Spicy Black Bean Soup

This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. Thanks to some basic aromatics and Cuban spices, it’s incredibly flavorful and delicious. This soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. The recipe yields quite a bit of soup (6 to 8 servings)—it is easily halved, or you can freeze the leftovers.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
4 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (use ¼ teaspoon if you’re sensitive to spice)
4 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, to taste, or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional garnishes: diced avocado, extra cilantro, thinly sliced radishes, tortilla chips…

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, celery and carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the broth is flavorful and the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Puree about 4 cups of the soup in a blender until smooth (beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender, it’s very hot). Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the cilantro, vinegar/lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.

https://cookieandkate.com/2016/spicy-vegan-black-bean-soup/

Chopped Greek Salad

Yield: Recipe yields 6 to 8 side servings or 3 to 4 meal-sized servings. If you store the salad separately from the vinaigrette, it will keep well for up to 4 days.

INGREDIENTS
10 ounces chopped romaine lettuce* (about 2 medium or 3 small heads, chopped)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 medium cucumber (about 8 ounces), seeded and chopped
1 yellow or orange bell pepper
1/2 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup pitted and halved Kalamata olives
6 ounces feta cheese, sliced into 1/4” cubes (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 can of chickpeas (optional)

Greek vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes, for heat (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large serving bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, onion, parsley, olives and feta. Toss the ingredients together and set aside.

To prepare the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a liquid measuring cup or OXO’s Twist & Pour Dressing Mixer. Whisk (or twist) until blended. Taste, and add more vinegar if you’d like a more tangy dressing, or more honey for a more tame dressing.

If you’ll be serving all of the salad at once, go ahead and drizzle enough dressing in to lightly coat the salad and toss to combine. I prefer to store the salad and dressing separately so I can enjoy salad for a few days. Whisk the dressing again before drizzling (if the olive oil solidifies a bit in the refrigerator, don’t worry, that’s normal—just let it warm up for about 5 minutes at room temperature or microwave for 10 to 20 seconds).

https://cookieandkate.com/2018/chopped-greek-salad-recipe/

Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad

INGREDIENTS
Salad
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa or millet
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups shredded purple cabbage
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup thinly sliced snow peas or sugar snap peas
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped roasted and salted peanuts, for garnish

Peanut sauce

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I love ginger so I used 2 teaspoons)
1/2 lime, juiced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
Pinch of red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 ½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer the quinoa until it has absorbed all of the water. Remove the quinoa from heat, cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool. (Here’s how to cook millet.)

Meanwhile, make the peanut sauce: Whisk together the peanut butter and tamari until smooth (if this is difficult, microwave the mixture for up to 30 seconds to loosen it up). Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick to toss into the salad, whisk in a bit of water to loosen it up (I didn’t need to do this).

In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, shredded cabbage, carrot, snow peas, cilantro and green onion. Toss to combine, then pour in the peanut sauce. Toss again until everything it lightly coated in sauce. Taste, and if it doesn’t taste quite amazing yet, add a pinch of salt and toss again. Divide into individual bowls and garnish with peanuts.

Author: Cookie and Kate Yield: 4 servings cookieandkate.com

Healthy Sesame-Orange Ginger Chickpea Stir-Fry

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar)
2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
zest of 1 orange

For the stir-fry
1 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, divided
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
8 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Green onion, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Red pepper flakes, if you like a little heat! (@ 1/8 teaspoon)-can add to sauce
Cooked Quinoa or brown rice, for serving if desired

First make the sauce: Add the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, ginger, cornstarch, orange zest to a large bowl; whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside for later.

Next preheat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat and add in 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil. Add chickpeas, stir frequently and cook until they begin turning slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Once chickpeas are cooked, transfer to a large bowl or plate and set aside for later. Keep the heat in the pan.

Add the other 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan (over medium-heat); add in onion and saute until onions become slightly translucent and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Next add in garlic and bell pepper; cook for about 3 minutes until slightly softened. Next add in the green beans and saute for 3-4 minutes. You want them to still have a little bit of crunch!

Pour the sauce into the pan. Stir frequently as the sauce will start to thicken up. Add in chickpeas and stir again. Reduce heat to medium low and let the sauce simmer and thicken some more, about 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately over quinoa or brown rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, green onion and a little red pepper flakes, if desired.

Serves 4.

ambitiouskitchen.com

QUINOA CHILI VERDE

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium sweet or yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1-1/4 cup salsa verde (Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde Medium)
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can navy beans, undrained
4 cups vegetarian chicken broth
1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
optional toppings: fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, avacado, tortilla chips,
1/2 bag quorn (added at the end of cooking, enough to heat up)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, over medium-high heat melt butter.  Once melted add onion and cook until translucent and tender, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients stirring to combine.  Bring mixture to a boil then reduce and let simmer for 45 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve warm with choice of toppings.

NOTES:
Soup will appear very liquidy at first, as the soup and quinoa cook a lot of the liquid will be absorbed/cooked off.  If you like your chili thicker reduce broth by 1/2 a cup.  You can always add more liquid/broth but you can't so easily take away.  If your salsa is thick you may need to add additional broth. 

4-6 servings
nomingthrulife.com

Crunchy Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1-2 cups shredded red cabbage, depending on how much crunch you like
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced green onions
½ cup cashew halves or peanuts (honey-roasted is good)
Optional: 1 cup edamame or can of chickpeas
Fresh lime, for a bit of tang

For the dressing:
¼ cup all natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if desired
1 tablespoon honey (use agave if vegan)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water to thin, if necessary

INSTRUCTIONS
To cook quinoa: Rinse quinoa with cold water in mesh strainer. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.

To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil.

Add as much or as little dressing as you’d like to the quinoa. I always start out with a little bit of dressing and usually add more to suit my taste preferences. Alternatively you can save the dressing for later and add when you are ready to eat; however the flavors of the dressing usually soak into the salad so I love adding it to the quinoa first.

Next fold in red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions. Serve chilled or at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.

(Recipe by Ambitious Kitchen)

Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle + Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini (3-4 rounded cups)
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (1/4 dry + 1/2 cup water) follow directions on bag
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

for the sauce
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (or almond butter) + 1/2 T.
Juice of 2 limes (about 4 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons gluten-free tamari
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or asian hot sauce of choice)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Water as needed to thin the sauce

Instructions
Slice the ends off the zucchini and secure it to your spiralizer. Spiralize the zucchini into long noodles and transfer to a large bowl.

Thinly slice the cabbage and pepper, either with a knife or mandolin slicer, and add that to the bowl with the zucchini noodles, along with the scallions, cilantro, quinoa and peanuts.

In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it’s thin enough to pour — you’re looking for the consistency of a creamy dressing.
Pour dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Transfer to two bowls, sprinkle with a bit more peanuts and cilantro and enjoy!

by Alyssa simplyquinoa.com