Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

There’s something so comforting about a bowl of butternut squash soup. It’s creamy, naturally sweet, and full of nutrients that help keep you grounded and energized through the cooler months.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 cups of Butternut Squash peeled and chopped

• 2 lg carrots diced

• 2 celery stalks

• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Small white onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 32 ounces of low-sodium vegetable stock/broth OR use half vegetable stock and half water (about 15 ounces each)

• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme (or more to taste-use dried if you don’t have fresh available)

• 1 tablespoon dried basil ( optional)

• 1/4 can of coconut milk

• 1/2 teaspoon sea-salt (more or less, to taste)

• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper (more or less, to taste)

• 1 tsp toasted pumpkin seeds

To Prepare

• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pan on medium heat.

• Add onion, garlic, and sauté until translucent. (About 3-5 minutes, make sure not to “burn” onions.)

• Add carrots, squash, and veggie stock.

• Bring to a gentle boil then lower to a simmer.

• Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes.

• Cook until tender

• Add cooked soup carefully in portions to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

• Add a little water or broth if needed.

• Return to pot and whisk in coconut milk.

• Heat again slowly if needed

• Top with fresh toasted Pumpkin seeds, chopped basil, parsley, or cilantro

Zesty Spinach Soup with Miso

Ingredients

• 4 cups loose baby spinach

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1.5 cups unsweetened nut milk or coconut milk

• 1/2 cup veggie broth

• 1.5 tablespoons white miso paste

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Pepper and salt to taste

• Avocado ( optional)

• Black sesame (optional)

Instructions:

Heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soften. Add garlic and stir.

Add in broth and miso. Stir until miso has incorporated. Add coconut milk.

Add in spinach, lemon and zest. Stir on low heat until cooked through ( approximately 10 min)

Let cool for a moment. Carefully put batches into a blender and blend until you reach a consistency that you like. ( be careful it is hot)

Pour soup Into glass jars to cool and store for later in the fridge or eat while hot.

Garnish with black sesame seeds and avocado.

Hummus Collard Wraps

Hummus Collard Wraps are light, refreshing and make an excellent packed lunch. The crisp collard greens are filled with hummus, crunchy carrots, juicy celery, tomatoes and pickles. They are easy to make, travel well.

Hummus Collard Wraps [VEGAN, GF]

Serves 4

Ingredients

•    8 large collard green leaves

•    4 carrots, julienne

•    4 celery stocks, julienne

•    16 cherry tomatoes, diced

•    8 pickles, thinly sliced

Hummus

•    2 garlic cloves

•    2 cups chickpeas (19oz drained and rinsed)

•    1 lemon, juiced

•    ½ cup parsley, packed

•    ¼ cup tahini

•    2 Tbsp olive oil

•    1 Tbsp miso

•    ½ Tbsp cumin

•    ½ tsp cayenne pepper

•    ¼ tsp black pepper

•    Salt to taste

To Prepare

• Wash the collard green leaves and lie them flat on a cutting board spine side up. Carefully run your knife or a peeler over the spine and shave off as much as possible. This will make your collard wraps much easier to roll.

• To make the hummus, place the garlic in a food processor and process until chopped. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, parsley, tahini, olive oil, miso, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt and blend until smooth.

• Gently fold the tomatoes and pickles into the hummus.

• To assemble the hummus collard wraps, lay the collard wraps on a flat surface. Place the carrots and celery in the center of the wrap and top each collard wrap with ¼ cup of hummus. Roll up the collard wraps starting at the base of the collard green and secure with kitchen twine.