This week's recipe goes with last week's blog post about fiber. Lentils are a great source of fiber. This is a delicious way to get them into your diet!
I've wanted to make a lentil soup for the blog for a long time but have put it off because I don't have a lot of experience cooking lentils. I was very pleased with the results of this recipe, super yummy and also freezable for batch cooking.

Keep in mind I like my soups like stew, super thick, so just add more water/veggie broth for your desired thickness.

Italian Lentil Soup - vegan/gluten-free

Servings 6-8 - Preparation and cooking time - 1 hour

What You Need

 1 onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

3 medium carrots diced

3 celery stalks diced

1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

6-8 cups of water or veggie stock. Depending on your preference of thickness.

1 ½ cups of green lentils

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp basil

2 tbsp fresh parsley thinly chopped

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ cup...

This is one of my favorite recipes and if you have a food processor very quick and easy!

I ended up using walnuts instead of pinenuts for two reasons. The pine nuts were hard to find and they were super expensive! As you know my goal is usually quick and easy and let's save some moola.

I made this into two meals because I'm one person:) I served it over some spaghetti squash, very yummy. Then I made a little cashew cream (another recipe for another time) and mixed this with the leftover pesto and served this over Trader Joes Cauliflower Gnocchi. Wow, delicious!

Let's get started.

What You Will Need

1 1/2 Cups of fresh basil

1/3 Cup of olive oil

1 Cup of walnuts

6 Cloves of garlic

Juice of one lemon

1/3 Cup of nutritional yeast

3/4 Tsp of salt

3/4 Tsp of Black pepper

What You Need To Do

Add all ingredients to the food processor and pulse until a somewhat smooth paste forms. Be sure to scrape down the sides in between pulses.

That's it! Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for...

That's right, I love soup. I just can't wait for the weather to get a little cooler so I can start eating it again. So I'm just not going to. This is my adult version of breaking all the rules:)

I haven't made this soup in a while and I'm not sure why it's one of my favorite healing soups. This recipe is the best and I always change it up a bit depending on my mood. Sometimes I add potatoes, green beans, sometimes I leave out the zucchini. It just depends. I always put the cabbage in. It adds a little sweetness to it and makes it more filling. You can also change up the kind and amount of beans you add.

One of the best suggestions I have for you is that if you're going to spend the time chopping and cooking make enough to freeze and then you have healthy, home-made soup always waiting for you at home. I put enough for two people in a quart-size canning jar and it's perfect. Be sure to leave about 2 inches for it to expand when it freezes.

Let's get cooking and chopping!

Fills...

Full disclosure, I was going to do Roasted Curried Cauliflower, not the Sweet Potato Fries but I wasn't in the mood for cauliflower and I had none in the house and I did not want to go to the grocery store so sweet potatoes it is! 

I love sweet potato everything and it goes so well with the lemon tahini dip it also goes well drizzled on mashed sweet potatoes!

I'm definitely having the leftovers for lunch today! So excited!

Servings 2

Prep time 35 minutes

Preheat over to 425°

What you'll need

2 Large or 4 small sweet potatoes cut into wedges (see picture) No need to peel

2 Tablespoons of avocado oil

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder

1/2 Teaspoon of Garam Masala

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

For the Lemon Tahini Dip

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 Cup of tahini

1 Garlic clove

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1-3 Tablespoons of water (it depends on the consistency you would like)

What you need to do

For the sweet potatoes -  Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix...

I was watching a TV show the other day and they created a salad using grapefruits and this is where this recipe was born. Except I wanted to use oranges because I love oranges! The oven roasted almonds paired well with the sweet oranges and the mustard dressing was perfect. I added the roasted golden beets because they match and I had them in the fridge, I'm not kidding:) That's why I named it the Sunshine Salad. It's so bright and cheery!

This is a great main dish salad. It's definitely hearty enough. If you would rather have it as a side salad you could make it lighter by removing the beets.

As far as greens, I always mix a bunch together. This one has green leaf lettuce, spinach, and arugula. You guessed it, that's what was in my fridge. Use what you like. I think Romaine would work very well also.

Serving Size 2

Prep Time 1hr. with beets. 15 minutes without the beets. You could always make beets ahead of time.

What You Will Need

- A couple of handfuls of greens

- 1 Orange

- 1/4...

I have to admit that these falafels were a bit challenging. It took forever to get the flavor I wanted. I just couldn't get it right! Finally, they tasted great and I'm pretty sure the one ingredient that made the difference was the Garam Masala. This is a mixture of coriander, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. I also added cayenne pepper and loved the little kick it added.

I ate out recently and had a salad with the falafels on top served with hummus as dressing and it was perfectly delicious. This is my take on the salad. In the picture, you can see I thinned out the hummus a bit but I don't suggest you do this it was better just dipping my falafels and lettuce right into the hummus. Perfect! Use your favorite hummus recipe for the best option but if you're in a crunch for time just go buy some.

I also was challenged by the fact that I don't have a food processor or I should say its not here with me in NC. So I did a lot of chopping, mashing, and mixing. It's best if...

 This is one of my favorite lunches and I will also admit to eating this one for breakfast. This recipe is really for the tempeh bacon and can be used for so many different dishes. I made this into a wrap also and just added avocado without making the actual spread. I liked the spread for the sandwich because avocados always slide off the sandwich! In a wrap, they can't go anywhere. Let's get started!

Cook time 30-40 minutes. Marinate tempeh overnight if you can.

Preheat oven 375

Makes enough for 5 plus sandwiches or wraps.

What You Will Need 

For the tempeh bacon:

1/4 cup of liquid aminos, you can also use soy sauce or tamari.

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup of water

3 Tbsp of pure maple syrup

2 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/2 tsp of onion powder

1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp of cumin

2 - 8 oz packages of organic tempeh

For the avocado spread:

1 avocado

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp salt or salt to taste

1/2 lemon juiced

What You...

I seem to be drawn to the same ingredients, sweet potatoes, black beans, and a little spice. That's because its oh so good together! 

This weeks recipe is made with plant-based whole foods, a nutrition powerhouse, and is super delicious. There is nothing better than eating something that tastes so naughty but is really so good for you! This is one of those recipes.

Some of the Benefits

Sweet Potatoes - Are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, and copper. They also contain over double the daily value for vitamin A and about 4 grams per cup protein when cooked!

Black Beans - Are loaded with fiber, folate. and protein and also contain: 5 mg iron, 84 mg magnesium, 259 mg phosphorus, 739 mg potassium, 331 mg sodium, 1.3 mg zinc, 0.4 mg thiamin, 0.3 mg riboflavin. Wow! Load me up! 

Orange Pepper - Are packed with vitamins and low in calories. They are an excellent source...

I have been so excited about trying to use jackfruit in my blog for the longest time. The first time I bought jackfruit from the grocery store I bought ripe sweet jackfruit which isn't what you need to make vegan pulled pork sandwiches. You have to buy young jackfruit that is not ripe yet. I chose to buy it canned in brine, also an important step because sometimes it can be canned in syrup. I have to admit, buying a fresh jackfruit seemed a little intimidating to me. I had no clue how to prepare jackfruit at all, even the canned version. 

of course, I went to the all-knowing google to learn how to prepare the canned version and I suggest you do the same if you are also a jackfruit virgin. There was plenty of YouTube videos on the subject. I took a few pictures and will post here but I believe a video serves better on this subject and plan to do this for one of my meatless Monday's meals soon!

The jackfruit has a core like a pineapple and you will cut that part off. Within the...

I've been experimenting with this recipe for a while trying to get it just right and I think I finally got it!

I love black beans and rice but kinda wanted to fancy it up a little bit. I added sweet yellow onion, sweet red pepper, and jalapenos to spice it up a bit. I added two to the whole thing, and I think that might be a little too much spice for me. Next time I'll add just one.

The brown rice with the cilantro and lime really balanced it out. The plantain I sauteed was super ripe and sweet and that was the perfect complement to the spicy black beans and the tangy cilantro lime rice. Yum!

What You Will Need

For The Beans:

2 15oz cans of black beans drained and rinsed.

1 Medium yellow onion, diced.

1 Red Pepper, diced.

1 jalapeno sliced whole.

3 Cloves of garlic minced.

1 tablespoon of cumin.

Sea salt to taste.

For The Rice:

11/2 Cups of brown rice.

1 Large handful of cilantro, chopped.

1 Lime, juiced.

1-2 Very ripe plantains, sliced

1/2 Tsp....