Vegan White Bean Tuscan Soup

What you need:

• 1 medium yellow cooking onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 large stalks celery
• 2 small yellow potatoes (yukon gold)
• 19 oz. (540g) can of cannellini beans
• 4 cups (1l) vegetable stock
• 2 cups (480ml) water
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 large kale leaves
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 lemon (optional)
• parsley for garnish (optional)

What You Need to DO:

Chop the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes into small pieces, set aside. Drain and rinse your cannellini beans, set aside. Mince your 4 cloves of garlic, set aside.

Place a large saucepan on the stove and pour in the olive oil. Heat the oil on a medium low heat and add in your onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes.

Now add in your garlic, basil, oregano, thyme and salt and cook for a further minute. Pour in your vegetable stock, cannellini beans and water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the soup simmer gently for 15 minutes.

De-stem the kale, discarding the stems and chop up the leaves, add the kale leaves to the soup and stir. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes. Serve the soup with some freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh parsley.

Note:

To reduce carbs, leave the potatoes out of the soup

Peanut Butter Protein Bites

What you need:

• 1 cup (240g) natural peanut butter (without sugar)
• 1 cup (200g) vegan vanilla protein powder of choice
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. (100g) agave syrup
• ¼ cup (40g) chopped roasted peanuts
• ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. soy milk or other plant-based milk of choice

What you need to do:

Spoon the peanut butter, vegan protein powder, agave syrup, vanilla extract, and plant-based milk into a food processor. Blend until well combined. Now, add in the chopped peanuts and pulse a few more times.

Add more peanut butter or coconut oil if the mixture is too crumbly. The mixture should hold together to form into balls.

Take one heaped tablespoon of the mixture and form into a ball. Repeat this process until you have 14-15 balls. Top each ball with a peanut.

Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Healthy Vegan Shepherds Pie

What You Need:

Filling:

2 small onions or 1 large, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 large carrots, diced

2 tbsp. tomato puree

1 cup (135g) frozen peas

¾ cups (135g) dried green lentils

1 tbsp. olive oil

½-¾ tsp. salt 

⅛ tsp. freshly ground pepper 

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 tsp. fresh rosemary

2 cups (480ml) vegetable stock

Potato topping: 

5 medium white potatoes, diced 

2 tbsp. olive oil 

2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

½ tsp. freshly thyme, chopped

3-4 tbsp. vegetable stock 

What You Need to Do:

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

2.Meanwhile, prepare all the vegetables and herbs and set aside.

3.Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into an ovenproof frying pan. Place over a medium heat and sauté the onions for 2 minutes. Add in the rosemary, thyme, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for a further 30 seconds and add in the tomato puree and sauté for another 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan by adding in 2 tablespoons of vegetable stock and stir well. 

4.Pour in the balsamic vinegar, 2 cups vegetable stock, and the green lentils (rinsed and drained) to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, add in the garden peas and let simmer for further 10 minutes, uncovered, until mixture has thickened and the lentils are soft. 

5.Meanwhile, place the potatoes into a large saucepan of boiling water and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Drain the potatoes in a colander then place them back into the pan. Add in the oil, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, garlic, and fresh thyme. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Set aside. 

6.Once the lentil and vegetable filling has thickened, top with the mashed potatoes. Spread the potatoes evenly over the lentils and place the pan into the oven on the top oven rack. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the top has turned golden brown. 

Tip: To reduce carbohydrate, replace the potatoes with a large head of cauliflower.