Soups and Sweets
Where did that freezing weather all of a sudden come from?! Seems right on time being that everyone springs so quickly into the holiday season (Juliann has the house fully decorated for Christmas - yes, she is that person).
This kind of weather calls for delicious, nutrient-dense soups and some yummy treats! We went apple picking a couple weeks ago, so I tried to find as many apple recipes as I could. I tweaked them a little to get rid of some not-so-healthy ingredients and let me tell you - they were STILL just as delicious! ENJOY! Please let us know if you make anything - take a picture and tag us!
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
1 medium carrot, diced
1 small sweet potato, diced
¼ cup dry white wine, i.e., pinot grigio
1 14.5-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste
4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup chopped green beans
1 zucchini, diced
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1½ cups chopped kale
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Add the carrot and sweet potato, stir and cook 2 more minutes.
Add the wine and cook for about 30 seconds to reduce by half, then add the canned tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
Stir in the cherry tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, chickpeas, and cover and cook 10 to 15 more minutes, until the green beans are tender.
Stir in the vinegar, kale, an additional ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste), and more pepper.
Golden Turmeric Noodle Miso Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups water
1 strip of kombu, rinsed
3 scallions, chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup white miso paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon tamari
2 teaspoons sriracha
7 ounces tofu, cubed
2 1/2 ounces cooked rice noodles, and/or zucchini noodles (1 small zucchini)
2 baby bok choy, stalks thinly sliced, leaves torn
¼ teaspoon sea salt, optional
Fresh mint or cilantro, optional for serving
Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
In a medium pot, combine the water and the kombu. Simmer gently, without boiling, for 10 minutes. Remove the kombu. Add the scallions, carrots, ginger, and garlic and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20 minutes.
Scoop ½ cup of the hot broth into a small bowl with the miso paste. Stir until combined and return it to the soup pot. Add the turmeric, black pepper, lemon and lime juice, coconut oil, tamari, sriracha, tofu, noodles, and bok choy. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with ¼ teaspoon sea salt, if desired, and serve with fresh herbs, if desired.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped,
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups chopped carrots, about 4 medium
6 kale leaves, stems finely diced, leaves chopped
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 (14-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
¾ cup uncooked green lentils
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
12 fresh thyme sprigs, bundled
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Heaping ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable broth
Red pepper flakes
½ cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Grated Parmesan, for serving, optional
Crusty bread, for serving
Directions:
Select the Sauté function on your Instant Pot. Set the level to medium and set the time to 8 minutes. When the Instant Pot is preheated, drizzle the oil into the pot and add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for the 8 minutes, or until the vegetables soften.
Add the kale stems, garlic, tomatoes, lentils, vinegar, thyme bundle, salt, cumin and several grinds of pepper to the pot and stir. Pour in the vegetable broth and secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes.
Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. When the float valve drops, remove the lid and stir in the kale leaves. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the thyme bundle, and garnish with the parsley and grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve with naan bread.
Baked Apples
Ingredients:
½ cup + 2 tablespoons whole rolled oats
½ cup almond flour
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup crushed walnuts
½ teaspoon Apple Pie Spice, or cinnamon
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup firm coconut oil
4 apples, cored and halved
Melted coconut oil, for drizzling
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Make the topping: In a small bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, brown sugar, walnuts, apple pie spice, and salt. Use your hands to work in the firm coconut oil until the mixture crumbles. If the mixture is too dry, add a few drizzles of water until the mixture starts to stick together when pinched.
Use a spoon to scoop out a bit of the center of each apple half. Place in an un-greased baking dish large enough to hold the apples. Drizzle with melted coconut oil and rub it all over the apples. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and top each half with generous spoonfuls of the topping. Drizzle a little more coconut oil on top and bake for 20 minutes, or until the apples have softened and the topping is crisp.
Let cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 4 tablespoons warm water
1½ cups oat flour, blended from 2 cups whole rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup very creamy almond butter
¼ cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup whole rolled oats
¾ cup finely chopped apple
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup raisins OR chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the flaxseed and water. Stir and set aside to thicken for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla, and brown sugar. Add the thickened flaxseed mixture and stir well.
Stir the whole rolled oats, apples, walnuts, and raisins into the bowl of dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. The batter will be thick and sticky.
Drop rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheet and press down slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned. (Note: do not under-bake or your cookies will be more likely to fall apart). Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.
