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

Island Girl Caviar

You may have heard of Cowboy Caviar but now it’s time to give it some Aloha. Healthy, clean, versatile and delicious, you will be using this recipe for dips, sides, and as a topping on your favorite protein. Let’s get chopping.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 2-3 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes diced or 6 Roma’s diced

• 1 (15 oz ) can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 ( 15 oz) can of cannellini beans

• 2 cups fresh pineapple diced ( may sub mango)

• 1 (11 oz) can sweet corn, drained

• 1 avocado diced

• 1 large cucumber, seeded and diced

• 1 medium red onion, diced

• 1 diced orange or yellow bell pepper

• 1 diced red bell pepper

• 1 cup chopped cilantro (1 lg bunch)

• 3-4 tbsp fresh lime juice

• salt to taste

• 1-2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional/ you can de-seed these for less heat and good flavor)

Instructions:

In a lg mixing bowl whisk to combine olive oil, maple syrup, and salt ( if you have a favorite dressing you can sub that for these ingredients later after all the ingredients are combined )

Add in the remaining ingredients ( except lime and cilantro)

Toss until combined

Add lime and cilantro and mix gently again

Adjust to taste and chill.

Serve with tortilla chips, cucumber slices, lettuce wraps or add on any protein.

If you want to save some time you can use a dicing blade on your food processor for some of the ingredients. But I think chopping is half the fun!

Mini Chickpea Frittatas

Not just for breakfast but a great snack at any time. (Recipe by Mostly Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea) flour
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil (and spray for muffin tins)
• 3-4 cups chopped of your favorite 3 veggies (Favorites are: broccoli, spinach, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, etc)
• ½ cup thinly sliced scallion ( green onion)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. Sea salt
• ½ tsp. Black pepper

To Prepare:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Combine flour, yeast, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl w/ 2 ½ cups of water. Whisk together and set aside.
•  Heat Olive oil and sauté all chopped veggies (except the scallions) until they cook down.
• Add in scallions and cook another few minutes. Remove from heat.
• Spray well a standard size muffin pan( 12) AND one smaller one (6) w/ oil spray.
• Divide the veggie mixture by heaping Tbsp’s in each cup.
• Using a ¼ cup measure, fill the cups with the batter. Stir gently each cup to distribute the batter through the veggies.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cups begin to brown on top.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes ( this sets the batter)
• Take muffins out of the tins carefully ( you may need to use a knife to loosen around the edges) and place on a cooling rack.
• Serve warm or cool before storing in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• You can reheat the muffins in an oven or toaster oven @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes.