Creamy Cauliflower, Kale and Rice Soup

A friend of mine has recently started eating a vegan diet and has been sharing all kinds of plant-based recipes. I have been excited to try them out and so far everything I have tried has been really good! When I first made this soup I was SUPER nervous! It made tons, required some work and was bright green and not all that appetizing looking haha! But looks can be deceiving and it was surprisingly good! I portioned out the big batch into smaller containers and have been having it a few times a week for lunch. I love eating soup all the time, but especially in cold weather and to me this is a great replacement for the green smoothies I just can't bring myself to drink when I am already cold. Definitely try this one out!

Recipe from Purpose + Plants
Ingredients:
1/4 cup veggie broth
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, sliced or chopped
1 head cauliflower, florets removed and chopped to bite sized pieces
2 cartons veggie broth
1 bundle of kale, ribs removed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3/4 cups cashews, soaked in hot water for 5 min (recommended raw, but if you cant find them, roasted cashews work too!)
2 cups brown rice, cooked (I used 1/2 rice and 1/2 quinoa)
Salt to taste

Directions:
Add broth to a soup pot - saute the onions until translucent and fragrant.
Add the garlic, carrots and celery and cook a few more minutes, stirring them around to tenderize.
Then add some salt, cauliflower and veggie broth. Bring soup to a boil and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Once the cauliflower is cooked through, add the kale to the soup and let it wilt for a few minutes.
Then at this point I like to take the kale and put it in the blender with the soaked cashews, chickpeas and about 2 cups of the broth and blend that puppy smooth.
Pour that back into the soup and finish it off by stirring in the brown rice! (You'll notice, for the sake of beauty, I held off blending the soup until after I took the pic because it looks like this...)

Chicken Shawarma Bowls

YUM!!! This meal was so easy and so tasty! Great for kids because they can personalize it themselves and it would be great for meal prepping too. The main recipe below is from Skinnytaste, but I used Mel's Kitchen Cafe's hummus/yogurt recipe (it is our go-to all the time!). I served ours with pita bread (for the kids) and with a mix of quinoa and cauliflower-rice for Mike and I. Plus topping choices of cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta cheese. A definite hit in our house!

Chicken:
1 pound (2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 medium lemon
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Place the chicken breasts, 1 at a time, in a Ziploc bag. Pound each breast to an even thickness, about ½-inch thick, being careful not to puncture the bag. Place pounded chicken breasts back into bag and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine olive oil and lemon juice. Whisk until combined. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon, red pepper, salt and black pepper and whisk again.
Pour the marinade into the bag with the chicken, massaging it to evenly coat. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Over medium-high heat, grill the chicken for 3 minutes or until it no longer sticks to the grill. Turn the chicken and grill an additional 3-4 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes then slice it thinly, across the grain. Top each breast with 2 tablespoons sauce and a sprinkle of parsley.

Yogurt-Hummus Sauce:
2/3 cup Greek yogurt (nonfat or regular)
1/3 cup hummus (storebought or homemade)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Directions:
For the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Add hot water a teaspoon at a time to thin the sauce, if needed.

Butter Chicken for Meal-Prep

I've been incorporating a little meal-prepping into my routine for awhile now (nothing too crazy yet), and was excited when I came across this recipe to add some new flavors to me usually weekly lunches. If you make it as described below it isn't the healthiest lunch option but with a few easy changes it fits the bill for sure. I used low fat greek yogurt instead of heavy cream and served over cauliflower rice with roasted veggies. The sauce was heavenly!

Original recipe is from Gimme Delicious Food.

Ingredients:
For the butter chicken
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion diced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely minced or grated
2-3 cloves garlic finely minced or crushed
1 ½ pounds about 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch chunks
1 can 6 oz. tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder or paprika, adjust to taste
1 teaspoon Fenugreek I use powder, but seeds or mustard seeds can be used too
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup heavy cream (sub for half &half or yogurt for low fat)
For the rice
1 cup basmati rice or jasmine
1 3/4 cups water
Large pinch salt
For the garlic naan
small Pizza dough
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup minced cilantro optional
2 tablespoon melted butter

Instructions:
To cook butter chicken: Heat a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and onions and cook onions down until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t burn. Add the chicken, tomato paste, and spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until everything is cooked through. Add the heavy cream and simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.

To make naan: Combine the garlic, butter, cilantro and butter in a small bowl. Set aside. Divide pizza dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough into a small circle using a rolling-pin. Heat up a skillet (cast-iron preferred) over high heat and lightly grease the surface with some oil to avoid the dough from sticking to the skillet. Place the dough in the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles and burnt spots appear, flip it over and spread with the garlic butter mixture. Cook until done. Repeat the same until all dough is done.

To cook rice:Wash rice until it runs clear then rinse. In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

To Assemble: Measure 1 cup of cooked rice into each meal prep container. Pour about 1 cup of the butter chicken on the rice. Wrap a naan with foil or plastic wrap. To heat, microwave containers for 2 minutes or until steamy. Microwave naan for just 20 seconds.