Vegan Potato and Kale Soup
This Vegan Potato and Kale Soup is simple, nourishing, and delicious. It’s pretty heavy on greens so If you are not used to that much green, you can cut back or use a softer more mild green like spinach. Feel free to add more herbs like bay leaf, thyme, marjoram etc.
8 – 10 oz. cauliflower
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups water
1 1/4 cups white potato, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 t dried rosemary
1 bunch kale, chopped
Juice from 1/2 lemon or 1 T apple cider vinegar
Steam cauliflower in a small amount of water until tender. Blend smooth with 1/4 cup of rolled oats adding a little water if needed to blend. Set aside.
Sauté onion until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook for 1 minutes. Add water, potato, rosemary and kale. Cook until potato and kale are tender.
Add blended cauliflower and lemon juice or vinegar. Salt to taste.
Broccoli Potato Stir Fry (Broccoli Aloo Sabzi)
The only green I had in the fridge was broccoli and I was in the mood for Indian food. I had never used broccoli in Indian food so I went to the internet and found this recipe for Broccoli Potato Stir Fry (aka Broccoli Aloo Sabzi) at www.indianveggiedelite.com. She used oil so I left that out and made a few other changes, including increasing the amount of broccoli and adding some brown rice. I love this dish!
1/2 t cumin seed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut in small cubes
1 T bottled medium heat green chilies
1/4 t turmeric
1/8 t hot chili powder (this is straight chili powder not mixed with salt and other spices like most chili powders are)
1/2 t coriander powder
1/2 t cumin powder
1/2 t garam masala
1 cup tomato sauce
3 cups small broccoli florets
2 T apple cider vinegar (I add this to decrease the amount of salt)
Toast cumin seeds in a sauté pan over medium high heat until fragrant. Add onion and sauté until they start to brown. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add 1 cup water and potatoes. Cover and cook until they begin to soften. Stir in spices and tomato sauce. Add broccoli florets and cook until tender. Stir in vinegar and salt to taste. Serve as is or mix with brown rice.
Collards and Potato Masala w/ Rice
If you’d like to get more collard greens into your diet, here is a delicious way to do it! Mixed with potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce and served with rice, you’ll never know they are there other than the beautiful green color they give to this dish. Make it as spicy as you like by adding a sprinkle of your favorite hot sauce or kick up the amount of cayenne pepper.
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T finely minced or grated fresh ginger root
3/4 t turmeric
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin powder
1 t coriander powder
1/8 t cayenne pepper
2 – 3 Yukon gold potatoes cut in 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
8 – 10 oz. collard greens, chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes
Sprinkle of your favorite hot sauce (optional)
Sauté onion in medium size pan over medium high heat until it starts to brown. Add fresh garlic, ginger and spices and cook stirring constantly for one minute. Add 1 cup of water or broth and potatoes. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Add collard greens, cover, and cook until greens are tender. Potatoes should be tender at this time as well. Add tomatoes and desired amount of cooked rice.
A can of chic peas would be a great addition to this recipe.
Kale Taco Salad
One of my favorite meals while dealing with food sensitivities. See my cooking video for this recipe here.
Short grain brown rice (you will need 1 1/2 cups cook but I like to cook plenty to have on hand)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 bunch kale, chopped and divided
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 chipotle chili powder
Romaine lettuce chopped
1/4 of medium avocado (about 1/4 cup mashed)
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Chop kale finely.
Chop onion and place in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté until it starts to brown. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add 1/2 cup water and one large hand-full of chopped kale. Cover and let steam until tender.
In the mean-time, place 1 large hand-full of the chopped kale in a salad bowl. Add avocado and vinegar. Using your hands, message kale with the avocado and vinegar until kale becomes tenderized. Add chopped romaine lettuce. ( I use a couple of handfuls but use as much as you like.)
When cooked kale is tender, add tomatoes and seasonings. Cook an additional 1 -2 minutes. Stir in cooked rice.
Toss the cooked kale and rice with the raw greens. Add your favorite red chili sauce or dressing. Try my Raisin Vinegar dressing that I describe in my Pseudo Grain Salad recipe here.
Toss in plain sauerkraut if desired for a little fermentation.
Top with chopped tomatoes, raw onion, corn or what ever else you like on your taco salad.
Simple Italian Greens and Grains
Having food sensitivities has made cooking so simple. It’s still delicious and I love it! I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to my old ways once I’m able to add more foods.
This is a super healthy dish that gives me the taste of Italian. I’ve listed the “Base Ingredients” that I can tolerate and then have listed additions if you are able to tolerate those foods.
Base Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 bunch rainbow chard, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 – 2 cups cooked long grain brown rice or millet
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 – 2 tsp. dried
1 cup (or more) tomato sauce or canned chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Chopped fresh spinach
Sauté onion in sauce pan over medium high heat for 3 minutes until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add 1/2 cup water and chard. Cover then lower heat and cook until chard is tender, only about 3 – 5 minutes. Stir in desired amount of grain. Add 1 cup or desired amount of tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes. Stir in vinegar. Salt to taste. Serve mixed with a small amount of chopped raw spinach.
If it’s summer time and you have tomatoes galore, instead of tomato sauce or canned tomatoes, add 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes. (Don’t add 1/2 cup water) Cook 5 minutes then add chard. Add a little water if needed to keep from sticking. Cook until greens are tender then add grain.
Additions if tolerated:
4 sliced mushrooms added with greens
Fresh or dried oregano
Spaghetti Squash and Millet Marinara
I love to use cooked millet in place of pasta in Italian style dishes. When added to spaghetti squash, it adds a heartiness to the squash and is much more filling. Millet is high in protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and is a great source of complex carbohydrates that our body uses for energy! If you want energy, eat a high-carbohydrate diet.
1 spaghetti squash, cooked *
1 cup dry millet, cooked**
Marinara (Use your favorite bottled if desired)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 24 oz box Pomi tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste (3 oz)
1 t basil
1 t oregano
1/2 t turmeric (optional)
1/4 t black pepper
*Cook spaghetti squash in the oven at 350 for about 1 hour until soft. I leave it whole. No need to stab it with a knife or anything . Just place it on a baking sheet and turn on the oven. I’ll put this in the oven in the morning while getting ready for work.
**Boil 2 cups water. Add dry millet, turn heat to simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.
Saute onion in a dry pan over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add minced garlic and stir for 1 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a low boil then turn to simmer. Add herbs and spices. Cook 10 or 15 minutes.
Scrape squash strands into a bowl. Add desired amount of millet and top with marinara.
Cream of Broccoli Soup
6 – 8 cups water
2 heads of broccoli with stalks (enough for 4 cups chopped florets)
Florets from 1/2 head cauliflower
1 medium yellow sweet potato, baked (enough for about 1 cups mashed)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 t marjoram
Fresh group pepper as desired
Place 4 cups water in a sauce pan. Cut off stalks from broccoli, trim, slice and place in a sauce pan with 4 cups water. Add cauliflower florets. Cover and steam until tender.
Saute onion in a soup pot or large sauce pan over medium high heat until it starts to brown. Add a little water if needed to keep from sticking. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add celery, carrots, and chopped broccoli florets. Cook until tender.
When cauliflower and broccoli stems are tender, blend with sweet potato, including cook water from vegetables, until creamy. Pour into soup pot. Add more water if needed to thin. Stir in marjoram and pepper and heat through.
Green Spanish Rice
On an elimination diet I always have cooked rice and sweet potatoes on hand. For this recipe I use the yellow fleshed sweet potatoes instead of orange. They have a firmer texture and believe it or not, replace the texture of beans, which are often not tolerated by those with food sensitivities. This is one of my more advanced stage recipes. I wasn’t able to add tomatoes or chili powder until after a year. When I was finally able, halleluia!
Cooked short grain brown rice
1 small baked sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped or can chopped tomatoes
1 t turmeric
2 t chili powder
4 cups finely chopped broccoli
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 t black pepper
Salt to taste
Sauté onion in dry pan until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and cook until juicy. Add spices and broccoli. Cook until broccoli is tender. Add sweet potato and desired amount of rice, cilantro and pepper. Heat through if needed. Salt to taste.
A nice addition is chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds.
Spicy Cabbage with Rice
Another “elimination diet” favorite that I’m so grateful for! I love the texture of the shredded cabbage but feel free to do a rough chop. This is so tasty and satisfying on it’s own but it would be very tasty rolled up in a corn tortilla if you can eat corn. Cooked green lentils mixed in would be great too!
Cooked short grain brown rice
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 t turmeric
1 1/2 t chili powder
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 t black pepper
Salt to taste
Saute onion in dry pan over medium high heat until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and cook until juicy. Add spices and cabbage and 1/2 cup water. Cover, lower heat to medium and cook until cabbage is tender. Add rice, cilantro and pepper. Heat through if needed. Salt to taste.
When I was able to add them, I love mixing in chopped sprouted almonds or pumpkin seeds.
Creamy Cauliflower Kale
This has been one of my favorite dishes while on an elimination diet. It will continue to be one of my go-to meals after I’ve incorporated more foods. I love this dish and it’s so easy! I often add steamed green beans.
1 medium head cauliflower
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, finely chopped
1 t turmeric
1/4 t black pepper
Cooked short-grain brown rice
Salt to taste
Break off florets from cauliflower and wash good. Place in a steamer basket or sauce pan with 1 cup water and steam until tender.
While cauliflower is cooking, saute’ onion in a dry sauce pan until it starts to brown. Add garlic and stir 1 minute.
Add 3/4 cup water and chopped kale and cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 – 10 minutes until kale is tender.
Stir in turmeric and pepper and cook additional minute or two. Stir in desired amount of cooked rice. (Since on an elimination diet I always have cooked rice on hand.)
When cauliflower is tender, blend until smooth. This makes a wonderful gravy to put over any veggies, grains, or potatoes. It’s a great soup base as well or substitute for mashed potatoes.
Pour desired amount of Cauliflower Cream over kale and rice and mix well. Salt to taste.
Add other seasonings as you wish. There are only certain seasonings I can tolerate and because turmeric and pepper are so anti-inflammatory, I’ve made them a daily part of my diet.