I love this soup for so many reasons but mostly because it’s super easy and really good! A wonderful juice shop in NYC made this soup for a holiday party I had this year and it was such a hit with healthy eaters and especially non healthy eaters alike. I knew this would be a recipe I had to share, especially with temps dropping and people needing warm, nourishing meals. Enjoy!

My latest obsession: nightshade veggies & lentils. It warms me up when it’s cold and the combo is perfection! I created this recipe based on 2 of my favorites and decided to combine them. The eggplant, tomato & onion combo is so delicious and the lentils are a great winter staple. This recipe can be used as a main dish or a side dish.

*nightshade vegetables: eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes & peppers

When heading to a BBQ earlier this summer, I needed a healthy and delicious salad to bring and this definitely hit the spot. It wasn’t too healthified that others couldn’t enjoy but didn’t have any sugar or junk in it for those trying to eat really clean. Beans are packed with protein so this filled me up and kept me away from snacking on too many chips!

I didn’t grow up being a cold soup kinda girl. I loved soup but just couldn’t get on board with “summer soups.” Luckily in the last few years I’ve started to try different gazpacho’s and realized that I’ve really been missing out!

I saw a version of this green gazpacho in a cookbook recently and just had to try it. While you might be used to tomato based gazpacho’s, this one is high in nutrients and low in calories with both kiwi and kale having high counts of vitamin C. Did you know that eating kale is beneficial for maintaining healthy skin, hair and strong bones, as well as helping with digestion and lowering the risk for heart disease? Like the sound of all of that? Give this summer gazpacho recipe a try!

Kiwi & Kale Gazpacho

Serves 4

Ingredients:

~ 5 cups steamed kale

~ 2 kiwis, peeled and cut in quarters

~ 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into pieces

~ 2 cloves garlic, cut into pieces

~ 1 small jalapeno, quartered and seeded (optional)

~ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

~ 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

~ Himalayan sea salt to taste

Directions:

~ Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth

~ Cover and refrigerate for about an hour before serving

This salad screams summer! If you have access to a grill, throw the peaches on and enjoy the sweet tastes of summertime. I love the combo of peppers and peaches – so fresh!

Ingredients:
~ ¼ cup of quinoa – washed
~ 1/3 cup cut up carrots
~ 1/3 mushrooms (I used crimini but any would work)
~ ½ cup kale
~ 1/3 cup parsley
~ Avocado Pesto – recipe can be found here
Directions:
~ Rinse quinoa, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and let simmer until water absorbs (about 10 minutes)
~ Sautee carrots, mushrooms, kale and parsley
~ Combine cooked quinoa in with the veggies and fold in the pesto

Ingredients:
~ ¾ cup red kale
~ ¼ cup diced tomatoes
~ ½ avocado
~ 1/3 cucumber
~ Handful of pumpkin seeds
~ Extra virgin olive oil
~ Fresh lemon juice
~ Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
~ Wash kale and break or chop it’s pieces
~ Cut up avocado into small pieces and squeeze lemon on top
~ Chop cucumber and tomatoes into small pieces
~ Line your bowl with the kale and put all other ingredients atop it
~ Add olive oil, more lemon if preferred and salt & pepper