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:
Place the dried navy beans in a collander and thoroughy rinse under running water.
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.
Saute the onions, carrots and celery in a small amount of water in the soup pot.
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.
Add the almond milk.
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 crackerServed with a whole grain French baquette. Most baquette’s have zero or less then 1 gram of fat in a serving.
I hadn’t heard of it until I watched a cooking demonstration by Chef Tony, the culinary director of Sodexo, a trusted partner of University Hospitals, where I work. Chef Tony made it seem so easy and, in fact, it was!
Why chickpea tofu?
I happen to love regular tofu made from soybeans but not everyone is a fan. If you are someone who does not dig the taste or are concerned with the fact that soybean tofu is processed (although minimally) then chickpea tofu may be the way to go. Both are an excellent source of plant based protein.
This recipe for chickpea tofu is Chef Tony’s with a few exceptions. Instead of using salt I used miso paste. Miso is fermented soy beans, water and a lot of salt. Wait a minute – I thought salt was something that should be avoided? Well in a randomized study of individuals with stage 1 or 2 hypertension that were given two bowls of miso soup a day, those that consumed the miso soup ended up with lower bedtime blood pressure. It is thought that the miso had a diuretic effect by increasing sodium excretion by the kidneys. In summary, miso paste is green light. Check out this great video on miso paste.
Also, I substituted table sugar for date sugar. Table sugar is refined meaning it has been processed and has a glycemic index of 100. Date sugar is less processed and still retains many of the nutrients of dates including fiber and has a glycemic index of 55.
Lastly, instead of pan frying the tofu I baked mine in the oven. Pan frying requires the use of oils which can have health risks including inflammation, effects on cholesterol and toxins when exposed to high heat.
Very much like soy tofu, chickpea tofu has very little flavor. The garlic powder does help but serving with harissa sauce makes it much more palatable.
Chickpea tofu served with harissa sauce is a must
Ingredients for the Chickpea Tofu
1 cup chickpea flour (I make my own flour by running dried chick peas through a high speed blender)
1 tsp. miso paste
1/2 tsp. date sugar
1/2 tsp, garlic powder
Pinch of tumeric
2 3/4 cup water
Cornstarch
Directions for the Chickpea Tofu
Whisk together chickpea flour, date sugar, garlic powder and tumeric in a bowl. Pour 1 cup water and the miso paste into the mix and stir into a smooth batter. Set aside.
Pour remaining water into a saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.
Whisk the chickpea batter 6-7 minutes stirring constantly. The batter should have the consistency of pudding.
Turn off the heat and pour the batter into a silicone baking pan. Let cool 10-15 minutes at room temperature then transfer to refrigerator for at least 2 hours to set.
Flip the set tofu onto a cutting board and cut into small cubes. Blot off any water or moisture with a paper towel.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the chickpea tofu on a pan covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Sprinkle a little garlic powder and a very light dusting of cornstarch.
Bake for 40 mintues flipping half way.
The chickpea batter thick like puddingI did not have a large silicone loaf pan so settled for using my pan with smaller individual loafs. I was able to make 4 little loafs.Cut into little cubes. The oven baked method is certainly not as crispy as pan frying but so much healthier.
Ingredients for the Harissa Sauce
4 roasted red peppers
1 red chili pepper (deseeded)
3 garlic cloves
2 tsps. white miso paste
1/2 lemon
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tsps. caraway seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
Roasted red peppers, red chili pepper, garlic, miso paste, lemon, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds
Directions for the Harissa Sauce
In a small pan stir the coriander, caraway and cumin seeds over low heat for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Transfer all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add up to 1/4 cup water for desired consistency.
Harissa sauce is excellent with tofu but I also put it on veggie burgers, roasted vegetable and salad greens.
There’s nothing better then warming up a cool late October day with a healthy home baked creation. This is the season for all things pumpkin and when I woke up this morning wanted the sweet smell of pumpkin and spices permeating throughout the house. Immediately I thought of pumpkin bread and I just so happened to have the most amazing plant based recipe. So at 10 o’clock in the morning I swung into pumpkin spice bread mode and before you know it that little loaf was in the oven baking.
That’s about when hubby came in the kitchen and told me to get dressed we’re going on an autumn hike. Well – so much for the smell of pumpkin and spices permeating throughout the house. In the 50 minutes that it took to bake my bread I managed to take a shower, get dressed, throw a little make-up on and by the time I laced up my hiking boots my little loaf of pumpkin spice bread was ready to come out of the oven.
It’s peak fall foliage season here in NE Ohio so the hike at Chapin Forest was like one out of a story book. The brilliant crimsons, yellow ochres and sienna oranges were somewhat of a visual overload. It was quite windy so the entire area was snowing “leaves.” We stopped at a viewpoint which overlooked a valley draped in the most magnificent colors and ominous Lake Erie in the background. Absolutely drop dead gorgeous!
The drive back home through scenic country roads was equally spectacular. I love the look of modest little country homes decorated with pumpkins, scarecrows and little homemade ghosts swaying from trees. I started thinking of toasty fireplaces, hot apple cider and then just as we pulled up in the driveway I started thinking about my freshly made pumpkin spice bread. As we opened the door it was just as I imagined in the morning – the sweet smell of pumpkin and spices permeating throughout the house. The bread was still warm and how delicious it tasted after our robust autumn hike!
Chapin Forest at one of the best scenic overlooks, quarry pond ledges, from which Cleveland and Lake Erie are visible on a clear day.
Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinammon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin
1/2 cup date syrup
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Sift together the first seven ingredients in a large bowl
In another bowl stir together the pumpkin, date syrup and vanilla
Add the flour mixture and stir until all ingredients are mixed. The batter will be firm. Fold in the raisins and walnuts.
Pour the batter into an 8 x 4 parchment lined or silicone loaf pan
Bake 50-60 minutes (or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean) in a preheated 350 degree oven.
Slices so nicely and super moist. Everything about this bread is healthy (no refined sugar, butter or oil) but it tastes sinfully delicious – like cake!
It all started with a bumper crop of eggplant. The old me would have whipped up a batch of eggplant parmesan with all the fried breading, mozzarella cheese, saturated fat and oodles of calories . The healthy me researched whole food plant based eggplant recipes. I found several on Forks Over Knives plant based nutrition site and decided to give Ratatouille Fusilli a try. I’m glad I did. What I like best about this dish is how simple it is to put together and how flavorful it is.
Eggplant, also known as aubergines, are often considered a vegetable but is really a fruit because they grow from a flowering plant and have seeds. We typically think of eggplant as purple in color but they can also be red, green or black. Eggplants are nutrient dense and packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber but very low in calories. Eggplants are high in anthocyanins which is a pigment responsible for their vibrant color but also a very potent antioxidant. Eggplants contain solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides (SRGs) which protect against certain types of cancers. There has been research to support SRGs effectiveness against skin cancer when applied directly to the skin. With all these health benefits, I’m going to make it a yearly tradition to add eggplant to my garden!
Ingredients
1/2 cup green lentils washed and soaked
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup finely chopped leeks, both white and light green parts
3 cloves minced garlic
2 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 unpeeled eggplant cut into 1″ pieces
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
green lentils, canned diced tomatoes, leek, garlic, Italian seasoning, eggplant, white wine vinegarMy eggplant! Aren’t they beautiful??!!
Directions
Place the lentils in a saucepan and fill with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to boil then simmer until cooked, about 10 – 15 minutes. Set aside but do not drain.
Cook pasta, drain and set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat combine tomatoes with the juice, leeks, garlic and Italian seasonings and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant and cook for 15 – 20 minutes stirring occasionally until soft.
Add the pasta, lentils with their liquid and vinegar to the skillet and stir everything together until well combined.
Cook until heated. Add 1/4 cup water if the mixture seems too dry. Adjust seasonings to taste.
I recently read that quinoa (keen-waa), soy and buckwheat are perfect proteins. Unlike some plant based proteins, quinoa, soy and buckwheat are complete in that they contain all 9 essential amino acids that the body cannot make on its own. These 9 essential amino acids are critical to tissue growth, nutrient absorption, immune function and energy production.
While I eat soy on a regular basis, I am embarrassed to say quinoa and buckwheat have never made it on my dinner plate – at least that I’m aware. Quinoa had my interest. In my research I found that it is a flowering plant in the amaranth family grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is high in protein, fiber, B vitamins and minerals which exceed that of many grains. Quinoa is actually considered one of the 12 ancient grains which means it has been grown the same way for thousands of years without being genetically modified.
Of the four main varieties of quinoa (white, black, tri-color and red) red is considered the healthiest due to having the highest level of antioxidants.
White, black, tri-color and red quinoa
Okay – so with all that said – I was itching to find a healthy recipe in which quinoa took center stage. I found a nice little recipe in the Fall 2022 edition of Forks over Knives for Quinoa-Orzo Stuffing and used it to make my remarkably delicious stuffed baked tomatoes.
Would you look at that!!!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup dried quinoa rinsed
3 cloves finely minced garlic
1/4 cup dry whole wheat orzo
Note: It is very important that quinoa is thoroughly rinsed. Rinsing removes the natural coating called saponin which can make it taste bitter or soapy.
My quinoa was bought bulk so rinsing was super essential. I am in mad rinse mode here! In my reading it is recommended to rinse packaged quinoa even if is says it was pre-rinsed. Look at how dirty the rinse water got!
5 beefsteak tomatoes
1/2 cup scallions cut in small pieces (use the green ends)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lemon
Black pepper
Avocado slices
I did not scoop the entire tomato guts out. Just enough to get a decent amount of stuffing in. And … don’t throw out the guts. Use it in a smoothy or save it for homemade veggie broth. Tomatoes contain lycopene- one of the most potent antioxidants.
Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine the onion, quinoa, garlic and 1 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the orzo. Cover and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes stirring occasionally until orzo is soft. If the mixture is too watery uncover the pan and cook 1 or 2 minutes longer until water is nearly gone. Remove from heat then cover and let stand for a few minutes.
Add the scallions, parsley, black pepper, lemon juice and stir
Scoop out the insides of the tomatoes and fill with the stuffing
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
The quinoa-orzo stuffing tastes so nutty, creamy and simply satisfying And then add the lemon, scallions, parsley and black pepper – and OMG!An excellent side to accompany a chickpea wrap or vine tomato soupExtra stuffing then you need? No problem. Spread it on the bottom of your parchment paper lined baking dish.
The inspiration behind this soup was a beautiful Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven given to me recently by my son and daughter in law. What a perfect gift, I must say, for the soup nazi that I am! Well – I wanted to make a soup that was bold and also a complimentary color to my new pea green pot. So I’m at Rainbow Farms, my new favorite hang out market in Madison, and happened across the most beautiful bunch of red beets. That’s it! Beet soup. But it’s in the 20’s and snowy here in NE Ohio so I wanted something really hearty. Then it came to me – hearty, piping hot winter Borscht!
My gorgeous bunch of red beets
There are innumerable versions of this soup which is of Eastern European origin. I sieved through many recipes and ended up using Carole Clements recipe from What’s Cooking: Soups. I did tweak it up a bit – sorry Carole. Many recipes use potatoes but I ommited this only because I wanted it on the lighter side. I also debated whether or not to keep it chunky or pureed. I really agonized over this but in the end opted to puree. Maybe next time I will do a chunky / puree combination. To season borscht you absolutely have to have dill – fresh dill – and lots of it. There is something quite amazing about the pairing of beets with dill. Something I never knew, quite honestly, until making this soup.
Borscht is a sour soup. To achieve the sourness I used lemon juice but red wine vinegar works too. I tried a small sample using both and ended up going with the lemon juice which I felt was less harsh. I also noticed something interesting about the taste – sort of sweet and sour. Then it came to me. This was because of the sweetness of the carrots.
Traditionally Borsch is served with a dollop of sour cream. To maintain compliance with the plant based theme of this website, I substituted with Silk plain almond milk dairy-free yogurt.
There are so many reasons to love the star ingredient in this soup – beetroots. Beets are low in calories but super rich in nutrients. They are loaded with fiber, potassium, magnesium and vitamins B and C. They also contain folate which is good for heart health and manganese which is good for brain function and metabolism. According to Healthline, beets have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and blood pressure (although this effect is temporary) but a good reason to make plenty of Borscht.
Now if you’ll excuse me I am going to curl up on the couch with a nice big bowl of my Winter Vegetarian Borscht and watch the snow fall!
My pea green (the actual color is called avocado) Le Creuset dutch oven proudly showcasing the hearty ruby red Borscht!
Ingredients:
1/4 large green cabbage coarsley chopped
1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots thinly sliced
3-4 beets peeled and cubed
2 cloves minced garlic
14 oz. can peeled tomatoes in juice
6 cups vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. ground black pepper
Non-dairy yogurt
Green cabbage, onion, carrots, beets, peeled tomatoes in juice, vegetable stock, bay leaves, fresh dill, lemon, black pepper, non-dairy yogurt
Directions:
Cover the cabbage with cold water in a pan. Boil for 3 minutes then drain.
Saute the onion in a small amount of water in a cooking pot.
Add the broth, tomatoes, carrots, bay leaf and blanched cabbage. Stir. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hr 15 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves.
Allow the soup to cool slightly then transfer, small batches at a time, to a high speed blender and puree.
Return to the soup pot, add the dill, black pepper and lemon juice and stir. Add more broth or water to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve piping hot with a dollop of non-dairy yogurt.
Blanched cabbageAdding all the vegetablesAfter simmering for 1’15”And then the dill!Would you just look at those complimentary colors!To get the cool ribboned look of the yogurt I used a frosting decorator bottle with tip
Miso Soup with Baby Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms
Well I was up at good ‘ole Lucky’s Market over the weekend and saw some baby bok choy (Chinese White Cabbage). It is not always the easiest to find. Regular bok choy is readily available but not baby. While they are basically the same, baby bok choy leaves are small, tender, sweeter and can be eaten uncooked in a salad. I remember the first time I discovered bok choy was back in my January post Baby Bok Choy with Tahini-Ginger Sauce. That guy in the produce aisle holding the bok choy like it was a prize trophy or fish or something, admiring it, smiling and telling me how beautiful it looks. And then his words of advice “it has to be baby bok choy – not mature stalks!” Some things you never forget. That is one of them.
So I’ve been thinking about miso soup for a few weeks now. It’s been quite awhile since we had it and I really appreciate the simplicity of this soup. For those of you unfamiliar, miso is a traditional Japanese soup with the core ingredients: stock and miso paste. Miso paste is a mixture of fermented soybeans, sea salt and koji (Japanese mold). You can find it in just about any grocery store usually in the produce or tofu section. I know what you are thinking. This is a no salt website and miso paste clearly contains sea salt. Well apparently the positive effects of soybeans cancel out the hypertensive and gastric cancer effects of sodium. That being said, miso paste is the only sodium containing product that is considered green light. Here is some supporting research.
In addition to the stock and miso paste anything else you want to put in is completely up to you. Some typical add-ins are seaweed, kelp, tofu, mushrooms, scallions and bok choy. If you like you can serve miso soup with rice noodles(very thin), udon noodles (thick) or ramen noodles.
Ingredients
6-7 ribs of baby bok choy (cut in pieces)
3 scallions (cut in small pieces)
10 shiitake mushrooms cut in pieces (remove stems)
1 block extra firm and pressed tofu (cut in small cubes)
6 cups vegetable or mushroom broth
4 tbsp. miso paste
1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Rice, udon or ramen noodles
Baby Bok Choy, Ginger, Scallions, Shiitake Mushrooms, Extra Firm Tofu, Miso Paste, Vegetable or Mushroom BrothCooked Rice Noodles
Directions
Place broth and ginger in a pot over medium heat.
Add mushrooms, bok choy, white tips of scallions and black pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Note: I remove the shiitake stems because to me they are too tough and chewy. I save them for mushroom or veggie broth.
Add the tofu and simmer for a few minutes until warm.
Turn off the heat and stir in the miso paste. Note: never add miso when soup is simmering or too hot because it will kill off the gut healthy probiotics.
Serve over rice noodles and garnish with cut up green scallions.
Umani is another term for savoriness and is considered one of the 5 basic tastes. In Japan it means “the essence of deliciousness” and is the perfect description of miso soup. Miso soup with noodles is rich enough to eat alone but tonight we paired it with sushi. I wish I can take credit for making the sushi. That’s on my bucket list of things to learn.
Avocado Butter with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes on Toasted Bun
I found a package of grape tomatoes tucked in the back of my refrigerator that had seen its better days. They were shriveled but not yet moldy. Hubby told me to throw them away. “We don’t waste food Dennis,” I said. So I cut them in half, roasted them in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, and Oh My God! Sweet like candy.
I also had a few over-ripe avacados that weren’t looking so great either. I pureed them with a tablespoon of unsweetend almond milk and a little black pepper until they got nice and creamy. I spread the avocado over a toasted whole wheat bun then smothered it with the roasted tomatoes. If you’ve never had pureed avocado on warm toast or bun try it. It tastes so buttery. Anyway, this was the birth of my Avocado Butter with Roasted Grape Tomatoes on Toasted Bun creation!
Place on parchment paper or a silicone pad to eliminate the need for oil. 400 degrees for 20 minutes.Over-ripe avocados, grape tomatoes, a little almond milk and a bun. That’s all it takes to make this mouthwatering and super healthy sandwich. The bun is Dave’s Market Killer Organic 21 Whole Grain and Seeds
I’ve been making this chili all my married life. Well – the Chili con Carne version anyhow. It’s one of my father-in-law’s signature recipes that I turned vegan (sorry dad) by omitting the ground beef and adding tofu for the protein. I throw in some fresh spinach and wallah – both delish and nutrish!!
Chili without the Con Carne
Ingredients
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
1/3 fresh jalapeno finely chopped (wear gloves)
1 can reduced sodium tomato soup
1 large can diced tomatos
1 can red kidney beans drained
1/2 can black beans drained
6 oz. firm and pressed tofu
1 cup fresh spinach
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. cumin
3 bay leaves
Directions
Add all the ingredients, except spinach and tofu, in a large pot. Simmer on low while stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Add spinach and tofu and simmer for 15 more minutes. Remove bay leaves. Serve with Wasa multi-grain crisp breads (I buy them at Giant Eagle) or my Pepita, Sesame and Flaxseed Crisp Crackers.
This is one of my favorite salad dressings. The recipe came from Dr. Greger’s “How Not to Die” cookbook. It is rich, creamy, flavorful and super easy to make. If refrigerated in a sealed container it will last up to one week.
The recipe calls for Dr. Greger’s “Savory Spice Blend” which is a mix of 10 spices. If you open up the link and follow the recipe it makes 1/2 cup. The blend can be stored in a covered jar and is an excellent medley of spices which can be used for just about any recipe. Dr. Greger advocates the use of a variety of spices on a daily basis. In addition to flavoring foods, each spice has their own powerful health benefits. If you don’t have the savory spice blend on hand – no problem – this salad dressing will still taste delicious. I do add black pepper to this dressing in order to reap the benefits of the tumeric. If you recall from my Healing Tumeric Banana Date Smoothie post, the piperine in the black pepper enhances the absorption of the curcumin in the tumeric.
For the blended peeled lemon, I learned a really cool tip a few weeks ago. Cut off the ends of a few lemons, remove the peels and place in blender. Put the juice and pulp in ice cube containers and freeze. Remove the frozen juice / pulp and place in freezer bags. Pop them out of the freezer when you need lemon. Simply genius.
