Creamy Broccoli and Avocado Soup

This soup is a delicious, hearty, colorful, nutrient-dense and comforting meal in a bowl. It is also an incredible way to limit waste in your kitchen!!

Creamy Broccoli and Avocado Soup

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 ½ lbs broccoli, cut into florets, stems peeled and cut into rounds

• 6 cups vegetable broth

• juice from 1/2 lemon

• 2 cups baby spinach, kale, Swiss chard or other greens (roughly chopped)

• 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped, stems removed

• 2 Avocados, reserve 1/2 avocado for serving

For Serving:

• fresh herb infused oil

• lemon zest

• avocado, diced or sliced

• red pepper flakes

Herb Infused Oil For Serving:

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• ½ cup roughly parsley and basil

• Sea salt, to taste

• Red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Make the infused oil and set aside. Stir all the ingredients together well and set aside to use for serving the soup.

• In a large saucepan set over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion in oil, butter or other cooking fat just until it turns translucent and tender.

• Add chopped garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook for another minute or two.

• Add the broccoli florets and stems along with chicken broth (veggie broth or water). Bring to a boil.

• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with lid and allow to simmer until the broccoli florets and stems are tender, approximately 10-15 minutes.

• Add the lemon juice, greens, herbs and avocado. Stir.

• Turn off the heat and using a hand held immersion blender or working in batches in a high speed blender, puree the soup until creamy and smooth.

• Serve topped with fresh avocado, herb oil or fresh herbs, lemon zest and red pepper flakes.

CHICKEN, CUCUMBER AND TOMATO SALAD

Beat the heat with this fresh dinner idea.

Ingredients:

1. Leftover Chicken Breast (2 large breasts or about 2 cups)
2. Garbanzo Beans, Drained and Rinsed (1 15.5 ounce can)
3. Cucumber, Diced (1 large)
4. Grape Tomatoes (about 1 cup, quartered)
5. Roasted Red Pepper (1 large, or more)
6. Avocado (1 large)
7. Feta Cheese (3/4 cup)
8. Chopped Walnuts (1/2 cup)
9. Light Olive Garden Italian Dressing (1/2 cup)
10. Optional: Olives, quinoa, bell pepper, corn
11. Dice cucumbers and the roasted red pepper into bite-sized pieces. Quarter the grape tomatoes.
12. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces. Slice avocado either in bite-sized chunks or slices.
13. Add everything to a bowl, along with the dressing. Combine gently with a spoon.
14. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper if needed. 

Chickpea salad sandwich

Try this yummy chickpea salad sandwich!

INGREDIENTS

1- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp onion, finely minced

2 tbsp celery finely minced

5 tbsp vegan ranch

2 slices ezekiel bread or gluten free bread

2 romaine lettuce leafs

½ cup sprouts or microgreens

INSTRUCTIONS

1). Drain and rinse the chickpeas, add them to a bowl and gently mash them with a fork. You want it to have some texture but make sure there are no whole chickpeas left.  

2). Add the onions, celery, ranch, and mix well.  

3). Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

4). Toast your bread then assemble your sandwich with sprouts/microgreens and lettuce. Enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Enjoy the mix of veggies and filling ground chicken and quinoa that make this a wonderful way to balance produce and protein in your diet.

Ingredients

6 large bell peppers

1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey

15 oz can black beans

½ cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup cherry tomatoes

⅓ cup yellow onion

2 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tbsp cumin

3/4 tsp salt

2 clove garlic

½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions

1. Prepare bell peppers by cutting off the stem and carefully removing the seeds and stems.
2. Strain and rinse beans, cut cherry tomatoes in half, finely chop yellow onion, and mince garlic.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, beans, quinoa, corn, tomatoes, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and minced garlic. Stir until well-combined.
4. Stuff bells peppers with the mixture. In a large slow cooker, add about one cup of water, or enough water to fill the slow cooker with a ½ inch of water.
5. Carefully place the stuffed peppers in the slow cooker standing upright.
6. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 7-8 hours, or until the center of the peppers reaches 165 Fahrenheit, and peppers are fork tender.
7. Top each pepper with cheese and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
8. Remove from the slow cooker and serve hot!

Tosha Larios Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2. 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3. 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4. 2 carrots, roughly chopped
5. 2 garlic cloves
6. ½ cup rolled oats
7. ½ bunch of fresh parsley
8. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
9. 1 teaspoon curry powder
10. ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
11. salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of warm water and set aside to thicken up.
3. In food processor, combine the chickpeas, onion, carrots, and garlic. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add in the flax, oats, parsley, cumin, curry powder, and smoked paprika. Season with salt and pepper and pulse until the mixture starts to form into a ball. Don’t pulse until completely smooth; the burgers need to have a bit of texture.
4. Divide into 4 parts and form into patties. Place on your prepared baking sheet and roast for 18-20 minutes, flipping the burgers halfway through.
5. Serve with a fresh veggies and a dollop of yogurt with dill and fresh lemon.

Tosha Larios Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

8 small corn Tortillas

Shredded Chicken

3 large organic chicken breast

4 oz green chilis, canned

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt

Pico de Gallo

4 medium tomatoes

½ cup white onion, finely chopped

¼ cup cilantro, packed

½ jalapeno, finely diced seeds and ribs removed

½ lime, juiced and zested

salt to taste

Directions

1. Prepare chicken by adding the chicken breast, chilis, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and sea salt to a pressure cooker and cook on high for 15 minutes.
2. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the pico. Slice tomatoes into small cubes. Finely dice the white onion, roughly chop the cilantro, and finely dice the jalapeno, removing the seeds and ribs.
3. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeno. Juice and zest the lime and add to the bowl. Stir to combine and salt to taste.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, shred with two forks.
5. Toast corn tortillas on a seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until light charred on each side, about 20-30 seconds per side.
6. Assemble tacos by adding chicken and topping with pico.

Tosha Larios Pear & Oat Breakfast Cookie

Ingredients

1. 2 eggs
2. 1 medium banana
3. 1 medium pear
4. 1 ½ cup rolled oats
5. ½ cup whole wheat flour
6. ½ cup chopped walnuts
7. ⅓ cup maple syrup
8. 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
9. 2 tbsp chia seeds
10. 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
11. 1 tsp cinnamon
12. ¼ tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Add eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil and whisk until well combined. Dice pears into small pieces, discarding the core.
2. Fold in pears, rolled oats, whole wheat flour, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until a sticky dough forms.
3. With a lightly oiled ¼ cup measuring cup, spoon the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press the cookies with the back of the measuring cup to flatten. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly toasted and golden, and the pears are tender. Allow to cool before serving. Store cookies refrigerated in an air-tight container, and enjoy within 5 days!