Category: Soups and Stews

Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup

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Hey there! I haven’t made a good soup in a while, so this DELICIOUS Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup really hit the spot! Soup is one of those things that might seem complicated or hard to make, but it’s actually super easy. This one in particular is very straightforward!

I cooked up some red onion with some garlic to start, then added in the veggie broth and all of the other ingredients! Ground ginger, some coriander and a bit of red chilli flakes add so much flavour, and of course the peas and spinach give the soup its GORGEOUS green colour. I also added in some chickpeas, which when blended help create a creamy texture.

These simple ingredients are all simmered together for a good twenty minutes, to make sure all the flavours come together. Then everything is dumped into a blender and pureed until super smooth! Look at that; so easy and so delicious.

Soup like this is the best on a cold day. And yes, this soup is also freezer friendly, so you can save some for later! Quick lunch idea for the win! It’s a great way to get your veggies in and is really good for you, as well as being naturally vegan and gluten free.

Enjoy this easy and tasty soup recipe!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Creamy Pea and Spinach Soup

  • Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 a red onion, diced

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-4 cups of organic veggie broth

-1/2 tsp ground ginger

-1/2 tsp ground coriander

-1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

-1 can of chickpeas. drained and rinsed

-3 cups of packed spinach

-1 1/2 cups frozen green peas

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add the veggie broth to the pot, along with the ginger, coriander, peas, spinach, red chilli flakes, and chickpeas. Stir to combine and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Let the soup cool slightly before adding it to a blender or food processor and blending until smooth and creamy. Taste and season additionally if needed.

4. Serve warm.


Hearty Vegetable Chilli

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Hi guys! This is truly one of my favourite recipes ever- it’s so full of flavour and VERY hearty, as the name suggests. It’s healthy, vegan, and so so good. I posted the recipe for this chilli just under two years ago, but WITHOUT A PICTURE. So I thought it was time for you guys to see just how good it is😍

Chilli is honestly one of the easiest things you can make, and also one of the most comforting. When I think of a big bowl of this warm chilli, I think of curling up under a blanket after spending the day outside in the cold. The chilli itself has so much delicious flavour, and it’s PACKED with beans and veggies! The more stuff my chilli has in it, the better, and if you agree you’ll adore this recipe.

It starts the way many other delicious things do- with onion and garlic. They get fried up in some olive oil before the spices get added, and become the base of flavour for the chilli. And let me tell you, that is the most technical part of the recipe right there. After that, it’s pretty much just dumping the rest of the ingredients in, giving it a stir, and letting all those aromatics come together in the pot.

Once the chilli is done- you can tell because the carrots will be soft enough to pierce with a fork- I like to scoop out big bowls of it, and top it with some cilantro and chopped green onion. Some hummus would even be great on there too!

All the veg in there is so good- you’ve got tons of corn and carrots, plus black beans, chickpeas, and red kidney beans. This means there’s so much protein and it will definitely fill you up! Perfect for school lunches👌On a related note, this recipe is freezable and therefore great for meal prepping as well. Literally, any situation you’re in, this chilli is applicable.

Make sure you check this chilli out- it’s one of my favourite recipes for a reason!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Hearty Vegetable Chilli

  • Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1 white onion, diced

-3 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 tbsp ground cumin

-1 tbsp chilli powder

-1/2 tbsp dried oregano

-1/2 tbsp paprika

-1/2 tsp chilli powder

-1 large carrot, chopped

-1 cup frozen corn

-1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

-1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

-1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes

-3 tbsp tomato paste

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes, until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

2. Add all of the spices to the pot and cook for 1 more minute, just to brown them up a bit. Next, dump all of the other ingredients into the pot and give everything a good stir.

3. Bring the chilli to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the carrots can be pierced with a fork.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and serve warm.


Chickpea Shakshuka

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Hey there! I have a really fun and awesome recipe for you guys today! Even though you may not have heard of it, Shakshuka is SO GOOD. It’s a middle eastern dish that combines a warming tomato stew with poached eggs, and is the perfect addition to your breakfast spread. I added some chickpeas to mine for some extra protein and fibre. This recipe is super easy to follow and comes together in less than an hour, because the faster this deliciousness gets into your mouth, the better.

I’ve seen shakshuka on a bunch of cooking shows and featured in the occasional Pinterest post, so I thought, why not try it out? I began by frying up onions and garlic. What a shocker! I find it interesting how so many different cultures use garlic and onions in their food. Making tomato sauce? Garlic and onions. Curry? Garlic and onions. Shakshuka? GARLIC AND ONIONS BABY. I am not complaining because the smell of frying onions is out of this world. After I got that aromatic veg all sauteed up, I threw in some amazing spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, chickpeas, and lots of salt and pepper. Those ingredients all get to know each other very well in the pan while you continue on with your morning routine. I did some stretching:)

Personally, I am an egg lover, and so this is next part was my favourite. After stirring up the stew, I cracked four eggs DIRECTLY into there, brought it to a nice heavy simmer, covered, and let them poach. This is a critical moment because you want that yolk to be nice and runny. I appreciate a good hard boiled egg, but this is not the time. So set your timers because it will be very disappointing is you overcook these. I will personally be disappointed in you.

Once those eggs are done, you’re done! Step back! That’s all! I just took these off the heat, removed the lid so that the eggs don’t keep steaming, and I want to say that I dug in right then and there but no, I took the whole pan down to the fridge in our basement to preserve it for when the lighting was better, so I could take a good picture. Do you see the sacrifices that I make for you guys? Annnnnyways, when I finally got around to eating this, I scooped myself a big bowl, warmed it up, and topped it with fresh chives, parsley flakes, and avocado because you’ve gotta go big or go home. And let me tell you, this is AMAZING. It’s so full of flavour from all those spices, and then the chickpeas give you some texture, and that runny yolk is just perfection. This is such a great fall/winter breakfast, because it’s so cozy! Traditionally it is a breakfast dish, but I would be very happy to eat this any time of day.

Make sure that you try this out! I can’t wait to make it again for my family on a weekend.

Chickpea Shakshuka

Serves: 2-4

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium sized white onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (trust me)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 2 tsp parsley flakes (plus more for garnish)
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 can of tomato paste
  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 4 eggs
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
  • 1 avocado for serving, sliced (optional)

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep pan or skillet. Add in the onions and cook for around 4 minutes, until they’re just translucent. Next add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
  2. Add the all of the spices and herbs to the pan and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until they’re somewhat browned and nice and fragrant.
  3. Dump the tomatoes, tomato paste, and paprika into the pan. Season generously with salt and pepper, give everything a good stir, then lower the heat to a slow simmer. Cover the pan and let cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove the lid from the pan, stir everything again and make sure the stew is level across the top. Crack the 4 eggs directly into the pan, in a kind of square pattern so that they’re not too close to each other. Bring the stew back up to a faster simmer, cover again, and let the eggs poach for EXACTLY 5 minutes.
  5. Remove then pan from the heat and take the lid off. serve immediately and garnish with more parsley flakes, chopped chives, or avocado.
  6. Enjoy!

Hope you guys love this recipe! It’s one of my faves. Come back on Friday for my December Reading List!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Vegetable Stew with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Hey guys! Hope you had a great weekend:) I’m still going strong with these cozy fall/winter recipes, and today I’ve got this Vegetable Stew with mashed Sweet Potatoes. It’s completely vegan but is packed with SO much richness and delicious flavour. Plus, who can say no to sweet potatoes?

I started this stew by cooking the onions until they were nice and caramelized, so that all of that browned up goodness makes its way into the stew. Lots of garlic made its way into the pot as well because garlic just makes everything better. I also used a kind of unconventional strategy to get more flavour and richness in there- I used a whole can of black beans, liquid and all. No joke! This thickens everything up and just gives it that nice savoury-ness that you want in a good stew. However, this means that you should definitely use a can of organic black beans, or make sure that the only ingredients are beans, water, and some salt. You don’t want any of those nasty preservatives if you’re not rinsing the beans off.

The next things that I through into the stew were chopped carrots, frozen corn and peas, some tomato paste, and some flavour boosters like soy sauce, maple syrup, and oregano. Super simple, no long or complicated prep involved. Frozen veggies are my jam; I could literally eat corn all day long. If you have a bag of mixed frozen veggies, feel free to throw some of those in there to avoid chopping carrots and cut down on prep time even more.

I don’t mash sweet potatoes often, but I really should! It’s faster than roasting and they’re pretty darn good:) I just boiled em, mashed em, and seasoned em with some salt and pepper. They make the perfect carby accompaniment to this amazing stew!

What are you waiting for? Throw on some fuzzy socks, get a fire going, and whip up a plate of this homey deliciousness!

Vegetable Stew with Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Serves: 3-4

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Stew:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 a large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 can of organic black beans, liquid (aqua faba) included **make sure it only contains beans, water and salt**
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 can of tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Mashed Sweet Potatoes:

  • 1 medium or large sized sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the sliced onions, and cook until browned and caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure that you stir them often to prevent burning.
  2. Add in the minced garlic and cook for another two minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Add the can of beans, carrots, frozen veggies, tomato paste, soy sauce, maple syrup and dried oregano to the pot and mix until combined. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the carrots are soft.
  4. While the stew is cooking, bring a smaller pot of water to a boil. Add in the chopped sweet potatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes, until tender and mashable. Drain them, add them to a bowl, and then mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. When the stew is ready, season it to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat. Serve with the mashed sweet potatoes.

Hope you enjoy this comforting cold-weather recipe! Make sure you come back for more because there’s lots more where this came from:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Homemade Veggie Broth

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I’m going to be making lots of soups this coming season because they’re so cozy and warming🥰 But guess what, WE NEED A FREAKING AWESOME BROTH FIRST! Prior to this I’ve never made homemade broth and I was shocked at how easy it is and how good it turns out😋

You could go to the store and buy some broth from there, but this homemade one is so darn good, and you can make as much as you want of it. And unless you’re buying organic broth (which I’m going to guess is pretty dang expensive), there can be all sorts of unwanted ingredients in there. If you’re wanting a broth that is all natural and super flavourful, make your own. Using this recipe, preferably😂

Broth is one of the simplest things you can make, so I’m not sure why most people don’t. Basically you just roughly chop a bunch of veg, then simmer it all in some water for a couple of hours, and you’re good. No fancy techniques or whatever. I made a nice veggie soup with this after👌 You could also use it in curries, casseroles, stews, quinoa dishes, or whatever you need broth for!

Hope you enjoy this simple and easy recipe that’s so versatile and delish!

Homemade Veggie Broth

Serves: Makes about 14 cups of broth

Total Time: 180 minutes (3 hours)

Ingredients:

  • 14 cups of water
  • 2 small yellow onions, chopped into wedges with the skins removed
  • 3 large carrots, roughly chopped into large pieces
  • 1 small portobello mushroom, thickly sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, smashed
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Add in all of the veggies, then lower the heat and reduce to a simmer.
  2. Simmer the veggies in the water for about two and a half hours, until the stock is a nice golden colour and has great veggie flavour.
  3. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat. Pour the stock through a fine strainer into a large bowl to remove the veggies and any smaller veggie pieces.
  4. Now your stock is ready for use! Place back in the pot and immediately make soup, or use in any other dish that calls for stock. This can also be frozen or kept in the fridge.

Can’t wait to see what awesome recipes you guys use this broth in! Have a great week:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))