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Lean Green Super Soup
Lean Green Super Soup
Okay, we all know dark green leafy vegetables are good for us (and if you don’t – they’re jammed packed with vitamins A, K, C and E, minerals like iron and calcium, and phytonutrients including beta-carotene and lutein)…but eating them can be downright boring. This little recipe is a quick and easy to get all those healthy benefits in a delicious slurpable format. Fun! Plus it’s perfect for Paleos and those eating green and clean.
You can use pretty much any dark leafy green you like: kale, collards, mustard greens, chard, or dandelion greens. You can also experiment with the spices. I’ve even added diced yams and chicken stock to the onions and fennel to make a thicker, hearty version of this soup. Great in winter months.
What I love most about this soup, other than the fennel…as you’ll find out in the video, I do have a bit of a fennel problem, is the convenience. Face it, sometimes you’re in a hurry and forking in a full salad takes time. You can slurp back a portion of your leafy greens and be back back on the go before you know it. Not that I’m encouraging you to eat and run…but if you gotta, this is the ticket!
PS – if you’re scared of the saturated fat in the coconut oil, don’t be – check out this site, or this one to read the research and learn just how healthy it really is.
I hope you enjoy!
PSS – This is my first Youtube video, can you tell!? 
Now it’s your turn…
Ingredients:
1 bunch dark leafy greens, cleaned and stemmed
½ bulb fennel, chopped 1 med onion, chopped (I like to use a sweet Vidalia)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp – 1 tbsp ground fennel
½ tsp dried basil (fresh if you have it)
½ tsp ground cumin
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat coconut oil over med heat in large pan
- Add onion and sauté until translucent, 2-3 mins
- Add fennel and saute’ until softened, ~5 mins more
- Add 2 cups water and kale, cover and let cook 5 – 7 mins more, until kale is soft, but still bright green. Don’t overcook!
- Remove from heat and let cool 10 mins
- Grind fennel (and cumin if it’s not already)
- Add half the vegetables to a blender with 1 cup water and half the spices. Blend
- Blend remaining ingredients
- Season with addition salt & pepper to taste
- Enjoy!
Yield: 4 servings
Calories: 75 Fat: 3.9g Carbohydrates: 9.6g Protein: 2.3g
Spicy Mango Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs
Spicy Mango Chicken & Vegetable Kabobs
Admit it, cooking food on a stick is fun! It brings back memories of roasting wieners on a campfire as a kid, when summer days were long and every day was an adventure. In this little flavor adventure, I wanted to combine the rich sweetness of mangos – in season right now, with a smoky BBQ flavour. Ground black cardamom adds that ‘campfire’ flavor, without the sugar and sodium found in most prepared kebob sauces. You get a perfect balance of lean protein and complex plant-based carbohydrates, a healthy supply of essential fats and an abundance of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Plus, it’s fun to eat and tastes outstanding! Happy Summer Everyone!
I’ll make this meal again next week and shoot a video for you. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
500 kg chicken breast, cut into cubes or small strips
100 g broccoli
300 g bell peppers
125 g grape tomatoes
250 g zucchini
½ cup mango
Dressing:
4 T extra virgin olive oil
4 T balsamic vinegar
2 T maple syrup
1 c mango
1 t cumin
1 t curry
1 t fresh ginger
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t black cardamom
3 cloves garlic
Instructions:
- If using bamboo, soak 12 skewers in water for at least one hour.
- Cut vegetables into 1” cubes. To make sure your kebobs are balanced, you can divide the veggies into 8 separate piles as you cut, one for each vegetable kebob.
- Cut chicken into chunks and strips. Again, portioning into 4 separate piles.
- Prepare sauce: Press garlic cloves into blender or small food processor, add remaining ingredients for the sauce and puree until smooth.
- Prepare skewers: You have enough for 8 vegetable skewers and 4 meat skewers. Note: next time I will layer mango between chicken pieces; the flavors together are amazing!
- Brush sauce over vegetable kabobs, rotating to coat all sides.
- Brush remaining sauce over chicken kabobs.
- Place on pre-heated med-hot barbeque or grill, watching and turning every 3 – 5 minutes until cooked through on all four sides.
- Remove, let stand for 5 minutes.
- Serve two vegetable skewers and one chicken skewer per portion.
Yield: 4 servings
| Nutrition Data
Serving Size 413 g Amount Per Serving |
|
|
% Daily Value* |
|
| Calories: 369 | |
| Fat:17.7 gSaturated 2.1 g Trans Fat 0.0 g |
11% |
| Cholesterol 80 mg | |
| Sodium 165 mg | |
| Carbohydrates: 25.9 g |
6% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.6 gSugars 18.2 g |
8% |
|
Protein: 29.5 g 0% Vitamin A 57% Vitamin C 195% Calcium 5% Iron 11% |
|
| *Based on a 2000 calorie Zone-based diet | |
