Favorite Things

A smoothie consisting of beet, carrot, apple, ginger, and lemon juice, blended to perfection.

Ingredients

3 beet, washed, halved, steamed
3 carrots, halved
3 medium (450 g) apple, seeded, diced
3 piece (15 g) fresh ginger root, peeled
1½ lemons, peeled, halved
3 cups (390 g) ice cubes
Water as needed

Directions

Place all ingredients into a Vitamix and blend for 1 minute.

This large batch smoothie is great to serve to the entire family.

Stuffed cabbage rolls are time-intensive labors of love, involving blanching leaves in a big pot of boiling water, making filling, and putting together a sauce to simmer all those cute little parcels in. While they’re super-satisfying to make and serve, it’s hard to pull them off in a short amount of time, not to mention the mountain of dishes you have to wash afterward. But you can channel all the same flavors and ingredients into one hearty, just-as-flavorful, budget-friendly soup instead. Filled with nuggets of ground beef (or impossible burger), tender rice, a savory tomato broth, and lots of cabbage and carrots, this warming soup can be on the table in about an hour, with most of that being simmering, hands-off time.


The key to any good soup is building layers of flavors that mix and mingle, and this cabbage roll soup is no exception. Start by browning onions, ground beef, and paprika together (yup, at the same time!), and choose lean ground beef so the soup doesn’t end up too fatty. Next, add a box of beef broth, both diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and some water to make the signature tomato-based broth, and don’t forget to scrape up all those browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Brown sugar and apple cider vinegar step in next to form that balance of sweet and tangy that’s the hallmark of stuffed cabbage. (We’ve skipped the raisins in this soup, but feel free to add a handful!) To give the soup an easy shot of deeper flavor, shake in some Worcestershire sauce before adding the final mixture of shredded green cabbage, carrots, and uncooked white rice. From this point on, it’s just a hands-off 30 minute simmer time for the vegetables to get tender and for the flavors to meld before you’re sitting down to a steaming bowl of soup.

I love this gluten-free soup because it’s filling from the rice and beef but still gives me a good dose of vegetables. It’s a one-dish meal that makes a generous three quarts so that there’s enough left over to stash away in the fridge or freezer for an easy lunch. If the soup seems thick upon reheating, just add a little water to thin it back out and re-season with some salt and pepper if needed.


INGREDIENTS


* 1 medium yellow onion
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 pound green cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)
* 2 medium carrots (about 8 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 pound lean ground beef or Impossible Burger Meat
* 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
* 1 (32-ounce) box beef broth or veggie broth
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
* 1 cup water
* 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
* 1 bay leaf
* 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice or brown rice
* 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, for garnish (optional)


INSTRUCTIONS

* Dice 1 medium yellow onion (about 2 1/2 cups), mince 2 garlic cloves, and place both in the same bowl. Core and chop 1 pound green cabbage into 1-inch pieces (4 to 5 cups), peel and dice 2 medium carrots, and place both in second bowl.

* Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic, 1 pound lean ground beef (or impossible burger meat), and 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is cooked through and the onion is softened, about 10 minutes.

* Add 1 box beef/or veggie broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon. Add 1 can diced tomatoes and their juices, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and 1 bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over high heat.

* Add the cabbage and carrots and 1/2 cup uncooked white/or brown rice. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice and cabbage are tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop 2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves if desired.

* Discard the bay leaf. Taste and season the soup with more salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the parsley if desired.

Hearty lentil soup, chock full of veggies and very yummy. Serve with warm cornbread.

Ingredients

* 1 onion, chopped
* ¼ cup olive oil
* 2 carrots, diced
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 2 cups dry lentils
* 8 cups veggie broth or chicken broth
* ½ cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
* 2 tablespoons vinegar
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste


Directions

* Step 1 
In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.



* Step 2 
Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.


Nutrition Facts Per Serving:

349 calories; protein 18.3g 37% DV; carbohydrates 48.2g 16% DV; fat 10g 15% DV; cholesterol mg; sodium 130.5mg 5% DV.

Green juice drinks are the rock stars of good health. Packed with nutrition, they support a healthy immune system and are a perfect way to get in your 7 fruits and vegetables recommended each day.

You can vary the ingredients depending upon what is in your refrigerator: (spinach, kale, celery, carrots, lettuce, oranges, pineapple, grapes, dates.)

Remember to use a high speed blender and I recommend a Vitamix.

Recipe

1. Blend 1 cup of spinach, or another leafy greens of your choice in a blender or Vitamix.
2. Add 1 cup of liquid (water or plant based milk) and blend well (until all leafy chunks are gone).
3. Add 1 apple
4. Add one knuckle of peeled ginger
5. Add 3 stalks of celery
6. Add handful of ice
7. Blend again until smooth and creamy (adding more liquid when necessary).
8. Serve smoothie immediately for maximum nourishment.


Enjoy!

Studies show garlic can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and it was used as a medicine when the pyramids were built 5000 years ago.

With cooler weather coming, this soup is easy to make and if you leave out the 1/2 and 1/2 and get light sour cream it can be low cal too.

Tip: You can buy pre-made veggie or chicken stock at any market. Keep them in your pantry for all your soup recipes.



Yield: Serves about 6

Ingredients:

• 3 whole heads garlic, plus 2 cloves pressed through garlic press, divided use
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon Herb de Provence
• 6 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed (roughly 2 ½ pounds)
• 4 cups chicken stock, hot
• 1 cup half and half
• ¼ cup sour cream
• Buttery Croutons (recipe below)
• Chives, minced for garnish


Preparation:

-Preheat oven to 400°.
-Cut the tops off of the three heads of garlic, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, plus a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, and wrap each head tightly in foil; roast for 45 minutes, then once cool enough to handles, squeeze the roasted cloves from their papers and set aside.
-Place a large pot over medium-high heat, and add in the butter and the oil; once melted together, add in the onion, plus a pinch of salt and black pepper, the white pepper and the Herbs de Provence, and saute for about 3-4 minutes until translucent; next add in the two, pressed garlic cloves, plus the reserved roasted garlic, and stir those in.
-Add in the cubed potatoes and the chicken stock and stir to combine, and bring to the boil; cover and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
-Off the heat, use an immersion blender (or use a regular blender, but take care to work in batches as soup is very hot) to puree the soup completely, until smooth; add in the half & half, plus the sour cream, and use the immersion blender once more to incorporate those. (The soup should be velvety and creamy.)
-Check to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed, and serve the soup with some Buttery Croutons, plus a sprinkle of chives, if desired.

Buttery Croutons Ingredients:
• 4 ounces French baguette, small cube
• ¼ cup unsalted, melted butter
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• Salt
• Black pepper

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 425°, and line a baking sheet with foil.
-Toss the cubed bread with the butter, the granulated onion and garlic, plus a couple of pinches of salt and pepper; turn out onto the baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.
-Store any unused croutons in a ziplock bag (can be re-toasted in a toaster oven, as well.)

Prepackaged salads make it easy to get in our 7 vegetables a day.

Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet and a great source of Vitamin C and K.
Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse with fiber, vitamin C,K,A, Folate and protein.

I find you can use 1/2 of the dressing provided and reduce calories and it tastes great.

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