Veggie Yogi

Crockpot Lentil Soup

VeggieYogi ♦ January 23, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

I have been searching for a good lentil soup recipe and I think I have discovered/created one! I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com for Winter Lentil Vegetable Soup which provided the inspiration for this recipe–but I think I’ve greatly improved on it both in ingredients and making it a crockpot recipe!

So here’s what you’ll need:
1/2 cup lentils
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 stalks of celery
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (low sodium–or fresh chopped tomatoes if you have them and have time)
2 cups of vegetable broth
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (I like to buy the baby carrots)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsps curry powder
1 tsp cumin

Add all ingredients to the crockpot starting with lentils on the bottom.

If you're using canned tomatoes, be sure to look for the lowest sodium brand you can find. The ones I found have only 200g per 1/2 cup which is still a lot but about half that of other brands.

I also recommend a low-sodium or no salt added vegetable broth.

Stir to mix everything together but not so much as to make the lentils rise to the top.

I cooked mine on high pretty much all day from noon until 6 or 7 pm. It makes a delicious, hearty soup! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

Baked Beans

VeggieYogi ♦ January 21, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

I like this recipe because it is easy. You just need to plan ahead a little since the beans need to soak in the ingredients for 24 hours and then they need to bake for four hours. I like to prepare my beans for soaking on Saturday in the early afternoon so then they are ready to go in the oven the next day in the early afternoon and are ready at a decent hour Sunday evening.

I found this recipe at Fatfree.com. It had been adapted by Barbara Heller but originally came from the book Lean, Luscious and Meatless.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
2 cups chopped onions
1 clove of fresh garlic – chopped
4 cups of water
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 bay leaves
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
32 oz can tomato sauce
1 lb navy beans (dried, uncooked)

Start by rinsing the beans and place in a large bowl.

Add water, chopped onions, garlic and molasses.

Add brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, bay leaves, dry mustard, pepper, nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and allspice. Everything except the tomato sauce.

Stir everything together.

Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for about 24 hours. I’m using red cling wrap because my husband accidentally bought it at Christmas time! 🙂 We’ll be using it for a while…

After 24 hours of soaking, transfer the bean mixture to an oven-safe pot and add the tomato sauce. Be sure to spray the pot first with non-stick spray. When choosing tomato sauce I strongly recommend searching for the lowest sodium brand you can find. It’s amazing how much sodium companies pack into their canned goods and you don’t need that much sodium.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes.

Bake for 4 hours at 300 degrees, but be sure to check it about every 30 minutes and add water as needed. I didn’t check mine this time until relatively near the end so mine got a bit dried out. 🙂 I won’t do that next time!

Remove from oven and serve! Best baked beans ever! Who needs pork in their beans!!!

Guacamole

VeggieYogi ♦ January 19, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

This is my trusty guacamole recipe. I like it because it is simple and has fresh ingredients. Sometimes I mix it up a little depending on what I have in the fridge, but this is what I put in when I have all the ingredients I most like to put in it. This isn’t an exact science of course so feel free to adjust!

Here’s what you’ll need:
2 avocados
1 1/2 small tomatoes
2 green onions
Chopped cilantro to taste
Juice from 1 lime
1 tsp cumin

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