It's Cold - Make Soup!

Making this soup will warm up your house, your belly and your soul (believe it or not). And all the nutritious veggies and hearty beans will fill you up and make you feel great. Make a big pot and eat it all week!

Use my recipe as a starting point and customize with whatever you have in the fridge. That's what I did with this one: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/soup-kidney-bean-avacado.html

I like my soup spicy, but you can make it much milder if that's what makes you happy. You can chop all your veggies fresh or you can used canned or frozen ones to make it easier. I chopped up all the veggies, and even the beans, and then cooked the crap out of it to give it a stewier consistency.

Fiesta in a pot! Ole!

Spicy Bean and Veggie Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced
1 bunch greens chopped
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (I used "fiesta style") chopped
2 cups cooked or canned kidney beans chopped
1 can corn
2 chipotle peppers minced - this is what adds the heat, so reduce or leave out if you want it milder
2 cups veggie broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1Tbsp cumin
1/2 dried oregano
1/2 crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with:
avocado
sour cream
chopped cilantro

Saute your garlic and chopped greens (or whatever fresh veggies you use). Defrost and chop frozen veggies and add to pot. Chop and add beans, corn and chipotle, stir and cook for a few minutes. Add broth, tomato sauce and seasonings and cook for 30 - 45 minutes or so until it reaches that perfect stewiness.



Overnight oats - super easy hot breakfast
A couple weeks ago I discovered the best thing since vegan sour cream. I had stopped eating instant oats, because the regular ones are much better for you. But - they are a pain and take forever to cook.

Then I found out you can "cook" your oats by adding liquid and putting them in the fridge overnight. In the morning you can eat them as is, or pop them in the microwave for about a minute and voila - delicious, nutritious, super easy hot breakfast!!

I've been using "rough cut" or "rolled oats" and adding almond milk, bananas, blueberries, flax meal and walnuts, but you could use any liquid, fruit, seeds or nuts. I haven't tried this with steel cut oats, but I think it would work with them too.

Here's where I learned about this genius idea: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/04/08/easy-vegan-overnight-oats/


What do you for a healthy breakfast on weekday mornings? Post a comment below.