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.

Warm Spinach-White Bean Dip
Makes 3 cups

My mom made this dip and brought it over to serve as an appetizer with our Easter meal. My extreme delay in posting it has nothing to do with its deliciousness. In fact, I absolutely adored this dip! I’ve just had a lot of “life” interfering with things that I want to do lately—such as catching up on blog posts. At any rate, Mom reported that this dip was easy to make. She also wanted me to let you know that it worked well as a “make-ahead” dish. She put it together the night before Easter, then transported to my house to bake and serve. She incorporated a few small additions, which I have included below. In my opinion this is a terrific, healthier alternative to the typical cream cheese or sour cream based versions of spinach dip!

INGREDIENTS

5-ounces baby spinach (3 cups)

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon yellow onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

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

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

crudités for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash spinach, leaving some water clinging to the leaves. Transfer to a large saucepan. Cover, and steam spinach over medium heat, stirring once, until wilted, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove spinach using a slotted spoon, and let cool.

Step Two: In the same pan, heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2-4 minutes; remove from heat. Squeeze out excess liquid from spinach using a kitchen towel; coarsely chop.

Step Three: Pulse ricotta and cannellini beans in a food processor until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Add chives, lemon zest, and salt. Season with pepper. Stir in spinach, onion and garlic mixture, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Transfer to a 1-quart baking dish and top with remaining tablespoon Parmesan.

Step Four: Bake until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Season with pepper. Serve warm with crudités.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, December 2009. View the recipe on WholeLiving.com.

Fruity and Tart Icy Morning Beverage
Serves 2

This little concoction is not quite a smoothie—it is not thick enough or frozen enough for that classification. But it is indeed “icy.” It is also not for the faint of heart when it comes to tartness. The cold-tart combo is sure to wake you up in the morning, plus there is a lot of fruity goodness and a bit of coconut water for hydration and potassium. Since I am not drinking alcohol these days, I have not tested my theory…but I have a feeling that this little friend would come in handy when a hangover is lurking around!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup fresh grapefruit juice

1/2 cup fresh tangerine juice

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1/2 cup unflavored coconut water

1 1/2 cups ice

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Place all ingredients into a blender and mix until combined. Serve immediately.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

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.

Flourless Lemony Almond Coconut Cake
Makes 8-10 slices

I whipped up this cake for Poppa’s 82nd birthday this past weekend. I imagine that Julia Child would have approved of this puppy, as it is jam packed with butter. The richness of the butter and the delicate intermingling of lemon and coconut flavors make for a wonderfully vibrant cake. I am ranking this one as my second favorite flourless cake to date, eclipsed only by the Flourless Carrot Cake that I baked for my mom’s birthday a couple of years ago.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)

3/4 cup dessicated coconut (dried, grated, unsweetened coconut)

4 eggs

zest of one large or two small lemons

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6-ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons flaked almonds

1 1/2 tablespoons flaked coconut

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9.5” springform pan. In a large bowl combine the almonds, sugar, and coconut. In a small bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Gradually add the butter, whisking as you add.

Step Two: Combine the liquid mixture to the almond mixture and stir until completely mixed. Pour into prepared pan and pop her in the oven. While the cake is cooking toast the almonds and coconut in a dry pan until lovely and golden brown. 

Step Three: Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top of the cake is a lovely golden color and springs back when touched. (A toothpick in the middle isn’t a great indicator of doneness in this case as the middle tends to stay quite soft).

Step Four: Remove from oven and let cool completely in the pan. Carefully run a knife around the outer edge of the cake and release from pan. Sprinkle the cake with flaked almonds and coconut, slice, and serve.

Source: No Tea After 12. View the recipe on NoTeaAfter12.com.

Spicy-Sweet Pretzel Mix
Serves 8

My mom made this delicious and totally addictive snack mix as one of her contributions to the Easter/Poppa’s Birthday get-together that we had on Sunday. She said it was super easy to make. I loved the sweet and salty contrast and the wee kick of heat from the cayenne pepper. (Mom thought the mix needed more heat, but I disagreed).

As you can see from the photo, she also made clever and charming paper daffodil cups to serve the mix in. You can find the instructions for those here.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups thin pretzel sticks

1 cup natural almonds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

INGREDIENTS

Step One: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss together pretzels and almonds.

Step Two: In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon water to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour over pretzel mixture in bowl; gently toss to combine.

Step Three: Spread pretzel mixture in a single layer on prepared sheet. Bake until almonds are crisp, about 20 minutes, tossing occasionally. Cool on sheet before serving.

Source: Everyday Food, September 2008. View the recipe on MarthaStewart.com.

Lentil “Meatballs” with Homemade Marinara
Serves 4-5

When I came across this lentil “meatball” recipe while poking my nose around the Internet for delish dishes to post on my new recipe sharing blog, Veg Nation Celebration, I knew I had to make them right away! While the lemon pesto used as a sauce in the original post sounds lovely, I am always looking for an excuse to make my favorite marinara. My intention was to create a full-on mock spaghetti and meatballs using spaghetti squash as the “pasta.” But alas, too many things going on in the kitchen at once led to majorly overcooked squash. Don’t let the long ingredient list and numerous steps fool you. I promise that both the sauce and the balls were easy to prepare. The sauce can certainly be made a day or two ahead of time, in fact it usually tastes better that way.

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 1/2 medium)

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 cups no-sodium, organic vegetable broth

1 1/2 (28-ounce) cans no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

“Meatballs”

2 cups cooked lentils

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta

1/4 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

hefty pinch of dried or fresh thyme

1 teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

2/3 cup breadcrumbs (fresh or panko, preferably)

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: For the sauce, heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and next 7 ingredients (through fennel seeds); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Step Two: Stir in vinegar; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 55 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

Step Three: For the “meatballs,” in a food processor, pulverize the lentils into mush. Place lentils in a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, fennel seed, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Stir in the breadcrumbs and let the mix sit for 20 minutes.

Step Four: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Check the lentil mixture by rolling a 1” round ball between your palms, it should hold together fairly well. If it seems too wet and/or falls apart, stir in another tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs until the mixture forms balls that easily stay together.

Step Five: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the mix into balls and line them up on a baking sheet (they don’t need lots of space between, they won’t spread). If you like a bit more of a crust, brush them with olive oil.

Step Six: Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown, gently turning the balls over halfway through baking. Remove to cool slightly.

Sources: Sauce from “Basic Marinara,” Cooking Light, October 2007. Lentil meatballs from “Lentil ‘Meatballs’ in Lemon Pesto” Sprouted Kitchen. View the sauce recipe on CookingLight.com. View the Lentil “Meatball” recipe on Sprouted Kitchen.com.

Arugula Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon, Parmesan Cheese, and Roasted Garlic Croutons
Serves 4

I wanted a nice light salad to accompany the heavier, lentil-based main dish. I found this recipe and thought that the pepperiness of the arugula would play well against the similar flavors in the lentils. I loved the simplicity of it, but much like the marinara mentioned above, I am also always down for anything that gives me reason to make my favorite croutons, so I opted to throw them into the mix.

INGREDIENTS

Croutons

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves roasted garlic

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 medium loaf French or Italian bread (little less than 1 pound), stale and torn or sliced into bite sized pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad

2 bunches arugula, washed, dried, and torn

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: For the croutons, Preheat oven to 425°F. Wrap garlic cloves in foil and place in oven. Allow to roast until soft, about 30 minutes.

Step Two: Reduce oven heat to 400°F. In a large bowl combine olive oil, roasted garlic and lemon juice. With a fork or immersion blender mash or blend the roasted garlic till creamy.

Step Three: Add torn bread and toss to coat each piece with the garlic/oil mixture. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt if desired and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until golden brown. Toss the croutons twice during baking. Remove from oven and cool croutons on baking sheet.

Step Four: For the salad, in a serving bowl, drizzle the arugula with the oil, squeeze in the lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until well mixed and taste for seasoning. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin pieces of Parmigiano-Reggiano over the top and add croutons.

Sources: Croutons from “A Really Decent Caesar Salad,” Post Punk Kitchen. Salad from “Arugula Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon, and Parmesan Cheese,” by Tyler Florence for the Food Network’s “How to Boil Water.” View the crouton recipe on ThePPK.com. View the salad recipe on FoodNetwork.com.

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.

Roasted Asparagus, Tomato, and Mushroom Medley
Serves 4-5

Yes, it is accurate that this was the dinner I prepared on Sunday, and it is currently Friday and I am just now getting around to posting it. But, give a girl a break, I haven’t been feeling so hot. This dinner on the other hand is “dancing screaming itching squealing fevered feeling hot hot hot!!!” (Sorry about that. Spring weather always puts The Cure into heavy rotation on my playlists). But really, this was a mighty tasty meal, even if that means a big ol’ toot on my own horn. Plus, it doesn’t get much easier than a dinner composed almost fully of roasted ingredients—your oven does all the work for you!

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches asparagus (2-pounds), tough stems removed

1-pound large crimini mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 medium red onion, cut into half-moons

10-ounces golden cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

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

1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil)

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Step One: Heat oven to 425°F. In a large roasting pan, combine asparagus, mushrooms, onion, and tomatoes. Add olive oil, vinegar, and citrus juices. Stir gently to coat vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Step Two: Roast for 20-25 minutes (stirring halfway through) or until vegetables are just tender and beginning to brown. Add cannellini beans and roast an additional 5 minutes.

Step Three: Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Top with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.

Source: A Robot Heart Recipes Original.

Have you visited my new vegetarian and vegan recipe sharing blog, Veg Nation Celebration, yet? If not, please head on over and take a peek! I have been putting up five posts each day to share my personal cache of recipes that made me drool and instantly found themselves housed in my “I need to make this!” file. You can take a look at the Archive (pictured above) for a cheat sneak peek.

All of the recipes posted are vegetarian, and many are vegan. Everyday I post roughly one breakfast recipe, one snack or appetizer recipe, one lunch, one dinner, and one dessert recipe. I have also done a few Themed Recipe Collections. You can also view the Recipe Sources page to introduce yourself to new blogs and websites that you just might love!

Please follow and share with your friends if you like what you see!

Enjoy!

xoxo RHR