Vegan Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 pinch black pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

4 (15 ounce) cans black beans

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cans of beans, and corn. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 2 cans beans and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Tropical Smoothie

Ingredients

1 ripe medium banana, sliced

1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1 – 8 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, chilled

1 1/2 cups vanilla low fat frozen yogurt

1 cup milk (skim,fat free or 1

Directions

In a blender, combine banana, undrained pineapple and orange juice concentrate. Cover and blend until almost smooth. Add low fat frozen yogurt and milk. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses. Garnish with a sprinkle of toasted coconut if desired.

Spinach Feta Salad

Ingredients

6 cups baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry

4 tomatoes, sliced

1 English hothouse cucumber, diced

8 to 10 radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

cup fat-free vinaigrette

Directions

In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, feta and red pepper. Top with your favorite fat-free vinaigrette.

Quinoa Salad for a High Protein Diet

Ingredients

1 cup of quinoa

1 cup soy yogurt

1 avocado – cut into 1-inch cubes

1 apple – cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil (or other oil)

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tbsp white pepper

1 tsp dried dill

Directions

Rinse quinoa. Soak for 10 minutes then rinse again and add to 2 1?2 cups boiling water. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes (until all the water is absorbed). Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Go Nutty Shake

Ingredients

1/3 cup cottage cheese

1 scoop vanilla whey protein

2 tbsp flax seeds

1/2 ounce almonds

1/2 ounce walnuts

1 1/2 cup ice

1/4 cup water

Preparation

Combine all ingredients except water and blend on high for 2 minutes. Next, add water and blend on high for 1 minute.