Tag Archives: ginger

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

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We all really enjoyed this soup! Ava took one bite and said “Yummy!”… that rarely happens!! I decided to puree part of the soup with my immersion blender after taking these photos and it turned out even better. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

Water/Broth for sauté 

1 Medium Onion Diced

2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced or pressed

1 – 15oz Can Fire-Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Minced Fresh Ginger 

1 1/2 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Cayenne

3 Medium Sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4″ cubes

8 Cups Veggie Broth -OR- 4 Cups Veggie Broth AND 4 Cups Water

1 1/2 Cup Red Lentils – sort and rinse before using

Salt & Pepper 

Instructions:

1. Water/broth sauté the onion and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. (OR water sauté)

2. Add in the garlic, ginger and spices (except the salt & pepper), stir well and cook for about 30 seconds. 

3. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes.

4. Add the sweet potatoes, broth/water & lentils. Stir well and bring to a boil over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and lentils are soft. Taste, season with salt & pepper and serve. 

Chop all of your ingredients

Chop all of your ingredients

Spices

Spices

Saute onions for a few minutes then add ginger, garlic and spices. Stir well and cook for about 30 more seconds

Saute onions for a few minutes then add ginger, garlic and spices. Stir well and cook for about 30 more seconds

Add tomatoes and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Smells so good!!!

Smells so good!!!

Add broth/water, lentils and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until potatoes and lentils are soft.

Add broth/water, lentils and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until potatoes and lentils are soft.

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Puree part of the soup with your immersion blender!

Puree part of the soup with your immersion blender!

Ava loved it!

Ava loved it!

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

Spices

Spices

Saute onions for a few minutes then add ginger, garlic and spices. Stir well and cook for about 30 more seconds

Saute onions for a few minutes then add ginger, garlic and spices. Stir well and cook for about 30 more seconds

Add tomatoes and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Add tomatoes and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Smells so good!!!

Smells so good!!!

Add broth/water, lentils and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until potatoes and lentils are soft.

Add broth/water, lentils and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until potatoes and lentils are soft.

Serve as is or puree part of it with your immersion blender.

Serve as is or puree part of it with your immersion blender.

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Ava loved it!

Ava loved it!

Adapted from a recipe in “The Kind Life”

 

Cauliflower Chickpea Curry

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I’ve been craving curry with cauliflower and chickpeas for a while now so I decided to try this since cauliflower is on sale at Sprouts this week. This was really good and pretty easy to make. My hubby ate two small bowls of it before I even started the quinoa and our 14 month old son ate a ton of it! He’s learning how to use a spoon and did quite well with this dish! I served this over quinoa but I bet brown rice would work too.I also doubled the recipe in order to have lots of leftovers.

Cauliflower Chickpea Curry

Yummy!

Ingredients:

1⁄2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1⁄2 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into florets

2 tablespoons curry powder – I used Kashmiri Curry from World Spice

1 vine-ripened tomato, chopped OR 1 can diced tomatoes

1 1⁄2 cups chickpeas, cooked OR 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 can full-fat coconut milk – (I used one can of regular and one can of lite)

1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root

1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped – a few extra for garnish

Cooked quinoa – I served this over quinoa and it was really good! You could use brown rice too.

Procedure

  1. Water sauté the onion and cauliflower. Cook until the onions caramelize and the cauliflower is browned.
  2. Add the curry powder and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and soften, about 6 minutes.
  3. Mix in the chickpeas, tomato paste, ginger and coconut milk. Stir everything together. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the cauliflower istender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Uncover and continue cooking until the excess moisture has evaporated and the cauliflower and chickpeas are coated with a thick gravy. Add ume vinegar/apple cider vinegar. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

    Saute cauliflower and onions until onions are caramelized and cauliflower is brown

    Add curry powder and tomatoes, cook until tomatoes break down and soften

    Add coconut milk, tomato paste and chickpeas… stir, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes

    Uncover and cook until most of the excess liquid cooks and a nice thick sauce is left

    Add chopped cilantro, stir and cook a few more minutes

    Serve over quinoa, garnish with cilantro!

     

Thai Chili Peanut Sauce

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I have the best husband! He is always willing to run to the store for me if I need anything, no matter how crazy the item is or how long the list. He went to Sprouts for me a few days ago AND took our toddler to give me a much-needed break. He brought home these Chili Peanuts and said he thought they looked good but they weren’t. He must have been hungry… Rule #1 of grocery shopping is not to go when you are hungry otherwise you end up with things like this.

I asked Melody of Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day what she would do with them (she is the recipe invention master!) and she suggested a peanut sauce. Great idea! I went through my fridge and cupboards and I found soba noodles, a leftover red pepper from making Red Lentil Thai Chili, cilantro, limes, fresh ginger, Morningstar Chick-n Strips, panang curry paste, half a can of coconut milk, leftover shredded carrots from making Carrot Breakfast Bread, snow peas and a fresh bag of organic spinach from my CSA delivery. Okay… time to invent something!

After adding, tasting and blending for what seemed like forever… my Chili Peanut Sauce came out pretty tasty! This sauce would go well with a bunch of things but I made it into a noodle dish with the red pepper, carrots, snap peas, spinach, Morningstar Chick-n Strips and soba noodles.

Thai Chili Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

* 1 cup chili peanuts

* 2 Tbsp panang chili paste – you could use any curry paste but the panang was really good!

* 1/2 – 3/4 cup coconut milk

* 2 Tbsp fresh ginger

* 3 cloves garlic

* 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

* 1/4 cup cilantro

* 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

* 2 Tbsp soy sauce

* 1 tsp Sriracha (optional)

* Big pinch of salt

Directions:

* Add all ingredients to high-powered blender (I used my VitaMix) and blend until smooth.

* Add more coconut milk if it’s too thick

* I’m pretty sure this would work in a food processor but I haven’t tried it yet. Next time.

For the noodle dish I added this sauce to:

* I cooked my soba noodles

* Sautéed 1 diced red pepper, 1 cup shredded carrots and 1 cup snow peas in a tiny bit of peanut oil

* I then added the Morningstar Chik-n Strips and cooked for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often

* Added 1 cup of sauce, then noodles and spinach (about 5-6 cups) and mixed with tongs, cooked on low heat until spinach wilted and sauce was covering all ingredients.

* I served this with Sriracha Hot Sauce, it really made the dish!! You could use regular whole wheat spaghetti for this too. Top with fresh cilantro and maybe a little lime juice, if you wish.

Simple Coconut, Ginger, Carrot Breakfast Bread (Sugar, Soy & Wheat Free)

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Since both my kids decided to nap at the same time today, I had a chance to make this breakfast bread recipe I’ve had my eye on for a few weeks. I’m always on the lookout for healthy but fast breakfast options for busy mornings and this works perfectly! I had leftover shredded carrots from making the Healthy Veggie Muffins a couple of days ago and Chipotle Split Pea Soup last night so this was a perfect way to use them up!

Breakfast bread with peanut butter, orange slices and a glass of almond milk… Yummy!! Toddler and hubby loved this and ate it throughout the day!

The original recipe is from… you guessed it! Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 A Day, my all-time favorite recipe source and vegan food blog. I changed it up a bit over the past year, I make it often because it’s really good! If you haven’t explored her blog, PLEASE do so!!!

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Kal Stevia Powder (I use 1/4 tsp)
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons fresh ginger
  • ¾ cup dried unsweetened coconut
  • 2 large carrots
  • 1 – 15 oz can of white beans and their liquid
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons psyllium husk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce – I like to use cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar – I used apple cider vinegar
Pre-heat Oven to 375
1.       In a food processor, process oats into flour; place in mixing bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients.
2.       Next, pulse the ginger and carrots in the food processor until really broken up
3.       Add the beans, water, psyllium, applesauce and vinegar and puree until smooth
4.       Add to the dry ingredients
5.       Grease an 8 by 8 square pan and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
6.       Let cool completely before serving
Oat “Flour”
Ginger & Carrots
Dry Mix
Putting it all together
Add wet to dry
Pour into pan and flatten

Easy Breakfast Bread!