Broccoli Avocado Tumeric Soup

Perfect healthy cold weather soup! This is dairy/grain free and vegan (for those on restricted diets use veggie broth). It’s relatively easy to make. I don’t have a food processor, but my heavy duty blender did the trick. Just be very careful and start off slow. Don’t overfill, otherwise you could have scalding hot soup everywhere.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp coconut or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp turmeric powder
• 4 cups chicken stock or bone broth (for vegan use veggie broth)
• 1 head broccoli, trimmed and chopped (6 cups)
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 avocado, chopped, plus more for garnish
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 

                                                                                Directions:

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, chili powder, and turmeric and cook, stirring, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add broccoli and cook, covered, until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, stir in spinach, and let cool slightly.
2. Transfer soup to blend and puree with avocado. I like a little texture, so I left 3 cups out and mixed in the blended portion with the reserved. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with avocado and a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Coconut Ginger Tumeric Stew

This delicious stew is perfect for vegetarians or meat eaters. It’s full of healthy fats and turmeric is an anti-inflammatory. Comforting and warm, it’s one the whole family can enjoy for dinner. Add in some chicken or tofu for extra protein. If you’re enjoying a bit of grains, this pairs nicely with wild rice.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 medium head cauliflower, stemmed and cut into bite-size florets
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, chopped
• 1 C chopped kale or spinach if you don’t like kale
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp cumin powder
• 1 Tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 can full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

In a medium stock pot, heat the coconut oil for 30 seconds on medium heat.

Add the cumin seeds and stir until they start to sputter. Then add the onions and cook for another minute, and then, add the tomatoes, stir and cook for a few more minutes until the tomatoes soften.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to keep from burning.

Ladle the soup into 4 serving bowls and enjoy! Leftover stew can be stored in air-tight container and saved for lunch the next day.

 

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: 

calories 204 • fat 24 g • saturated fat 20 g • cholesterol 0 mg • fiber 6 g • protein 6 g • carbohydrate 18 g • sodium 588 mg

Deep Pot Chili

A really hearty chili is a must for cold winter days. It can be served up on it's own, with frito chips (my kids love that), or over potatoes. It's a gluten free option that's easy to make and warms the bones after working (or playing) all day in the snow. Let's dig in!

Hearty and Delicious

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/2 pounds ground sirloin or chuck
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
• 14 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons chile powder
• 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• Two 28-ounce cans diced Italian tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken, beef stock or low-sodium broth
• 1 19-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 19-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Pinch of cinnamon 
• 3 large jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced (this is only if you want more heat)
  
• Coarsely chopped cilantro, for serving
• Sour cream, for serving 
• any shredded cheese desired, for serving
• frito corn chips if desired, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a enameled cast-iron casserole. Add half the ground beef in large chunks and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat until brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir and cook until most of the pink is gone, about 3 minutes; keep the meat in large chunks. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.
   
   
2.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the casserole. Add the onion, garlic (and jalapenos if wanting more heat) and cook over moderately low heat, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder and smoked paprika and cook over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste is glossy and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the chicken stock and the cooked beef and any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
   
   
3. Add the kidney and white beans, chipotles, oregano and simmer for 30 minutes longer. Season with salt, pepper and a large pinch of cinnamon. Remove from the heat and let stand for at least 20 minutes. Reheat before serving.
   
   
4. Serve the chili in bowls, topped with a generous sprinkling of cilantro (and cheese if desired). Pass the sour cream at the table (and throw in some corn chips if feeling frisky!).
   

Make Ahead

The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 2 months

No Bake Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Bars

I found these wonderful no wheat, low sugar bars on the even more wonderful site The Lean Green Bean and I would love for you to wander that way to see what other wonderful things she has on her web page. Trust me, there are more great recipes and witty commentary to be found.

So, without further ado, here are the wonderful bars I served for Resurrection Sunday:

photo credit to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean

 No-Bake Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Bars
Makes 9 bars
Bottom Layer

• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup almonds
• 1 cup dates, pitted (~20 dates)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup carrots, grated

Frosting

• ½ cup 2% greek yogurt, plain
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 2 tablespoons coconut, shredded & unsweetened (optional)

Directions
1. Place walnuts and almonds into a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Constantly stir for ~5 minutes, or until nuts are slightly toasted (be careful not to let them burn).
2. Into a food processor, add toasted nuts, sea salt and dates.  Process until the mixture forms a dough.
3. Place grated carrots into a couple paper towels and squeeze the excess moisture out of the carrots.
4. Dump the shredded/squeezed carrots and the dough into a bowl and combine.  Press dough into a parchment paper lined 8×8-inch dish.
5. Now make your frosting.  In a bowl, use an electric mixer to combine greek yogurt, cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla.  Mix on high speed until smooth.
6. Spread frosting over pressed out dough.  Sprinkle with coconut.  Allow bars to set in the fridge for at least 1 hour before slicing into 9 bars.

P.S. If you dislike coconut, you can just leave the coconut flakes off.

UPDATE: I added 1tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp clove and I'm glad I did. The little addition of spice is more like the carrot cake I have made before. Adjust to your level of spice. I personally would have added a touch more of each and maybe a 1/2 tsp ginger.

photo credit to Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean