My New Love

I love bubbly drinks, I love diet coke, I love sprite, I really love ginger ale…but for the most part I have stopped drinking Cokes since discovering the deliciousness that is Advocare Spark (https://www.advocare.com/15044147/mobile/store/itemdetail.aspx?itemcode=a7093) …However sometimes you just want bubbles…

I’ve bought sparkling water in the past, I know that I like it so I’m surprised with myself for not thinking of keeping it on hand to satisfy my bubble craving sooner,  but alas I have failed at life…

Then someone on  Facebook Group I am a member of mentioned mixing their spark with carbonated water…O-M-G it is amazing.  

And the Kroger here had Perrier & Deer Park  bottled water on sale this week (and La Croix cans) so I may have gone a little crazy on my lunch break today and spent $25 on bottled sparkling water…I cleared the shelf of 1-liter Perrier Lime and Deer Park Sparkling water and bought 3 12 packs of the La Croix flavored sparkling waters…

Yummy!!!

Fried Rice

The only type of food we like as much as Mexican is Asian.   This fried rice recipe is way healthier than what we buy at the take out place down the street, way healthier, and just as yummy :)   

Ingredients

• 3.5 Cups uncooked rice
• Sesame Oil
• 8-10 Eggs
• 1 cup Leftover Roast Chicken (or ham or any other kind of meat really) chopped
• Package of frozen mixed vegetables (or use your food processor and finely chop any kinds of veggies you have lyin around...example broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, etc.)
• ⅓ cup Chicken Soup Base (or 1-2 packages Fried Rice seasoning mix)
  Instructions

1. Cook your Rice according to package instructions. If you are making dinner ahead of time you can chill the rice, or if making it last minute like I do, just let the rice steam an additional 15 minutes after it is done after the heat is off.
2. Next, Mix your eggs, add a dash of salt n pepper. Then go ahead and scramble-cook them. I normally just add a little butter to the pan. Then continually scrape pan and cook till done. Set eggs aside in a bowl.
3. Using the same pan, add ¼ cup sesame oil. Toss in chopped roasted chicken or other meat. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Then add your vegetables and chicken soup base/seasoning packets to the chicken and cook until vegetables are done.
5. Then just add your mix to the cooked rice.
6. Mix it all up and serve. Yum!
   For Freezer Meal cooking you can add your cooked Fried Rice to gallon freezer safe bags or in a pan covered with foil. I found some great cheap-O aluminum carry-out pans (you know the ones with the silver cardboard lid) at dollar tree 3/$1 that were perfect.  Each pan held about 1/2 the recipe so I was able to pull it straight from the freezer, cover in foil (since cardboard isn't exactly oven safe) and put it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees to heat through.

Freezer Meal Carnitas!!!!

Have I mentioned how much I love Mexican food?   I also really love Pulled Pork so when I saw this recipe I had to try it.   We had the pork on a salad earlier this week and it was absolutely amazing! One stupid thing I did was not fully read the instructions before cooking so I put the rub on the entire pork roast verses dicing the roast first...Next time I'll know though and now you know...Dice the pork, then coat in the rub for the most flavor!

To make traditional carnitas, Michoacán style, skip the spice mix and just boil the pork in water with an onion, a bay leaf, cumin, salt and hot pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds pork roast, leg or shoulder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 head butter lettuce, washed and dried
• 2 carrots, spiralized (or grated)
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• water almost to cover
  Spice Mix:

• 1 tablespoons un-sweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon coriander
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  INSTRUCTIONS

1. The day before cooking the meat, make the spice mix by combining all of the ingredients listed, cut the roast into manageable pieces and rub them with the onion and spices. Then wrap the meat back into the butcher's paper and refrigerate overnight.
2. Brown the roast on all sides, in pre-heated pressure cooker, the add enough water to almost cover (2-3 cups).
3. Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
4. For electric pressure cookers: Cook for 50-60 minutes at high pressure.
   For stove top pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 45 minutes pressure cooking time.
5. Open with the Natural release method - move the pressure cooker to a cool burner and wait for the pressure to come down on it's own (about 10 minutes). For electric pressure cooker, disengage the “keep warm” mode or unplug the cooker and open when the pressure indicator has gone down (20-30 minutes).
6. Pull out the meat and place on a platter, and then begin pulling the flesh into strips using two forks. In the meantime, reduce the cooking liquid in the cooker to half strain and de-fat using your favorite method (I leave it in the fridge overnight).
7. At this point, you can also refrigerate the cooked, now shredded, pork for several days or continue with the recipe.
8. In a pre-heated large wide saute' pan add vegetable oil, or lard, and fry the shredded pork until it becomes lightly brown. For extra spice, drizzle the cooking liquid on the pulled pork before serving.
9. To make lettuce wraps, simply prepare the lettuce cups with carrots on a serving platter. Fill with just-fried pork. Finish with a squirt of fresh lime.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

This is not a freezer meal

I repeat this is not a freezer meal

Spaghetti squash doesn't exactly freeze well, and if you are going to make this then add it to the squash later...what's the point, it doesn't take that long to cook after you roast the spaghetti squash so....

Hubby loves Thai food...he was really excited when I decided to try my hand at this Spaghetti squash Pad Thai recipe.   It was really yummy, I was probably a little too heavy handed with the red pepper flakes for my taste but it was perfect for hubby.  Next time I'll probably stick with the 1 tsp the recipe calls for and let him add heat via siracha or chili oil to his.  

Ingredients

1. 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
2. 2 cloves garlic, crushed
3. 1/2 red onion, chopped
4. 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
5. 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
6. 1/2 cup sprouts
7. 1/2 cup scallions, chopped
8. 10-20 large shrimps
9. 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10. 2-3 organic eggs
    Sauce

1. 2 tbsp coconut aminos
2. Optional: 2 tbsp oyster sauce or Coconut Aminos Teriyaki Sauce
3. 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
4. 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
5. 1 tsp ground garlic
   Instructions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. 2. Roast spaghetti squash and set aside
3. 3. In a bowl mix together sauce ingredients and set aside
4. 4. In a large pan, sauté 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil with 2 garlic cloves crushed, half of a red onion chopped, chopped mushrooms, carrots, sprouts, and scallions (and any other veggies you like)
5. 5. Once cooked down, add shrimp and chicken (uncooked or slow cooker chicken) and cook for 5-8 minutes, until protein is cooked
6. 6. Add in spaghetti squash (approx. 3 cups) and sauce mixture, mix well to combine
7. 7. Make a space in the center of your pan and add in 2 (or 3) eggs
8. 8. Let cook and mix well throughout the mixture.
9. 9. Taste and adjust spices to desired liking*
10. Optional: Top with extra scallions and finely chopped peanuts on top*
    Notes

1. You'll need to add as you taste!
2. If you like more of a saucy Pad Thai, taste and add more sauce as desired. I mix in sriracha in mine*

Chicken Cabbage Soup

I can't remember where I found this recipe, however the sliced cabbage noodles are really fun and it is a delicious chicken soup.  Perfect for cold weather like what we are having currently (it's 20 degrees here today).  It really does warm the soul.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced or sliced
• 2 ribs celery, diced (leaves included)
• 8 cups water, vegetable or chicken stock (I used homemade chicken stock)
• 2 cups diced chicken meat, cooked (I used meat from the bird I cooked to make my chicken stock, you can omit the meat for a vegetarian version.)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
• generous grating of black pepper
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions soften. Add the water or stock and all remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast and parsley. 
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender and broth is flavorful (at least 30 minutes).
3. Stir in the nutritional yeast and parsley.  Add salt to taste and serve.

Number of servings (yield): 6

More Recipe Craziness

So I've noticed that my blogstats claim a lot of people are reading my recipe posts...so while I am by no means a gourmet chef/cook I am going to do my best to post one recipe per week on Wednesdays. I usually try not to schedule posts out too far in advance (I will occasionally go on a blogging binge and schedule a few posts out at a time to keep from posting 5 or 6 times in a day) but in order to do my best to keep the recipe posts going I am going to schedule them out as I write them for the next available Wednesday.    I will also do my best to make sure that as many of them as possible are Advocare 24-day challenge Friendly for those of you out there who need ideas.  

Bon Appetite!  

Back to Recipes - Clean Taco Meat

I know today is a Friday in Lent so may people won't be eating turkey tacos today (including me) however this is a yummy recipe for taco meat without the crazy sodium in the packaged seasoning...and I had all the ingredients in our spice cabinet!

I made a couple of batches of this taco meat and froze it so we can easily make taco salads or lettuce wraps whenever we have a Mexican craving (Have I mentioned how much we love Mexican food in our house??)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1½ teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
•  1 teaspoon black pepper
  
  
  Instructions
  Combine the following dry ingredients into into a bowl to create your taco seasoning: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper
  Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat
  Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with the side of a spoon, until meat is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes.
  Stir in taco seasoning and cook 1 minute.

Colcannon Puffs

I love fried potato pancakes and latkes.  This recipe combines the delicious comfort food of my youth with an equally comforting Irish Colcannon recipe for fun bite-size puffs that would make a great (healthy!) appetizer for a party or carb/side for a family meal.   Hubby and I had them with veggie loaded meatballs and a salad for dinner last week and they were delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes (I used red potato's and left the peels on them)
• 6 ounces kale
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons milk(ish) (I used almond milk this time)
• 2 tablespoons potato starch or corn starch

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into small cubes (about 1/2-inch), put them in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, remove the center stalk from the kale and slice the leaves into strips. When the potatoes are done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. Put the kale into the potato water and cook for 6 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove kale with a slotted spoon to a food processor. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and pulse to chop fine.
3. Preheat oven to 425 F. Mash the potatoes and add the kale and all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Using a well-rounded tablespoon, form into balls about 1 inch across. Place them on an oiled baking sheet or, preferably, a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully turn over and bake fore 20 minutes more, until lightly browned.

Number of servings (yield): 6

If Freezing you can freeze the puffs after step 2 then thaw them before baking (my preferred method) or pre-bake them before freezing and then reheat in the oven after thawing.  Personally since the potato's are already cooked I figure waiting to bake them until I am ready to eat is the most energy efficient method since reheating them in the microwave might make them soggy.

Quick Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

I made this as a freezer meal but after seeing how easy it was I think it could be made just as quickly from scratch as from the freezer! (really the prep time was less than 10 minutes...amazing!)

Ingredients

• 1 28-ounce can peeled, whole tomatoes (including liquid)
• 1 cup vegetable broth (water will do, in a pinch, or chicken broth if not vegan)
• 3 large garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
• 1½ lemon juice
• ¼ cup fresh basil chopped or 2 TBSP dried
• Splash of soy milk (or cashew cream)
• Salt and pepper
  Directions

1. Place tomatoes, broth, garlic, nutritional yeast and lemon juice in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. If you’d like the soup to be warm, transfer to a medium-sized pot over low- to medium-heat, and warm to desired temperature. Alternatively, if you are using a high speed blender, simply let it run in the blender for a couple of minutes until desired temperature is reached.
3. Serve garnished with fresh basil and a splash of soy milk or a dollop of cashew cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

We had this for dinner with grilled cheese made on homemade, high protein, relatively clean bread and it was a perfect comfort food. 

Chicken Piccata

I was surprised how easy this was to make.  The idea of pounding the chicken breast out so thin was a little intimidating at first but once I got started it was really fun!  We haven't eaten them yet but I'll post an update about taste once we do :)

Serves: Makes: 4-6 servings, depending on size of chicken breasts

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 extra-large eggs (preferably organic or local)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1½ cups panko or whole wheat bread crumbs
• Good olive oil
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
• 1 cup dry white wine (choose one that you'd drink)
• Sliced lemon, for serving
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving
  Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water together. Pour out the bread crumbs onto a third plate.
4. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.
5. Coat the bottom of a large saute pan with a thin layer of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium to medium-low heat. Add two of the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan. Wipe out the pan and add more olive oil to coat the bottom. Saute the remaining two chicken breasts for 2 minutes on each side. Place on the sheet pan with the others.
6. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce. (Check for doneness by making sure there is no more pink inside the chicken breast.)
7. For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2-3 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine.
8. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
   Freezer Directions:
   Freeze the uncooked, breaded chicken breasts and fully cooked sauce, separately. When you're ready to eat it, thaw in the fridge over night and saute and bake chicken as directed, starting with step #5. Warm the sauce on low heat.

Gourmet Marinated Chicken Breast

We are having these chicken breast grilled on salads tonight for dinner but they could just as easily be used to make a great sandwich.  

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
  
  
  Instructions

1. In a gallon-sized freezer bag, combine the oil, the vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, ginger and paprika. Gently shake the bag to mix. Then set aside.
2. Carefully cut the chicken breasts lengthwise through the center to create two thin halves out of each breast. Place the six chicken cutlets in the bag with the marinade, seal the bag and shake to ensure the meat is coated. Set in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to several hours to marinate.
3. Preheat a grill pan or grill over medium-high heat.
4. Lightly coat the pan with cooking spray (if cooking on the stovetop), and then add the chicken to the pan or grill. Discard the marinade. Grill until there are prominent marks on the bottoms, about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pan or grill and grill for another 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Chicken is done when juices run clear or the internal temperature is 165 F.

To Freeze:

Place chicken in the marinade, seal bag, and freeze immediately. Thaw in refrigerator before cooking, as the chicken thaws it will soak up even more marinade 

(I froze each breast individually and divided the marinade between freezer bags so that we could easily grab single servings)

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Salad. AKA FOOTBALL FOOD!!!!

Let me start by saying I am an Indianapolis Colts fan.  Because of this I have a lot of love for Peyton Manning and therefore am EXTREAMLY excited to see him win (power of positive thinking right) the Super Bowl with the Broncos in two weeks.  

Yesterday hubby and I had this salad as our football food and it totally hit the spot. 

I'm even going to use this as a dip for carrots and celery for an office dip-off party we are having for the super bowl.  It was really easy to make and the taste is perfect for a healthier version of the popular buffalo chicken dip.  

I don't think it can stand on it's own as a meal, you need a lettuce salad or something to go with it.  Personally I found it a little to spicy to eat by itself.  

Salad

·         1 cup quinoa

·         2 cups water

·         3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

·         1 cup broccoli florets

·         3/4 cup shredded carrots

·         3/4 cup shredded cabbage

·         1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for garnish

·         4 green onions chopped, save half for garnish

Dressing

·         1/3 cup olive oil

·         1/2 cup hot sauce (I recommend Franks)

·         1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Instructions

1. In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse quinoa well and drain. In a medium pot, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the quinoa with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking make the buffalo sauce dressing and cook the chicken and broccoli. In a measuring cup or small bowl combine the olive oil, hot sauce, and seasoned salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. Heat a medium size skillet over medium high heat Add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the broccoli for about 5 minutes. You want it to just start to soften, but still be crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the chicken to the same pan and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Add 1/4 cup or so of the buffalo sauce and cook until the chicken absorbs the sauce.
4. When the quinoa is ready add the chicken, broccoli, carrots, shredded cabbage and as much of the dressing as desired (I ended up using all of the dressing, but we like things extra saucy) toss well. Add the blue cheese and half of the green onions. Toss again and serve warm with extra blue cheese crumbles and green onions.

Taco Chicken Bowls

Ingredients:

1½ lbs. chicken breasts

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn

¼ Cup water

1 Tbsp chili powder

½ Tbsp cumin

½ Tbsp minced garlic

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp salt

cracked pepper to taste

Serve With:

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Diced Avocado

Sour Cream

½ bunch cilantro (optional)

Instructions

·       Add ingredients to slow cooker, making sure that chicken is covered by mixture.

·       Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

·       After 8 hours of cooking stir with fork to shred chicken. 

·       Prepare two cups of rice according to instructions on package. Fluff with a fork before serving.

·       Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

If freezing-either freeze ingredients before cooking then thaw before cooking or freeze after cooking and heat while rice cooks for serving.

I froze my ingredients before cooking.  This makes 8-10 servings and is 100% 24 Day Challenge/10 Day Cleanse friendly if you serve it with brown rice and omit the cheese & sour cream.  

24 Day Challenge Check In

So today was day 11 of my 24 day challenge.   This is my third challenge since March 2015 when Hubby and I signed up as distributors for the discount.   Last year I lost a total of 18 pounds and dropped a full pants size + (12's were tight on me in January 2015, now 10's are loose and I can wear 8's but I'm not comfortable in them yet.)

Today I weighed myself and I have lost another 3 pounds, 1 inch on my waist (which means the 8's probably actually fit me now, 3/4 inch on my hips, and 1/2 inch on each of my thighs.   

I cannot express how much I love the Advocare products and how glad I am that hubby and I have found a program that works for both of us.   The food lines up with my normal eating habits, (with the exception of cutting some of my sugary-food-vices) and has really taught hubby the importance of a balanced diet and helped expose him to a better idea of what healthy food really is verse "healthy" frozen dinners and ranch dressing.   He is now truly 60+ pounds lighter than he was at this time last year and for the first time in our relationship he has lost the weight at a safe rate and continued to loose without massive rebounds.   I am so proud of him and so excited to see where we end up.  If you had told me 4 years ago he would be at this point and I would be ok with him continuing to lose weight without looking like someone who is terminally ill I would have laughed...I am amazed by the difference losing weight the right way has had in his appearance.   

We have started going to hot yoga, (we had 1 month unlimited groupons) and when the month is over we are going to start working with weights.  Hubby is also training for a marathon (it will probably be in the fall) and we are going to do the same 5k we did last year in May so I'm going to start using the elliptical more regularly until the weather gets a little nicer then I will start C25K again running to the park down the street.  My goal will be to beat last years time of 38 minutes (wish me luck!)

That's all for now.  I hope you are enjoying the fun 24-day challenge friendly recipes!!!

Amazing turkey meatloaf

I divided this into two loaves thinking I could get 4 servings per loaf (1 pound of meat / 4 servings made sense to me!) but hubbys reaction both times I've cooked it so far has been "That's all I get" so I think next time I will double the recipe and make 3 loaves total so that they are a little bigger because we certainly don't need a full 1/2 pound of meat per serving.   

Meatloaf with quinoa, Lima beans, and homemade sauerkraut. 

Ingredients

• 2lbs lean ground turkey
• 1 small onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 egg
• Garlic powder
• Pepper
• ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
• ¼ Cup almond milk (unsweetened)
• Ketchup (I used a natural one but I am sure any would work)
• Instructions

1. Mix together and form it to the baking dish (about 2½ inches thick). 
2. Put ketchup on top and bake at 375 for about 1 hour or until cooked through

To Freeze: 

Mix together and form loaf.  Wrap in butcher paper or waxed paper then again in plastic wrap or foil (or vacuum seal) and freeze.   

When ready to cook thaw in baking dish then cover with Ketchup and bake.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

This soup is delicious!  Make sure you let the beans soak long enough and cook long enough if using dried beans (just knowledge from a history of making bean soup) but it is absolutely delicious.  The beans are tender and the cashews let a nutty/meaty note to the flavor that makes you not miss the pork traditionally found in bean soups in the southern/Midwestern US like the ones I had growing up.   

Ingredients

• Drizzle of olive oil (I used the oil from the sun dried tomatoes!)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1½ tsp dried sage
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3½ cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups white beans, such as Cannellini or Great northern
• 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I prefer the ones packed in oil)
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ½ cup water
• 5 cups shredded kale
• Salt & Pepper
• Optional: Roasted red pepper flakes
  
  
• Directions

1. Soak cashews in water for 6-8 hours (or in hot water for 1-2 hours). Drain, rinse and set aside until ready to make the soup.
2. If using dried beans soak beans in water according to package instructions.
3. Drizzle a little olive oil (or the oil from your sun dried tomatoes) in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Add the basil, sage, salt, broth, beans, and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, combine the soaked cashews and water in a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Add the cashew cream and kale to the soup and mix to combine. Cover and turn the heat off. Let sit for about five minutes. Soup is ready to serve once the kale has started to wilt.
6. To serve, spoon the soup into individual bowls and sprinkle with extra salt and pepper, as well as red pepper flakes, fresh basil and/or fresh sage, if using, to taste.