Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Kale

I get my veggies delivered to my doorstep each week from a local place called the Veggie Bin! It's such a wonderful thing to have in my town...local, fresh, organic vegetables at my finger tips and something new every week!

So this week I received yellow squash, zucchini, white acre peas, and kale. Here is the yummy soup I came up with!

1 lb chicken breasts

2 tsp olive oil

salt & pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 qt veggie stock (I made mine homemade but you can substitute store bought or chicken stock)

1/2 cup white wine

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 yellow squash diced

1 large zucchini diced

2 carrots diced

3 stalks celery diced

1 cup white acre peas, you can substitute any other pea if you are unable to get these

1/2 large yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chopped kale

1 tsp dried thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1 tsp sea salt (or more if you like)

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in large stock pot, saute onion, celery, carrot until soft and onions translucent, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil and season chicken liberally with salt and pepper, saute chicken in a separate pan until browned on each side and cooked through. Remove and cut up in bite size pieces until ready to put in soup.

Back to soup...add garlic and saute until it sweats around 3-4 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, cayenne and continue saute to develop flavors around 1-2 minutes. Add all other veggies except kale, add white wine and vinegar and cook down for around 3-4 minutes. Add veggie stock, bring to almost a boil and reduce heat to low. Add chicken, simmer for anywhere from 30-45 minutes or until flavors have fully developed and white acre peas are tender. A few minutes before serving, add the kale until slightly wilted. Season again with salt and pepper as desired to your liking!

The key is we want to keep as many nutrients in the veggies as possible, that's why I suggest putting the kale in last! :) ENJOY!!

Vegan Berry Tart

So I went totally Vegan on this one! I'm trying new things and experimenting with raw recipes! I absolutely love this one! It's packed with protein from cashews and almonds! The creamy texture is perfect!!

Crust:

1 cup organic oats

1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup safflower or grapeseed oil

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/2 tsp sea salt

Cold water if necessary to make more crumbly

Grind dry ingredients in food processor. Add agave and oil slowly to incorporate until resembles crumbs. Spread into large tart pan. Refrigerate until ready to add topping.

Topping:

1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour (drained)

1 1/2 cups fresh berries (I used strawberries and blueberries)

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup agave nectar

Blend all ingredients until creamy. Spread on top of crust and refrigerate until set at least 2-3 hours.

Enjoy!!

Yummy Stuffed Pepper Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis!

Occasionally I'm going to throw in a favorite recipe from a website or Food Network. Giada is one of my favorite Food Network faces, here is one that I really enjoy!!

I made this recipe for the second time last night and it was just as delish as the first! I halved the recipe and still had enough filling for 3 peppers. Super nutritious and the sauce is to die for!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/couscous-stuffed-peppers-with-basil-sauce-recipe/index.html

Beet Salad!

I love the color of beets and the delicious flavor that they bring to the table! I made a quick salad with roasted beets (that I roasted a day ahead, cut up and kept in the fridge overnight).

I roasted my beet in aluminum foil at 350 degrees for about 45-60 mins or until fork tender.

You can peel them if you like or just cut up into bite size pieces.

I tossed my beets with about 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 Tsbp olive oil, 1 tsp dried or fresh oregano, little sea salt & pepper to taste and 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion. I let that mixture marinate for at least 20-30 minutes at room temperature and then just pile on to of mixed greens, arugula or whatever type of lettuce you prefer! MMMM! You could even add some goat cheese or blue cheese as well!

Delicious Blueberry scones!

I love these breakfast treats! They are the perfect accompaniment to your Saturday/Sunday morning breakfast or even to grab on the go with some coffee or tea before work! Full of nutrients and flavor from the antioxidant packed blueberries and of course spelt flour!

Makes about 12 scones.

2 cups spelt flour

1/3 cup organic sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour, sugar, sea salt, baking powder together in a large bowl. Cut butter into mixture and mix together with fingers or fork until crumbs form. (hands are more fun of course!)

Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and fold together gently. Do not overwork the mixture or it won't be light and fluffy which is what we want!! Roll the blueberries in flour before adding to the batter so they do not stick and burn on the bottom of the sheet pan while baking. Fold blueberries carefully into the mixture. Drop by the Tbsp full on to a baking/cookie sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until slightly browned and done in the center. Enjoy your delicious, healthy creation!