All tagged Simple

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan, GF)

Creamy Mushroom Soup tastes like pure comfort food but is loaded with veggies and has no cream or half-and-half!  It’s as easy as cooking onion, mushrooms, and potatoes in broth and blending until smooth with nondairy milk.  The chanterelle mushrooms from @MushroomMikeLLC add both elegance and a peppery, earthy flavor. 

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 tablespoon avocado oil

½ yellow onion, diced

Pinch of salt

28 oz. white mushrooms, diced

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup dry white wine

3 russet potatoes, diced

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk (I used Ripple)

10 chanterelle mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons butter (vegan)

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional: Drizzle of olive oil

How (your directions):

Heat avocado oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. 

Add the diced yellow onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add diced mushrooms, salt, and dried thyme.  Sauté, stirring frequently, until liquid from mushrooms evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Add white wine and stir for 30 seconds.

Add potatoes and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat vegan butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Add chanterelle mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Season with a pinch of salt.   

Turn the stove heat off and stir in nondairy milk into the soup.  Using an immersion blender or high-speed blender, blend the mushroom soup until smooth.

Serve soup with freshly ground pepper and a spoonful of chanterelle mushrooms on top.  Drizzle with good olive oil and enjoy hot!

Why (the science):  Fiber-rich potatoes and nondairy milk add a plant-based creaminess to the soup without the need for heavy cream or half-and-half!  Mushrooms are prebiotics, which feed the healthy bacteria in your gut to help reduce inflammation and boost your immune system.

5-Ingredient Creamy Broccoli Soup (Vegan, GF)

This 5-Ingredient Creamy Broccoli Soup comes together in less than 30 minutes and couldn’t be easier to make!  It has a silky-smooth texture, made creamy from the red potatoes, and is the perfect meal prep recipe.  5-Minute Creamy Broccoli Soup is nutritious, freezer-friendly, and perfect for lunch or a light dinner.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

½ teaspoon salt

5 medium red potatoes, diced

6 cups veggie broth

8 cups broccoli florets

To serve: freshly cracked pepper

How (your directions):

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add diced yellow onion and salt.  Sauté for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.

Add red potatoes, veggie broth, and broccoli.

Bring to a boil, then cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Turn off heat.  Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth and creamy.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer soup carefully to a blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy hot with freshly cracked pepper!

Why (the science):  Broccoli is a cruciferous veggie, meaning it has powerful anticancer effects!

Strawberry Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mint and Creamy Goat Cheese | GF |

Who doesn’t want to make a recipe in under 30 minutes that can last all week in the fridge, and be enjoyed at any meal, be that breakfast or dinner!  This Strawberry Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mint and Creamy Goat Cheese is rich in antioxidants, as well as protein to keep you full and satisfied.  Make once, enjoy all week!  The perfect simple meal prep recipe 😊

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

3 tablespoons orange juice (juice from 1 blood orange)

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 lb. strawberries

20 fresh mint leaves

2 oz. goat cheese

Walnuts to serve

How (your directions):

Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to a large sauté pan.  Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, create an easy vinaigrette by adding orange juice, olive oil, and salt to a large bowl.  Whisk and set aside.

Slice strawberries and chiffonade the mint.  Add to bowl with the vinaigrette.

When the quinoa has cooked for 15 minutes, turn off the heat, but leave the quinoa in the covered pan for 5 minutes.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork, then add to the bowl.  Stir to combine.

Place in refrigerator for a few minutes to cool.  Once cooled, crumble the goat cheese into the quinoa salad.

Serve room temperature or cold, and top with walnuts.

Enjoy for lunch or dinner (or even breakfast!) throughout the week.

Why (the science):  Mint and other herbs are high in antioxidants, which helps reduce inflammation and boost your immune system, which helps you feel better in general!

Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding Parfait

Chia seed pudding is an excellent meal prep recipe, as it lasts in the fridge for 5 days!  The Strawberry Sauce is delicious layered with the chia seed pudding, and can also be stirred into yogurt (or poured over ice cream (shh I won’t tell!). Cheers to a breakfast that you can make in advance, grab and go, enjoy as a dessert, or devour as a midafternoon snack 😊

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes (+ soaking overnight)

Cooking time: 0 minutes

What (your ingredients):

Chia Seed Pudding:

½ cup chia seeds

2 cups almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Strawberry Sauce:

8 oz. strawberries

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ lemon

How (your directions):

In a large bowl, add chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.  Whisk immediately, then allow to sit 5 minutes.

Whisk chia mixture once more, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

To make the strawberry sauce, simply add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

To assemble, create layers of chia pudding and strawberry sauce.  Garnish with additional sliced strawberries.

Why (the science):  Chia seeds are incredibly high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, so they’re great for both digestion and heart health.

Vegan Raspberry Muffins

Light and fluffy Vegan Raspberry Muffins are the perfect meal prep breakfast to enjoy throughout the week.  You’ll be absolutely adored if you make these for someone special on Valentine’s Day!  These muffins are significantly lower in sugar than traditional muffins, and the raspberry preserves help sweeten the muffin and add extra raspberry flavor.  The whole wheat pastry flour is my secret nutrition weapon when it comes to baking- it’s whole wheat (hello, health benefits of fiber and vitamin E for blood sugar control) but is light and fine like all purpose flour. 

Serves: 8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 tablespoon flax meal

3 tablespoons water

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons cane sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons melted vegan butter

2 tablespoons raspberry preserves

1 cup raspberries

How (your directions):

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a muffin tin with 8 liners, then set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flax meal and water.  Set aside while preparing dry ingredients.

To a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk to combine.

Once the flax egg has thickened, add almond milk, melted butter, and raspberry preserves to the flax egg.  Stir to combine.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until flour is just moistened. 

Fold in raspberries evenly through batter.

Using an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute batter among the lined muffin tin.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 3 minutes. 

Transfer muffins to a cooling rack.

Enjoy warm, room temperature, or toasted for breakfast throughout the week!

Why (the science):  Raspberries are rich in the antioxidant, ellagic acid, which reduces inflammation in the body and repairs DNA.