Showing posts with label crushed red pepper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crushed red pepper. Show all posts

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Spicy Vegan Panera Creamy Tomato Soup

No-Vodka Pasta meets Panera Bread Creamy Tomato Soup! This idea sprang from the previous soup post, which mentioned No-Vodka Pasta. The vodka sauce is such a hit, so making a delicious tomato soup was easy! My son took one bite and said “Wow! Is this from Panera?!” I should be a little sad because my boy is more excited about Panera than his mom’s cooking. However, to be honest, both of my hands immediately went up in the air as I beamed with victory!

How can you tell a food is healthy? One way is by the beautiful COLORS! Blueberries, sweet potatoes, kale (bright green after one minute of cooking!), red kidney beans! FLAVOR is another way to tell a food is healthy! We can detect the most nutritious foods in the world with our eyes and taste buds!

Naturally, spices add flavor. This soup contains tasty OREGANO, abundant in antioxidants! Loading your meals with extra spices immensely boosts healthiness! Feel free to add even more to this soup with marjoram and/or basil.
Look up and compare the ORAC value (antioxidant power) of some of your favorite foods and spices at superfoodly.com While you are at it, search a few animal foods to make clear the fact you pretty much only get antioxidants from plants.

Daily Dozen Checkmarks! 1) beans (white), 2) spices (red pepper, oregano), 3) other vegetables (tomatoes), 4) fruit (dates), 5) nuts (cashews), 6) greens (fresh basil)

Note: Panera Creamy Tomato Soup is NOT vegan (contains cream and milk).



Spicy Vegan Panera Creamy Tomato Soup

2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp oregano 
2 cans crushed tomatoes 
½ cup cashews
1 can white beans, drained
4 pitted dates
2 cups water
Fresh basil to garnish!
  • Fill blender with cashews, beans, dates, and water. 
  • Heat a large pan to medium-high to cook garlic and spices, adding a little water at a time, as needed, for around 5 min. (Optionally: cook 1/2 c chopped onions with garlic and spices to add a tiny bit of something to chew in your soup)
  • Add tomatoes to pan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 min.
  • Blend cashew mixture well to form plant-based cream.
  • Stir in cream and when soup is heated through, garnish with basil, and enjoy!
Crushed red pepper give soup it’s spicy kick – if spice isn’t your thing, you can omit or decrease from recipe.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Meatless Meatballs! AND Homemade Italian Seasoning!

My hubby used to love meatball sandwiches, and so we make MEATLESS MEATBALLS! They're great for a sandwich or with pasta! I've used lentils for "meat" in Tricky Traditional Lasagna, Tamale Pie, and Easy Lentil Tacos. This time I used TEMPEH (more on it's awesomeness in another post). For now, I'll just say it's the HEALTHIEST way to eat beans!

Also, all ingredients are on Dr Greger's Daily Dozen! (6 ingredients = 6 checkmarks!) Here is a cool animated summary of How Not to Die.



Meatless Meatballs

2 packages of tempeh (photo of package below)
1 c walnuts
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning**
1 c ground flaxseed
1 c whole wheat bread crumbs*
2 c warm tempeh water

Cook tempeh by steaming for 10 min or drop in boiling water for 5 min (reserve water for mixing with other ingredients). In food processor, blend tempeh, walnuts, and Italian seasoning. In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, and prepare balls.*** Bake on cookie sheet for 30-50 min at 375 degrees. Top with sauce and enjoy! We love sandwiches and of course with pasta and marinara!

Check out this awesome idea for pasta! Zuchini swap with a peeler! (And this makes it even faster! A SPIRILIZER...post coming soon!)


*Manischewitz Whole Grain Matzo Meal has just ONE ingredient (in photo below on left).

** Homemade Organic Italian Seasoning
1/2 c basil
1/2 c oregano
1/4 c marjorom
1/4 c garlic
1/4 c thyme
1/4 c rosemary
1/4 c black pepper
1/8 c crushed red pepper

Combine in large shaker container (I use old spice mix containers), and store in cool, dry place.





***Avoid "food hands" by mixing and preparing balls from outside a gallon sized resealable plastic bag! Transfer tempeh mixture, remaining dry ingredients, and water (all ingredients) into a large resealable bag. Seal, shake the bag, and blend everything together. Prepare balls from outside bag, and drop each ball onto cookie sheet. Cook and enjoy!


While meatless meatballs are cooking, prepare pasta, and enjoy!


For now, read more on tempeh here from Vegan Coach


Healthy Girl's Kitchen (Wendy Solganik) and Chef AJ make some lovely, raw marinara sauce (fun video, and the marinara recipe begins at about minute 51: healthiest marinara!)

Though, we are now eating our healthier versions, we have enjoyed these: Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs (I didn't read the article, but there is a pic of the product and the nutrition label at the bottom, so you can check them out...website looks like a cool spot to check out TJ products :)

Coming soon: tempeh introduction, some yummy tempeh sandwiches, my spiralizer!, a sodium/oil-reducing marinara sauce trick, and more!

PS - I'm teaching some classes (Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Sports Nutrition: Fueling Your Young Athlete) in January, email me if you're interested! colleen@fresh-you.com

Monday, April 16, 2012

Spicy Vodka Pasta -- Healthy Version

This is SO fast, HEALTHY, and delicious! It is such a simple recipe that one of the chefs who claims to have invented the dish, prepared it table-side in the 70s in a New York City!






When my hubby and I began dating, HE was the COOK between the two of us! This was the first dish he prepared for me, and we ate it countless times in the almost 2 years that we dated before we got married! Such warm fuzzy memories!

Over the years, I have gradually converted the recipe from NOT VERY healthy, to quite the opposite! So here you go -- the HEALTHY VERSION!




Spicy Vodka Pasta
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper
3.5 c crushed tomatoes (28 oz can)
1 lb whole wheat pasta**
1/4 c cashew butter (lower to 2-3 Tbsp to decrease fat)
1 c water


Heat a pan large enough to hold all ingredients. Sauté garlic and pepper in the hot pan with just a little bit of water, adding more when needed. Cook just until garlic turns golden but does not brown, 1 or 2 min. Add crushed tomatoes. Stir to blend, and simmer, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken (about 15 min, the longer the better). Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta, add pasta to sauce, and toss. Blend cashew butter with water, then add cream to pasta and sauce. Toss once more. Cover, reduce heat to low, let rest for a few minutes so pasta can absorb sauce (longer the better). This dish gets even better as leftovers!

*Click HERE for some great pasta alternatives!




COMMENTS: Do you remember the first meal you ever ate with your partner? On our first date, Mike introduced me to Indian food! It was amazing! Isn't it fun to discover a new food you've never had before? So exciting!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Nectarine Garden Salad


This lovely salad came from my friend Jenny, who got it from a meal-planner website that she is really enjoying (I'll add a link here when I get the name!).  THANK YOU JENNY! It was delightful, and adding some nuts might be a nice touch! A simple success for two book clubs I hosted in January! It will be wonderful for a summer picnic, and it's great now, so we can pretend!  

MEAL PLANNING in general can be a very effective way to SAVE money, eat HEALTHIER, and feel more ORGANIZED!

Try planning just 2 meals for next week and see how it goes! I bet you'll like the feeling! Tell me how it went!

Nectarine Garden Salad

2 nectarines, chopped
1 1/2 c red grapes
~1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
~1-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
~tsp date paste
2 Tbsp water
1 small bag mixed greens

Be daring and just pour some vinegar without measuring, a small amount of crushed red pepper. A bit of date paste adds a taste of sweetness, but you've got the fruit, so you don't need much. Combine all ingredients but greens in a bowl to marinate for 30 min or so. Mix in greens and enjoy!

For a bit about the benefits of hot pepper, read HERE!

If this stirs your taste buds, you might want to try Italian Orange Fennel Salad!

SHARE WITH US! Do you plan your meals ahead? Have any tips/suggestions?