Warm Me Up Tortilla Soup

 

 

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Serves 4-6 

 



Ingredients

 

1 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

Pinch of salt

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp finely chopped jalapeno (optional)

1 Tbsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

4 cups vegetable broth

1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes w/ green chilies

1 cup frozen corn

2 Tbsp cornmeal mixed w/ 2 Tbsp water

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Method

 

Add oil to a large saucepan and heat for a minute over medium heat.  Add onion, pinch of salt and saute 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic, jalapeno (if using), cumin and chili powder.  Let cook for a few minutes.

 

Add broth, tomatoes, corn and bring to a boil.  Then turn down heat to low, stir in cornmeal mixture and let simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes. 

 

Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes to cool.  Transfer half the soup to a blender and puree.  Add back into the pot along with black beans and stir.  Serve topped with avocado and tortilla chips.

 



 

Chocoholic Chip Cookies

I would have to say that the cookie is my favorite form of dessert.  It's handheld, you get all the flavors in one bite, and bonus, they're easy to make.  These cookies really bring the chocolate.  If you're a fan of crispy-edged corner brownies, then you'll like these.  They're very brownie-like but slightly crisp all around the outside so you get that in every bite!

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Ingredients

Dry
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Wet
1/4 cup almond milk
1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 stick Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Method

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, set aside.

Add the almond milk and vinegar to a small bowl, set aside for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, add vegan butter and both sugars.  Stir to mix well.  Add vanilla and almond milk/vinegar mixture. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.

Working in 2 or 3 batches, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once everything is incorporated, fold in the chocolate chips.

Place the bowl of batter into the fridge for an hour.  Batter can also be refrigerated overnight - just removed it from the bowl and wrap in plastic wrap.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop tablespoons of batter and drop onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  (tip: keep a glass of water to dip spoon into in between every couple scoops and this will help prevent batter from sticking to your spoon).

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Why do brussels sprouts get such a bad rap?  Roast them and they're quite delicious. 

Ingredients

2 cups brussels sprouts, quartered
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt and peper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl toss brussels sprouts and shallots with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes. 

Guilt-Free, Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

 

Thank you, thank you frozen banana for creating a faux ice cream that's heavenly.  It's guilt-free and so easy to make!  First and foremost, your banana is the sweet in this recipe is so make sure it's ripe to the point of being slightly spotted.  The more ripe the more sweet it will be.  The peanut butter and cocoa amounts can be adjusted to suit your tastes but be careful not to add too much almond milk or you'll end with a smoothie.  If that happens, simply add some more frozen banana slices or pop it in the freezer until it firms up.  I like to top mine with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. 

 

 

You can watch me make it in this video or see recipe below.

 





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Ingredients

1 ripe banana, sliced and frozen
1 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp almond milk

Method

Add banana, peanut butter, and cocoa to a food processor.  Turn on and then add 1 tablespoon of almond milk through the feed tube.  The mixture should start to come together.  Stop and check it, scraping down the sides if necessary.  Add additional tablespoon of milk if needed.  End product should be like soft serve ice cream.

 

Perfectly Roasted Cauliflower

 

Cauliflower may not be the most exciting of vegetables, but when you simply roast it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe a little garlic, it's a whole other story.  This roasted cauliflower is not only delicious on it's own, it's great in pasta.  It acts as filler, adding volume to to your dish without taking away from the other flavors.  Perfect with a pasta and marinara, pesto, or just olive oil and lemon.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl toss cauliflower with just enough olive oil to thoroughly coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Halfway through mix up the cauliflower so they will all get evenly browned. 


Variations:

Add chopped fresh garlic or garlic powder in the last 5 minutes, so the garlic doesn't burn.

Add pine nuts in the last 5 minutes, again so they don't burn.

Sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino romano.