers! Here is one of my new favorite weeknight vegetarian recipes. It’s super easy and takes less than thirty minutes to make… maybe even less than 20 if you don’t dilly dally and goof off while you’re making dinner. Hope you love this super easy vegetarian cauliflower fried rice as much as I do!

Did you know that one cup of cauliflower provides over 70% of your daily vitamin C requirement? Yep, it’s true. Cauliflower is also a good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Potassium. It even has a little bit of protein (2 grams in one cup). Who knew?

 

vegetarian cauliflower fried rice recipe

Quick and Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Serves 2.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head of cauliflower
  • 1 large carrot, chopped up into smallish pieces
  • 1 big handful of snow peas, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon tamari (or regular soy sauce)
  • white pepper, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste
  • chili pepper flakes, to taste
  • toasted sesame seeds to garnish
  • diced green onions to garnish
  • cilantro sprigs

Instructions

  1. easy cauliflower fried rice recipePrep your cauliflower. Cut the heads of the cauliflower off and feed the heads and top of the stem through the grater on your food processor. You might also be able to use a blender on pulse or hand grate using a cheese grater (but who has time for that). (1-2 minutes)
  2. In a 10-12 inch saute pan, add about 2 teaspoons of your oil (not two tablespoons!) and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallot and carrots to your pan. Saute until the shallots are transparent and the carrots have softened just a bit. (~ 5 minutes)
  3. Add the remaining sesame oil, cauliflower rice, and snow peas to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high and saute another 7-9 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked, but not mushy. (7-9 minutes)
  4. Create a well in the center of your pan by pushing all of the cauliflower rice to the side and add your whisk eggs to the well. Allow your eggs to cook a bit and then fold them into the rice. (2 minutes)
  5. Add your tamari and adjust to taste. You may also like to add sea salt, white pepper, or chili pepper flakes at this point too.
  6. Plate your fried rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
  7. Enjoy your cauliflower fried rice!

Love cauliflower? Craving something to warm you up on a cool fall or winter evening? Check out my Hazelnut and Cauliflower Soup. It’s also delicious and surprisingly healthy.

Healthy Moroccan Spiced Carrot Hummus

A few years ago I came across this AMAZING recipe for Morrocan Spiced Carrot Hummus on The Kitchn. The Kitchn is one of my go to websites for healthy recipe inspiration. This healthy Moroccan spiced carrot hummus recipe is a crowd pleaser with it’s interesting mix of flavors, bright color, and healthy ingredients. This recipe is so good that I haven’t really explored making changes to it. I do typically use fresh ginger (the original recipe uses ground ginger) and I peel the skins off of the chickpeas, which is time consuming, but also kind of therapeutic and it makes the hummus creamier and easier to digest. I also tend to add a little extra of all of the spices. I’ve been a bit obsessed with Moroccan spices lately. 🙂 They’re just so good!

healthy-carrot-hummus-recipe

Moroccan-Spiced Carrot Hummus

Makes a ton! (And will last about a week in a sealed container in the fridge)

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrots, chopped into 1-inch chunks
  • 3-4 whole cloves of garlic, peels left on
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained if from a can. Note: I like to peel the outer skin off to make a creamier hummus
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water + more to thin if necessary
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • thumbnail piece of fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • Fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. On a lined baking sheet toss the chopped carrots and whole garlic cloves with half of the olive oil. Roast the carrots in the oven until tender and lightly browned. After about 10 minutes of roasting stir the carrots and garlic and then place back in the oven for another ten minutes.
  3. Remove carrots and garlic from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled enough to handle peel the skins off of the garlic.
  4. In your food processor combine carrots, garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, water and all of the spices. Begin to process your hummus and with the motor running slowly add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Process until smooth. You may want to scrape down the sides at some point. If the hummus is too thick and you still have large chunks of carrot add a little more water or oil and process until the right consistency.
  5. Garnish with a cilantro or parsley sprig or two and serve with fresh veggies or crackers.
  6. Impress your friends with this tasty snack!

moroccan-spiced-carrot-hummus-recipe