JoAnna's Cold Weather Harvest Soup

It's time to prepare for the cold... 

and the best way to do that is by making 

a warm, comforting pot of soup!

***

One that is

low-glycemic, mostly organic, gluten-free, and plant-based

introducing...

JoAnna's Cold Weather Harvest Soup

Ingredients
*(1/2) Head of Red Cabbage
*(1) Head of Cauliflower
*(3) Handfuls of Carrots (...aprox 20 baby carrots)
*(3) Stalks of Celery
*(1) 33oz. jar of whole Artichoke Hearts in water (...Costco)
*(2) 10oz. cans of Ro-tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (...Costco)
*(1) Package of firm, organic Tofu (optional)
*(3) 32oz. cartons of organic Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup (I purchased at Costco)
*Organic No Salt Seasoning (...Costco)
*Salt & Pepper

Directions
1) Cut Cabbage into approximately 1 inch pieces and place in large stock pot.
2) Break up Cauliflower, cut Carrots and dice Celery into pieces and add to pot.
3) Drain Artichoke Hearts, cut into smaller pieces and add to pot.
4) Drain Ro-tel and add to pot.
5) Dice Tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and add to pot.
6) Add cartons of Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup to pot.
7) Heat soup to boiling, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. Add Organic No Salt Seasoning, Salt and Pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Tips
1) If you don't have a Costco membership, try looking for the cartons of soup in the organic/gluten free section at the grocery store.
2) If you are gluten sensitive or have Celiac disease, double check the ingredients to assure there is no gluten.
3) If you have a FoodSaver,  leftovers can easily be stored and frozen for another day when you need a quick meal to just heat and serve.

Ratatouille

Ingredients
(Yields 4-6)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups medium diced eggplant
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup diced green bell peppers
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 cup diced zucchini squash
1 cup diced yellow squash
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large dutch oven add the olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onions and garlic stirring occasionally until they are translucent and caramelized (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add the eggplant and thyme stirring occasionally until the eggplant is partially cooked (about 5 minutes). Add the green and red peppers, zucchini, and squash and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook for a final 5 minutes. It's ready to serve :)

Tips

This dish is delicious and colorful. It pairs perfectly with some gluten free basmati rice and some lean protein of your choice. Some helpful tips in preparing this dish are to chop all vegetables first before starting to heat your oil. Another tip would be to double the recipe, especially if you are cooking for a family of 5-6. If you are like me, there are days when you want a home cooked meal and don't want to prepare it. This is a great dish to freeze as leftovers for another day when time and energy is not your friend. Enjoy!

Detox Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup

This is the perfect #soup to have pre-made in your freezer for those days when you forget to prepare something in advance. It is chalk full of #vegetables, it is #lowglycemic, #healthy and is very tasty! It is the first soup I have made that not 1 of my 4 kids complained about. Also, if you are doing a #detox this is a fantastic soup to include into your #diet. 

Ingredients (Yields 6-10)

1-12 oz. pkg. fresh bean sprouts

1-16 oz. frozen french-cut green beans

2 stalks fresh celery ¼” width

1/2 head of cabbage cut ¼” width

1 med. onion cubed

4 tomatoes cubed

3 carrots pealed & cut in ¼” width

1 8oz. pkg. of fresh mushrooms sliced

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 Tbsp. each fresh parsley and chives chopped

2-chicken & 2-beef bouillon cubes

1 quart “low-sodium” tomato juice

1 bay leaf

Put everything together in large Stock Pot, add water to desired thickness and pepper to taste.  NO SALT.  Cook until veggies are done but Don’t Overcook. *I heat it up until boiling and then reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes.

Did you know that when you microwave vegetables you lose the nutrients completely? Also, the longer you cook vegetables on the stove the less nutrients that will be preserved.

Tips

Make more than you think you will eat at one time and then place the leftovers in freezer bags. If you have a FoodSaver, use it! The soup will last longer and you can customize the size of your bags to different amounts. As you can see in my picture, I made different sizes to feed my whole family and single serving sizes. Just make sure you label the bags with the amount, what it is, and the date. This is perfect for #MealsOnTheGo. Bring it to work and heat it up there, but preferably on the stove to not lose the nutrients :)

If you are looking for ways to get healthy, follow my blog. You can also find me on FB at facebook.com/bestcustomnutrition.

Happy Cooking!!

Hot Breakfast Quinoa

Ingredients

3 cups dry quinoa

6 cups water

Fruit & Nuts as desired

Almond milk (Optional)

Cinnamon (Optional)

Pecans (Optional)

Soak and rinse quinoa for 30 minutes or longer, twice. This takes away the bitter taste caused by the saponins on the outer seed coat. (Optional)

Cut up fruit into cubes. I like to use 1 apple, 1 pear, 3 dates, and 3 figs.

Mix together fruit, quinoa, water, and cinnamon in a large pot. When I say large, I mean LARGE. Quinoa expands as it sits. Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes without stirring.

Remove lid and let sit for 10 minutes. It’s ready to serve. Add fruit and nuts as toppings and a splash of almond milk. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

I make this recipe at night before going to bed for the next morning, so after I let it sit for 10 minutes I put it in the fridge for the next day (actually I have been leaving it in the pot and sticking it in the garage for the next morning, but that will only be able to continue maybe for another week before it warms up outside J)

Another trick is that I make this recipe to yield 12.  We have a family of 6 and so it is breakfast for two days and yes it does taste better the second day!

If you make this to serve immediately, I would cut up extra fruit to save to use as toppings when serving to save time.

Why Quinoa for Breakfast?

Gluten Free, Vegan & Low Glycemic! It high in minerals, amino acids and nutrients. Rich in B Vitamins that include folate. It's high in protein and low in fat.