red lentil soup

1 large onion, diced
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, cut in small cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
red lentils, equal to about half the volume of the chopped vegetables
turmeric, 1/4 palmful
garam masala, 1 small palmful
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes, optional
cayenne pepper, optional
olive oil

put the chopped vegetables in a pot with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. cook until the vegetables become soft, give off their water, and begin to decompose. add the red lentils and spices. add enough water to cover the ingredients (more water will needed to be added as the soup cooks, and the lentils absorb some of the water). bring to a boil, then cover and simmer.

i like my soups thick and chunky, so for this recipe, i cook the soup about 2 hours (or longer) until all of the vegetables have fallen apart. i sometimes use a potato masher towards the end to help them along.

if you like your soup less thick and chunky, replace the water with chicken/vegetable stock, and stop cooking the soup once the red lentils have fallen apart, but the vegetables have not. you may also want to add a can of diced tomatoes to the recipe if you choose to cook it more like a chunky vegetable soup.

quick zucchini soup

this recipe makes enough soup for 2 bowlfuls, but it is easily doubled (or tripled)

1 large zucchini
1 medium white/yellow onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
herb blend or stock cube

finely dice the onion and garlic, and cook until soft in 1-2 tsp of olive oil. add salt, pepper, and herbs (or stock cube). finely dice the zucchini and add to the pot. cook until zucchini is soft. add enough water to cover the onion/zucchini. bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

after about 30 minutes, use a potato masher to break up some of the vegetable chunks, and re-season as necessary. let simmer an additional 5 minutes. garnish with some parmesan cheese.

healthy muffin recipe

begin with the basic muffin recipe, and then add classic or creative flavor combinations

basic muffin recipe*
1/3 c milk
1/4 c unsweetened (or no sugar added) applesauce
2 tbs oil
1 6-oz container yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

bake in a 400 degree F oven for 16-18 minutes (recipe makes 12 muffins or 24 mini muffins; cook for about 12-15 minutes for mini muffins)


lemon poppyseed muffins
2 tbs poppyseeds
3 tbs lemon zest
juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lemon
1 tsp lemon extract



orange cranberry muffins
3 tbs orange zest
1/4 c dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 c walnuts or pecans, chopped, optional
juice of 1/2 orange
1 tsp orange extract



banana toffee nut crunch muffins are a favorite of mine as well (although decidedly less healthy!)


*one muffin (basic recipe) is equal to about 1 bread exchange; this will vary depending on the types of flavors and fillings you add to the basic recipe