Tomato, Kale, White Bean Soup

A slightly spicy soup with tons of amazing flavour. Inspired by a soup I had at work!

Prep time: ~45 minutes
Serves 4-6
Gluten-free

Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled and roughly diced.
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed/finely minced.
1-2 tsbp olive oil.
2 tsp chili flakes (add as much or as little as you like, really).
1 bunch kale, washed, stripped from the stem, and cut/torn into bite-sized pieces.
1 can whole tomatoes, roughly chopped, with the juice reserved.
2 tsp tomato paste
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed.
2 carrots, peeled if desired, sliced into thin half-moons.
2 stalks celery, finely sliced.
6 cups vegetable stock.
1 small handful fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme).
salt and pepper, to taste.

Cooking Instructions:

Heat a large pot on medium heat with the olive oil in it. When it’s nice and hot, toss in the onion. Cook until it begins to soften slightly, then add in the garlic.

When the onion is soft and translucent, and the garlic is fragrant, add the carrots and celery. Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to caramelize. Next, add the kale, and cook until it starts to wilt slightly.

Dump in the tomatoes, their juice, the beans, and the tomato paste. Stir well, until everything is combined. Allow to cook for a minute or two, then add the chili flakes and the thyme. Stir well, allowing everything to combine for a minute, then add the vegetable stock.

Bring the whole pot to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently until all of the vegetables are tender. Season well with salt and pepper, and serve piping hot!

Cannellini beans in Stewed Tomatoes

A light main course on its own, easily made a little more substantial by serving it on pasta, rice, or any grain of your choosing. I like a piece of bread to soak up what’s left of the sauce when I’m done.

If you don’t drink alcohol, replace the wine with a small cup of vegetable stock with a splash of apple cider or balsamic vinegar mixed in.

Prep time: ~30 minutes
Gluten-free
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
2 cans whole tomatoes (if fresh tomatoes aren’t in season), roughly chopped, with the juice reserved.
1 small glass white wine.
4 cloves garlic, crushed/minced.
2 shallots, finely diced.
1-2 tbsp olive oil.
1 small bunch sage leaves (or 1 tsp dried sage).
2 small sprigs rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary).
dash of hot sauce or pinch of dried chili flakes, if desired.
salt and pepper, to taste.

Cooking Instructions:

Heat a medium saucepan or deep frying pan on medium-low heat with the olive oil in the bottom. Once the oil is hot, toss in the garlic and shallot. Stir frequently, until the garlic begins to toast slightly. Don’t let the garlic burn – it will make the dish taste bitter, which you don’t want!

Next, add the tomatoes and the herbs. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture starts to bubble. Add your beans, then reduce the heat slightly, and allow to simmer, reducing down to a thick stew-like consistency.

Serve hot. This dish is also nice when eaten cold as leftovers the next day.

Kale, Walnut, Pomegranate Salad

A light salad with loads of fresh flavours that work really well together. The dressing used on this salad requires a few more ingredients than your standard vinaigrette, but it’s totally worth it, and goes great with tons of other salads!

Prep time: ~15 minutes
Serves 4-6
Gluten-free

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, washed.
1 large carrot, peeled if desired.
1-2 large handfuls pomegranate seeds.
1-2 large handfuls walnuts, crushed.

For the dressing:

2 tbsp olive oil.
2 tsp apple cider vinegar.
1 tsp tahini.
1 clove garlic.
pinch of salt.
pinch of pepper.
1 tsp maple syrup.

Cooking Instructions:

Remove the kale from the thick stems and slice or tear into approximately bite-sized pieces. Grate (or slice) the carrot into thin strips. Toss all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

For the dressing, pulse everything in a food processor or blender until smooth. Taste, and make sure it’s to your liking, adjusting the seasoning if you please.

Thai Curry Soup

A Thai-inspired soup. Not at all authentic, but still tasty! Slightly spicy, full of vegetables, and served with noodles. You could easily serve this soup with rice instead of noodles, if that’s what you’d prefer.

Prep time: ~45 minutes
Serves 4-6
Gluten-free

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp sesame oil.
1 red onion, thinly sliced.
2 cloves garlic, crushed/minced.
1 large carrot, peeled if desired, sliced into thin, long ovals.
1 large Chinese eggplant (sometimes called Japanese eggplant), sliced into long ovals.
1 large zucchini, sliced into thin, long ovals.
1-2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced.
2 large handfuls bean sprouts.
1 bunch coriander, stalks and leaves separated, stalks finely sliced.
3 green onions, finely sliced.
2 tsp soy sauce (make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking for someone who can’t have gluten!)
1 tbsp curry powder.
1 can coconut milk.
4 cups vegetable stock/water.
1 handful per person rice/sweet potato noodles.

Cooking Instructions:

Heat a large pot on medium heat with the oil in the bottom. When hot, toss in the onion. Stir often until it begins to soften, then add the garlic.

Once the onion is soft and translucent and the garlic is fragrant, add the carrot, coriander stalks, and Thai chilis. Reduce the heat slightly and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrot begins to soften, then add the zucchini. When the zucchini starts to soften, add the eggplant.

Once all the vegetables are softened, add the soy sauce, coconut milk, and curry powder. Stir well, until the curry powder is fully mixed with everything else, then add the vegetable stock/water. I recommend using the stock/water to rinse the coconut milk can out, so you get everything you can out of it.

Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently until all the flavours are acquainted. Taste, and season accordingly, adding more soy sauce if needed.

While the soup simmers, cook your rice/sweet potato noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and set aside.

To serve, place the noodles at the bottom of a bowl, then layer some bean sprouts on top. pour in the soup, then garnish with a generous sprinkling of green onions and coriander leaves.

Summer Tomato Salad

This is for anyone who misses summer. Since it’s the middle of January, I thought to myself, “Why not share a great summertime recipe?”

Even then, this is hardly a recipe. Super simple, just enough to compliment the natural flavours of the fresh tomatoes, and really easy to throw together. If you’re having guests over, this is a great little salad to make! Use some great Heirloom tomatoes of all different shapes, sizes, and colours, and people will be impressed, even though you didn’t do all that much!

Prep time: ~5 minutes.
Gluten-free
Raw
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Several Heirloom tomatoes of different varieties.
1-2 tbsp good olive oil.
Few leaves basil, sliced or shredded into small pieces.
salt and pepper, to taste.

Cooking Instructions (haha)

Slice the tomatoes into roughly the same size and shape, then toss with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. If you’re feeling really fancy, lay them out in a pretty pattern on a plate.

Potato Leek Soup

One of my favorite soups ever. Super flavorful, it’s chock full of nutrients, and really easy to make!

Prep time: ~30 minutes
Serves 4-6
Gluten-free

Ingredients:

2 large leeks, sliced into thin half-moons.
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed/finely minced.
1-2 tbsp olive oil.
5 large potatoes, peeled if desired, cut into bite-sized chunks.
4 large carrots, peeled if desired, sliced into half moons.
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly.
1 large handful herbs (dill, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, whatever you like!).
6 cups vegetable stock.
salt and pepper, to taste.

Cooking Instructions:

Heat a large pot on medium heat with the olive oil in it. When it’s nice and hot, toss in the leek. Cook until it begins to soften slightly, then add in the garlic.

When the leek is starting to become slightly translucent and the garlic is fragrant, toss in the carrots and celery. Reduce the heat slightly, then cook the vegetables until the leek and garlic caramelize nicely, stirring often.

Tumble in the potatoes, then continue cooking, again, stirring frequently. When the carrots begin to soften slightly, add the herbs, stir well, then add the vegetable stock.

Bring the soup to a boil, the reduce the heat, allowing the pot to simmer gently until all the vegetables are cooked through and tender. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or normal blender (careful not to splash yourself! I’ve done that so many times), then serve piping hot.