soup Archives - Lizs Healthy Table

Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Coconut Soup

BY Liz February 2, 2022 3 Comments

This Sweet Potato, Chickpea, & Coconut Soup is bursting with fragrance, flavor, and super-charged nutrition. Each steamy spoonful provides vitamin A from the sweet potatoes and bell pepper, protein and fiber from the chickpeas, and B vitamins from the rice. It looks like a fancy recipe, but it’s surprisingly easy.

Canned chickpeas are one of my favorite pantry staples. They’re inexpensive and versatile, and I love their meaty texture. Each half cup has 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, and as you may have heard me talk about a million times on my blog and podcast, fiber is critical to good health because it feeds the good bacteria that reside in our gut.

NEW #PlantBased recipe for Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Coconut Soup. It’s made with lots of vegetables as well as canned chickpeas, a sustainable and nutritious ingredient that delivers fiber and protein to the bowl #vegetarian #vegan…

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The best thing about this soup is the flavor. It’s incredibly luscious and rich thanks to the ginger, garlic, chili paste and coconut milk. I use light coconut milk vs full fat to keep the saturated fat in check.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Coconut Soup

Author: Liz Weiss

Recipe type: Soup

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Soup's on. Try this warming soup for supper this week. It's made with wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and chickpeas and it's bursting with flavor thanks to the coconut milk, curry paste, garlic, and ginger. To change things up, you could add baby kale, any other colored pepper, and white rice if you prefer it.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet potato, cut into ½-inch dice
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
One 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups packed baby spinach
1 cup cooked brown rice
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Optional toppings: Chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado, chopped peanuts

Instructions

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the sweet potato and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the red curry paste, ginger, and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in the broth, coconut milk, and chickpeas. Raise the heat to medium high, cover and bring to a boil. Remove the cover, reduce the heat, and maintain at a simmer until the vegetables are completely soft, another 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, rice, lime zest, and lime juice until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in individual bowls and garnish with optional toppings.

Pantry Peanut Butter & Chickpea Soup

BY Liz March 17, 2020 Leave a Comment

This vegan, gluten-free recipe for Pantry Peanut Butter & Chickpea Soup relies on nutritious staples that you probably have in your kitchen right now. This bubbly brew is made with canned chickpeas, canned tomato sauce, all-natural vegetable broth, peanut butter, boil-in-a-bag brown rice, bell pepper, onion and garlic, and spices. It’s hearty, creamy and delicious, and your family will love every comforting spoonful.

With growing concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus and its devastating impact on our most vulnerable citizens, many of us are staying home and laying low. There’s been quite a bit of buzz online and elsewhere about what to stock in your Quarantine Kitchen (AKA pantry, fridge, and freezer) … and as a registered dietitian, my recommendation has focused on nutrition, versatility, and how easily your everyday staples can be turned into healthy meals and snacks.

With a well-stocked pantry, there’s no limit to delicious dinners like this #vegan #PlantBased recipe for Pantry Peanut Butter and Chickpea Soup. It’s made w/canned chickpeas, canned tomato sauce, peanut butter, bell pepper, and spices…

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I created this recipe for Peanut Butter & Chickpea Soup many years ago when Josh and Simon were young. It was one of those soups my family loved, because it was filling, satisfying, and comforting. Last week when my stress meter was starting to run in the red zone, I decided to make it again. I had just done a big shop and had everything on hand, so voila, this recipe is now back in out lives. I did make a few modifications to the recipe by swapping the farro for brown rice and by adding turmeric.

This recipe is good for the body, spirit, and soul.

The recipe yields 9 cups, so if you’re cooking for a crowd or need a recipe to last a few days, this is the soup for you.

Pantry Peanut Butter & Chickpea Soup

Author: Liz Weiss

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: African

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My son, Simon, is on a gluten-free diet, so brown rice was my preferred whole grain for this recipe. But you could certainly use farro, quinoa, or orzo. It's a flexible recipe! You could swap out the peanut butter for almond butter or add a cup or two of cauliflower florets if you've got half a head left over!

Ingredients

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1 medium red or orange bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1½ cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon celery seed
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 32-ounce container all-natural vegetable broth
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1½ cups cooked brown rice (I used boil-in-a bag)
One 15-ounce can Garbanzos (AKA chickpeas), drained and rinsed, ¼ cup set aside for garnish
⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
Roasted peanuts, chopped, optional
Fresh cilantro, optional

Instructions

Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil and the bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the pepper softens, an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Sprinkle in the spices and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in the broth and tomato sauce. Cover, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
Add the rice, chickpeas, and peanut butter and stir well until the peanut butter melts into the soup. Warm through. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Top each serving with a few chickpeas and chopped peanuts and cilantro as desired.

If you’re hunkering down at home, take the time to organize your spice cabinet. I’m not sure I’ll ever be this organized again, but right now it feels great.

For more ideas on what to make from pantry staples, check out this recipe collection!

Easy Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup

BY Liz January 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

This recipe for Easy Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup is comforting, nourishing, and vegan. Made with red lentils, fresh thyme, vegetable broth, and a bunch of vegetables including onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and cauliflower, it’s a plant-based soup your family will slurp up happily.

Lentils are high in fiber (half a cup of split red lentils has 4 grams), protein, and complex carbohydrates. They are low in fat and calories, naturally gluten free, and they also contain important nutrients, including potassium, folate, iron, and manganese.

It’s soup time over at Liz’s Healthy Table! Check out my #vegan #PlantBased Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup made w/ split red lentils, mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, and vegetable broth #Veganuary #MeatlessMonday

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Over on Lentils.org, here’s how they describe lentil varieties, including the split red lentils I used in this super fast recipe: Lentils come in a variety of sizes ranging from extra-small to large. The most commonly found lentils on grocery store shelves are large green lentils and split red lentils. Split lentils have had their seed coat removed and the inner part of the lentil, known as the cotyledon, has been split in half. Split lentils cook much faster than whole lentils and are excellent for use in curries, as a thickener in soups, and for purees, whereas whole lentils tend to work better in salads or other applications where texture is desired. Lesser common varieties of lentils also include black Beluga lentils, and French green lentils.

Eating more nutrient-rich, fiber-filled plant foods is good for your health, but all those peels, stems, and skins can end up in the trash, unless you repurpose them … or add them to your compost bin. Since I was never good at composting (I was actually a big failure!), I joined a composting service called Black Earth Compost. Every Thursday, they pick up my organic food and kitchen waste. So instead of all that organic material rotting in a landfill and emitting green house gases, it’s being turned into rich, nourishing soil!

Easy Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

Serves: 6

Serving size: 1⅓ cups
Calories: 171

Fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 376 mg
Fiber: 12 g
Protein: 9 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Plant-Based

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This is one of those recipes that offers flexibility. For example, if you have a few celery stalks in your fridge that you want to use up, simply slice them up and saute along with the onion. Of if you don't have veggie broth, you can use chicken broth. Pretty much anything goes!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, cut into ¼-inch dice, (1 cup)
3 to 4 large button mushrooms, roughly chopped, (1 cup)
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon celery seed
One 32-ounce carton all-natural vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 medium carrot, shredded on the large holes of a box grater, (1 cup)
1½ to 2 cups bite-size cauliflower florets
1 cup split red lentils
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and mushroom and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 7 minutes. Adjust the heat accordingly.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, and celery seed and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the broth and water, increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil.
Remove the cover, stir in the carrots, cauliflower, lentils, and thyme. Replace the cover, reduce the heat, and cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and cauliflower are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the thyme stems. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls, and top with grated Parmesan cheese as desired.

Notes

You can easily double the onion, mushrooms, and carrots. Go for it!

Soup is so warming and comforting, and it’s just what I was craving on New Year’s Day. Let me know what you think of this recipe by posting a comment in the comments section below.

Instant Pot Barley, Carrot, and Chickpea Soup

BY Liz December 14, 2018 2 Comments

This hearty barley, carrot, and chickpea soup has a lovely flavor, meaty texture, and an I-need-to-slurp-this-soup-now aroma. You can make it low and slow in the slow cooker or in just 7 minutes in your trusty Instant Pot, .

At the market, look for pearl barley – it cooks up a bit faster, because the tough bran layer is partially removed – and feel free to sub the chickpeas with any other favorite bean. Vegans can omit the optional grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Instant Pot Barley, Carrot, and Chickpea Soup #recipe. Cooks up in just 7 minutes in the #InstantPot #WholeGrain #fiber #vegetarian #CansGetYouCooking #family #dinner

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Hearty grains like barley (even pearl barley) can take 40 to 50 minutes to cook, but when you employ your Instant Pot (AKA electric pressure cooker), the cooking time is a mere 7 minutes. The bottom line here is that the Instant Pot makes it a heck of a lot easier to get whole grains onto your family’s table. And if family meals are a challenge because you don’t have enough time, than the Instant Pot could be the answer to your dinner dilemma woes.

To hear more about cooking in the Instant Pot and for recipe inspiration, tune in to my latest podcast with Dana Angelo White, MS, RDN on the benefits, pitfalls, and versatility of popular Kitchen Gadgets including the Instant Pot, Air Fryer, and blender.

Click the PLAY button above to listen to the show.
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Start by sauteeing the onion and mushrooms in the Instant Pot. Add vegetable broth, canned diced tomatoes, a can of chickpeas, thinly sliced carrots, and a few thyme sprigs. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes, do a quick release (be careful), and then serve with grated Parmesan as desired. The carrots and barley cook up in no time.

Instant Pot Barley, Carrot, and Chickpea Soup

Nutrition Information

Serves: 6

Serving size: (1 generous cup)
Calories: 220

Fat: 5g
Saturated fat: 0.5g
Carbohydrates: 37g
Sodium: 630mg
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 9g

Recipe type: Soup

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I adore this soup. It's hearty, thanks to the barley, and it has an almost meaty texture thanks to the mushrooms. I'm a sucker for Parmesan cheese, so I go pretty heavy on the topping.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
One 10 ounce package sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 quart (32 ounces) all-natural vegetable broth
One 14.5 ounce can petite diced fire-roasted tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes
One 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 carrots, peeled, sliced lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch-thick half-moon pieces (about 1½ cups)
⅓ cup pearl barley
6 fresh thyme sprigs
Optional Toppings: grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker using the saute function. Stir in the mushrooms and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, about 7 minutes. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
Add the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, carrots, barley, and thyme and stir to combine. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release when done.
Remove the lid carefully. Remove the thyme stems, serve in individual bowls, and top with Parmesan cheese as desired.

Do you have a favorite Instant Pot soup recipe? Share it below in the comments section. Click here is my slow cooker version.

Instant Pot Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Herbs & Sardines

BY Liz March 22, 2018 Leave a Comment

I’m obsessed with two things right now: The electric pressure cooker (AKA Instant Pot) and sardines. This recipe for Instant Pot Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Herbs & Sardines meshes these both together in the most pleasant way! Read on for the tasty connection between one of the most popular kitchen appliances on the market today and a nutritious, affordable seafood option that you may not be eating often … yet.

If you own an electric pressure cooker, I hope by now you’ve dusted it off and are enjoying its many benefits including ease and speed. This lentil soup cooks up in minutes thanks to the Instant Pot’s sauté and pressure cooking features. The onions, carrots, celery, and zucchini cook on sauté for just 5 minutes, and once the rest of the ingredients are added and the device comes up to pressure, the lentils cook in just 6 minutes. The mint, cilantro and boneless, skinless sardines on top add an unexpected punch of flavor, and of course, great nutrition.

This recipe was inspired by my recent interview with Melissa Clark, author of Dinner in an Instant. She has a red lentil soup recipe in the book that I adapted to include what I had on hand in my fridge and pantry including green lentils, carrots, onion, zucchini, tomatoes, and celery, fresh herbs, and boneless, skinless sardines.

Lentil Soup with Vegetables cooked quickly in the electric pressure cooker #InstantPot … with a flavorful and nutritious topping made w/ mint, cilantro, and sardines! If you’re squeamish, go w/ the boneless and skinless #omegas4health #ad

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Here is my recent podcast interview with Melissa about cooking creatively in the electric pressure cooker. If you want to tune in, just click the PLAY button below.

And here is the reason why I had a tin of sardines in my pantry…

Sardines are part of the fabric of everyday life in Portugal. I traveled to Lisbon for a sponsored conference back in January, and just about everywhere I went — from tourist shops and restaurants to the ladies room at the Time Out Market, I spotted sardines on linens, menus boards, cans, and wallpaper. In the summer, sardines are available (and enjoyed) fresh, and year round, you can find them in small tins, wrapped in beautiful retro designs.

I’ve been on a mission this year to learn to love sardines. I’m getting there slowly, taking baby steps with mostly the skinless and boneless options. I did, however, recently mash up a sardine (skin, bones, and all) and add to deviled eggs.

Deviled eggs made with a mashed sardine.

Sardines are a powerhouse of good nutrition, and they’re versatile and affordable. A 3.75 ounce can of sardines with the bones has over 22 grams of protein, 350mg of calcium, about 200 calories, and a boatload of other nutrients including selenium, vitamin D, and vitamin B-12. And like salmon, trout, and other fatty fish, sardines are an excellent source of omega-3s with over 1,000mg per serving. Omega-3 fats are important for heart, eye, and brain health. In fact, research shows that people who regularly consume seafood are less likely to have depression compared to those who eat little to no fish. (2) The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends an intake of 250 to 500mg omega-3s (both EPA and DHA) each day, and consuming a variety of seafood at least twice a week can help consumers reach that goal.

So it’s time to dip your toe into the water and give sardines a try. If the tiny bones and skin freak you out, then start with the boneless and skinless variety. And do what I did with this lentil soup recipe, and use sardines as a garnish.

Instant Pot Lentil and Vegetable Soup with Herbs & Sardines

Recipe type: Soup

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Lentil soup is one of my favorite comfort foods in winter. And when you cook it in the electric pressure cooker, the lentils take just 6 minutes on high pressure to get tender. It's a bit unusual, but the combo of fresh herbs and sardines makes a super-flavorful addition to the soup. For even more flavor, squeeze some lemon juice into the sardine/herb mix. (Recipe makes about six 1-cup servings.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 celery stalk, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch dice
1 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch dice (1¾ cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon chili powder
1 cup green lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
3 small tomatoes, quartered
Optional garnish: Chopped fresh mint, chopped fresh cilantro, one 3.75-ounce can boneless and skinless sardines packed in olive oil

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker using the saute function. Stir in the onion, carrots, celery, and zucchini and cook, stirring frequently until the onion and vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, and chili powder and cook 2 minutes.
Add the lentils, vegetable broth, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover with the lid and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 8 minutes. Manually, carefully release the remaining pressure. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
For the optional garnish, place about ¼ cup each of mint and cilantro in a bowl. Add the sardines break apart into small shredded pieces. Top each bowl of soup with a spoonful of the optional garnish.

Resources:
Seafood Nutrition Partnership – RDN Toolkit
Health benefits of omega-3 fats – AlwaysOmega3s

Macaroni Minestrone Soup

BY Liz February 5, 2018 5 Comments

This hearty recipe for Macaroni Minestrone Soup is a one-bowl meal brimming with kid-friendly elbow pasta and three vegetables—zucchini, carrots, and fiber-filled canned beans. Every satisfying slurp is guaranteed to go down with a smile.

My Macaroni Minestrone Soup celebrates all that’s great about the Mediterranean diet, an eating style that includes fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and whole grains, as well as nuts, seafood, cheese, and eggs. The Mediterranean diet recently tied for the number-one BEST diet for 2018 by U.S. News and World Report because of it’s ease, deliciousness, and health benefits.

Kids who like alphabet soup and other vegetable/pasta soup combinations will love my pasta-filled version of minestrone soup. But it’s not just the familiar elbow pasta that appeals to kids. It’s also the way I dice the zucchini and carrots into small, cute pieces to minimize the intimidation factor. I recommend you use whole wheat pasta for this recipe. Since half of your grains should be whole grains, switch from regular macaroni to whole wheat. The slightly brown color of the pasta will blend right in. In other words, your kids won’t notice the difference.

A word on grains: While the Mediterranean diet is one of the most popular eating plans out there, chosen for its versatility and flavor and its’ many health benefits including weight control and improvement in cholesterol levels, grain foods like bread and pasta often get a bad rap. Last month, I attended a sponsored food and nutrition conference in Lisbon, Portugal where one of the scientific sessions focused on debunking myths about grains. An important takeaway from research presented by Yanni Papanikolaou, MHSc, Vice President, Nutritional Strategies, Inc. was that grains are nutrient dense and contribute to DGA (Dietary Guidelines for Americans) 2015 shortfall nutrients, including fiber, iron, folate and magnesium. So use whole grains to your advantage to boost the versatility, health and appeal of your meals.

Something else to keep in mind when making this soup: Any kind of tiny pasta shape works well, including one of my favorites: whole wheat orzo. And the same can be said for canned beans. You can easily make the switch to chickpeas or pinto beans if that’s what’s on hand in your pantry.

Macaroni Minestrone Soup celebrates all that’s great about the Mediterranean diet. This kid-friendly #soup is made with vegetables, beans, and whole wheat elbow #pasta #vegetarian #MediterraneanDiet #CannedBeans #MythsUnbaked

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For more pasts and pizza recipes, download my FREE e-book, Pasta & Pizza Dinners: 7 Nourishing Recipes from my Table to Yours.

Macaroni Minestrone Soup

Author: Liz Weiss

Nutrition Information

Serves: 6

Serving size: (1 cup)
Calories: 210

Fat: 8g
Saturated fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 34g
Sodium: 390mg
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 8g

Recipe type: Soup

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We're a soup-loving family, and minestrone soup is a regular at my table. We never tire of it. It's even a favorite in summer when when I'm looking for ways to use up fresh basil, zucchini and summer squash. And with 7 grams of fiber thanks to the beans and whole wheat pasta, 60% vitamin A, and 35% vitamin C, this hearty soup will keep you and your family well nourished all year long.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small zucchini (about 1 pound), unpeeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (3 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1 small onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
One 32-ounce carton all-natural vegetable broth
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup dried whole wheat elbow macaroni (or any other small shaped pasta)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Fresh basil, cut into strips, optional

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables soften, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat if the vegetables brown too quickly.
Stir in the broth and tomato sauce, cover, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Add the beans and pasta, reduce the heat, and cook at a low boil, uncovered, until the pasta is done, about 10 minutes. Stir a few times as you go; some of the pasta may stick to the bottom of the pot.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls and top with the Parmesan cheese and basil as desired.

Have you ever made minestrone soup for your family? Do they love it? What veggies do you add?

Red Lentil Soup with Root Vegetables and Sage + Plant-Powered for Life

BY Liz June 7, 2017 71 Comments

How many vegetables can you cram into one delicious, comforting soup? Well, in the case of this Red Lentil Soup with Root Vegetables and Sage, the answer is six: onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery, potatoes, and lentils, which are technically a vegetable.

This hearty recipe comes straight from the pages of Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps & 125 Delicious Recipes by Sharon Palmer, RDN. Here in New England it’s still cold outside (hard to believe), so this soup really hit the spot this week. And interestingly, when I made it, the aroma reminded me of my year as a dietetic intern living in Portland, OR (in 1982 to be exact) when I shopped for the very first time at a food coop. The dried herbs and spices in that store were intensely aromatic, and that intoxicating aroma is exactly how this soup smelled as it bubbled on my stove.

Red Lentil Soup w/Root Vegetables and Sage w/ @sharonpalmerRD + cookbook #Giveaway – Plant-Powered for Life

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Sharon Palmer is known as the Plant-Powered Dietitian. In a recent survey of my online community (that’s you!), I asked about topics folks wanted to hear about on the new podcast. “Adding more plant-based and vegetarian foods to my family’s diet,” was one of the most requested topics, so I invited Sharon onto the show to offer her best tips for making the switch from a meat-based diet to a diet rich in plants.

You can tune in to Episode 4 of Liz’s Healthy Table by simply clicking the PLAY button above.

I enjoyed having Sharon on the show so much and cooking a few of the recipes from her book (including a recipe for Tofu Cobb Salad), that I decided to give away a copy of her book: Plant-Powered for Life.

It’s Giveaway Time: One lucky reader/listener can now enter to win a free copy of Plant-Powered for Life (U.S. only, please). To enter, just post a comment below and tell me why you want to win the book and/or your best tip for adding more vegetarian and vegan meals to your family’s diet. Giveaway ends June 21st at noon ET. {Giveaway has ended.}

The things I love most about this book are the practical tips like Choose Foods as Close to Nature as Possible, Make Variety Your Motto, and Love Your Legumes for Protein and Beyond and how each tip is paired with recipes that bring that advice to life.

Her recipes feature fresh herbs, interesting spices, fruits, vegetables, pulses (beans, chickpeas, lentils, dried peas), whole grains, tofu, nuts and seeds. Each recipe is rich in health-enhancing antioxidants, fresh flavors, and they’re easy to adapt IF you want to add a little cheese, meat, or seafood as an accent.

4.8 from 9 reviews

Red Lentil Soup with Root Vegetables and Sage

Author: Courtesy: Sharon Palmer, RD

Nutrition Information

Serves: 8

Serving size: About 1 cup
Calories: 141

Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 27g
Sodium: 25mg
Fiber: 10g
Protein: 8g

Recipe type: Soup

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This savory soup, rich in carotenoid antioxidants, is a bright, sunny shade of orange—the perfect way to cheer up the cloudiest of days. Its herbal flavor—which includes the warm flavors of the Mediterranean spices sage and smoked paprika—and hearty texture make it ideal to pair with a salad, such as Haricots Verts, Tomato, and Almond Salad (page 32) or a sandwich half. When it comes to crafting delicious soups, it’s all about letting spices and herbs infuse each bowl with tantalizing taste and aroma, as well as potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can boost disease protection. From Plant-Powered for Life: Eat Your Way to Lasting Health with 52 Simple Steps and 125 Delicious Recipes Copyright © 2014 Sharon Palmer

Ingredients

6 cups water
One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, no salt added, with liquid
1 teaspoon reduced sodium vegetable broth base
1 small onion, diced
½ medium bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), diced
1 cup celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 small red potatoes, diced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried red lentils
1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
½ teaspoon low-sodium herbal seasoning blend
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

Combine the water and tomatoes in a large pot on the stovetop. Stir in the broth base and turn the heat to medium-high.
dd the onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, potatoes, garlic, red lentils, sage, herbal seasoning, and paprika.
Stir well, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add water as needed to replace moisture lost to evaporation, although the consistency should be thick and hearty.
{Liz} I added salt and pepper to taste and topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Star nutrients: folate (34% DV), thiamin (17% DV), vitamin A (49% DV), vitamin B6 (14% DV), vitamin C (53% DV), vitamin K (17% DV), iron (13% DV), magnesium (11% DV), potassium (15% DV)

Autumn’s Best Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pear Soup

BY Liz September 27, 2016 37 Comments

The second it cools off here in New England, I start craving soup, especially when butternut squash is the star. This vegetarian, gluten-free recipe features autumn’s freshest butternut squash along with sweet, crisp apples and juicy pears. For an added pop of protein, you can incorporate cooked quinoa, toasted walnuts, and/or pumpkin seeds.

Last week, I joined Kids Cooking Green (a food literacy and hands-on cooking program based in Lexington, MA) to teach nutrition to an adorable and engaged group of elementary school kids in Boston. The theme of our class was SOUP, and thanks to the kids’ hard work, we created two soups including a warm brew made with butternut squash and pears.

These pint-sized chefs were seriously focused, and I’m happy to report that there was a lot of tasting and devouring going on after our soups were done. (Isn’t that what it’s all about?)

For the blog, I decided to tweak the soup a bit and ended up with this recipe for Autumn’s Best Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pear Soup.

Autumn’s Best Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pear Soup + why cooking w/ kids = good #nutrition

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This soup is vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and downright delicious. To make it heartier and more of a complete meal, you can add the following protein foods: 1/4 cup cooked quinoa (2 grams protein), 1/4 cup toasted walnuts (4.5 grams protein), and/or 2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds (1.5 grams protein).

What sorts of soups are you craving these days? I hope you’ll give this vegetarian butternut squash soup recipe a try, and by all means, get your kids involved!

4.9 from 13 reviews

Autumn's Best Butternut Squash, Apple, and Pear Soup

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

Serves: 6

Serving size: 1¼ cups
Calories: 130

Fat: 5g
Saturated fat: 0.5g
Carbohydrates: 22g
Sodium: 430mg
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 2g

Recipe type: Soup

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When I think of autumn, squash comes immediately to mind as do apples and pears. I combined all three for this easy, vegetarian soup. Like most soups, this one is pretty versatile, and you can swirl in just about anything to make it more of a meal: quinoa, rice, nuts, leftover roasted chicken, or pumpkin seeds.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, cut into ½-inch dice, (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
One 20-ounce carton or package fresh diced (precut) butternut squash, (3 cups)
1 apple, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 pear, unpeeled and cut into 1-inch dice
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
One 32-ounce carton all-natural vegetable broth, (4 cups)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Optional toppings: toasted, chopped walnuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, chopped chives, plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute.
Add the squash, apple, pear, curry powder, cinnamon, and ginger and stir to combine.
Stir in the broth, increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and maintain at a low boil, covered, until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, let cool for about 15 minutes, transfer to a blender, and puree in batches until very smooth. Transfer back to the pot, reheat, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with optional toppings.

Notes

Each serving has 180% vitamin A and 25% vitamin C.

Get cooking!

Greek Orzo Chicken Soup + Reducing Food Waste

BY Liz February 25, 2016 13 Comments

This Greek Orzo Chicken Soup is easy to make, delicious to eat, and nutritious, and if you prepare it mindfully, it can help your family reduce food waste too.

The topic of Food Waste has been on my mind for quite some time now, because the numbers are just so darn staggering:

> 40% of the food in the United States goes uneaten on any given day, which translates to more than 20 pounds of food waste per person every month.
> From farm to table, a 15% food waste reduction could feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans is food insecure.

The GOOD NEWS: The U.S. is aiming for a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030

When I created this recipe for Greek Orzo Chicken Soup, I did it in a mindful way, paying close attention to reducing food waste every step of the way. This ‘technique’ of cooking mindfully really works because it forces you (in a good way) to think about every ingredient and every scrap of food that’s left over throughout the cooking process.

Cook mindfully to reduce #FoodWaste + Greek Orzo Chicken Soup

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Indulge me as I walk you through my mindful food-waste-reduction exercise:

(1) Purchase a rotisserie chicken and remove the meat. Set one cup aside for the soup and then place the remaining 3 cups of chicken in a zip-top freezer bag. Label, date, and freeze.

(2) Place the chicken bones in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for later use in a homemade chicken broth.

(3) Open a can of chickpeas. Drain and rinse. Set 3/4 cup aside for the soup and either eat the remaining chickpeas in a salad some time over the next few days or place leftovers in a zip-top freezer bag and freezer for later use.

(4) Wash and peel the carrots and chop the dill. Save the scraps in a zip-top freezer bag, freeze, and add to it over the coming weeks. Use food scraps + chicken bones to make a homemade broth.

(5) Freeze the leftover dill in a zip-top bag for later use or keep the dill fresh by trimming the stems, placing in a small cup of water, covering the cup with a plastic bag, and placing in the fridge. Change the water every day or two.

(6) Make just enough soup to serve four people. Double the recipe ONLY if your family can eat the soup in one sitting, loves leftovers, or if you want to share with friends or freeze the leftovers for another dinner.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Greek Orzo Chicken Soup

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1¼ cups
Calories: 160

Fat: 2g
Saturated fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 18g
Sodium: 260mg
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 17g

Recipe type: Soup

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Kids love soup and so do adults, and I find that even picky eaters are willing to slurp soup if it contains some cute components. That's where the little shreds of carrot and the chickpeas come in! They're hard to resist.

Ingredients

4 cups low-sodium, all-natural chicken broth
⅓ cup whole wheat orzo
½ cup shredded carrot
1 cup roughly chopped or shredded cooked chicken (5 to 6 ounces)
¾ cup chickpeas, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
Crumbled feta cheese, optional

Instructions

Place the broth in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and carrot, raise the heat, and return to a boil.
Cook the pasta at a low boil until done, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken, chickpeas, and dill and heat through. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in individual bowls and top with extra chickpeas, dill, and feta cheese as desired.

Notes

This recipe provides 25% of the daily requirement for immune-boosting vitamin A.

Please share the food waste reduction tips and tricks that have worked for you.

Lentil Alphabet Soup

BY Liz January 4, 2016 11 Comments

Vegetarian, vegan, and kid friendly, this Lentil Alphabet Soup is irresistible thanks to the playful pasta, and it’s filled with fiber and protein thanks to the lentils and vegetables. I have no doubt your kids will happily slurp up every last spoonful.

This one pot, savory soup is made with carrots, celery, lentils, and adorable alphabet pasta, and the veggies and lentils are so tiny, even the pickiest eaters at your table will love it.

Alphabet soup gets a healthy fix w/ fiber-filled LENTILS #PulseFeast #LovePulses #IYP2016

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The UN General Assembly has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Why? Because lentils, dry beans and peas, and chickpeas are a nutritious superfood, and they’re sustainable — they have a low carbon footprint and enrich the soil. Pulses are regarded as a food of the future, poised as a powerful solution for feeding the world’s growing population.

Here at Liz’s Healthy Table, I’m starting the Pulses’ celebration early with this lentil soup, and I’ve given it a family-friendly spin with alphabet-shaped pasta. {Check out Pulses.org for more recipes and pulses cooking tips.}

Did you know that one cup of lentils has 16 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein?

But wait, there’s more: One cup of cooked lentils has nearly 40% of your daily requirement for iron, and they’re also a good source of zinc, a mineral that strengthens the immune system.

For my homemade alphabet soup, I chopped carrots, celery, and onions into tiny pieces. And I cooked them until tender.

Once tender, I added a 32-ounce carton of vegetable broth, tomato sauce, and the alphabet pasta, and brought to a low boil.

When the pasta was tender, I stirred in the cooked lentils.

Picky Eater Tip: While the soup cooks, set out a bowl of the dried alphabet pasta and challenge your kids to spell out words … like their names!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Lentil Alphabet Soup

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

Serves: 5

Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 150

Fat: 3g
Saturated fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 24g
Sodium: 680mg
Fiber: 7g
Protein: 7g

Recipe type: Soup

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Lentils are easy to cook, but if you prefer the no-fuss route, look for canned or even frozen cooked lentils. And speaking of cans, while you can easily find canned alphabet soup at the market, it tends to be super salty and barely has any vegetables, so I prefer making it from scratch with easy recipes like this one!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, finely diced (about ¾ cup)
3 small carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice (about ¾ cup)
3 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch dice (about ¾ cup)
One 32-ounce carton all-natural vegetable broth
One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
¼ cup dried alphabet pasta
1¼ cups cooked lentils

Instructions

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the broth and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover, and bring to a boil.
Remove the cover, stir in the pasta, and reduce the heat. Maintain at a low boil and cook, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the cooked lentils, and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Notes

Each plant-powered bowl of our Lentil Alphabet Soup has 70% vitamin A, 20% vitamin C, and 15% iron.

What are your favorite recipes using pulses?

Categories

The GOOD NEWS: The U.S. is aiming for a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030

Did you know that one cup of lentils has 16 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein?

Picky Eater Tip: While the soup cooks, set out a bowl of the dried alphabet pasta and challenge your kids to spell out words … like their names!