Black Bean and Edamame Salad

Do you go through stages with food? I tend to eat the same meals over and over again for months on end, then suddenly the food I am eating changes to something different and I eat that over and over for months and the cycle repeats. Last Spring when I embarked on my new food journey I found Clean Eating Magazine and quickly fell in love with the whole food recipes.

As I was browsing through the recipes I was drawn to a photo of a black bean and edamame salad in the gluten-free recipe section. I can eat edamame right out of the shells by the handful so imagine my delight upon finding this recipe. I scanned the ingredients for the salad, I loved both the salad ingredients and the simple dressing.

Black Bean & Edamame Salad
Serves 4 | 12 minutes

Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine (March 2012)

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 ounces ) unsalted black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh or frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup diced red onion

Dressing:

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Nutiva Hemp Oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, edamame, pepper, cilantro and onion. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until combined. Drizzle over top of bean mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

**The original recipe calls for fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, and a small Anaheim pepper. If you like some heat to your food, feel free to substitute the red bell pepper for the Anaheim pepper. Also, if you eat dairy, the mozzarella would be a delightful addition!**

Nutritional Bonus: Edamame are a great source of protein and fiber; just 1 cup of soybeans packs almost 16 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber!

Very Veggie Vegan Minestrone

My family is very busy, as I’m sure most families with three active youngsters are, so on our busiest night (when all 3 kids have some sort of sport/activity) I like to make a quick and easy dinner. The temperatures have been steadily dropping here in NW PA, so soup seemed to be the answer. I am not a big fan of soup from a can and prefer to make my own soups. My husband chose Minestrone soup and crusty Italian bread for dinner. Sounds perfect!

I went on a mission to find a veg*n minestrone soup that would satisfy my omnivore family but not compromise my plant-based diet. I thought I’d found a winner with “Vegetarian Minestrone Soup” until I read the ingredients and chicken stock was listed! I decided that I would use a combination of several recipes I’d found and create my own from there. Here’s what I came up with!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup each red pepper & green pepper, diced
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 glove garlic, minced
• 1 Rapunzel Brand Vegetable Bouillon cube, dissolved in 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups water
• 8 oz. ditalini pasta
• 15 oz. can of beans (I used dark red kidney)
• 2-4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tsp. Herbamare
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Using a cast iron stock pot, saute onion in EVOO on medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute.
Add the carrots, celery, peppers, tomato, vegetable broth, and water. Bring to a boil.
Add pasta and cook for 6-8 minutes until al dente.
Stir on tomato paste and beans and cook just until combined.
Serve with a hunk of Italian bread and a pat of Earth Balance.

What’s your favorite soup on a cold fall day?