Cannellini Bean and Spinach Soup

This is an easy soup to pull together and takes about 10 minutes preparation time and 30 minutes to cook using pantry items like canned beans.  The soup is really tasty and with the vegetable broth has a good depth of flavor.  Smashing about 1/3 cup of the beans helps thicken the broth which gives it a heartier texture as well.  This soup is a keeper and something that is fairly easy and fast to prepare and most of the items are things you would have on hand so no special trips to the grocery store for this soup!

Ingredients:

1. 1 small onion chopped
2. 1 large carrot diced (approx. 1 cup)
3. 1 tbl.  Olive Oil
4. 2 -15 oz. cans of cannelini, great northern, or white kidney beans drained
5. 2 cubes of Knorr's vegetarian broth
6. 4 cups water
7. 2 tsp. of Italian Seasoning
8. 1 - 5 or 6 oz. package of baby spinach
9. 1/3 inch of garlic paste or 1 glove garlic minced
10. 1 tbl. Olive Oil
11. Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Add 1-3 to stock pot and saute for approx. 5 minutes.  Add 4-7 and bring to a boil.  Simmer for approx. 20 minutes.  Mash some of the beans to thicken the soup stock if desired.  In a separate skillet, saute the baby spinach and garlic paste in olive oil until wilted, about 3 minutes.  Add the wilted spinach to the soup.  Simmer for at least 5 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chopped Salad - The Perfect Vegan Salad

Summertime with all the fresh fruits and vegetables at the Farmer's Market is the perfect time to try new recipes and tonight I tried a Chopped Salad recipe that would satisfy vegans and carnivores alike.  The salad was fairly straightforward and lends itself to any combination of veggies that are in season.  The dressing is an avocado lime dressing and brings the salad together in a really nice way.

The salad includes chopped red onion, chopped red and green bell pepper, cooked corn, black beans, scallions, tomato (I used orange tomatoes from my dad's garden) and avocado.  I used roughly 1/2 cup of all the items except the onions and scallions.  I used about 1/4 cup of chopped red onion and 2 tablespoons of scallions and 1/4 to 1/2 chopped avocado.

The dressing was made from 1/2 ripe avocado, 1 tablespoon olive oil, about 1/6 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/8 tsp. cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.  I intended to use an immersion blender to blend the dressing but mine did not work.  I was able to mash the avocado with the other dressing ingredients until well blended and then added the dressing to the chopped vegetables.

The finished salad was really pretty and very tasty.  Because of the fat from the avocado I think it is filling as well and could serve as the main dish if you are vegan.  You could serve it with a slice of whole wheat toast, or flax crackers to make it a meal.