It's a time of transition, from warm to cool and green to golden, fall colors and temperatures are in their prime. Honolulu is still hot and humid as usual but I can imagine what the season change is bringing to everyone on the mainland. My mom keeps sending me pictures of the gorgeous colors in North Idaho...
So nostalgic, but forever grateful that I live in Hawaii! I may have to force soup season but I can surf in a bikini year round, so no complaining here!
This green minestrone soup is hearty and filling, perfect for a chilly night with the fireplace lit and glass of red wine in hand...
There I go again! I do have a glass of red wine in hand but I am sweating and have the fan blasting, and it's 8pm. That's not complaining, is it?
green minestrone soup
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery with greens, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 small zucchinis or 1 large, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 oz uncooked pasta
2 cups pasta water
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chopped green curly or dino kale
fresh basil to garnish, cut into a chiffonade
Prepare all veggies. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. In a smaller pot boil water for pasta. Add veggies to oil and cook for about ten minutes. Be careful not to overcook, you don't want the zuccini to be falling apart by the time you serve the soup.
Add the vegetable broth, salt and pepper, and oregano. By this time your pasta water should be boiling and pasta cooking. When the pasta is al dente scoop out 2 cups of the pasta water and add it to the soup. Drain the pasta and add it to the soup along with the great northern beans. Bring the soup back up to a boil. Stir in the chopped kale and cover to cook for a few minutes.
Serve with a fresh basil chiffonade. To do this, take a few basil leave and roll them longways, slice very thinly so they end up like skinny ribbons.
print recipe
green minestrone soup
by almost vegan November-4-2017
This chunky soup is sure to fill you up!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
3 stalks celery, with greens
1 green bell pepper
2 small or 1 large zucchini
2 cups vegetable broth
to taste salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
4 oz dried pasta
1 can great northern beans
2 cups pasta water
2 cups chopped green curly or dino kale
fresh basil
Instructions
Prepare all veggies.Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot.In a smaller pot boil water for pasta.Add veggies to oil and cook for about ten minutes. Be careful not to overcook.Add the vegetable broth, salt and pepper, and oregano.By this time your pasta water should be boiling and pasta cooking. When the pasta is al dente scoop out 2 cups of the pasta water and add it to the soup.Drain the pasta and add it to the soup along with the great northern beans. Bring the soup back up to a boil.Stir in the chopped kale and cover to cook for a few minutes. Serve with a fresh basil chiffonade.
It's Free Snack Friday at Orangetheory Fitness Waikiki! That means chocolate chip mac nut protein cookies and blueberry coconut energy balls are a post workout treat for the whole Orange Ohana. Every good workout should be followed by a good snack! Fueling up with complex carbs and proteins from whole food sources will help your body repair and recover from the workout you just crushed.
Those of you who have been following my blog posts know that snacks are essential to support my active and busy lifestyle. There are several energy ball and bar recipes already scattered throughout this site such as carob chip chewy bars, chai spiced fig balls, and chocolate cherry bombs, to name a few. But this is a first appearance for protein cookies! I have recently discovered Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookies which are vegan, non GMO, and have 8g of protein per serving! I'm addicted but, like anything I buy in a package, I wanted to make them at home.
I have loosely calculated the nutritional profile for these little morsels and if you make a batch of 20 small cookies each one comes out to roughly 160 kcals and 4-6g of protein depending on the variety of protein powder you used. Not bad! Feel free to try them with more protein powder, I am still experimenting as well!
dark chocolate + mac nut protein cookies
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxmeal + 3 Tbsp water)*
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 scoops or 1/2 cup plant based protein powder (I have used Vega Protein & Greens vanilla protein powder and Orgain chocolate protein powder -- both worked great!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
To prepare the flax egg replacer, whisk together the flaxmeal and water and set aside. In a small mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda and powder, and protein powder and combine well. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add the flax egg to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together to incorporate. Stirring gently, add the chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts, I like to chop both of these into smaller pieces first, so prepare accordingly. Stop stirring when just combined with no dry spots.
With a teaspoon, scoop out cookie dough into half golf ball sized portions on your lined baking trays. Leave 1 inch between cookies to allow for expansion. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Makes 18-20 small cookies.
*If you are not vegan you can substitute 1 egg instead of a flax egg, it's up to you!
print recipe
dark chocolate + mac nut protein cookies
by almost vegan October-6-2017
A little snack to help you refuel and recover after a crushing a workout 💪
Ingredients
1 Tbsp flaxmeal
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 scoops or 1/2 cup protein powder of your choice
Instructions
Prepare the flax egg replacer, whisk together the flaxmeal and water and set aside.In a small mixing bowl add the flour, baking soda and powder, and protein powder and combine well.In a large mixing bowl whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, peanut butter, and vanilla.Add the flax egg to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold together to incorporate. Stirring gently, add the chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts, chop beforehand if desired.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.With a teaspoon, scoop out cookie dough into half golf ball sized portions on your lined baking trays. Leave 1 inch between cookies to allow for expansion.Bake for 12 minutes.
Sorry it's been so long! Life has really piled itself on these last few months. I spent the summer studying for my Sports Nutrition Certification through the ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition), which I passed right before going to the mainland for two weeks! Woo hoo! The mainland was a blast; tons of hiking in Utah and Idaho, swimming in the lake, and spending time with old friends.
Since I've been back though it's been pretty hectic. Work, school, internship, and trying to make time for yoga and surf. It hasn't been easy, I actually feel like I'm being pulled in a million directions and stretching myself thin. But still holding it all together... for now.
As for the blog, I have really missed posting but that doesn't mean I'm not cooking! Don't worry, I have several recipes banked up for when life allows me to publish them. Like now! Here is one of my favorite coleslaws; crunchy, tangy, and while it's cooling down in the rest of the country, still a refreshing dish for hot-as-always Honolulu.
sesame slaw
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Bragg's amino acids
1/2 head cabbage
3-4 green onions
1 cup fresh sugar snap peas
1 handful fresh cilantro
2 cuties (clementine or mandarin oranges)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
To prepare the dressing mix together the sesame oil, vinegar, honey, and Bragg's in a small jar. Peel the garlic and finely chop or press through a garlic press. Add to the jar, cover and shake until honey has dissolved. Set aside.
Trim and shred the cabbage, chop the green onions, peas, and cilantro. Toss together in a large salad bowl. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove top until golden brown and aromatic. Toss the salad with the dressing and top with sesame seeds and cut up cuties!
This salad is a great side dish but can be a whole meal when served with brown rice or topped with marinated tofu! Be creative and eat your veggies!
print recipe
sesame slaw
by almost vegan September-22-2017
fresh, crisp, and cooling
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Bragg's amimo acids
1/2 head green cabbage
3-4 green onions
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 handful cilantro
2 cuties
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Mix together the sesame oil, vinegar, honey, and Bragg's in a small jar.Peel the garlic and finely chop or press through a garlic press.Add garlic to the jar, cover and shake until honey has dissolved, set aside.Trim and shred the cabbage, chop the green onions, peas, and cilantro.Toss together in a large salad bowl.Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove top until golden brown and aromatic.Toss the salad with the dressing and top with sesame seeds and cut up cuties.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings
