Friday, March 15, 2024

Tuscan Creamy White Bean Soup


creamed bean soup

Are you in the mood for a soothing easy soup recipe?  This traditional Tuscan soup is sure to satisfy!

It boasts subtle hints of fresh rosemary, has a silky consistency, and provides a substantial amount of plant-based protein. Although we often think of making soup in the winter, this is light enough for any season.

green plant on blue glass vase

I was introduced to this tasty soup at a dinner party hosted by a new friend who I met in our condo building in Florida. We were invited for a Friday night (Shabbat) dinner. My new friend wanted to make a dinner that was entirely vegan and gluten-free so I would be able to eat everything at the dinner. 

black and white throw pillows on gray couch

Her dinner party started with this delicious white bean soup. 

I liked it so much, I had seconds and immediately requested the recipe. 

I photographed this pic immediately
after I pureed it and it was still frothy!

It can be made quickly and calls for a few simple ingredients.

Free White Beans Cannellini Beans photo and picture

My host used canned beans; I used dry beans that I soaked overnight and cooked before making the soup. You can use either method. I've tried it both ways! 

She also sautéed her onions in olive oil; I used vegetable broth to sauté the onions and saved calories but didn't sacrifice taste.


Those were the only changes I made in the recipe. Certainly using canned beans is quicker, less messy, and easier!!

Lentils and beans provide a substantial amount of protein in a plant-based meal. I try to eat one high protein bowl of soup everyday. I love soup, so that is not a challenge for me.

Allow the soup to set for at least 4 hours before eating or serving to allow the flavors to mingle 

Try one of my other hearty warming winter soups!
This is one of my favorites- sweet and sour cabbage soup!
     
Ingredients for creamy white bean soup: 

3 15 ounce cans of white beans (cannellini or great northern), rinsed and drained. 
2 large onions, sliced 
1/2 cup on vegetable broth
2 cloves of fresh garlic, diced
1 and 1/2 quarts of vegetable broth
2 cups of water
1 branch of fresh rosemary removed from the stem
Sea salt
Cracked pepper 
Cayenne pepper ( optional) 

Directions: 

Sauté the sliced onions in the vegetable broth in a large stock pot or Dutch oven for about 15 minutes or until soft and golden . Add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Add cooked beans, vegetable broth, salt and cracked pepper to taste. Cook for about 20 minutes. Puree the soup using an immersion blender until the soup is smooth and creamy. Add cayenne if desired.  
Allow soup to rest for about 4 hours ( or more) before serving to allow the flavors to mingle.

* If you are going to use dry beans, soak them overnight and cook them in the morning according to the package directions. Then add them to the soup already cooked the same direction as the canned beans.

My Notes: 
*This is a gluten-free, oil-free, plant-based recipe.
*Fresh rosemary is a healthy herb that is readily available in South Florida where we have lots of ethnic groups who depend on fresh herbs for their cooking. 
* Like most herbs, rosemary is high in antioxidants and adds a lovely flavor to the soup. 
* Can you use dried rosemary in this soup? I am not sure if the flavor would be the same.
* I skimmed off some of the rosemary after cooking and before I blended the soup. 




Thursday, February 29, 2024

Frozen Vegetables Make Tasty Side Dishes


a wide skillet with broccoli and green beans, vegan

I always keep frozen vegetables on hand to make quick, healthy, and easy side dishes. 
Truthfully, I can enjoy a bowl of  low fat healthy veggies within 7 minutes from start to finish. 

So, no more excuses for not cooking veggies! 

Frozen vegetables are a great way to make sure you eat vegetables daily. 

I also freeze fresh ginger to grate in the skillet of vegetables. 


Ginger, Natural Remedies, Spice
Keep fresh garlic frozen in the freezer ( don't peel it). To use it, simply grate it with the peel.

Freshly grated ginger tastes great with sautéed broccoli. 

I keep fresh organic ginger in the freezer in small baggies. It stays fresh for about 6 months. 

I wash and dry it whole (just the way it comes) before freezing it. 

Then I simply grate it frozen into the pan as needed and return the unused ginger to the baggy and back to the freezer.  The flavor is amazing. 

This simple, healthy, easy side dish was sooooo delicious that I felt I needed to share it. 

 I cooked up a bag of organic broccoli and some organic green beans (bought at a reasonable price at Costco). 

Recipe: Quick Frozen Broccoli and Green Beans With Ginger : 
I used a wide skillet. I poured in the bag of broccoli into the skillet and then added about a large handful of frozen green beans, 1/2 cup of water and grated freshly ginger on top, salt and garlic powder. Cook uncovered on a medium flame for about 5 minutes! (adding 1/4 cup of water while cooking if water evaporates)

Why I keep frozen vegetables in the freezer?
  • Most frozen vegetables are frozen as soon as they are harvested, thus they retain the greatest amount of nutrients. 
  • Fresh vegetables such as broccoli are shipped for a few days and then sit in the supermarket often for a few days or more. By the time we eat it, the nutritional value may have deteriorated. 
  • My time schedule and lifestyle is unpredictable. I often buy fresh vegetables with great intentions, only to find out that we ate out or I just didn't cook them and they went bad!
  • If I buy frozen, they can stay in the freezer for months. 
  • I don't need to clean them and chop them, therefore I am more likely to actually make them.

sugar snap peas in a bowl covered in sesame seedsNot 
Recipe for sugar snap peas and ginger with sesame seeds 

Not Mushy 
If you cook frozen broccoli or frozen green beans in a skillet with just 1/2 cup of water to start for about 4 minutes uncovered,  they stay firm and bright green.

Green Bean, Food, Green, Healthy

My favorite frozen vegetables: 
  • Organic broccoli- Costco sells a large bag with 4 individual sized bags inside 
  • Organic cauliflower rice- Costco for large bags with 4 individual bags or Trader Joe's for one 12 ounce bag.  
  • Organic edamame - Whole Foods one bag
  • Organic cauliflower-One bag at Whole Foods 
  • Organic sweet peppers (red and green) one bag at Whole Foods which I use added to other vegetable dishes or for soup recipes.
  • Organic peas - One bag at Whole Foods 
  • Frozen organic artichoke quarters- One bag Trader Joe's
  • Frozen Baby Brussels Sprouts (for Baby Brussels Sprout Soup)-I buy a bag from Hanover brand at most supermarkets and use them in stir-fry (with broth not oil) or soup.
Plain Cauliflower Rice (Heated in skillet with 1/2 cup of water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder).
Can beused it in place of rice! Try my cauliflower rice fiesta recipe that follows.


Cauliflower Rice Fiesta Recipe Link



brussels sprouts soup

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Roasted Carrot Appetizer With Cumin Seeds and Tahini Maple Dip



I am truly excited about this roasted carrot appetizer recipe and you should be too! Why? Because it is not only absolutely easy to make, it is absolutely crazy delicious. 



If you are a reader of my blog, you will know that the last week I made a delicious dip (link)with tahini, maple syrup, and lemon juice. 

a wooden table topped with a bowl of food and spoons

Yesterday I was shopping in Costco and I noticed an interesting bag of little bag of multi colored carrots. They were from Guatemala and were hand picked and shaped. They looked so cute, I decided to buy them and make them for an appetizer for the dinner party I was having. 

fried food on black plate

At first, I thought I would serve them as a vegetable side dish drizzled with the tahini sauce which would have been great ! 


But then I realized that they would also make an amazing appetizer as well, and I needed an appetizer for a party I was giving. (I forgot to take a good photo) 


All of my guests raved about the carrot appetizer. These beautiful looking roasted carrots with cumin seeds were the BIG hit!

I served the roasted carrots as an appetizer along with my maple tahini sauce for dipping which totally enhanced the flavors of the carrots! 

Ingredients: 
1 bag of cocktail carrots (as seen above)
1/2 cup of acquafaba (the liquid from cooking chickpeas or from canned chickpeas- I use it in place of olive oil) 
2 tablespoon of cumin seeds 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper 
Wash and dry the carrots 
Brush carrots with acquafaba ( If you use oil, spray with olive oil spray) 
Sprinkle on the cumin seeds and salt
Place in the oven and roast for  20 -25 minutes until carrots are soft.
Remove from oven. 

My Notes: 
  • For a side dish, arrange carrots in a serving dish and drizzle with the tahini maple syrup sauce. 
  • For an appetizer, arrange the carrots on a flat serving dish and put the tahini maple syrup dip in a small bowl for a dip.



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