Creamy Pumpkin Tomato Soup

A yummy soup to bring in the fall season.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 an onion, finely diced
Salt & pepper
4 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups finely diced tomatoes
2 cups veggie broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter

Heat the coconut oil in a soup pan and saute the onions with a little salt and pepper for about five minutes. Add the pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, thyme, cinnamon and honey. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.

Add coconut milk, whipping cream, and butter. Stir to mix. Add more salt, pepper, and/or cinnamon to taste. If you want your soup super-smooth, you can blend or puree it before serving. Garnish as desired.

Garlic Brussel Sprout Crunches

Here's a different and delicious way to prepare brussel sprouts!
This recipe also works really well for asparagus.

Ingredients

20 fresh brussel sprouts (or as many as you'd like to eat)*

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

garlic powder

salt

*Frozen brussel sprouts can also be used, but they may not come out as crispy.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the brussel sprouts in half and peel the layers apart, laying them on a baking sheet.

 

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the brussel sprouts.  Toss the minced garlic over them, and sprinkle some garlic powder and salt on.  Mix them together with your hands, then lay them back out evenly on the baking sheet.

Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and they are slightly crispy.

Add more salt or garlic powder if necessary.  Yum!

Bean Burgers

A vegetarian alternative to both standard hamburgers and frozen veggie burger patties.

Ingredients 
(for 4 burgers)

For patties:
2 cups cooked kidney beans
2 cups cooked brown rice
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried parsley
dash of salt
bit of bread crumbs, as needed

For the rest:
swiss (or other) cheese slices
½ an avocado
dash of flax seeds
lettuce
tomato slices
hamburger buns
dressings to taste: salsa, ketchup, mustard, honey mustard, or mayonnaise

Create a thick paste with all of the patty ingredients by blending them in a food processor.  If it doesn't seem firm enough, add a little bread crumbs.  Form patties and fry them in olive oil over medium heat.

Sprinkle a little flax seeds over the cheesed patties, and lay avocado slices over them.

Then add additional condiments as you like, and enjoy!

Chow Fun Noodles with Bok Choy

Ingredients

8 oz. dry wide rice noodles (chow fun)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 lb. bok choy--the smaller, the better
4 tablespoons Sa Cha sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee brand)
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Dash of chili pepper
Splash of rice vinegar
(optional: ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts)

Cook the chow fun noodles in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, or until soft.  Drain them and set them aside in the strainer.

Cut the onion into strips and slice the garlic thinly.  Saute in the oil over medium-high heat until the onions are yellowish and glassy.  If your bok choy is large, cut it into edible pieces.  Toss it into the pan with the onions and garlic.

After a couple minutes, add the noodles.  Make sure it's not clumped together; if it is, run a little water over it and separate it with your hands before adding it to the pan.

Add the Sa Cha sauce, sugar, and a little salt. Stir it up and mix the ingedients together well.

After you put it in serving dishes, sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro and a dash of chili pepper over the top.  Drizzle a few drops of rice vinegar over it too.  If you'd like, top it off with chopped peanuts.

Veggie Fried Rice

My idea of fast food is homemade fried rice, made with leftover steamed rice and whatever veggies are lying around.  This recipe’s really flexible, but here’s a basic way to throw together an easy, yummy, and healthy meal.

 

Ingredients

3 eggs

4 tablespoons oil
5 cups steamed white rice (measured already cooked)
1 cup fresh or frozen carrots and peas

½ cup frozen or canned corn

Kikkoman* soy sauce to taste

Salt to taste

(optional: dash of sugar)

¼ cup chopped green onions

*I don't usually promote particular brands, but there are lots of soy sauces out there, and some of them are just awful. Use Kikkoman.

Heat up a small dab of oil in a frying pan at medium heat and scramble the eggs.  Add the rest of the oil and put the rice in.  (If the rice is leftover and clumped together, be sure to break it apart with your hands before frying, and add a little water if it’s dry.)

If your veggies are frozen, defrost them by putting them in a bowl and running warm water over them a few times.  Add the carrots, peas, and corn to the frying pan.  Drizzle soy sauce over it until it’s light tannish-brown.  Sprinkle salt on it and mix well.  If you want a little sweet kick, sprinkle a bit of sugar over it too.  Taste it and add more salt, soy sauce, and/or oil as needed.  Also sprinkle a bit more water over it if it seems dry.

Add the green onions and mix it up well.  Enjoy!

Southern Style Fried Okra

Ingredients

1 bag frozen cut okra
vegetable oil
¼ cup cornmeal
(optional: salt to taste)

Thaw out the frozen okra by putting it in a bowl and running warm water over it a few times.  Drain it thoroughly.  Heat some oil in a frying pan on medium-high and prepare a bowl with the cornmeal.

Dip the drained okra into the cornmeal to bread it, then put it in the pan.  Let it fry for a while until it gets golden brown, flipping it over to make sure it's evenly fried.  My mom says each okra piece should be turned individually with a fork for the best flavor, but when I'm feeling lazy I just turn it with a spatula and it still tastes pretty good to me.

Add more oil as necessary while the okra is frying.  When it's crispy and golden brown, it's good to go.  It's yummy just like that, but you can also add a little salt for a last touch.