Week Day Lunch - Part 2: Yam Man Minestrone Soup

This is Part 2 of me and my search for meatless lunch ideas. I dedicate this recipe to the one who inspired it - my yam man. Yup, my honeydew (aka: husband) absolutely loves yams. If he could, he'd eat yams for lunch and dinner every single day. Maybe even breakfast. Ok, probably taking it too far. Needless to say, we have had a plethora of yams in the house. In combination with the random tid bits of veggies that needed to get cooked up into something yummy. What do ya do when you have random stuff to use up? Make minestrone of course! 

Week Day Lunch - Part 2: Yam-Man-Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1/2 Sweet Onion, chopped

4 large Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

2 small Carrot, peeled & chopped

2 small Garnet Yams, peeled & chopped

1 can of Muir Glen Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, with juice

1 can of Organic Cannellini Beans, rinsed

2 boxes of Organic, GF Chicken or Veggie Stock

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Dash of ground Thyme

Dash of Red Cayenne

Salt

Pepper

2 cups Frozen Harriott Green Beans

3-4 cups of Green Swiss Chard or Spinach

*Box of GF Quinoa Pasta Shells, cooked al dente

Directions:

1. Get a large stew or soup pot prepped and set on a large burner. Add about 3 large tablespoons of olive oil (I don't measure and rather drizzle 5 ribbons, back and forth). Turn on the heat to medium.

2. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and a decent few shakes of salt & pepper. Saute for a few minutes and occasionally stir. Add the yams and continue to saute for another 5 minutes or so. The vegetables should get gently softened. They will continue to cook with the soup. 

3. Next add the fire roasted tomatoes with the juice, broth and herbs. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Cook covered for 10 min.

4. Add the beans, green beans and chard/spinach. Continue to simmer covered for another 5-8 minutes. 

5. Last, add the al dente cooked quinoa pasta shells. Heat through. Taste test to see if the soup needs more salt or pepper. Sometimes I even add more olive oil. By now the soup should be golden, red-orange and the veggies perfectly cooked. Serve with Glutino Multi-Grain Crackers.

Chef's Notes: Products not listed in the ingredients list - Eden Organic Cannellini White Kidney Beans No Salt Added, Whole Foods Frozen Harriott Green Beans (Trader Joe's makes these too), Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth, Ancient Harvest GF Quinoa Pasta Shells. *You can substitute the shells for GF Trader Joe's or Tinkyada Spiral or Tube Shaped Rice Pasta.

Week Day Lunch - Part 1: Garbanzo Avo Salad

Ok, so I don't know about you but there comes a point when: (a) I don't have a lot of time (b) I'm craving something full of vitamins/nutrients (c) I just need a break from eating chicken, turkey or fish or (d) all of the above. Some of you are like, "You're crazy! I'm a meat loving carnivore!" And others may be pondering, "ya could use a break." Don't get me wrong, we all still need to eat protein. Beans or legumes are a wonderful source. Last week I came up with this salad by listening to what my body was craving. Seriously. Have you been listening? Enjoy! ;)

Week Day Lunch - Part 1: Garbanzo Avo Salad

Ingredients:

1 Can of Organic Garbanzo Beans, rinsed

1/2 of an Avocado, chopped small

1 small Carrot, peeled & finely chopped 

1/8 cup Red Onion, finely chopped

*Drizzle of Brianna's Home-style Rich Poppyseed Dressing

*Drizzle of Brianna's Real French Vinaigrette Dressing

Dash of Simply Organic Garlic Powder

Dash Salt

Dash Pepper

Optional Dash of Red Cayenne if you like a bit of bite

3/4 cup Red Leaf Lettuce, roughly chopped

1/2-3/4 cups cooked/leftover rice/quinoa

Directions:

1. Get a medium size bowl, cutting board, good chopping knife and small salad bowl prepped. 

2. Add the rinsed garbanzo beans to the medium size bowl. Continue to add the avocado, carrot, onion, dressings and spices.

3. Roughly rinse and chop the desired amount of Red Leaf Lettuce. Usually I eat about 3/4-1 cup per serving. Set aside.

4. Slightly warm up the leftover rice or quinoa in the micro. Or prepare a new batch. Add a touch of Smart Balance Margarine, Salt & Pepper. 

5. Add about 1/2-3/4 cups of rice/quinoa to the salad bowl. Top with Red Leaf Lettuce and the Garbanzo Avo Salad. Dig in!

*Chef's Notes: Please note than Brianna's salad dressing does not claim to be gluten-free or dairy free on the bottle but the website does state these ARE on the safe list. Here is the comprehensive allergy/nutrition guide from their website: http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/products.html. And if you are curious, I'm loving the izze esque fruit juice sweetened soda's. So good and only 10-11 grams of natural fruit sugar for the whole bottle. Awesome.

Fearless GF Maple-Honey Almond Granola

F-E-A-R. This four letter word is so small yet so powerful. Darn little bugger (insert word "fear") has prevented this first post for months if not a full year. Yeah. Yikes. Fear that this blog will be lost in all the other million-trillion Gluten Free blogs. Fear of failing as a writer. Fear of success, if that is possible. What if my dream of quiting my day job to blog, write, cook and open a cafe came true? Why on earth does success even freak me out? Geez. This girl has issues. I know.


Yesterday afternoon I found myself in the kitchen, as usual. Yet I avoided the computer and writing like the black plague. And then last night I laid in bed staring at the ceiling writing in my head (is that even possible?). That green tea latte at 4pm was not in my favor since this went on for hours, er until 2am. When finally, ping, the light went on. This blog isn't just about my love for cooking and sharing gourmet food. It's not a competition. It's not about winning or failing. This is what I love to do. This is about sharing my love for cooking and my life experiences with those I love and maybe one or two fans. No fear in that.


So, I bring you Post #1: Fearless GF Maple-Honey Almond Granola.  Open curtain and enter the first star of the show.


GF Maple-Honey Almond Granola
I've formulated this about 6 months ago when I was craving more fiber and a really hearty breakfast cereal. Granola is great in the sense you can always try a little something different - add raisins or cranberries, substitute a different nut, add additional nuts and the list goes on. Once you have a great base, the possibilities are endless. AND its super easy! Here is my latest version.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups GF Oats
1/2 - 3/4 cup Raw Almonds, Chopped
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2 tbls. GF Flaxseed Protein Powder, Vanilla Flavor
1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil
1/4 cup Clover Honey
1/4 cup Maple Syrup 
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325. 
2. Add all dry ingredients to a big bowl. Wisk until combined. 
3. Add all wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry's. Don't worry, this doesn't have to be perfect. Mix altogether until the oats and nuts look glossy. If too wet add more oats. If too dry add a little more oil. 
4. Spread this mixture onto a large, non-stick cookie sheet. Ideally you want the entire sheet layered evenly.
5. Bake for 6 min., take out of the oven and stir oats all around then spread evenly. Back into the oven for another 6 min., take out and stir then spread. Back into the oven for the last time, for 5-6 min.
6. Let cool for about 5 min. Don't wait too long or you'll have a heck of a time transferring the granola to an airtight container (trust me). 


Enjoy with frozen wild blueberries and soy/rice milk or sprinkled on soy yogurt as a snack. Yum!

Chef's Notes: For prep, I've used parchment paper on the cookie sheet to make it easier to remove the granola. Your choice. And for products, I use Bob's Red Mill GF Whole Grain, Rolled Oats and Trader Joe's Vanilla Flaxseed Protein Powder.