This spicy winter vegetable soup is a healthier pasta-free take on minestrone with a few changes. In addition to eliminating the pasta, the usual herbs (thyme, oregano, basil) have been replaced with bay leaves and green chilies.

All of the vegetables can be purchased frozen, or pre-chopped in the produce section of a grocery store - making it extremely easy for a beginner cook. Once prepared, the soup can be stored in the freezer. Even if frozen vegetables are used make it - it’s a fallacy that previously frozen foods can’t be refrozen. The photo above was taken post thaw-out and reheat. As you can see it holds up well.

​The spicy kick opens the nasal passages by constricting the blood vessels, providing temporary relief for anyone suffering from nasal congestion. Of course, you can decide what level of heat to add.

Vegetables help boost immunity and keep the winter weight gain to a minimum. Add this soup to your weekly rotation and start prepping your spring wardrobe...it’s only 54 days away. Woohoo!

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 small to medium zucchini, chopped
1 cup green or waxed beans, chopped
1 15-oz can tomatoes with green chilies
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinced
2 bay leaves
4 cups broth
salt and pepper to taste

​Yield: 4-6 servings

A simple soup. And a life full of chaos. 

For those of you who have been following along on my blog journey, thank you for being patient and my apologies for being absent. I will get more in depth as to why I have been a bit MIA in my next post. In a roundabout way, it ties into the Valentine's themed recipe I have coming up.

In the meantime, I have been trying out nutritional yeast and lots of simple prep meals. Gradually, I am trying to ween myself off of cheese. Or to have a bit less of it if nothing else. It is the one holdout of all the dairy products I have cut from my diet due to severe lactose intolerance. Since hard, aged cheese contains very little of the sugar lactose, those of us missing the enzyme lactase are better able to digest certain cheeses with minimal symptoms. But, these cheeses also contain high amounts of saturated fat and sodium. 

Nutritional yeast is a pasteurized inactive yeast that contains a variety of B-Vitamins, high levels of protein, fiber and a variety of minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc. It is grown on beet molasses or cane sugar and is a completely different, beneficial strain of yeast than Candida albicans, which is known for causing illness due to overgrowth. For those trying to avoid GMO products, look for organic and/or cane sugar grown nutritional yeast products, as sugar beets tend to be genetically modified in the U.S. and currently, nutritional yeast is not approved for non-GMO certification.

Based on my research, it seems there is a bit of controversy surrounding an amino acid in nutritional yeast called glutamic acid, which is also present in MSG. In nutritional yeast, L-glutamic acid is a pure protein-bound, naturally occurring amino acid. It serves as a protein building block, but is also essential to the central nervous system, acting as a neurotransmitter. Even if we take every precaution to avoid consuming glutamic acid, our bodies can and do use other amino acids to produce it. In fact, glutamic acid is present in a great number of foods including meats, fish, hummus and soy. MSG, on the other hand, is factory made by breaking down L-glutamic acid using a chemical reaction that separates the glutamic acid from the protein it is bound to, and isolating the sodium salt component. Contaminants such as D-glutamic acid and carcinogens are introduced during production of MSG. These toxic byproducts and the extremely high sodium content are what contribute to the symptoms and illnesses many experience after consuming MSG. So to be clear, nutritional yeast is safe to eat and is free of MSG. The confusion lies in the fact that both products contain the same amino acid: one in its purest form, the other altered and refined.

Often described as nutty or cheesy, I personally find nutritional yeast to be a bit earthy in flavor. When sprinkled onto meals, it is milder and less salty than parmesan. I think it takes a little getting used to if you are a loyal and frequent consumer of cheese, but worth trying. Give it a chance the next time you make a nice soup, like my version of Tuscan Bean Soup. 

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 small red onion, minced
1 celery stalks, diced
1 carrots, diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup chopped kale
1 cup white kidney beans
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups vegetable broth or water
​1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:
In a sauce pan, heat the oil and add the onion, celery and carrots. Saute over medium-high heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the nutritional yeast. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. When ready to serve, spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle each with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese. Serve with warm bread or a side salad.

Yield: 4 servings

What comes to mind when thinking of spring? Brighter milder days, flowers, cleaning and airing the house. Perhaps an afternoon picnic when temperatures are at their warmest.

My husband and I picnic about three seasons out of the year. We fill a backpack with bread and cheese, or maybe a sandwich, and a bottle of white wine. If I plan ahead, sometimes I will bring several courses, including a small dessert. I make sure to grab all of the necessities - napkins, forks, cups and most importantly, a wine bottle opener.

A thermos filled with leftovers makes for great spontaneous picnic food. I often keep extra cooked pasta on hand, storing it separately from any sauce so that I can quickly toss it into a salad, or a soup in this case. 

Keeping with the spring theme, this minestrone soup pops with bright yellow carrots, orange heirloom tomatoes and green peas. The spring leeks, garlic and fresh herbs are light and flavorful. The parmesan and pasta are optional, but a nice touch should you find the cupboard devoid of either bread or sliced cheese for your afternoon picnic. 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, white part only, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 medium white or yellow carrots, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 cup orange or yellow heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups turkey or vegetable stock
1/2 cup frozen, peas
2 sprigs fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, optional
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cooked quinoa, brown rice or wheat elbow macaroni, optional

Directions:
In a large sauce pot, heat the oil on medium high. Sauté the leeks, garlic, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, beans, bay leaf, wine and stock. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Gently crush the tomatoes with a fork or snip with a pair of scissors. Turn off the heat and immediately add the peas. Stir in the remaining ingredients and ladle into bowls for serving.

Yield: 4 servings

How do you tell a true Northeasterner from a everyone else? Watch how we eat a lobster. First off, we don't need lobster crackers or a bib. Our bare hands are extremely adept at breaking through the outer shell without showering in lobster juice. Secondly, we all have a well practiced method for getting in there. Finally, a true Northeasterner (according to my Bostonian family) is never put off by cooking a live lobster. That is where I divert from my roots. I just won't do it. I will buy an already cooked lobster once in awhile. But I won't cook one myself. Not that one is any better than the other from a vegan's perspective, but I can live with myself to some degree if it's already packaged up waiting for someone like me to prevent it from waste.

But isn't shellfish rather unhealthy? Shellfish contains iron, copper, zinc and Vitamin B-12. It is also high in protein and contains low levels of saturated fat compared to red meat. The cholesterol content tends to be high in shellfish, but in a person who generally eats a low cholesterol diet and is in good health, it can be beneficial. Cholesterol is used to make bile acids in the liver, which then travels to the intestines to aid in fat digestion and elimination of (LDL) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from the body. It also plays an important role in a variety of other functions such as hormone production, vitamin regulation, fighting infections and preventing memory loss. When a higher cholesterol food such as lobster is paired with an ingredient high in plant sterols which lower LDL cholesterol, such as edamame, it prevents the absorption of the unhealthy LDL aspect of cholesterol. Phrased another way, you still receive the benefits of cholesterol while eliminating the unhealthy aspects.

Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 oz. shelled edamame
2 cups turkey, seafood or vegetable broth, plus 1 cup reserved
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 handful fresh baby spinach
1 lobster, shelled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 sprig fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic and bay leaf. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent garlic from burning. Add the edamame and cook another 1-2 minutes. Pour the broth into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat an allow to cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a blender and remove the bay leaf. Add the spinach and the reserved broth a little at a time, blending until smooth. Pour the bisque into bowls and set aside. 

In a separate bowl, toss together the lobster, lemon juice and mint leaves. Spoon the lobster and juice over the center of each bowl of bisque. Add additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.

Yield: 2 servings