Pecan & Flaxseed Crusted Oven “Fried” Chicken

All-natural, free-range organic chicken is a great source of lean protein for athletes and non-athletes alike. And yes, I had to throw all those caveat adjectives in there because as a conscious consumer poultry can be one nasty business. If you haven’t read the December 2013 Rolling Stone article called “In the Belly of the Beast” on animal cruelty in the meat industry, it’s worth your while but, caution, it’s hard to stomach.

While I love the idea of chicken for its nutrition quality, it’s pretty boring on its own. Unfortunately, fried chicken or heavily sauced chicken wings just plain aren’t good for you and should only be had on rare occasions–i.e. the SuperBowl or when you’re on a road trip and find a hidden gem. One way to get the same flavor satisfaction of fried chicken while cutting several hundred calories is to bake it instead.

My Pecan & Flaxseed Crusted Oven “Fried” Chicken takes this one healthy step farther by removing any gluten from the batter and adding in superfood flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are loaded with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids and are also a good source of dietary fiber. Combined with the heart-healthy fats found in pecans, ground flaxseeds significantly amplify the nutrient density of this easy recipe. Serve it over a big green salad with loads of vegetables, a little lemon and olive oil and you’ve got a tasty packed lunch for work or a simple weeknight supper.

Pecan & Flaxseed Crusted Oven “Fried” Chicken

{makes 4 servings, 3 chicken tenders per person/meal}

What You’ll Need:

12-oz of free-range, hormone-free chicken breast (approximately 2 at 6-oz a piece), cut into 12 one-inch strips [save time: buy pre-cut chicken “tenders” or “strips”]
1/3 cup roasted, unsalted pecan pieces, crushed
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup gluten-free flour of choice (oat is best but spelt, garbanzo bean and others would work)
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water
Sea salt & pepper to taste

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Rinse chicken in water and pat dry with paper towels. Place gluten-free flour in one small bowl, egg mixture in another and crushed pecan pieces with the ground flaxseed and salt and pepper in a third. Create an assembly line by dipping each piece of chicken in flour, egg then pecans and finally laying the prepped poultry to rest on an greased cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet. Make sure to give each piece a little room to breathe–you don’t want them over-lapping.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes (give or take a few depending on the thickness of your chicken and the heat of your oven). Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.

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April 15, 2014

3 Simple, Healthy Recipes for an Easy Weeknight Dinner

My favorite meals involve simple foods whose delicious flavors speak for themselves. When you select fresh, seasonal produce you don’t need to get fancy with your seasoning and technique in order to make an amazing meal. These three recipes are easy to make and tasty to eat. Each features at least one superfood, including rosemary, Brussels sprouts and salmon.

Rosemary is a flavorful herb often used when cooking chicken and pork. It’s truly a superspice as it has been linked to stimulating the immune system, increasing circulation and improving digestion. These health benefits come from rosemary’s high nutrient density (vitamins A and C, several B vitamins and dietary fiber). Rosemary also contains anti-inflammatory compounds and has been shown to increase the blood flow to the head and brain, which may enhance concentration.

Brussels sprouts are all the rage (and have been for the past few years) on the foodie scene. Beyond their culinary fame lies an incredible nutrition resume. Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable, a categorization that puts them in the good company of broccoli and cabbage. This superfood is a prime source of fat-soluble vitamins A, K and E, most of the B complex of vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, calcium, manganese and selenium.

Salmon is a yummy, fatty fish loaded with potassium, selenium and vitamin B12. More notably, however, it’s an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids which are crucial for healthy brain function. One 3.5 oz serving contains about 230 calories and 25g of protein. The USDA recommends that all men and women over the age of 19 should get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (or 0.37 grams per pound). This number goes up for more active individuals but the formula provides a good baseline.

Onto the recipes…

Simply Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

What You’ll Need:

3 cups small white or fingerling potatoes
1/2 red onion
2-3 Tbs fresh rosemary
3 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Them:

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Wash potatoes and halve lengthwise. Skin onion and cut into big chunks (eighths or even quarters).
In large bowl, combine olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh rosemary (de-stemmed and roughly chopped) with potatoes and red onion. Toss until evenly coated.
Spread into a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 min or until a fork goes in and out easily, but they aren’t mushy.

Simply Roasted Sriracha-Maple Brussels Sprouts

What You’ll Need:

3 cups Brussels sprouts
1/2 red onion
2 whole scallions
2 Tbs Sriracha
1 Tbs real maple syrup
3 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Them:

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Trim and halve Brussels sprouts. Skin onion and cut into big chunks (eighths or even quarters)–hopefully you already did this when you prepped the potatoes.
In a large bowl, combine scallions (thinly sliced), Sriracha, maple syrup, olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix. Add Brussels sprouts and onions and toss until evenly coated.
Spread into a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Roast for 35-40 min or until the Brussels sprout leaves turn a dark golden brown (almost burnt but not quite) and are easily pierced with a fork.

Simply Baked Apple Pecan Butter Salmon

What You’ll Need:

12-oz thickly cut, fresh wild-caught salmon
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs apple pecan butter (plain apple butter or a homemade jam would work as well)
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Sea salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Place the salmon in an oven-safe pan, skin side down.
Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, spread a thin layer of apple pecan butter on top and squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top.
Bake for 15-20 min (time will vary depending on thickness), then remove from heat and let sit for 5 min before serving.

April 7, 2014

Dear Cowardly Lion, You’ve Already Got Your Courage

Sometimes I feel like the Cowardly Lion, searching for courage while overwhelmed by fear. Most of my fear is the fear of what I can’t control, or more pertinently, of not knowing what comes next during times of transition. This spring is certainly a test of my courage. Did I mention I’m opening a yoga studio? Thus far I haven’t let the fear of taking this leap onto my still-under-construction Yellow Brick Road paralyze me. In fact, as the Cowardly Lion learned in the Wizard of Oz, it’s been the act of welcoming, facing and ultimately embracing my fears about this adventure that makes me feel like my most courageous self.

In one of my all-time favorite TED Talks, Brené Brown illuminates the link between opening to uncertainty, letting vulnerability arise and finding your courage. She points out that so many of us equate vulnerability with weakness. Vulnerability means scary things like externalizing uncertainty and relinquishing control. Who likes to do that? Admittedly me, and I’d venture to guess a fair amount of you out there as well. It’s not easy to let go. That’s why courage means being brave enough to be vulnerable; to not numb yourself, which is so much easier than to feel sometimes; to love someone with your whole heart even when there’s no guarantee you’ll get it back; to believe you’re worthy of love and connection; and ultimately, to believe you are already whole, perfectly imperfect and enough.

If you reject vulnerability and choose to selectively numb yourself you can’t connect with other people. You can’t realize we’re all going through battles and we all need love and compassion. As Brené says, “connection is what gives purpose and meaning to all our lives […] it’s why we’re here.” To connect with others in any meaningful way you have to expose yourself, the good and the bad.

When you let yourself be vulnerable you might crumble a bit. That’s what happens when you put yourself out there, face your insecurities and accept who you are. For some, surrendering to vulnerability might be quite graceful through a means like meditation or yoga, while for others it might be a knockdown, drag-out internal brawl. Those people are likely the same ones that define vulnerability as weakness. No matter where you start from, taking baby steps, practicing awareness and slowly opening to uncertainty and feeling, means you’ll grow stronger with a chance to rebuild and renew yourself.

This idea of renewal and starting fresh always makes me think of one of my favorite Rumi quotes:“Very little grows on jagged rock. Be ground. Be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up where you are.”

Letting down your guard, embracing that you’re a work in progress (as we all are) allows you to open to possibility. It can be uncomfortable but the most courageous amongst us use discomfort as an opportunity for awakening. You have to stay with discomfort. Sit with it. You have to feel it—and fear and all your other insecurities and perceived shortcomings—to break free from what’s preventing you from living a whole-hearted life. You have to familiarize yourself with vulnerability to eventually make friends with it.

It isn’t easy. In fact, it’s really freaking hard work. Eventually though, you’ll come to trust that sometimes when your let things fall apart—whether by a little or a lot—it creates space for something or someone even stronger, more confident and more courageous to arise.

April 4, 2014

Chicory Almond Milk Latte (Vegan & Caffeine-Free)

I recently did a 3-week cleanse, eliminating all gluten, dairy, added-sugar (including alcohol) and caffeine from my diet. In the end, caffeine (or the lack there of) seemed to make the biggest impact on my mental and physical sense of well-being. It’s not that I was drinking 5+ cups of coffee a day–in fact, I rarely had more than one–but as someone who is admittedly type A and stress-prone, the stimulant effect of caffeine was doing more harm than good.

Without caffeine I fall asleep faster, wake up feeling more rested and have far fewer spikes in anxiety throughout the day.

That being said, I’m someone who loves a latte from time to time and while decaf espresso is better than regular, it still contains caffeine. Everything in moderation, I still intend to have my decaf almond milk latte’s from Whole Foods every now and again, but on a more regular basis I’ve devised a delicious caffeine-free alternative loaded with superfoods.

Here are the highlights of three nutrient-dense ingredients in my caffeine-free, vegan latte:

Chicory Root:

detoxifying coffee-substitute
naturally caffeine-free
antimicrobial and antifungal properties
phenolic antioxidants help reduce inflammation and prevent disease

The taste isn’t a dead ringer for coffee, but as someone who loves(/d) black coffee it comes pretty darn close.

Cinnamon

regulates blood sugar
reduces LDL cholesterol
anti-inflammatory properties which reduce cytokines linked to arthritic pain
reduces chronic inflammation linked with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors and meningitis
alleviates menstrual pain
may be effective for infertility because it contains cinnamaldehyde, which studies show increases the hormone progesterone and decreases testosterone production in women

Coconut Oil

contains lauric acid (a medium chain triglyceride or MCT) which increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio levels
rich in antioxidants, which helps boost immunity
when MCT breaks down helps liver break down fats and increase metabolism
may help regulate blood sugar and reduce abdominal fat

Chicory Almond Milk Latte

What You’ll Need:

{makes 2 servings}

1 Tbs chicory root tea
10-oz water
8-oz unsweetened almond milk (see recipe for my Homemade Almond Milk below)
2 medjool dates
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground cloves, nutmeg, cardamon and white pepper

How to Make It:

Steep 1 tablespoon of roasted chicory root tea in 10-oz of boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
In a blender, add 8-oz unsweetened almond milk, 2 medjool dates (pits removed), 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and all the spices.
Once tea is steeped, add tea to blender and blend on high for 1 minute until frothy.
Serve in two coffee mugs with a dash of cinnamon or cocoa powder on top.

Note: if you like your lattes extra hot, give this a nuke in the microwave for 30-40 seconds or heat your almond milk on the stovetop in advance of putting it in the blender.

Homemade Almond Milk

What You’ll Need:

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups filtered water

How to Make It:

Add almonds and water to blender and mix on high until smooth.
Optional: strain liquid through cheese cloth to remove any pith.

Note: You can also add 1 tsp of vanilla extract to make it an unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

March 31, 2014

Chickpea, Quinoa & Kale Taco Salad + Radicchio Wraps = Super-Bowl

Step up your lunch game with this vegan, gluten-free, Meatless Monday superfood taco salad recipe. Try saying that ten times fast.

If you’re underwhelmed or unsatisfied by your attempts at green salads, don’t throw in the towel on healthier habits. Salads don’t have to be all rabbit food. In fact, adding healthy whole grains, nuts or seeds and legumes to the mix will increase satiety (that feeling of, one, I’ve had enough and, two, it was downright tasty) and decrease the desire to graze after the meal. The fiber, healthy fats and proteins these ingredients bring to the table help improve digestion, stabilize blood sugar and nourish your muscles and mind.

All of the nutrient-dense ingredients (kale, quinoa, chickpeas, etc) in this upgraded taco salad fit into those three categories of superfood add-ons. If you take it a step further and replace your tortilla strips or flour wrap with radicchio leaves, you’re kicking it up to a whole new level of good-for-you. The magenta hue of radicchio comes from a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pigment called anthocyanin. Anthocyanins are members of the same family of phytochemicals found in teas, honey, wines, fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil and cocoa–all of which have received a lot of well-deserved positive buzz from the health and nutrition field. The cherry on top–as well as the moderation factor–are a few coins of baked plantains. It’s amazing how a little something special can take a salad from boring to a monumental taste-bomb of deliciousness.

Raddichio-wrapped Quinoa Kale Taco Salad w/ Spicy Avocado Dressing

Makes 6 servings

What You’ll Need

For the Quinoa Kale Taco Salad:

1 small head of radicchio
1 cup dry red quinoa
6 cups chopped kale (stems removed)
2 cups chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1 cup corn (canned or frozen works)
1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For the Spicy Avocado Dressing:

1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup water
2 large cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the Plantains:

1 plantain
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

How to Make It:

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice plantains into coins 1/8″ thick and toss in olive oil and sea salt. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet and lay out a single layer of plantain coins. Bake for 20 min.Turn oven to broil and cook another 5 min, or until light golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool.
While the plantains bake, cook quinoa according to package directions. When it’s done, set it aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the kale leaves in boiling water for 1 min, then remove from heat, drain and let cool.
To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender, mixing until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, kale, chickpeas, corn, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, onion and fresh cilantro. Pour dressing on top, to taste, and toss until everything is well coated.
Peel a few leaves of radicchio to line your bowl or layer your plate with. Scoop about 1 1/2 cups of the salad into your bowl or onto your plate. Garnish with a few plantains and enjoy!

March 25, 2014

Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing

Given the nature of my work as nutrition coach and food educator, it’s not uncommon for my boyfriend to ask me for healthy lunch and dinner ideas. It always makes me really happy to get this request, and it always leads me down a rabbit’s hole of research and recipe development. Too health-conscious to recommend the good ol’ American classic, sandwich and chips, and too obsessed with creating crave-worthy food to suggest a mere green salad, I always take his requests as a challenge. I only succeed when the recipe meets my tried and true trifecta: keep it simple, pack it full of nutrient-dense whole foods and make it taste damn good.

This Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing checks all three boxes. I typicaly have the majority of these healthy ingredients on hand (sweet potatoes, chickpeas, onions, non-fat Greek yogurt, lemons, garlic and cilantro), so it was a no-brainer for me and having now significantly influenced his shopping cart I knew it wouldn’t be a stretch for him. Plus, it takes only 4 easy steps to bring this meal together!

Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing

(makes 4 servings)

What You’ll Need

For the Warm Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad:

2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and cut into cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg, cloves, ginger
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

For the Greek Yogurt Dressing:

1 medium garlic clove (finely minced if you don’t have a food processor or blender)
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2-3 Tbs water
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

How to Make It

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato, garlic, spices, olive oil and a few pinches of sea salt.Toss until all pieces are evenly coated. Roast on a baking sheet for 30 min, or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.
While the sweet potatoes roast, make the Greek yogurt dressing. In a food processor (or blender), add all ingredients and mix until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. You may opt to add more water to thin it out.
To bring it all together, combine the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, onion and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add half the dressing, toss (careful not to mash up the potatoes) and serve with the additional dressing on the side.

Enjoy this recipe right away. Otherwise, set aside the portion of the salad you don’t plan to eat undressed and save a small container of the dressing. You can then reheat the salad when you’re ready and top with the creamy, lemony-goodness.

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen.

March 11, 2014

Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right

In frigid February, I had the great pleasure of spending some quality R&R time down in Florida with one of my favorite people and his family. Somewhere between the 80-degree weather, sunny skies and bathing suit/sandals wardrobe I was inspired to make one of my mom’s go-to summer salads in the dead of winter.

Now that it’s National Nutrition Month, my Black Bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno-Mint Dressing seems to be an even more fitting recipe to share. This tasty side salad is Candida Diet-approved, gluten-free, vegan and so healthy it hurts. If you want to make it a full meal, serve it up over a cup of cooked quinoa or black rice.

When I’m trying to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right,” I turn to nutritional superstar black beans. Beans in general should be a staple in everyone’s pantry–especially for all my vegans and vegetarians out there–and certainly are in mine. All varieties are an excellent source of plant-based protein and have a lot of the B-vitamins and trace minerals that meat-abstainers often miss in their diet. A one-cup serving of black beans has only 227 calories, 15g of dietary fiber, 15g of protein, and 20% of the recommended daily intake for iron. This high soluble fiber content helps lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar levels. If you’re not into black beans, try red or white kidney beans, chickpeas, or lentils instead. Once you find the bean that’s right for you you’ll love the clean energy and healthy digestion they provide–promise!

Black Bean and Corn Salad with Jalapeno-Mint Dressing

What You’ll Need: (For the Salad)

1 14-oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-oz can of corn (low sodium), rinsed and drained
1 large orange, red or yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 cups of baby spinach, finely chopped

(For the Dressing)

Juice of two lemons
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs honey or agave (optional)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh mint, minced

How to Make It:

Combine all ingredients for your dressing in a food processor or blender and mix until well blended. (Note: if you don’t have the equipment–and I didn’t down in Florida–then just mince up all the ingredients as indicated and whisk with all you got in a medium bowl to combine.)
In a large bowl, mix all your salad ingredients together, prepped as indicated in the list. Pour your dressing over the mixture and toss until all veggies are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving (and up to 24 hours). If you don’t plan to eat this within a few hours after making it, hold off on adding the avocado until you’re ready to serve to avoid a mushy and browning meal.

And as always, I’d love to hear what you think in the reply section below!

March 1, 2014

MOARfit now on Thumbtack.com

As a budding yogipreneur and nutrition coach in Washington, DC, I’m always looking for ways to grow my business. Growth is hard especially when your passion project is not your full-time job. Whenever I come across an online platform that can act as my megaphone in a reliable and fuss-free way, I jump on it. Enter Thumbtack.com. It’s kind of like Yelp meets the Yellow Pages and it’s super user-friendly. Their mission is simple:

Ever wonder why you can buy any product online with a single click, but you can’t hire a photographer, tutor, contractor, or other local service professional without a dozen phone calls? So did we. Thumbtack’s mission is to make it dramatically easier to hire services, at the same time empowering independent professionals to grow their businesses.

So I jumped on the bandwagon and we’ll see how it goes. With that, I’ll wrap up this little shameless plug for MOARfit. And hey, while you’re there why not look into that local photographer, web designer or personal chef you’ve been hoping to hire?!

February 12, 2014February 23, 2017

Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

My Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup is not only gluten-free, it’s easily made vegan (by swapping chicken for tofu), soul-warming comfort food and, perhaps best of all, pink! The antioxidant-rich red cabbage added toward the end of the recipe gives a soft blush hue to the finished product making it an ideal Valentine’s day treat for you and your sweetheart.

In addition to its high antioxidant potency, red cabbage is loaded with vitamins A, C and K. Not to be outdone, the final ingredient that seals the flavor profile of this dish has a pretty impressive nutrient CV of its own. Cilantro, a plant native to southwest Asia and North Africa, is rich in antioxidants and a potent digestive aid. This like-it-or-leave-it herb has even been linked to reduced incidence of urinary tract infections due to its antibacterial properties.

If you’re looking for a low-key night in, this easy three-step recipe is a no-brainer. Speaking from experience, it’s best paired with a feel good romcom, a nice bottle of vino (light bodied unless you’re adding spice) and your favorite company.

Thai Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup

What You’ll Need:

8 oz thin rice noodles
2 32-oz cartons of chicken broth
3″ piece peeled ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 3 limes (save two halves)
3 Tbs fish sauce
1-2 tsp salt
2 stalks dried lemongrass
4-5 scallions, finely chopped
2 cups unsweetened full fat coconut milk
1 cup red cabbage (about 1/4 of a full head), thinly sliced
2 8-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 cups shittake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

How to Make It:

Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and ginger to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the garlic, lime juice, two limes halves, fish sauce, salt and lemongrass. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 min. Add the coconut milk and scallions and return to a simmer. Add the chicken and cook until it is no longer pink (about 4 min). Add the mushrooms, cabbage and cilantro and cook another 4-5 min.
Remove from heat and serve in deep bowls, creating a bed of noodles then spoon on liquid, veggies and chicken. Serve with additional cilantro and/or scallions, if desired.

Note: unlike many MOARfit recipes there is no heat in this dish. If your a spice fiend, kick it up by adding some diced jalapeno or red chili. And if you’re reading this tip after the fact, just do as we did and give it a generous hit of rooster sauce (aka sriracha).

{Adapted from Weekly Greens}

February 4, 2014

French Country Bean Soup

My winter soup craze continues this week with an easy slow-cooker recipe featuring one of my favorite superfoods: beans. Beans are one of my favorite superfoods because not only are they fat and cholesterol free, but they may even help reduce LDL cholesterol in your blood. They are rich in complex carbs and nutrient dense in health-enhancing B-vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

My French Country Bean Soup is a healthy balance of fats, carbohydrates and (mostly) plant-based proteins and is infused with the Provençale flavors of tomato, garlic, onions and herbs. It’s hearty, comforting and best-served with a hunk of artisanal sourdough or whole grain bread. In the picture below, you’ll notice I topped mine with a quarter cup of diced avocado to keep it gluten-free yet still filling and satisfying. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can also keep this meatless and animal product-free by removing the pancetta/bacon (also making it slightly more healthy).

Perhaps better than the nutritional benefits is that fact that this recipe is EASY. Seriously. In three steps (and 8 hours in the slow-cooker) you will have a delicious meal well-suited for a Sunday supper or a week’s worth of packed lunch.

French Country Bean Soup

What You’ll Need:

1/2 lb (8-oz) thick-cut pancetta or bacon, diced
1 white onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs sherry vinegar
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes (with liquid)
4 cups of water
1 cup dry red kidney beans (soaked for 8-10 hours)
1 cup dry garbanzo beans (soaked for 8-10 hours)
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
1/2 cup fresh or 1/4 cup dried parsley
2 Tbs Herbes de Provence
1 Tbs fresh or 1 tsp dried sage
1 Tbs garlic sea salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

How to Make It:

Saute pancetta/bacon and onions over medium heat for 5-8 min. Transfer to your slow-cooker.
Add all remaining ingredients to your slow-cooker, give them a good mix and let the mixture cook on the ‘low’ setting for 8 hours (slightly less or slightly more time won’t hurt your end results).
When you’re ready to serve, remove the bay leaves and pour into big bowls.

Serve with some toasted hearty, whole-grain bread or a scoop of diced avocado and a side salad.