Tag: no added sugar

Navy Bean Soup

With the drop in temperature to the chilly 60’s, rain and ominous dark skies I decided to bust out the big green soup pot and declare the official start of soup season. After all it is September and, according to some meteorologists, September 1st marks the start of meteorological fall.

Of all the soups I could possibly kick the season off with – why navy bean soup? Well – it was a special request from my mother in law. When the call came in for navy bean soup in I sprung into action and hurried on over for the soup delivery. Did she like it? She LOVED it and, in fact, ate it all and requested more!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound dry navy beans
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 large Vidalia onion chopped
  • 2 large carrots chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 5 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup unflavored almond milk

Directions:

  1. Place the dried navy beans in a collander and thoroughy rinse under running water.
  2. Put the 4 cups water in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Put the beans in the pot and boil for two minutes stirring intermittently. Take the pot off the burner, put the lid on and let the beans soak for one hour. Pour the beans through a colander to drain the water.
  3. Saute the onions, carrots and celery in a small amount of water in the soup pot.
  4. Add the vegetable broth, beans, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and black pepper and bring to a boil then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes stirring occasionally until the beans are soft.
  5. Add the almond milk.
  6. Remove the soup from the stove and allow to cool down then puree using a hand held mixer or high speed blender.
Garnished with additional thyme and served with a Wasa cracker
Served with a whole grain French baquette. Most baquette’s have zero or less then 1 gram of fat in a serving.

Creamy Cucumber Gazpacho

When it is too hot to cook – don’t.

Sometimes in the heat of the summer there is nothing more refreshing then a nice bowl of gazpacho.

Gazpacho, originating from Spain, is a cold soup made from raw blended vegetables. Traditionally, gaspacho is an uncooked mixture of tomatoes and green pepper but it can also be a mixture of summer fruit like melons and berries or even summer greens.

The idea of a cold soup never crossed my mind until temperatures soared to 90 degrees last week. The thought of making a refreshing chilled dinner seemed incredibly appealing. It took about 10 minutes to whip this soup up in a blender and then like magic – instant dinner! I paired this soup with toasted Ezekiel sprouted 100% whole grain bread that I buttered with a little pureed avocado.

Creamy Cumber Gazpacho

Ingredients

  • 4 large unsliced cucumbers roughly cut
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tbsp. fresh dill plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Vegetable broth (optional to adjust thickness of soup)
Cucumbers, avocado, basil, dill, lemon, garlic, black pepper, vegetable broth

Directions

  1. Cut up the cucumbers and avocado
  2. Add ingredients to a high powered blender
  3. Blend until creamy
  4. Add vegetable broth, if desired, for a thinner soup
Roughly cut pieces
Enjoy!

Cocoa, Date, Banana Confection

Cocoa, Date, Banana Confection

I had a few recent comments stating that my blog is a bit too heavy on soups and lacking in dessert ideas. Yes, I admit, I love my soups and don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I am going to try to focus a little more on whole food, plant based, no sugar, oil or salt desserts to satify everyone’s sweet cravings.

This quick and easy little dessert concoction is super delicious while also being very nutritious. Warning: it is very rich and filling.

The star ingredient is date syrup which is essentially just liquified dates. Date syrup is super sweet and with the heart healthy benefits of the actual fruit. It is hard to believe something this sweet has zero added sugars, cholesterol or triglycerides. Date syrup can be tricky to find. I have been having good success at Meijer’s but have also ordered it online.

100% cocoa powder is a great way to satisfy your chocolate fix without the extra baggage of added sugar and fat. In fact, cocoa powder contains phytonutrients which have powerful antioxidant properties shown to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and certain other neurological conditions.

Simply slice a chilled banana, sprinkle a little cocoa powder over and then drizzle with date syrup. Served on a fancy plate, I can easily see this on the dessert menu at a five star restaurant or your next dinner party.

Chilled banana, 100% cocoa and date syrup
To make it even more special you can add a few walnuts

Ginger Mango Delight

Ginger Mango Delight

Two nice cream posts in a row! Well, frankly, I just can’t get enough of this stuff. Plus it’s been mid to high 80’s with no rain in sight and nothing is more cooling then a nice bowl of nice cream.

I switched up the ratio of bananas to “other fruit” in this recipe. More mangos then bananas plus added more plant based milk then I normally would. The additional plant based milk makes the final product more creamy or custardy then my other nice cream posts.

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe banana sliced
  • 2 ripe mangos cut in pieces
  • 1 – 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (preferred) or ground ginger
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions

  1. Freeze banana slices and mango pieces for at least 4 hours
  2. Place frozen banana and mango in a food processor or high speed blender
  3. Add grated fresh ginger or ground ginger and almond milk
  4. Puree until smooth and creamy

High fat, high sugar and high calorie ice cream is so yesterday. Zero fat, zero added sugar and nutrient dense nice cream is so today. Say no to ice cream and yes to nice cream!! Remember, the more you eat the healthier you are!

Avocado Green Pea Spread on Toasted Flax Bread

Many people think an avocado is a vegetable but it is actually a fruit. Botanically speaking, it is a large berry with a single seed. Avocados are an important source of fat among plant based eaters and dense in nutrients. There was a time when avocados got a bad rap due to the fact that 85% of the calories come from fat. A medium sized avocado is packed with 150 calories. Don’t turn an avocado down for this reason though. The fat in an avocado is monounsaturated fat, which is a “good” fat that helps lower bad LDL cholesterol, as long as you eat them in moderation. The recommended serving size is 1/3 of an avocado. Phytosterols found in avocado fat have huge anti-inflammatory benefits. The polyhydroxenated fatty alcohols also found in avocados offer additional anti-inflammatory benefits. Why are anti-inflammatory foods important in the diet? Well diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, depression and Alzheimer’s seemed to be linked to chronic inflammation.

Green peas are a member of the legume family and are little vitamin powerhouses. They are packed with vitamins A, B1, B6 and C. One cup of peas is loaded with 50% of the daily requirement for Vitamin K which is needed for blood clotting and bone health. These little green gems are densely packed with protein and fiber and contain zero fat. Concerned about the starch in peas? Don’t be. Peas rank low on the glycemic index list (how carbohydrates affect blood sugar) clocking in at only 50 for 1 cup. So if you are someone who generally says no to peas instead learn to say “more peas please!”

The combination of avocado and peas make this sandwich a robust, healthy and filling lunch idea. Adding peas to a smaller amount of avocado is a great way to lower the fat content.

Ezekiel bread is the only bread used in my household. It is hubby approved which speaks volumes. It is a flourless bread made from whole grains that have been allowed to sprout. Sprouting reduces anti-nutrients which are substances which prevent the absorption of nutrients. There is no added sugar in this bread and it is very low in sodium. All this said it is no wonder it’s a very low glycemic index food clocking in at only 36 for the Ezekiel 4:9 recipe. https://www.foodforlife.com/about_us/ezekiel-49

Avocado Green Pea Spread on Toasted Flax Bread

Ingredients

  • 1/2 over-ripe avocado
  • 3/4 cup frozen green peas (thawed)
  • 2 tbsps. lime juice
  • Ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 slices Ezekiel flax bread
  • Grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, salad greens, radish slices, Shredded red cabbage, banana peppers (optional garnish/sides)
Avocado, green peas, lime juice, black pepper

Directions

  1. In food processor puree avocado, peas, lime juice and black pepper
  2. Toast Ezekiel bread
  3. Spread the avocado-pea mixture on toasted bread. Add thinly sliced radishes and red cabbage.
  4. Serve with side of tomatoes, carrots, salad greens and banana peppers
Look at how creamy? On warm toast just like butter!