peas – Discover Healthy Food

Recipe: Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup is one of my all-time favorites! As with most of my soups, I love to make a big pot, eat for few meals and freeze extra in individual serving size containers to enjoy later. That way I don’t get bored with a good thing but also to have quick and healthy meals for reheating later.

Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1-14.5 ounce canned diced tomatoes
1-10 ounce mild Rotel
2 cups elbow noodles
1 cup frozen fresh corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cubed carrots
1 tablespoon black pepper (use less if you don’t like the spice kick)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (may be omitted if you’re a spice wimp)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons organic no-salt seasoning
1-15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed (red or white)
4 cups water

Directions:
Boil elbow noodles for 5 minutes, drain. Don’t wash the pot, just put empty pot back on the stove on medium-high heat.
Water sautee onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add water as needed, then add carrots and continue water sauteeing for 3 more minutes.
Add tomatoes, Rotel, and spices. Stir and heat together for 2 minutes.
Add water, corn, peas, beans and noodles. Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes, turn down heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Serve warm with fresh local bakery bread – ask the baker for something unique. For those family members who want traditional minestrone, serve individual servings with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle parmesan cheese. Avoid those two ingredients and you have a wonderful vegan soup that’s much healthier!

Note: Minestrone always tastes better the second day, so if you plan well cook the soup the day before you want to eat. When reheating, make sure to not over boil, just slow bubble. Avoid microwave too!

I’ll see you at the table!

Recipe: Lentil Vegetable Soup

While traveling, I look for places to stay where I have access to a kitchen which allows me to cook healthy food and save money from eating out all the time. A pot of soup that is ready to eat whenever I’m hungry is a great way to eat healthy too.

On the first night of this two week trip to Spain, I headed to the grocery store and bought several items to sustain me for a few days. Perhaps I bought too much because while walking home, several times I had to set the bags down in order to give my arms a break!

Cooking for someone else can be interesting too because they don’t always like what you like to eat. But, luckily my travel partner is game to try anything I will cook on this trip. She is curious to know what it would be like to try some recipes that don’t have sugar, oil nor salt.

Lentil Vegetable Soup: (Yield: 2 quarts)
Ingredients:
Half red bell pepper, diced
Half broccoli head, rough chop
Half yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
2 small turnip, diced
5 small yellow potatoes, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk leek, white end sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
2 medium zucchini, diced
3 stalk celery, diced
1-12oz can diced tomatoes
2 cup cooked lentils
2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

Using a large soup pot, on medium high heat, water sauté the onion for about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and leek, continue water sauté for 3 minutes.
Add carrot, celery, bell pepper, continue water sauté for 3-5 minutes or until celery is soft.
Add broccoli, zucchini, can diced tomatoes, lentils and seasoning. Stir thoroughly and bring to soft bubbling boil.
In a separate pot, boil diced potato and turnip for 10-15 minutes until soft. Strain and add to vegetables when they have reached the soft boil. Stir to thoroughly incorporate.
Using a handheld blender, purée about 1/3 of the soup mixture. If you don’t have a blender, then you can enjoy a chunkier style.
Add the frozen peas, turn down heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
If you want it spicy, add 1 teaspoon dried chili pepper flakes.

Serve hot with bread or toasts. For a fuller meal, add a green salad and fruit for dessert. Enjoy!

Note from my travel companion: She added salt because is accustomed to eating food with added salt, but overall loved the soup and ate several meals from this one pot. Guess she liked it!

In the comments section below, let me know what you think of the recipe. Thank you!

Healthy food close to home and far away tastes great and fuels your body to have the energy to enjoy the trip. I’ll see you at the table!

Restaurant Review: Jason’s Deli – Utah

Jason’s Deli is a great option for nutritarian meal. The salad bar has wide variety of ingredients. My salad today is loaded with beet succotash salad artichoke hearts carrot tomato jalapeno peas bell pepper pepperoncini mixed greens, drizzle of balsamic vinegar with hummus on the side