Marvelous Minestrone Soup

This cozy bowl of soup is always a celebration for my body and mind. It’s packed with colorful veggies, hearty beans, and gluten-free pasta, it’s a simple way to nourish yourself inside and out. Full of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, it’s perfect for keeping your energy up and your immune system strong. Plus, it’s endlessly adaptable—swap in your favorite greens or whatever veggies you have on hand.

Pro Tip: This soup is a fantastic way to load up on veggies. Don’t forget to double the batch and freeze some for a quick, comforting meal on busy days!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium white or yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth ( I like to also add “Better than Bouillon” to give it a boost) 
1 teaspoons dried basil (or 2 tablespoon fresh)
1 teaspoons dried oregano (or 2 tablespoon fresh)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 pinch red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 15-ounce can white beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups gluten-free pasta/ or regular if desired (See note)
1 cup curly kale or spinach, chopped

Fresh squeezed lemon, olives, etc

Salt and pepper to taste                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Instructions:

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add water, onion, and garlic, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 3 minutes until fragrant.

Add carrots and green beans, season with sea salt and black pepper, and stir. Cook for 3–4 minutes until vegetables start to soften.

Stir in zucchini, fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, dried basil, dried oregano, nutritional yeast, red chili flakes (if using), and beans. Bring to a strong simmer .

Reduce heat to medium-low, add pasta, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes ( al dente) stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.

Add kale or spinach, stir and turn off the heat . The greens will wilt naturally and keep their green color!

Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more herbs, olives, salt, and pepper as needed.

Serve hot in bowls, garnished with fresh herbs, grated parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon.

Enjoy!

You may store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for 1 month.

Note: GF pasta is does not reheat well. If you are using GF you may want to cook just enough separately and add to your portion of soup. Regular pasta will be fine to reheat.

Creamy Dreamy Tomato Soup (DF)

 Love this soup, hot or cold. A great source of vitamin C, antioxidants, and also gets rid of those ugly free radicals in your blood stream. Remember ..."The redder the better". Think deep colorful foods. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. Olive oil (or vegetable broth for non oil recipe)

• 1 diced onion

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced.

• ½ cup raw soaked cashews ( soak in water for 4-6 hrs)

• 2 cups Vegetable broth

• 3-4 tsp. tomato paste

• 1 can whole tomatoes w/ juice

• ¼ cup oil packed of sun dried tomatoes, drained.

• ½-1 tsp. dried oregano

• ¼ tsp. fine grain salt

• ½ tsp. ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat Olive oil (or broth) in Large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and sauté for 5-6 minutes until translucent.

2. In a blender, combine the soaked cashews and the broth and blend on high speed until creamy and smooth. Add the garlic-onion mixture, tomatoes and their juices, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste and blend on high until smooth.

3. Pour the tomato mixture into the saucepan in which you cooked the onions and set the pan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then stir in the oregano, salt, pepper, and thyme, all to taste.

4. Gently simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the flavors have developed.

5. Chill if a cool soup is desired.

6. You can thin this out with some more veggie broth if needed. 

 

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

This is an easy to prepare, delicious healthy soup that everyone will love! ~

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 cups of Butternut Squash peeled and chopped

• 2 lg carrots diced

• 2 celery stalks

• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Small white onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 32 ounces of low-sodium vegetable stock/broth OR use half vegetable stock and half water (about 15 ounces each)

• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme (or more to taste-use dried if you don’t have fresh available)

• 1 tablespoon dried basil ( optional)

• 1/4 can of coconut milk

• 1/2 teaspoon sea-salt (more or less, to taste)

• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (more or less, to taste)

• 1 tsp toasted pumpkin seeds

To Prepare

• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pan on medium heat.

• Add onion, garlic, and sauté until translucent. (About 3-5 minutes, make sure not to “burn” onions.)

• Add carrots, squash, and veggie stock.

• Bring to a gentle boil then lower to a simmer.

• Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes.

• Cook until tender

• Add cooked soup carefully in portions to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

• Add a little water or broth if needed.

• Return to pot and whisk in coconut milk.

• Heat again slowly if needed

• Top with fresh toasted Pumpkin seeds, chopped basil, parsley, or cilantro