After going home for Thanksgiving I’m on a bit of a vegetarian cook. I guess it makes sense since many of my meals at home were made up of mostly veggies thanks to my dad. I’m not complaining. The past few weeks I’d been eating pretty poorly and my body needed a cleanse of sorts. Strange, usually holiday foods are what cause your body to need a cleanse…

My sister was in town and she’s been eating mostly vegetarian and working out like crazy. Working out like crazy is normal for her — stress release. She let me do a few of her Mari Winsor workout videos — abs & bootie — with her. They’re quick and effective and now I think I need to buy my own. She also introduced me to green (spinach) smoothies. Believe it or not, you can’t taste the spinach at all!

Needless to say, I’m still on a bit of high from the home health kick and decided to whip up a big pot of vegetarian soup that I could eat for lunch this week. I might be eating it for dinner too since it’s so chilly now! Throw in a chunk of a baguette and this meal is winter perfection.

How were your holidays? Any healthy resolutions already coming around?

Kale, White Bean & Quinoa Soup

Serves: 6 • Prep Time: 10 minutes • Cook Time: 45 minutes
Nutrition per Serving Cal: 208.9 • Fat: 2.6g • Carb: 39.5g • Protein: 8g • Fiber: 7.9g • Sugar: 9.1g

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 – 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/4 cup dry quinoa
• 1 – 14.5oz. can white beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 bunch kale, roughly 3 packed cups
• S&P to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. When hot, but not smoking, add onion, carrots and celery. Stir to coat and cook for about 8 minutes, until tender. Add thyme, crushed red pepper, garlic and oregano and cook for another minute.
• Add diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to simmer for 25 minutes.
• Add the uncooked quinoa and cannelini beans and bring heat to a low boil again. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until quinoa is tender.
• Add kale and stir to wilt. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve with a baguette.