Category: Gluten Free

Spicy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

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Hey peoples! As you may have noticed, I created an instagram account last week, and I’m loving it because it’s very picture-focused. There’s also a great community of healthy-eaters on there, which means there are tons of awesome recipes for me to discover! Anyways, you can follow me on instagram at mydayisbooked_24. I post bullet journal spreads and mini-recipes that you won’t find on my blog.

Back to the topic of today’s post: Spicy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup! This is a creamy, Thai-inspired soup that is easy to make and full of flavour. The sweetness of the carrot and sweet potatoes pairs with all of the spices in it. The way that I made it was pretty spicy, but you can add more or less spice, according to your taste. You’ll also need a blender to make the soup smooth, but you don’t need a fancy one. I used a twenty dollar one, and it worked just fine. Plus, you can totally freeze this in a ziploc and reheat it for a quick meal. Here’s the recipe!

Spicy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Total Time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3 large carrots cut into small pieces

  • 2 sweet potatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs olive or avocado oil
  • 1/2 tbs dried Basil
  • 1/2 tbs dried Oregano
  • 1/2 tbs Cumin
  • 1/2 tbs Curry Powder
  • 1/2 tbs Chile Powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne (or more or less to taste)
  • 4 cups organic chicken or veggie broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • Lime wedges and roasted chickpeas (for optional garnish)

Directions:

  1. Cook the onions over medium heat with the oil in a large pot. Once they are translucent (5-7 minutes) add in the minced garlic and all of the spices and cook for about two more minutes.
  2. Next, add the broth, carrots and sweet potatoes into the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and then simmer until the carrots and sweet potatoes are soft, about 40 minutes or so.
  3. Once the vegetables are done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let the soup cool down a little bit. Then, using a ladle, scoop the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. You probably won’t be able to blend all of the soup at once, so transferring the smooth soup into a different pot than the unblended soup might be a good idea, so that you don’t miss any chunks of veggies.
  4. When the soup is smooth, mix in the coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice and roasted chickpeas;)

How simple is that? I hope you enjoy making and eating this recipe! See you next week;)

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

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Hey peoples! I hope you’re having a great weekend;) To help you prepare for the coming week, this recipe falls under the “freezable” category, and I’m so excited about it because it is absolutely delicious! I would eat this curry for lunch every day if I could, but I force myself to ration it for days when I don’t have time to make anything else. That’s another great thing about this recipe; if you mix in about a cup of grains such as quinoa or barley (my personal favourite), you can freeze it and have a full meal that heats up real easy in the microwave, no cooking required. Also, this recipe is super easy, despite the long cook time. If you’re in a rush, you can cut the sweet potato into smaller chunks so that they cook faster. Finally, when the curry is finished cooking I use a potato masher to mash it up a little bit. This creates a thicker texture. Scroll down for the recipe.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

Serves: 4-6

Total Time: 70 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs avocado or olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 large sweet potato, cubed into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tbs curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp chile powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne (or more, if you like your curry nice and spicy)
  • 1 can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup water (optional)
  • juice of 1/2 a lime
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup cooked grains, for serving/freezing

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add in the garlic, cumin, curry powder, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is very aromatic.
  3. Pour in the tomatoes and chickpeas and sir. If the sweet potatoes are all covered by the tomato mixture, then you do not need to add water. If they aren’t, I suggest adding the water so that they cook faster. You can also add the water if you want to thin out your curry.
  4. Let the curry simmer for about 40-60 minutes. You want the sweet potatoes to be soft, but not mushy.
  5. Once the curry is done simmering, squeeze in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Then mash it a little with a potato masher until desired thickness is reached. This step is optional.
  6. Add in the cooked grains, then cool completely before scooping into sealable plastic bags and freezing. It should keep for about 3-5 months in the freezer.
  7. Microwave and enjoy!

 

I hope that you enjoy this recipe! It’s not going to be the last curry recipe that I post- I absolutely love curry! Have a great week;)))))

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked

All-Purpose Shawarma Spice

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Hello, you amazing people! I’m hoping that you’ve tried shawarma before, because it’s delicious, but if you haven’t, it’s basically meat roasted with middle eastern spices, usually served with pita, rice and pickled veggies. I could eat this stuff all day, and so I created a spice mix that almost perfectly recreates the real thing. I say that it’s “all-purpose” because that’s totally what it is. You can use this blend of spices on chickpeas, in soups and stews, or on chicken (my personal favourite).  This recipe is simple and you probably have all of the spices that you need right in your pantry. Here it is!

All Purpose Shawarma Spice

Makes: About 1/4 cup of spice

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp cayenne powder
  • 1 tbs cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs paprika

Directions:

  1. Mix all of the seasonings in a bowl. Store in a sealable plastic bag.
  2. Enjoy on chickpeas (see a roasted chickpea recipe here), chicken, or in mediterranean cooking.

 

So yeah, today I had kind of a quicker recipe to share with you guys, but it’s delicious nonetheless;) Let me know what cool recipes you guys use this spice mix in!

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked:))))))

 

 

 

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal

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You know how I posted three recipes for Overnight Oatmeal a couple months back? Well, those are great to make ahead for rushed mornings, but if you have the time to make this Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal, I totally recommend it! In fifteen minutes you can have a bowl of creamy, chocolaty oats topped with seeds and of course, cherries. If you don’t have time to make this during weekdays, it’s a great breakfast to soothe your sweet tooth on the weekends. In short, this recipe hits the spot any day of the week! I used frozen cherries in this to top my oats, but if you don’t have some on hand, any fresh or frozen berry will do. Now let’s make some oatmeal!

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal

Makes 1 Serving

Cook Time: 5-8 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized banana
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup frozen cherries (or berries of your choice)
  • Your favourite toppings (nuts and seeds, nut and seed butters, dried fruit, etc.)

Directions:

  1. Mash half of the banana in a small pot. Add in the oats, cocoa, and water, and stir until combined.
  2. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the oat mixture to a boil.
  3. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 5-8 minutes, until desired thickness is reached. Make sure to stir the oats every couple minutes or so to avoid them sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat and pour its contents into a bowl. Top with the frozen cherries and other toppings of your choice. I like to slice the other half of the banana and use it to top the oats.
  5. Enjoy!

This is a healthy and delicious breakfast, and it definitely fills you up and gets you through your day! I hope that you like it and find it easy to make. Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;))

Super Simple Tomato Sauce

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Hello there! I see that you’ve all survived the first week of school-congratulations! Today I’m sharing another freezer friendly lunch recipe: Super Simple Tomato Sauce. One batch of this makes seven or eight servings of sauce, which freezes really well and can be heated up on hectic mornings. I usually eat this over lentil pasta, which takes about six minutes to cook (making it great to make in the morning), but any other pasta works fine too. Here’s the recipe:

Super Simple Tomato Sauce

Makes 7-8 Servings

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs olive or avocado oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 cups spinach, optional
  • 1 small can of mushroom stems and pieces (optional)
  • 2 794ml cans of diced tomatoes
  • 1 6oz can of tomato paste
  • 5-6 fresh basil leaves or 1 1/2 tbs dry basil)
  • 2 tbs fresh oregano leaves (or 1 tbs dry oregano)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Cook onions and garlic in the oil over medium heat, until the onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
  2. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and spinach and mushrooms if using. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes-1 hour.
  3. Once done simmering, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over lentil or whole wheat pasta.
  4. To freeze, wait until the sauce has cooled completely and spoon individual servings into ziplock bags. I recommend putting the frozen sauce in the fridge to defrost the night before you want to heat it up.

 

And there you have it! I apologize for the lack of pictures; as I was making this I didn’t think that I would post about it. If you have any questions, though, leave a comment down below and I’ll be happy to answer them. The spinach and mushrooms are listed as “optional”, but I really think that they enhance the sauce. Anyways, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time!

 

Yours Truly, MyDayIsBooked;))