Veggie Detox Soup Plus Protein

Veggie Detox Soup Plus Protein:
Makes 8-10 servings

64 oz organic low sodium vegetable broth
4 cups water + 1/2 cup cold water
14 oz organic diced tomatoes with liquid
3 organic carrots
3 organic celery sticks
1 organic yellow pepper (small to medium sized)
1 organic yellow onion
1 organic sweet potato
1 tbsp freshly minced organic ginger
3 organic garlic cloves
1/4 cup organic low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup organic rice vinegar
1 package extra firm tofu
2 cups dry organic quinoa
1/2 tsp organic turmeric
1/2 tsp organic cayenne (more to taste)
1/3 cup garbanzo bean flour
freshly ground black pepper to taste


First, set the tofu to drain and the cook the quinoa according to direction.

While the quinoa is cooking and the tofu is draining, peel the carrots, cut them in half and add them, along with 2 cups of water, to a large soup pot over medium heat and cover.

While the carrots are cooking, mince the ginger, chop the garlic, and then add them to the pot as well. Stir everything together and then re-cover.

Next, peel and dice the sweet potato, dice the celery, and add them to the pot stirring everything together while adding the remaining 2 cups of water. Replace cover. The soup should have a low rolling boil going at this point.

Chop the onion and pepper and add them to the pot along with 32 oz of vegetable broth, turn the heat to medium-high and replace cover for at least 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl whisk together 1/2 cup cold water, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garbanzo bean flour then add to the pot along with the remaining 32 oz vegetable broth, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir together well, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Finally, cube the tofu. For soup, I usually cube 1 block into 72 pieces, cutting the block: 6X4X3. Once cubed, add gently to soup and cook for a final 10 minutes.

To serve, first add quinoa to your soup bowl and top with some soup. Enjoy!


Healthy Life Tip: Always cook extra soup to have on hand for easy lunches to pack and quick dinners to have throughout the week.

For another great detox soup with tons of protein, 

check out this Rosemary & Lemon Protein Packed Soup:

The BEST Vegan Dip Ever

This may easily be one of my favorite dips of all time. 

Adapted ever so slightly from PractiGantic's recipe, you won't be able to stop making this and sharing it with everyone you know. 

Best if prepared the night before, or has a few hours to sit before serving.

Vegan Crab Dip (takes about 25-30 min to prepare):

28 oz heart of palm (found canned near canned artichokes etc.)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

16 oz vegan cream cheese, softened (Kite Hill highly recommended for best taste)
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise 

1 red bell pepper diced small

4 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 cup red onion, diced small

3 tbsp green onions, diced

4 oz pimiento, drained and diced small
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of freshly ground sea salt
a few dashes of Old Bay Seasoning

First, mince the garlic, then drain and chop the heart of palm into varying shapes and sizes to act as the crab in the dip. Don't worry if some starts to shred, as you sautee it this will happen to some pieces and that is perfectly fine.

Next you're going to sautee the garlic and heart of palm in the olive oil over low heat until the heart of palm browns. Keeping the heat low, allow this to occur as you prep the remainder of the dip, stirring with a spatula occasionally.

For the next steps - if you're short on time, you can just add all of the ingredients (except Old Bay) together in a bowl while the heart of palm sautees. But, I find doing it in the following order allows the seasonings to flavor the cream cheese and mayo base the best. 

First add the cream cheese and mayonnaise to a large mixing bowl and combine together. Then add the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and mix well.

Next, add all of the dry ingredients (except the Old Bay) to the dip, mix together well, then set aside to marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Dry Ingredients: paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, freshly ground sea salt.

Head back over to the heart of palm, add a light dash of Old Bay Seasoning and a grind of pepper, stir together well, and continue to let brown.

Next, dice all the veggies (red bell pepper, red onion, green onion, pimientos), and add them to the dip as well and stir together.

By now your heart of palm should be almost ready. Add another dash of Old Bay and continue to sautee until ready. Then remove from the heat and let cool.

Once cooled, fold the heart of palm into the dip and mix together well. I enjoy serving this dip cold after it's had the chance to sit for a few hours first, or overnight, but sometimes it's just too hard to wait! Enjoy!

Sesame Veggie Noodle Stir-fry with Tofu & Seitan

Sesame Veggie Noodle Stir-fry with Tofu & Seitan:

6 servings Pad Thai brown rice noodles
2 packages seitan strips
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and cubed 4x5x3
1 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
1 cup organic green beans broken in half
2/3 cup organic shredded carrots
1 package organic white mushrooms
1/2 package organic portobello mushrooms
2 organic zucchini,
1 organic red pepper, chopped
1 organic yellow onion

For the Noodle Sauce:

1/2 cup organic soy sauce
3 tbsp organic rice vinegar
1 tsp organic sriracha
2 2/3 tbsp (or 2 tbsp and 2 tsp) organic sesame oil
1/4 tsp organic cane sugar

Toppings:

sliced organic green onions
organic sesame seeds

Drain and lightly rinse the seitan, then pat it dry between two paper towels. Cover fully with Annie's Sesame Shiitake Dressing and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes. I usually do this in a tupperware container or plastic baggie. Once the tofu has been fully drained and cubed, in a separate container from the seitan, also cover with the dressing and set aside. You can save time by setting the tofu and seitan to marinate the night before.

Prep all the veggies by rinsing and chopping accordingly. Then begin saut�ing the pepper and zucchini in the olive oil in a large fry pan.

While they are cooking begin saut�ing the seitan on low in a separate fry pan. Add the seitan, and all of the dressing it has been marinating in to the pan together. The seitan will cook here for the rest of the meal prep, so just make sure to stir occasionally and keep the heat on low.

Add the green beans, carrots, mushrooms, and onion to the zucchini and pepper, stirring everything together and cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the tofu and about half of the dressing it has been marinating, stir together gently, bring heat to medium-low and allow to simmer.

Next, cook the pad thai noodles according to direction.

In a separate bowl combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, sesame oil, and cane sugar and whisk together.

Once the noodles are done, drain them and rinse them very well in hot water, and add them to a large mixing bowl. Whisk the noodle sauce again and then poor directly over the noodles and mix until all noddles are evenly coated. Return the noodles back to the pan they were cooked in, cover, and place back onto stove to keep warm without turning the stove back on.

Once the veggies are cooked and softened, spoon some noodles onto a dish, the top with veggies and tofu, and add some seitan and enjoy!