Carrot-Spinach Soup with Dill
Makes Three 3-Cup Servings

This was actually last week’s Sunday Night Dinner, but I am way behind when it comes to posting things. I have a whole backlog to get through. At any rate, this was a simple, very tasty soup filled with fresh flavors. The type of dish that tastes like clean eating. It is designed to be detoxifying, which is a bonus. The recipe also allows you to make a big batch of the soup base, and then add in fresh ingredients each time you serve it.

INGREDIENTS

For the Big Batch

1 large onion, diced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

7 carrots, diced (about 5 cups)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon coarse salt

8-ounces green beans, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For Each Serving

1 packed cup baby spinach

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: In a pot over medium heat, cook onion in oil until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in carrots, turmeric, and salt. Add 10 cups water, bring to a boil, then simmer, 30 minutes. Add beans and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes.

Step Two: To serve, fill a bowl with spinach and dill. Ladle 3 cups hot soup over greens, cover with a plate, and let steep 5 minutes. Add lemon juice.

Source: Whole Living, May 2012. View the recipe on WholeLiving.com.

Easy Vegetarian Supper Hash
Serves 4

Sunday was a day of utter exhaustion for me, which led to the creation of this “cheater” meal. It was mighty tasty, so I suppose that is the silver lining? I chose to use a frozen veg mix from Trader Joe’s that I am currently obsessed with. It contains green beans, carrots, corn, and peas, but any combo of your favorites will do nicely. The potatoes can be cooked up to a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to use as a way to save prep time on cooking day.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed (halved if large)

1 pound Trader Joe’s “Organic Foursome” frozen vegetable mix

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 can (15-ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until fork tender (about 12 minutes). Drain potatoes and allow to cool before handling. Once cooled, chop potatoes into large pieces

Step Two: In the same pot, prepare frozen vegetables according to package instructions.

Step Three: While frozen vegetables are cooking, heat oil over medium in a large pan. Add onion and garlic and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic and potatoes and continue to sauté until potatoes begin to brown, about 8-12 minutes.

Step Four: Add cooked vegetable mix, beans, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cook until beans are heated through. Remove from heat, stir in dill, and serve.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

Blueberry-Lemon Smoothie
Serves 1-2

This smoothie was born out of a need to use up ingredients that had been camping out in my fridge longer than need be—but it worked out well. Of course, the classic combo of blueberry and lemon is always sure to please. This recipe makes a fairly thick smoothie. If you like things on the thinner side, I advise adding a bit of your favorite milk or even water.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup fresh blueberries

6-ounces unsweetened lemon flavored Greek yogurt

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Place all ingredients into a blender. Pulse until smooth and well combined. Serve immediately.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

Mixed Fruit and Avocado Salad
Serves 2

Continuing on my current grapefruit craze, I made this lovely fruit salad for breakfast earlier in the week. It filled with bright flavors and a variety of textures. It is quick enough to prepare for a weekday morning, but has the lovely feel of a weekend brunch or a spring picnic in the park!

INGREDIENTS

1 medium grapefruit

5 tablespoons unsweetened lemon Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon agave

1 tablespoon fresh grapefruit juice

1 large avocado

6 medium strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Remove peel and pith from grapefruit and section over a bowl to catch juice. Squeeze grapefruit skeleton over bowl to extract remaining juice; set juice and sections aside.

Step Two: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, agave, and 1 tablespoon of the reserved grapefruit juice; set aside.

Step Three: Remove peel and pit from avocado and slice. Divide grapefruit, avocado, strawberries, and blueberries between two individual salad plates. Drizzle each plate with dressing and top with coconut and sunflower seeds.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

Microwave Multigrain Hot Cereal with Citrus and Strawberries
Serves 1

My mom sent me this “5-Minute Multigrain Cereal” recipe earlier in the week, and I happened to see the e-mail right before I was headed downstairs to make breakfast. As per usual, I opted to make my own, more complicated version. I also didn’t have quick-cooking barley on hand, so I decided to try quinoa. It did not cook fully, but I actually liked that it added a bit of crunch to the mix. I think perhaps loosely covering the bowl when microwaving to capture some steam might create a solution.

Notes: It might seem like overkill to use a 1-quart bowl for such a small amount of grains, but the mixture will boil and expand while cooking and you will end up with a sticky mess inside of your microwave if you use a smaller bowl. Also, if you are not familiar with sectioning citrus, here is a great how to.

INGREDIENTS

1 large grapefruit

2 medium navel oranges

2 tablespoons quinoa

2 tablespoons bulgur

2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup sliced organic strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Remove peel and pith from grapefruit and section over a bowl to catch juice. Squeeze grapefruit skeleton over bowl to extract remaining juice; set juice and sections aside.

Step Two: Juice one orange. Remove peel and pith from second orange and section over a bowl to catch juice. Squeeze orange skeleton over bowl to extract remaining juice; set juice and sections aside.

Step Three: In a microwave-safe 1-quart bowl, combine quinoa, bulgur, oats, 1/3 cup grapefruit juice, and 1/3 cup orange juice. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir and microwave an additional 2 minutes. If grains have not finished cooking, add 1-2 additional tablespoons liquid, (citrus juice or water), and microwave in 10 second intervals until done.

Step Four: Transfer cereal to a bowl, top with sliced strawberries, 1/4 cup chunked grapefruit pieces, and 1/4 cup chunked orange pieces.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original. (Inspired by “5-Minute Multigrain Cereal” from Good Housekeeping. View the recipe on Delish.com).

Broccoli-Spinach Soup with Avocado Toasts
Serves 4

Hot dog, did I love this soup and these delicious little toasts! I whipped up a batch of the soup early in the week and loved it so much that some days I ate it for both lunch and dinner. If you use bagged spinach this meal is also a snap to prepare—big time bonus for weekday fare. For the toasts, I added a bit more zip by rubbing a peeled garlic clove on the toasted bread before layering on the toppings.

INGREDIENTS

Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 leek, white and pale green parts thinly sliced

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 bunch broccoli, chopped (6 cups)

6 ounces baby spinach (6 cups)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons tahini

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toasts

4 slices rustic bread, toasted

2 avocados, sliced

1/4 cup radish sprouts

1 lemon, cut into wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add broccoli and cook, covered, until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes.

Step Two: Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and tahini. Let cool slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

Step Three: Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth.

Step Four: Top bread with avocado and radish sprouts. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze with lemon, and drizzle with oil.

Source: Whole Living, March 2012. View the recipe on WholeLiving.com.

Strawberry-Peach Smoothie
Serves 1

I’m currently under doctor’s orders to get more potassium into my diet. I’m allergic to bananas, so he offered up strawberries as an alternative. (Who knew)? They have about half the potassium of bananas, but half is better than nothing, right? Like a good little patient, I whipped myself up this yummy smoothie for breakfast earlier in the week.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened organic strawberries

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened organic peaches

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1/2 cup strawberry juice blend (I used Odwalla Strawberry C Monster)

1/4 cup cold water

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and serve immediately.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

Cranberry Muesli
Serves 2

I have really come to enjoy overnight oats and muesli type concoctions over the last year or so. Prior to making this version, I had only used almond milk. Since I have been reincorporating a tad of dairy into my diet, I decided to try this recipe which uses yogurt instead. I really liked the consistency and flavor of the final product. I used non-fat Greek yogurt instead of regular to give it a thicker texture and more of a “stick to your ribs” feel.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened or fruit-juice-sweetened cranberry juice

6 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats, (not quick-cooking or steel-cut)

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon wheat germ

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Combine yogurt, juice, oats, cranberries, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, honey, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Source: Eating Well, November/December 2007. View the recipe on EatingWell.com.

Baked Butternut Squash Fries from Can You Stay for Dinner?

Umm…yes please!!! Click photo for recipe!

“Get Your Orange” Flax Smoothie
Serves 2

I’ve been a little liquid meal crazy as of late—soups and smoothies galore! This one has a nice combo of flavors with a bit of sweetness from the peaches and a little kick from the ginger. A nice way to get going in the morn’!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups frozen peach slices

1 cup carrot juice

1 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Combine peaches, carrot juice, orange juice, flaxseed and ginger in blender; blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Source: Eating Well, January/February 2012. View the recipe on EatingWell.com.