In that weird transition from winter to spring when the temp bounces and weather systems fight like toddlers over the same space and toy, I felt it was still ok to go for soup as a "souper" fast fix for supper using what was already in my pantry. I happened to have everything to make this wonderfully healthy soup and served it with a slab of cornbread! The house always smells so good when cornbread is baking!
White Bean and Vegetable Barley Soup
(eMeals.com subscription - slightly revised)
1 (32 oz) container box Vegetable Broth
1 (15 oz) can Cannellini Beans, drained & rinsed
1 bag frozen Mixed Vegetables (with carrots and green beans)
1/2 cup Quick-cooking Barley (I used Quaker brand.)
1 fistful fresh Baby Spinach
S&P, to taste
(optional: 1 can Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilies - Mild (I used a generic brand.)
- Combine broth, drained & rinsed beans and frozen mixed veggies in pot and cover and bring to boil.
- Stir in barley and baby spinach, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Voila! You're done!
Unless...
- If you prefer a spicier kick - as with my hubby for the second meal with this soup - add the Rotel! Heat to boil for 10 minutes OR simply add it with the mixed veggies!
- Voila, again! Enjoy!
Play with your food!
A few years ago while looking for new vegetarian & flexitarian & vegan recipes, a couple friends suggested I look into an emeals subscription. As it turned out, GroupOn was running a special, too! I selected my choices of meal subscription and how many people I would be serving in my family. The weekly meal planner divides meal offerings with a grocery list! All of which can be saved and printed to place in a binder! Even Dave Ramsey thinks emeals is a "no brainer!"
When I started my mostly-plant-based journey in December 2012, I leaned heavily on the Forks Over Knives cookbook to learn the proverbial ropes of the vegetarian culinary world. It introduced me to the realization there are basically no rules to plant-based nutrition! Today's recipe is one such...beans with pasta! My mom would never have considered the pair in the same dish. And, because she would never, nor would I...EVER...until Forks Over Knives and a multitude of great blogs I follow of vegetarian and vegan everyday cooks!
If you're attempting to cut back on animal protein and cholesterol, consider beans as one of many options to get phyto-protein (plant-based protein). Being budget-conscious, I made slight edits to the online recipe due to what I was already in my pantry.
Roasted Tomato & Cannellini Bean Pasta
by Heather McDougall
1/2 lb Whole Wheat Spaghetti (I mixed both whole wheat with semolina to equal the 1/2 lb)
2 tablespoons of vegetable stock or water (this is for the technique known as dry sauté)
6-8 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 15 oz can Cannellini Beans, rinsed
2 15 oz cans Diced Roasted Tomatoes (I used plain the first time, I made the recipe. Later, I found the can of roasted tomatoes!)
S&P, to taste
**optional: Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
**optional: Nutritional Yeast "nooch"
- Prepare pasta according to directions.
- In skillet, sauté garlic in veggie stock or water carefully watching so as not to scorch the garlic.
- Stir-in tomatoes and rinsed beans simmering for 20 minutes.
- Season to taste, sprinkle with nooch & serve!
Just about one of the easiest and fastest nutritious meals to pull-off!
Do you have those bins of potatoes and onions if not used, today, they'll need to be tossed
by the weekend? Veggies that have gone past their peak of freshness, but are still good to cook with, can be used in stews, soups or roasted.
I poured over my Forks Over Knives cookbook to find anything to include my softening veggies and found Vegetable White Bean Hash on page 182! Don't have all the ingredients? No problem! Improvise...and rename so #FOK knows you tried, but were being budget-conscious!
Veggie Skillet Hash
1 large Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
3 (or more) cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme leaves
5-6 Red Skin Potatoes, diced
1 medium Sweet Potato, diced
1 (15 oz) can Cannellini Beans (a.k.a. White Kidney Beans), drained & rinsed
2 cups Kale, coarse chopped
S&P, to taste
Red Pepper Flakes
- I used my big, black, cast-iron skillet to slowly sauté the onion and red bell pepper over medium heat adding a splash of water to keep veggies from sticking. Confession: I used a splash of olive oil, too, for fear the taters would stick and scorch, later.
- Add the garlic, herbs, diced potatoes and rinsed beans to cook nice a slowly until taters are fork-tender, apprx 15-20 minutes. Don't rush this!
- Add kale and seasonings. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the kale wilts.
There ya have it - a skillet full of protein & carbs! Serve as a side or a main dish. I'm a Southern Girl, so this went nicely with a slice of yellow cornbread! This would absolutely be incredible substituting pumpkin or butternut squash in the place of either of the potatoes for an AUTUMNAL SKILLET HASH! (See how I cleverly renamed the recipe, again? Very kitchen-ninja-esque, wouldn't you agree?)
Note...my hubby felt it was a little dry. He prefers beans to have juice, especially if he can't have the meat. I added a can of diced tomatoes and let it simmer. If using a cast-iron skillet, the acid in the tomatoes absorbs the iron giving you a nutritional bump.
