Health for Life Cooking to Start the New Year

Happy New Year! What a great time to recommit to excellent health! Commit to high nutrient plant based meals that will add health to your life. Let Health for Life cooking teach you how.

The menu for January classes will include:

Chick Pea Noodle Soup

A delicious alternative to traditional Chicken Noodle Soup that is loaded with fiber and micro-nutrients from chick peas and a lot of veggies. It is also gluten free because the noodles are made from zucchini! I'm really excited about his one! The strips of zucchini , when cooked just right, take on a soft texture that make perfect noodles. The broth is flavored with a chicken style seasoning that gives it a chicken noodle soup flavor. It's hot and satisfying on a cold winter night.

Chick Pea Rice & Broccoli Casserole

One of my favorite dishes as a kid was my grandma's chicken and rice casserole. If you can make chicken noodle soup with chick peas, why couldn't you make chicken and rice casserole with chick peas? Well, you can! I was very excited when this dish came together quite nicely and my husband announced, "I like this stuff!" That's pretty good coming from him without me even asking "What do you think?" With a creamy white sauce that is dairy, soy and gluten free, this dish is at the top of my comfort food list. It's also high in nutrients with GOMBS: greens, onions, mushrooms, beans, and seeds. GOMBS are Dr. Furhmans top 5 super foods. He says that they "fight cancer with every bite!" If you get all of them in one meal, I consider it a 5 star meal.

Purple Power Smoothie

One of the best ways to get a lot of nutrients from green vegetables into a quick and easy meal is with a green smoothie. In other words, a fruit smoothie that includes green leafy vegetables.

Blending greens, as oppose to eating a salad, breaks down the plant fibers so small that you dramatically increase the amount of nutrients that get absorbed into your cells. When I started drinking daily smoothies in 2006, my nails and teeth got stronger, my hair didn't come out as much, and they just tasted and felt so good to me. It felt lke my cells were soaking up thousands of powerful disease protective nutrients. Green smoothies are also a great way to help clean out the holiday gunk!

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking to start the new year. Class dates are Tuesday January 10 and Wednesday January 18. Hope to see you in class!

To register, contact April at health4life07@yahoo.com.

My Holiday Challenge - Be Sugar Free!

There is just something about the sight of a tin of chocolates or a plate of home baked cookies during the holidays that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. They look so appealing and taste so delicious! But unfortunately, after I've eaten 5 or 6 (or even just one for that matter) I don't feel so well. A headache quickly comes on, and if I've eaten too many, my back starts to ache. Oh yes, and the instant sugar buzz! Then the voices in my head start saying "you really shouldn't have eaten that." I begin to think about what all that sugar is doing to my body including weakened immune system, calcium depletion, increased acid, and oh my poor pancreas has to work overtime to get that sugar out of my blood stream and into the cells which eventually give me too much energy.....and it's usually at 2 am. Funny how all those things didn't matter BEFORE I partook of the forbidden goodies!

So is all of that really worth the 30 seconds of pleasure? Absolutely not! That is why this year I'm committing to staying processed sugar free through out the holidays, until 2012! I'm also including all so-called "healthy" sugars including agave, maple syrup, honey, and any type of granulated sugar. Click here to find out why.

As the years have gone by and my diet has gotten healthier, I've lost the desire for sugary foods for the most part. It's just this time of year, when well meaning neighbors bring treats and the front desk at work is cluttered with an assortment of cookies and chocolates, that I feel this little tug and a voice inside me that says "It's the holidays! Have a little fun!" Well, I have plenty of fun through out the holidays eating great food, feeling great and enjoying some of my healthy whole food date/nut candies and cookies that don't make me feel horrible and keep me up all night.

This past week I committed to both my Health for Life class and my Bosch class and now I'm telling the world! I would love to have some company! Feel free to post your commitment. To help you out, I've posted a great recipes for Christmas Truffles here.

Happy Holidays and best of health to all in 2012!

April

Health for Life Holiday Treats

Christmas without yummy treats would be like Christmas without Santa Clause. Luckily you don't have to gain 10 pounds over the holidays because of these sinful pleasures. There are tasty alternatives!

For the third year in a row, I am offering Health for Life Holiday Treat Class on Wednesday December 7, at 6:00 pm.

The treats that I will be demonstrating are:

Simple Date Sugar Cookies, Christmas Truffles, "They taste like Christmas" Nut Balls, Sprouted Cinnamon Almonds, and Raw Sesame Carob Fudge.

Those attending will get samples in class and then will go home with a decorative Christmas tin full of these tasty treats!

This is the tastiest class of the year! Space is unlimited! Must pre-register by contacting April at health4life07@yahoo.com.

Hope to see you in class!

April

Health for Life Cooking for the Holidays

Holiday Lentil Loaf w/ Mushroom Gravy

This lentil loaf is the perfect replacement for the traditional turkey or ham that most always adorns the holiday table.
Lentils and mushrooms not only provide great nutrition but also provide an earthy rich flavor along with the wonderful holiday herbs of sage, marjoram, rosemary, and thyme. Topped with a mushroom gravy, this loaf is delicious and very filling!


Creamy Cashew Kale
Please remember that the worst looking dishes are sometimes the best! My mouth waters when I think about this dish. The original recipe comes from Dr.Fuhrman but I have tweaked it just a bit to lower the fat content. It's one of the favorites in his archive of recipes. The cashew sauce makes it rich and creamy and so delicious! I'm not sure if you'll get your kids to even try this but
once they do, they will be hooked.

Cranapple Relish Salad
I loved traditional canned cranberry sauce as a kid but these days it would make my head spin from all the sugar! This Cranapple Relish Salad is sweetened completely with apples and dates. It's so delicious I start making it and eating it for breakfast as soon as cranberries are available. Cranberries are high in anti-oxidants so are great for warding off the winter cold.

Pumpkin Pie w/ Non-Dairy Cream
I've made this pumpkin pie for years from canned pumpkin and I'm finally venturing out and using home cooked pumpkin. Sweetened 100% with dates, this pie is wholesome, low fat and delicious!

And there you have it! Health for Life Cooking for the holidays! November classes are Wednesday November 2 and Tuesday November 8. Hope to see you in class! April

Health For Life Cooking in October

Fabulous Fall Favorites

The menu for October classes will include:

Butternut and White Bean Stew

This is a rich and creamy comfort stew that is so delicious and nutritious! The butternut squash gives it this beautiful yellow color which adds important carotenoids, powerful anti-oxidants found primarily in winter squash. White beans and kale are also added to make this stew very satisfying and delicious!

Sweet Basmati Rice w/ Slivered Almonds and Kale
Basmati rice is wonderfully aromatic and smells like popcorn when you cook it. It has a mild sweetness that goes perfect with toasted almonds, shredded carrots, and plump raisins. And believe it or not, kale is a great addition to this dish as well.

Demonstrated with this meal will also be Dijon Pecan Dressing which will be served with a mixed green salad.

Chunky Monkey Pumpkin Cookies

"These are the best cookies I've had" was the comment from one of my taste testers! They also got my 5 year old grandsons approval!

These cookies are loaded with pecans, coconut, raisins, oats, dates, and a small amount of simi-sweet non dairy chocolate chips just to take them over the top!
These contain NO wheat, dairy, or extracted oils. Chocolate chips contain processed sugars.

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking classes in October. Class dates are Wednesday October 5 and Tuesday October 18.

Hope to see you in class.
April

For more information, contact April at health4life07@yahoo.com.

Health for Life Cooking in September

September, Labor Day, starting another school year all reminds me of end of summer family get-to-gathers in the park or at my grandparents which always included good food. And many times it included burgers, corn on the cob, coleslaw, and peach cobbler. So this month we are celebrating the end of summer.... as if there is something to celebrate when summer comes to an end. Oh yes, I remember, cooler days and more hiking and getting outdoors. Yes!! Just what I need!

"Better then a Big Mac" Burger

I have wanted to create a veggie patty that looks like a "regular" burger and had the mouth feel and taste of one. Well, this one may look the part but without all the fat, it's hard to have that greasy mouth feel. Besides that, do we really want it? As for taste.....well, I'm not so sure I want it to taste like a "real" hamburger either. So this is a burger that just tastes gosh darn good!! Way better than a Big Mac! This patty is lentil and oat based and seasoned just right. It will be served with all the trimmings on sprouted sesame seed bread.

Colorful Kohlrabi Cole Slaw
Kohlrabi is a new vegetable (new to me that is) that has adorned my refrigerator lately, and I thought it would be fun to include it in the menu this month. I have been buying it local and have found it to be a nice addition to coleslaw. It's a cruciferous vegetable and reminds me of cabbage but has a bit of a turnip taste. Mixed in with some green and purple cabbage, shredded carrot, just a little bit on onion and dressed with a light creamy dressing, this salad is a nice addition to any meal.

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
(sorry no picture yet)
A simple salad of just what is says. Corn, vine ripe tomatoes, and diced avocado with a little red onion and a zesty lemon and lime dressing.

Raw Peach Crumble

My grandma made the best peach cobbler ever!! I remember her taking it out of the oven and setting it out on the back patio to cool. I couldn't wait to dig in! Needless to say, peach cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. However, in my study of nutrition, I have come to firmly believe that fruit is best eaten raw. So I wanted to come up with a raw version of this most delicious dessert. And this is it! Fresh, in season peaches, dates to sweeten just a bit, and a oat, nut crumble on top. I set this out in the sun for an hour or so and it's warm and juicy! Almost as good as grandmas! This is one of those desserts that is so healthy, you can eat it for breakfast!

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking in September. Class dates are Tuesday September 6 and Wednesday September 14. Additonal class may be added on request.

*Burger and cobbler will be demonstrated at my Bosch Kitchen Center class on Thursday September 8th. See "At The Bosch" page for details.

Health for Life cooking in August

The heat is in full force so we are going to keep it cool for August with a cool summer salad, oven baked chips and bean dip and then we'll cool it way down with some delicious non-dairy ice cream.

Mexicali Rice and Black Bean Salad

A cool, spicy Mexican style salad with black beans, corn, brown rice, vine ripe tomatoes, peppers, onion, avocoado and seasonings.

Best of the Boarder Bean Dip w/ Tofu Sour Cream
A blend of 3 kinds of beans, onions, chilis, and tomatoes, layered with Tofu Sour Cream (will be demonstrated) and freshly made Simple Guacamole, topped with vine ripe tomatoes and olives. This will be served with Home Baked Seasoned Corn Chips. I've served this at many "SAD" family function and is always very well received.

Maple Pecan Ice Cream
Most kids LOVE ice cream! Unfortunately, traditional ice cream is loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, processed sugars, oils, and often artificial colors and flavors. It's not a very good choice for growing kids.
This Maple Pecan Ice Cream is a nut based ice cream sweetened mostly with dates, which is the healthiest sweetener to use. It has pecans for their unique flavor and a touch of maple syrup to give it that special touch. Nothing artificial here! This is so far my kids and grandkids favorite home made, nut based ice cream.

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking in August. Class dates are Wednesday August 3rd and Tuesday August 9th. I hope to see you in class. *

April

Contact April at health4life07@yahoo.com

*I will be demonstrating the Mexicali Rice and Black Bean Salad at my Bosch class on Thursday August 11, along with No-Key Lime Pie.

Health for Life Cooking in July

Cool Summer Salads and Wraps

Egg-less Salad Lettuce and/or Tortilla Wraps
This is a tofu based filling loaded with lots of veggies and dressed with my no-oil mayo, which I will also be demonstrating. These are quick and easy and are perfect for picnics or a cool summer supper when you don't want to cook. You can enjoy this salad in a sprouted wheat tortilla or in a fresh lettuce leaf. Or you can try it both ways. They are equally delicious!

Mediterranean Kale and Millet Salad

This dish has all the flavors of a pasta salad with no pasta. It's made with whole grain millet and accompanied by fresh and tender marinated kale, white beans, corn, red peppers, fresh from the garden tomatoes, red onion, and olives. This dish is amazingly fresh and so delicious!

Tomato and Cumber Salad

This is a pretty traditional summer time salad that I had never tried until my friend David gave me some tomatoes out of his garden and said "you have to try this salad" and proceeded to tell me how to make it. I love this salad! Talk about fresh!! Wow! With red ripe tomatoes, cool cucumbers, red onion and a sweet red wine vinegar dressing it's the perfect companion to sandwiches, your favorite veggie burger or you can enjoy it all by itself.

Red White and Blueberry Parfait
Perfect for your Independence Day celebration! This is a very lite dessert using fresh seasonal fruits. It's low calorie and has very little fat. There are no processed sugars or extracted oils used and free of dairy, gluten and soy. Contains a small amount of nuts.

And there you have it! Health for Life meals for the hot days of summer!
Class dates are Wednesday July 6 and Tuesday July 12. Hope to see you in class!

April
health4life07@yahoo.com

**Egg-less Salad Wraps and Red White and Blueberry Parfait will be demonstrated at my Bosch class on July 14th. See "At the Bosch" page for details.

Health for Life Cooking in June

Lentil Sloppy Jo's - An old-time childhood favorite that everyone loves! I've made these for several friends, including my husband, and they have been a huge hit! These Sloppy Jo's are nutrient rich with high protein brown lentils, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic and a succulent Sloppy Jo sauce to cover it all up and make it look just like the real thing! Served open face on a sprouted wheat bun for a tasty, fun summer time meal.

Roasted Summer Squash - There aren't many vegetables that I don't like, but summer squash is one that just doesn't do much for me. It's about as flavorful as water. But when you take some of the water out with grilling or roasting, you concentrate the sweet flavors and it's delicious. Unfortunately it's hard to grill without using oil so I roast them in the oven to get those concentrated flavors. With a sprinkling of your favorite seasoning, they are the perfect companion to any meal.

Chickpea Napa Rice Salad - This "Rice Salad" recipe, which is what it was originally called, contained chicken. The combination of vegetables, however, sounded good to me and I decided that chick peas would be a good substitute for the chicken. Sure enough, they work beautifully! This salad is a combination of long grain brown rice, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), peppers, peas and a sweet vinegar dressing with just a touch of mustard. I've changed the original dressing recipe to one that contains no processed sugars or oils and I've added some shredded napa cabbage to the salad which is a tender mild flavored cabbage that will add anti-cancer phyto-chemicals.

Cherry Cheese Cake

For dessert, we will top it all off with a dairy free Cherry Cheese Cake. This cheese cake is rich and creamy and so delicious!

Contains nuts and soy.

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking for summer fun! Class dates are Tuesday June 7 and Wednesday June 15. We will begin at 6:00 pm. Hope to see you in class!


To register, contact April at health4life07@yahoo.com.

Health for Life Picnic in May

Black Bean Burgers It's picnic and bar-b-q season and just because you choose to eat healthy doesn't mean you have to feel left out at family gatherings. Pack your own Black Bean Burger to the party and no one will know the difference. I've always loved burgers and switching to bean burgers was virtually painless. With all the condiments you can hardly tell a difference. OK, maybe that's an overstatement for your die-hard carnivore but they really are delicious! These burgers will be served on a sprouted wheat bun with home-made ketchup, mustard, French Onion Dip, avocado, fresh from the garden lettuce, and organic tomatoes.

Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries

These little orange gems are superior to my french fries of yesterday. Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta carotene which supplies you double the RDA of vitamin A. But don't worry! Vitamin A in its whole food form is not toxic when excess is taken in. Your body knows exactly what to do with that excess. However, when taken in supplemental form, too much Vitamin A is toxic and increases your risk of liver cancer. Sweet potatoes also supply a good amount of fiber, vitamin C and iron.
These "fries" are oven baked with a touch of spice and no oil is used!

French Onion Dip w/ Raw Vegetables
We Americans love to dip and I'm no exception. Unfortunately most dips are loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol and way too much sodium. The main ingredient in the original recipe for this French Onion Dip was nuts. Since this stuff is very addicting,
I wanted to cut the fat so I've added some white beans. The beans add another nutritional dimension to this dip and if you replace some of the nuts with seeds and dunk some raw broccoli, you've got your "beans, seeds, and greens" which Dr. Fuhrman says is a excellent nutritional combination.

Strawberry Ice Cream
Summer time is ice cream time! And this is the season for strawberries, which just happen to go perfect with ice cream!
My ice creams are dairy free, cholesterol free, and are low in saturated fat. No extracted oils or processed sugar are ever used. Strawberries are one of the dirty dozen so I always use organic!
This ice cream is the perfect dessert to top off any picnic or bar-b-q. Contain nuts.

And there you have it! Health for Life Picnic for May! Class dates are Wednesday May 18 and Tuesday May 24 and we begin at 6:00 pm. If the weather is nice, we will dine on the patio!
Hope to see you in class.

Must pre-register by contacting April at health4life07@yahoo.com

Health for Life Cooking in April

Green Salad w/Russian Dressing

We'll start off with a fresh mixed green salad with a Russian Dressing. All my dressings are free from extracted oils and processed sugars. The base of most of my dressings is 1/2 cup of dates, 1/2 cup unsweetened vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. Then I add what ever flavors I like such as berry's, tomatoes, mustard and/or other seasonings. I also add a few tablespoons of nuts or seeds to add fat to my dressing. The fat increases the absorption of some of the phyto-nutrients in your salad or other vegetable dish.

Asparagus Soup

With the arrival and spring and warmer weather on it's way, I wanted to take advantage of the seasons abundance of asparagus. I love fresh asparagus lightly steamed with nothing on it! The young tender spears are so delicious the way nature provides them. But since most people know how to steam vegetables I needed to turn it into something fun for class. So soup it will be. My daughter was visiting when I tested this new creation and cringed watching me put the delicious freshly steamed spears into my VitaMix. However, she was pleasantly surprised when we both tasted the end result. It was fresh, light, and flavorful! A perfect soup for spring dining.

Mushroom Lentil Stroganoff

My memories of Beef Stroganoff are of a Wednesday night family activity at my church in Southern California where I grew up. The creamy beef filled mushroom soup type sauce was served over noodles and I loved it! I don't think I've eaten stroganoff since those days or even thought about it, so when I put together this dish by accident, using up some aging mushrooms and spinach in my fridge, I was really excited! This dish contains Dr. Fuhrmans "GOMBS" which are his 5 super foods: greens (spinach), onions, mushrooms, beans (lentils), and seeds (sunflower). Served over brown rice, this dish is a powerhouse of nutrition!

Beet Chocolate Cake w/ Chocolate Sauce
If Mushroom Lentil Stroganoff or Asparagus Soup doesn't tickle your fancy, hopefully this Chocolate Cake will! This cake has NO processed sugar and NO extracted oils! And it's so good!! It's rich and moist and very chocolaty. And between the beets (yes, that red root vegetable!), cocoa, and the secret sweetener, this cake is high in anti-oxidents.
Warning: Contains walnuts.

And there you have it! Health for Life cooking in April. Class dates are Wednesday April 6 and Tuesday April 12. An April 19th or 20th class will be added depending on demand.
All classes begin at 6:00 pm.

**The Mushroom Lentil Stroganoff and Beet Chocolate Cake will be demonstrated at my Bosch Kitchen Center class on Thursday April 14. See my "Bosch" page for more details.

Hope to see you in class!
April

Contact me at health4life07@yahoo.com

Health for Life cooking in March

Pear Spinach Salad w/ Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette

I've decided that a good way to get your greens in is to mix them with fruit. Whether it's blended in a smoothie or tossed in a salad, it tastes delicious!

This spinach salad is pretty basic with some sliced red onion, chopped walnuts or pecans and a tangy sweet no-oil vinaigrette. Top it with some sweet red d'Anjou pairs and it's almost like eating dessert!




Garden Shepherd's Pie
My husbands friend Troy, who lives in Fillmore and commutes each week to St. George for his 4 day work week, has been staying in our guest room while he is in town, and has welcomed the opportunity to give vegan dining a try. And to my surprise, and his as well, this 6' 5" 235 pound "meat and potatoes" guy loves the food!! And not only that, he says he feels better and wants to make some big changes in the way his family eats! This last trip I sent him home with my copy of The China Study http://www.thechinastudy.com/ and Dr. Fuhrman's (http://www.DrFuhrman.com) Eat to Live DVD. Knowledge is key to success! Anyway, back to the menu, out of all the dishes he has tried, this Garden Shepherds Pie has been his favorite. It's loaded with whole food goodness, including *collard greens, mushrooms, and kidney beans. The topping is a combination of mashed yellow potatoes and cauliflower. This dish is a nutrition powerhouse!
*Research from 2010 reported by Joel Fuhrman, MD states that women who consume 10 grams of mushrooms a day (equivalent to just 1 white button mushroom) along with green vegetables, reduce their risk of breast cancer by 89%!! WOW!! Why isn't that on the cover of the New York Times?


Split Pea Vegetable Soup


I have always loved split pea soup! And I especially love it with a lot of vegetables, like this one which includes the traditional onions, carrots, and celery, and not so traditional cauliflower. Gotta get those cruciferous veggies in! I usually like bread with soup but since I try to limit my bread consumption I add a whole grain such as steamed brown rice, barley, or sprouted wheat berries. Grains are much healthier in their whole intact form and helps fill that need for bread. This soup alone feels like a complete satisfying meal.

Apple Cookie Crumble With apples still plentiful, I wanted to make a really healthy dessert that included this winter time fruit. So I had the idea to make a crust with a raw oat meal cookie recipe and use an apple/date combination for the fruit filling. This dessert is so healthy you could eat it for breakfast. And it's so quick and easy! It only takes me 10 - 15 minutes to make, and no baking is involved!


And there you have it! Health for Life Cooking for the month of March. Class dates are Tuesday March 8, Wednesday March 16 and Tuesday March 29. Hope to see you in class! Contact April at health4life07@yahoo.com

Health for Life Cooking in February

Before I introduce the menu for the February Health for Life cooking classes, I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for those who have given me this great opportunity to teach what I love so much! I have been so blessed over the last 4 years to get to know so many who want to gain greater health through plant based nutrition. At the end of each class as we sit around the table enjoying good healthy food and great conversation, I realize that you aren't just here learning from me, we are all here, with a common goal learning from each other. We all have our own unique circumstances, gifts and talents to share and we all gain so much from one another. I'm excited to be associated with you and proud of your dedication and strength in moving forward to improve the health of you and your families.

On with your Valentine meal for February!

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Spinach, mushrooms and onions drenched in a creamy low-fat non-dairy sauce, layered between brown rice noodles and strips of egg plant with a home made marinara sauce. This recipe is a bit labor intense but well worth the effort for that special occasion with you and your sweetheart or the entire family.

Greek Salad w/Tofu Feta

This salad is fresh and light and is the perfect companion to the Spinach Mushroom Lasagna. The Tofu Feta with all it's seasonings mixed with crisp romaine lettuce red onion, cucumber tomato and Kalamata Olives makes this salad taste like a true Greek salad.

Thick and Hearty Vegetable Soup

This soup is loaded with a ton of vegetables including broccoli and cauliflower which are the mighty cruciferous vegetables that are loaded with anti-cancer compounds. If we want maximum protection from cancer and other diseases, we need to include these into our diet every day and this is a great way to do it! This makes a huge pot so you can feed a large crowd or store it in freezer safe containers for a ready made lunch or dinner.

Decadent Chocolate Ice Cream

Valentines Day and chocolate goes hand in hand. And this chocolate ice cream is rich, creamy smooth and so delicious! I love ice cream and it was the last dairy product to go after I moved to a plant based diet in 1991. Once I discovered how to make ice cream with nuts and dates, I haven't had a desire to eat the dairy based ice cream since. The only thing missing from this decadent dessert is the guilt, the bloat, and the weight gain....not to mention the hours of exercise it takes to work off a bowl of the dairy based variety. No thank you to all of those!

And there you have it! Health for Life Valentine meal for February.
Class dates are Wednesday February 2, Tuesday February 8, and Wednesday February 16. Class begins at 6:00 pm.

Hope to see you in class!
April

Check out this interview from one of my favorite professors of plant based nutrition, T. Collin Campbell, PhD (author of The China Study) in an interview that was published in the New York Times wellness blog.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nutrition-advice-from-the-china-study/?utm_source=Master+List&utm_campaign=bbbcc6dd9a-Newsletter_January_2011_tracking&utm_medium=email#more-42139

I made this soup last night for dinner and it was wonderful! It comes from Mary McDougall at http://www.drmcdougall.com/. I made a few changes as noted. Enjoy!

Hearty Garbanzo Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
4 cups vegetable broth (I used the broth from my cooked garbanzo beans)
1 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans (I used 3 cups of home cooked - so much better!!)
2 Tbsp tahini
1 large roasted red bell pepper, sliced into strips (I used raw, chopped)
1-2 tsp chili-garlic sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup each: chopped fresh cilantro, dill, and chives (I did not have dill or chives)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
dash of sea salt
(I used a little Real Salt. I'm finding that using bean broth in soups makes a very flavorful stock!)

Place the onion and garlic in a large soup pot with about 1 tbsp of the vegetable broth. Cook stirring frequently until onion softens and turns translucent. Add the remaining vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Add the mushrooms, cabbage, cumin and coriander. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1 can of the garbanzos with its juice into a blender jar. Add the tahini and process until smooth. Drain and rinse the other can of beans. Add the processed beans and the whole beans to the soup pot, as well as the roasted red pepper and the chili-garlic sauce. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and lemon juice and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Season with a bit of sea salt before serving, if desired.

Hint: Bottled roasted red peppers work well in this dish. You should have about 3/4 cup.