Cream-less Cream of Broccoli Soup

Serves 4-6

Cream of broccoli soup is a forever favorite of mine but since I’m not eating dairy these days, I tried substituting with cauliflower and ghee and the result came out so good, you’d never guess there isn’t any cream at all!   Not only is this soup velvety smooth, filling and delicious, but it’s a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which boost your health in a variety of ways. This recipe is super easy to make and has only a handful of ingredients so definitely try this one-pot, vegan and family-friendly soup that your crew is sure to love!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2-3 tablespoons ghee

• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and very light green parts only)

• 2 tsp sea salt plus more to taste

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• ½ head cauliflower, chopped

• 1 head broccoli, chopped

• 8-10 cups vegetable or chicken broth (enough broth to be 2 inches above the vegetables in the pot)

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

• ¼ cup chopped parsley to garnish

 Preparation:

 ·       In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic, leeks, and ½ tsp. salt for a few minutes until they are caramelized and soft.

·       Add the cauliflower and broccoli and sauté for another couple of minutes, stirring constantly.

·       Add the broth and bring to a boil.  Add the rest of the salt and some freshly ground pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 – 40 minutes until vegetables are completely tender.  Remove from heat.

·       While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Toss or spray pumpkin seeds with a little olive oil and spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for about 5-7 min. until lightly toasted and remove from the oven.

·       Blend the soup either by using a stick blender or by pouring soup into a high-speed blender in small batches until it’s smooth and creamy. 

·       Return the soup to the pot if you blended it in a blender and turn the heat on low to warm it.  Add ghee and stir. 

·       Season with salt and pepper to taste.

·       To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. 

·       Enjoy!

·       This soup will keep well covered in the refrigerator for a few days or for several months in the freezer.

Turkey Chili

Serves 6

One of the few things my kids agree on is that this is the best turkey chili and their favorite meal I make! Even the pickiest eater will want this deliciously rich and thick comfort food all winter long. It’s super easy to make as well as double for leftovers during the week, freeze for future meals or to make for crowds (think football season)!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 yellow pepper, chopped

• 1 orange or red pepper, chopped

• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1 small jalapeno pepper, sliced for garnish

• 1 lb. organic ground turkey

• 5 tbsp. chili powder

• 1 tbsp. ground cumin

• 2 tsp. dried oregano

• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

• 2 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste

• 1 can (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes

• 1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 can (15 oz.) red kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation:

• Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add in onion, garlic and peppers and sauté until softened and onions are translucent about 5-7 min.

• Add the ground turkey to the pot and cook until meat is no longer pink. Break the meat up while your cooking.

• Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt. Stir until well combined.

• Add the tomatoes, broth and beans. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 min or longer so chili will thicken and flavors will come together.

• Add more salt and pepper to taste

• When serving garnish with a few slices of jalapeno and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

Serves 6

There’s nothing like a cold and rainy weekend to make me want to cozy up inside and make soup, and this scrumptious recipe did not disappoint! 
Rich, comforting and creamy, but even better because there isn’t any cream involved. The mushroom and caramelized onion topping smells so good and is the perfect combo.  Definitely give this easy recipe a try, it’s just as delicious as it is healthy! 

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 1 head garlic, broken into cloves
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. lemon zest
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 6 cups vegetable broth

For the topping:

• 1 large or 2 medium sized red onions, sliced thin
• 4-5 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 1 ½ cup shitake mushrooms, sliced 
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp. parsley, minced

Preparation: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Toss the cauliflower and garlic with the olive oil, lemon zest, salt and spices and spread on a baking sheet.  Roast for about 25-35 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender and the edges are lightly browned.  Remove from oven and let cool.
• When cool blend ¾ of the cauliflower and garlic with the vegetable broth until smooth.  Pour mixture into saucepan.  Blend the rest of the cauliflower just until chunky and add that to the saucepan.  Heat over medium-low heat, stirring often while you prepare the topping. 
• Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium high heat.  Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and then the onion slices and sea salt.  Cook for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring often until onion is caramelized and browned.  Remove onions from skillet and place in a bowl.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in the same skillet.  Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms are getting crispy on the edges.  
• Fold in the onions and parsley.  
• Ladle the soup into bowls, add the topping and drizzle with olive oil.
• Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower and Crab Chowder

Serves 4

This delicious and healthy chowder is a full meal on it’s own.  It’s so rich and creamy you’d swear it included some type of cream but it doesn’t.  It’s naturally gluten-free, low carb, high-protein and very filling.  My entire family loved it and so will yours.  Couldn’t be more perfect for warming up on these cold winter nights!

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut up, including the core
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 leeks, sliced thinly, white and light green parts only
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 3-4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 4 cups organic broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 1 cup water
• ½-1 cup nut milk of your choice (or organic whole milk if not dairy-free)
• 2 tbsp. Ghee or grass-fed organic butter (optional)
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 ½-2 cups fresh crabmeat
• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• ½ tsp. paprika
• Fresh sage leaves toasted as garnish

Preparation: 

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chopped cauliflower on baking sheet.  Drizzle or toss with ½ the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 25 minutes until just browned.  Remove from oven.
• Lower oven to 250 degrees.  Place pumpkin seeds and sage on another baking sheet.  Spray, toss or drizzle with olive oil.  Then sprinkle or toss seeds with paprika and toss or sprinkle sage with salt.  Bake for about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.
• In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the rest of the olive oil.  Add the onion, leeks, garlic and celery.  Sauté until soft but not browned, about 8 minutes.
• Season mixture with salt and then add the roasted cauliflower and toss until it’s completely coated with the onion mixture.  Cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add 3 cups of the chicken broth and the water.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes.  
• Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency.  I like to keep it a little chunky.  If adding the ghee or butter, add it now.  Season to taste by adding salt and pepper.  Then add the rest of the broth and milk.  Finally gently stir in the crab and continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes until hot.
• When ready to serve, garnish with a little extra crab meat, sage and spicy pumpkin seeds.
• Enjoy!

Wild Mushroom Soup

Serves 6

I love mushrooms!  They’re so good for you and it’s almost impossible to become tired of them when there are so many varieties to choose from and so many ways to use them.  One of my favorites is this rich, creamy, full of earthy flavor mushroom soup.  This recipe is a slightly adapted version of Jamie Oliver’s and it’s just as delicious as it is healthy! I love to freeze leftovers in glass mason jars in serving sized portions for quick meals. You can view the original recipe here: 
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/the-real-mushroom-soup/

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 1.5 lbs. mixed fresh mushrooms (I used shitake, portabella, oyster and white button)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
• Sea salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 liters chicken or vegetable broth 
• ½ cup unsweetened almond, cashew milk or any other milk you prefer
• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Preparation: 

• Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl, add boiling water to cover and let soak.
• Heat a large 4 or 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Once hot, add the olive oil and fresh mushrooms.  Stir mushrooms around quickly for about a minute and then add the onion, garlic, thyme and season with salt and pepper.
• After another couple of minutes, chop half the porcini mushrooms and leave the rest whole and add them to the pot.  Then strain the soaking liquid to remove any grit and add it to the mixture.  Cook for about 15 minutes until most of the moisture disappears.
• Season to taste by adding salt and pepper.  Then add broth, bring to boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.  
• Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency.  I like to puree about half and leave the rest whole.
• Add the parsley and milk and more salt and pepper if needed.  Continue to simmer for at least another 10 minutes to let flavors combine.  
• Finally, when serving, pour soup into individual bowls and spoon a about a half teaspoon of lemon juice and lemon zest into the middle of the soup.  When you go to eat it, stir it in as it gives the soup a wonderful flavor.
• Enjoy!

Detoxing Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

On snowy days nothing will warm you up after a morning of building snowmen quite like a hot bowl of soup.  This was made with whatever veggies I had in the house and it turned out so good I couldn’t wait to share this super easy-to-make, vitamin-rich, fiber-filled delicious recipe.  Freeze leftovers in glass mason jars in serving sized portions for a quick meal. 

Ingredients:

• 1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 3 cups broccoli, cut into florets
• 3 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• Himalayan sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Preparation: 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Melt coconut oil in small saucepan.  Toss cauliflower with oil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Place cauliflower on baking sheet and roast for about 25-30 minutes or until slightly browned.
• Heat a large 4 or 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil.  When it shimmers, add the leek, carrot, and a few pinches of salt.  Sauté for 7-10 minutes, until softened. 
• Add the garlic and sauté for one minute.  Next, add the broccoli and zucchini, and pour in enough vegetable broth to cover the veggies.  Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are just cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Add the roasted cauliflower to the pot and after a few minutes remove the pot from the heat.  
• Add the spinach and using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth.  
• Finally stir in the almond milk, warm soup on low heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  
• Garnish with parsley (optional) and enjoy!

*  You can also use a regular blender but be careful because hot liquid expands when blended and can cause it to explode all over the place.  To puree in the blender, without an explosion:  remove the cap or stopper from the lid of the blender.  Fill blender no more than halfway with soup.  Place the lid on the blender and cover the hole with a towel, holding it in place with your hand.  Start the blender on low to get it going and slowly lift up the towel to let some of the steam escape.  After it starts to puree you can slowly turn the power up to reach your desired consistency.  Then pour the soup back into the pot and add the almond milk.

Split Pea Soup

Serves 6

This amazing recipe is a slightly adapted version of Ina Garten’s and it’s the first soup I learned to make.  It’s still one of my all time favorites! It’s delicious and super easy to prepare!  The healthy ingredients yield a nutrient-dense meal filled with dietary fiber, which keeps you full, potassium, which supports metabolism and helps regulate blood pressure and vitamin K, which maintains your health by helping your body respond to injury.  I love to freeze leftovers in glass mason jars in serving sized portions for quick family meals.  You can view the original recipe here:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parkers-split-pea-soup-recipe.html 

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 2 cups chopped carrots (3-4 carrots)

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup diced parsnip

• 10 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

• 1 pound dried split green peas

• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation: 

• Place olive oil into a large 4 or 6 quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and sweat until onions are translucent, approximately 10-15 minutes.

• Add the carrots, parsnip, ½ pound of the split peas and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

• Add remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 45-60 minutes, or until all the peas are soft. Stir frequently to keep the solids from burning on the bottom.

• If you prefer your soup thinner you can add a little more stock.

• Add more salt and pepper to taste.

• Garnish with parsley (optional) and enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 4

Soup season is officially upon us and not only does soup hit the spot on a cold day, it’s also one of the easiest things you can make for dinner.  This super creamy (yet cream-less) roasted butternut squash soup is a slightly adapted version from Cookie and Kate and it’s by far the best butternut squash soup I’ve ever tasted and incredibly simple to make!  Butternut squash is one of the most nutritious and healthiest vegetables you can eat, with a rich array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants as well as lots of fiber - and it's super filing too!  You can see the original recipe here: http://cookieandkate.com/2015/roasted-butternut-squash-soup/

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 smaller butternut squash, halved vertically with seeds removed
• 1 – 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1-tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup chopped shallot
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/8-teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Up to 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1-2 tablespoons butter (you can substitute olive oil for dairy free/vegan soup)
• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation: 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Rub each half of the butternut squash with coconut oil to lightly coat the squash on the inside.  Sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
• Turn the squash face down on the baking sheet and roast until it is tender and completely cooked through, about 45 to 50 minutes. Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, and then use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into a bowl and discard the skin.
• Next, in a large soup pot, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped shallot and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring frequently. 
• Now add the reserved squash to the pot, then add 3 cups of the vegetable broth, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes so the flavors have a chance to meld.  Then use your immersion blender to blend the soup completely. Then add 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, to taste, and blend again. If you want your soup thinner add more vegetable broth.  Taste and blend in more salt and pepper, if necessary.  Pour soup in individual bowls, top with a little more black pepper and parsley (optional) and enjoy!
• To store leftover soup, let it cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerate for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!) Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.

Lentil Soup

Serves 6

This hearty soup recipe is a slightly adapted version of Alton Brown’s and is my all time favorite!  Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse, rich in dietary fiber, folate, iron and a whopping 18 grams of lean protein per cup!  They help to reduce cholesterol and studies show that eating foods high in fiber-- like lentils, reduces your risk of heart disease.  

Not only is this soup the perfect power-packed entrée, but also super easy to prepare and so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 cup finely chopped Onion
• ½ cup finely chopped Carrot
• ½ cup finely chopped Celery
• 2 teaspoons sea or Kosher Salt
• 1 lb. Lentils, picked and rinsed
• 1 cup peeled and chopped Tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped Kale
• 2 quarts Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• ½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Coriander
• ½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

• Place olive oil into a large 6 quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat.  Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until onions are translucent, approximately 6-7 minutes.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and pepper and stir to combine.  Increase heat to high and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and cook at a low simmer until the Lentils are tender, approximately 40 minutes.  
• Add chopped kale and then using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency.  I like to puree about half of the lentils and leave the rest whole.
• Garnish with parsley and enjoy!