Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

We are having record low temperatures tomorrow and Tuesday and tomorrow starts my first official day of P90X3 and I am going to get back to planning my meals better.  This is going to be my lunch for the week!  I followed the recipe exactly for this Vegetarian Quinoa Chili except I added some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano and coriander.

This recipe makes 15 cups of chili.  The nutritional information below is for 1 cup.  I had 2 cups for dinner tonight and it was delicious!

French Onion Soup

I LOOOOOOOVE French Onion Soup, but a lot of them aren't very good for you.  This is what I whipped up today and I must say, it is delicious!

Makes 5 servings

3 large sweet onions
Cooking Spray
6 cups beef broth
1/2 cup Sherry
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
3 sprigs of fresh thyme chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2.5 oz grated parmesan cheese

I sliced the onions in about 1/8th inch slices and tossed them in a stock pot that had been sprayed with cooking spray.  I started them off on high and cooked them down for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then I lowered the heat to medium-medium high and cooked until golden and caramelized (about 20 minutes more).

Then I added the sherry, balsamic, thyme and pepper.  I stirred it all until it was incorporated and then added the beef broth.  I brought it up to a boil.

I added 2 cups of soup in my mug and grated 1/2 oz of parmesan on the top.  Oh MY!  SO YUMMY!  I know what you are thinking, "What about the baguette, Kim?"  Well, I didn't add it.  It ends up being a soggy lump anyway (In my opinion).  If you miss it, think about adding a few croutons before adding your parmesan.  That would be easy peasy.

Nutritional Info:  161 calories for 2 cup serving, Saturated fat: 2 grams, Dietary Fiber: 3.6 grams, Sugars: 8.8 grams, Protein: 8.6 grams

Vegetable Soup with Lentils and Quinoa

So I decided to use everything that I already had on hand (and left over from other meals) to make my soup for the week.  It is delicious and so filling!

1 cup dry lentils (cook them according to package directions)
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 medium zucchini
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups kale, chopped
3 medium red skin potatoes, diced
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, spray some cooking spray and add the onion, carrots and celery until softened.  Then add the garlic for about 1 minute.  Then add the zucchini,  diced tomatoes and cooked lentils.  Add the dry quinoa and potatoes and cook about 10 minutes or until quinoa and potatoes are cooked.  Once they are cooked through, add the kale and herbs.

This makes about 12 cups of soup.  I eat 2 cups at lunch.

Nutritional info for each 2 cup serving:  261 calories,  0 grams saturated fat, dietary fiber 15.2 grams, 8.7 grams sugar, and protein 14.9 grams

Farro Bean Soup

Here is my lunch for the week!  It is going to be another cold week, so i am going to have some nice hot soup!  Adapted from here.

Makes about 7 servings

2 oz diced prosciutto

1 medium onion, diced

1 celery stalk diced

3 garlic cloves minced

cooking spray

1, 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed

2 small zucchini, diced

3-4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup uncooked farro

1/4 cup chopped basil

red pepper flakes, optional

salt and pepper to taste

Spray a pot with cooking spray and toss the prosciutto in and let it cook for a minute then add the celery and onion.  Stir until softened (about 6 minutes or so).  Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional minute.  

Add the tomatoes, zucchini, beans, chicken broth and farro.  Cook farro in soup until done (see cooking directions on your farro).  Add basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  If the soup is too thick add some more broth.  ENJOY!

Nutritional info:  414 calories, 0.5 g saturated fat, 21g Dietary fiber, 5.2 g sugar, and 25g protein!

Porcini Mushroom Soup

I LOVE soup when it is cold and yucky outside.  For my lunch this week, I made some soup.  This recipe makes 10 cups and at 111 calories per cup, go ahead and eat 2 cups per day.  It is so delicious and filling.  I adapted my recipe from here.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
16 oz sliced button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms
5 minced garlic cloves

4-5 cups of chicken broth
3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 can diced tomatoes or freshly diced
1 cup uncooked farro

salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of dried oregano

grated pecorino cheese (optional)

Pour 1 cup of water in a heatproof cup or bowl and put the dried porcini mushrooms in it.  Place some plastic wrap over the top with a few knife vents and place in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Let it steep while you work on the rest of the soup.

In a large stockpot, pour 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and the onions, carrots and sliced mushrooms.  Cook until softened and all of the liquid has rendered from the mushrooms, about 15 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more.

Dice the softened porcini mushrooms and place them in the pot as well as the liquid from them (you may want to strain the liquid though a paper towel in case there is any grit resting at the bottom of your glass).  Add 4 cups of chicken broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes and farro.  Bring pot to a boil and then simmer for however long it says to cook your farro on the package.  Mine from Trader Joe's says 10 minutes.  Depending on how much broth your farro, soaks up, you may choose to add another cup of broth.

Add the salt, pepper and oregano.

When serving the soup you may want to add a bit or grated Pecorino.  :)

Nutritional Info (without cheese) 10, 1 cup servings:
Calories: 111, Saturated fat: 0.2g, Dietary fiber: 4.1 g, sugar: 3.6g, and Protein 6.7 g.