Cozy Sweet Potato Peanut Stew with Spinach

A simple, lightly-spiced peanut stew with sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach. Peanut butter is the magic ingredient which thickens the stew and gives a wonderful savory flavor and rich creamy texture.

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This creamy peanut stew has been featured on my blog before, almost two years ago now, but since then I’ve made it over and over again. Since it has become one of my favorite stew recipes, I decided to dig it out from the dark depths of my oldest blog posts.

There's something really comforting about including peanut butter in a savory recipe. It makes this vegetable-packed soup, actually very filling and satisfying. The savory flavor of the peanut butter goes perfectly with the subtly sweet carrots and sweet potatoes, and tender baby spinach leaves add a splash of color.

I love white sweet potatoes in this recipe, but orange sweet potatoes will also work quite well.

Sometimes, I like to serve this stew over a bowl of cooked whole grains. I've also served this stew on it's own, and it stands well as its own dish too!

For this recipe, I like to have the main ingredients chopped and measured before starting. Once everything is chopped, you're only about 30 minutes away from a finished meal.

This recipe keeps really well in the fridge for up to 5 days, so double the ingredients if you want to enjoy it all week! 

Check out the video below to see it all come together!

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Sweet Potato Peanut Stew With Spinach

Potato, White Bean & Sauerkraut Soup

This hearty Russian winter soup, also called sour shchi, is deliciously tangy and filling. Made with potatoes, carrots, leeks, white beans and herbs, this recipe is perfect for those times when you need to use up the rest of the fresh produce. High quality fermented sauerkraut makes this soup extra healthy and full of both probiotics and probiotics.

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I first heard about this soup when researching Russian recipes a little over a year ago, and ever since coming up with my own version I’ve been making it almost on a weekly basis. It has become my favorite way to enjoy sauerkraut and since this recipe is so veggie-packed it’s the perfect way to use up lots of leftover fresh produce.

Shchi is a traditional soup of Russia where it has been known as far back as the 9th century. While meat was sometimes added, this recipe was often made with beans instead as they were more accessible for the majority of people. When sauerkraut is added to the soup, it is known as sour shchi.

It is also flavored with herbs like thyme and dill as well as caraway seeds, which are commonly used in Russian cooking as well as in making rye bread. The caraway seeds are important in this recipe and can’t be subbed because they are what give this soup an authentic pickled flavor.

Since the sauerkraut is the main focus of the recipe, it's important that you chose a super delicious one. Typically, the best sauerkrauts are the fermented ones that come in a glass jar in the refrigerated section. My favorite lately has been the traditional fermented sauerkraut by the brand Bubbies.

This soup is so wonderfully tangy and satisfying. It's great on it's own or with a side of whole grain rye bread and a dollop of vegan sour cream. It's a fantastic recipe to cook any time of the year, and if you make a big batch it keeps really well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You may remember this recipe from when I posted it a little over a year ago, but I decided to post this updated version since refining the ingredients a bit more. I’ve also gone back and made a recipe video for this one since it’s one of my favorite recipes ever- I hope you enjoy it too!

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Potato White Bean & Sauerkraut Soup

Tofu No-Chicken Noodle Soup with Lemon & Black Pepper [Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free]

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It's still cozy soup season in early April right? Here in the Pacific Northwest, although it's been a little warmer, we are still fully in the rainy season so I've been into all things cozy and comforting these days. 

Chicken noodle soup is one of those timeless classic soups that almost everyone loves. Even though I grew up as a vegetarian, I still remember enjoying cans of the Amy's no chicken noodle soup all the time. Those are great in a pinch, but nothing actually compares to a homemade soup- and this soup is so easy to make there's no excuse to go reaching for the canned stuff. 

The tofu "chicken" is baked in a marinade of tamari, nutritional yeast, and paprika, which makes it so savory and delicious. I recently got an air-fryer so I've been loving that for making crispy tofu, but it's just as easy and efficient to bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes. 

This soup is full of zesty flavors like lemon and black pepper along with savory tofu-chicken-complementing herbs like sage, marjoram, and thyme. What brings it all together and gives it that authentic savory broth taste is the no chicken bouillon broth paste made by the brand Better Than Bouillon. It's available in most grocery stores near where they sell the broth and while the packaging says vegetarian, it's actually vegan! It's so delicious but it can be a bit high in sodium so I've listed a low-sodium option in the recipe as well. 

This recipe will please vegans and non-vegans alike! The crispy marinated tofu makes a perfect chicken substitute for even the pickiest of eaters and the broth tastes like the most classic chicken broth from your childhood, all without harming any animals.  

If you try out this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think of it! Hopefully it's exactly the soup recipe you needed to stay cozy through this rainy early spring weather. 

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Tofu No-chicken Noodle Soup With Lemon Juice & Black Pepper

Flax Crackers & Green Olive Hummus [Oil-Free, Vegan]

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Sometimes you just need a good salty, crunchy snack, but store bought crackers often contain questionable ingredients and preservatives. For the longest time, I put off making my own healthy crackers because I thought it would be impossible to make crackers without oil and flour, two ingredients which I avoid using often in my home cooking.

One day, I finally stopped doubting myself and experimented with making a flax and almond based cracker and to my surprise it turned out crunchy and delicious.

I haven't had to buy crackers from the store ever since!

My favorite way to enjoy these crackers lately is to dip them in hummus and lately my favorite hummus flavor has been roasted garlic and green olive.

The hummus is super simple to make and it blends up very easily. I get kind of frustrated when I make a hummus recipe which requires a lot of scraping down the sides of the blender and is so thick that the blades get stuck.

The trick for a good fluffy hummus, is to save some of the brine from the can of chickpeas and use that in the mixture to achieve a whipped texture. This also makes the blending process much easier and faster. 

This recipe makes roughly 16 oz. of hummus which fits perfectly in a mason jar! The hummus will last for up to a week when stored in a sealed container in the fridge.

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Green Olive Hummus With Homemade Flax Crackers

Crispy Chickpea Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing [Vegan, Oil-Free]

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This colorful salad with roasted chickpeas and creamy caesar dressing is the perfect way to start off the new year feeling nourished and glowing from the inside out. 

The chickpeas are seasoned with a cheesy onion flavor that makes them taste like croutons. The spice paste, which makes the flavors fully coat the chickpeas, is made with the liquid from the can of chickpeas rather than oil. This makes for a much healthier option which still packs a ton of flavor. I've adapted this brilliant chickpea roasting method from this recipe by A Virtual Vegan. These chickpea croutons are perfect in a salad but they also make a great snack to enjoy on their own!

The dressing is super simple and requires no blending! It takes only 5 minutes to prepare and tastes so creamy and delicious. It's similar to a creamy caesar dressing; tangy, thick, and salty, but made almost entirely with unrefined whole food ingredients. 

Store bought dressings are made to sit on a shelf for months so they are often filled with questionable preservatives and processed oils. To pour one of these dressings over an otherwise nutrient-packed healthy bowl of fresh vegetables would undo a lot of the health benefits of eating a salad in the first place. Now that I've learned how to make my own dressings, I can't imagine ever going back to store-bought, especially when they are this easy to make!

Feel free to choose any of your favorite crunchy veggies for this salad. My go-to salad ingredients lately tend to be romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, carrots, radish, and green onions or scallions. I love adding avocado to this salad bowl, but if you don't have any it's perfectly delicious without it too. 

This is a great recipe to meal prep for a week of healthy salads. Double the batch of crispy chickpeas and allow them to sit inside the oven while it cools to make them stay extra crispy for longer. Then store them in a glass jar and add them to salads and whole grain bowls all week. Make sure to make an extra large batch of the creamy dressing too! 

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Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad

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Miso Ramen Veggie-Packed Soup with Tofu and Bok Choy [Oil-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan]

This isn't your typical restaurant-style, enjoy-before-your-actual-meal miso soup. This miso ramen recipe is a fully satisfying veggie-packed main course. 

I love miso soup, but I often find myself a little underwhelmed and not quite as satiated as I'd like. Many of the miso soup recipes I've tried in the past have lots of noodles and even tofu but are lacking in the colorful crunchy veggies that make me so happy and satisfied. So I loaded this recipe up with some of my favorite fibrous whole plant foods which made for a miso soup that can actually hold up as it's own full meal. 

Depending on what you currently have going on in your fridge, you can add in whichever veggies you're currently working with. Some of my favorites which I used in this soup included, mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, and purple cabbage. Other veggies that could work well in this might be bell pepper, broccoli, chard, or spinach. 

No matter what veggies you choose what really makes a good miso soup is the broth of course! White miso is a fermented salty paste made from soybeans and gives it that classic miso soup flavor. In addition to that I like to add a little hot sauce and tamari for an extra kick of flavor. 

Something that really ups the wow-factor when serving this is searing the bok choy until it's golden brown. You don't need any oil to make this happen, just slice the bok choy in half the long way and then place it sliced side down in a hot pan, using a wooden spoon to press it down until it get's some color to it. While this isn't necessary, it makes for a beautiful final presentation, but if you're just looking to eat it as fast as possible you can skip this step and rip the bok choy into individual leaves then add it at the end in the last 2 minutes of cooking. 

I hope you enjoy this veggie-loaded miso soup! If you try it out and post a photo, tag me on instagram @herenownutrition or leave a comment down below. 

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Miso Ramen Veggie-packed Soup With Tofu And Bok Choy

Tandoori Portobello Mushroom Tacos With Lime & Dill Yogurt Sauce [Vegan, Oil-Free, Gluten-Free]

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These portobello mushroom tacos are so good! I love indian spices and lately tandoori has been my favorite spice blend. The tandoori marinade works perfectly on portobello mushrooms in this recipe and the spiciness is well balanced with the cooling lime and dill vegan yogurt sauce.

These tacos are spicy, crunchy, tangy, and fresh. The mushrooms taste surprisingly meaty and when roasted they turn dark and almost start to resemble the look of meat. Mushrooms make a much healthier (and kinder) alternative to meat, but still deliver such a nice texture and really soak up the flavors of the marinade. Fresh ginger pairs so well with the tandoori spices and makes the mushrooms taste amazing.

For this recipe, I like to roast the portobellos whole and then slice them after roasting so that they don't dry out and stay as juicy as possible. If you prefer your mushrooms crispy, slice them before putting them in the oven for a crispier effect. 

The cabbage slaw adds a nice crunch on top and is so deliciously tangy from the lime and dill sauce made with vegan yogurt. My favorite vegan yogurt is the cashew yogurt by Forager, it's so creamy and smooth making it the perfect base for this dressing. 

Make the tandoori marinade, coat both mushrooms, then bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. While mushrooms are baking, chop all of the veggies for the cabbage slaw.

Make the yogurt sauce by combining all of the ingredients, then add the sauce to chopped veggies. Stir to coat then refrigerate until ready to use. 

Heat up tortillas in a pan and then fill with the tandoori roasted mushrooms and cabbage slaw. Top with chopped cilantro, an additional drizzle of tangy yogurt sauce, and avocado if using.

This recipe makes about 6 tacos, or enough for 2 hungry people. Recipe below. Enjoy!

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Tandoori Portobello Mushroom Tacos With Lime & Dill Yogurt Sauce

Maple Ginger Roasted Kuri Squash Salad Bowl

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If you've never tried squash in a salad before, you're in for a treat! Winter squash are in season right now so I've been adding them into everything I can think of. Having roasted squash in a salad might sound a little strange, but the maple ginger glaze gives the squash a wonderful flavor that's perfectly suited for a salad topping. 

Something about the leaves being bright golden-yellow right now makes me want to try all of the beautiful squash varieties that keep popping up at our grocery store even more. 

Behold, the kuri squash. It's a lot like a pumpkin but without the ridges and shaped more like a little tear drop. Like some pumpkin varieties, you can actually eat the skin, which makes preparing this squash a whole lot easier. 

I've never particularly enjoyed the dangerous task of slicing into a whole rock hard squash, so I like to give it a good wash then roast it whole for 20 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit before even attempting to get a knife in there. This softens the squash enough that it makes it super easy and much more safe to slice. 

Once you have your squash sliced in half, scoop out the seeds then cut into little half moons. 

In a large bowl, make the maple ginger glaze by grating about a tablespoon and half of fresh ginger and mixing it with a bit of maple syrup and some herbs. We won't be using the whole squash for this recipe, so pick out 6-7 pieces to use in the salad and put the rest away for another recipe. 

Dip the squash one piece at a time into the maple ginger glaze until well coated, then place on a silpat or parchment paper lined baking tray. 

Roast your sliced and marinated squash slices at 400 degrees until they start to turn golden brown around the edges and fully soften, about 20-25 minutes. 

These squash slices are tasty enough to eat on their own, but I love having them in a salad with a creamy dressing. 

In every salad I make I always try to include plenty of whole food starches. Salads with only watery low-carb vegetables are not satisfying at all and you'll be hungry again an hour later. The key to a good salad is always having at least one starchy vegetable, such as squash or potatoes, and always include a bean or legume of some type, such as chickpeas. Whole grains are also a great option to add in if you have time to cook them or have some leftovers, but for this salad I found that the squash and the chickpeas added just the right amount of starchy filling ingredients, so I left the grains out of this one. 

I made a very simple dressing from raw cashew butter, lemon juice, and more maple syrup. I ripped up the roasted ginger glazed squash into bite size pieces and tossed it with some fresh romaine lettuce, purple cabbage, carrots, green onions, and chickpeas. The result was this super creamy and delicious lunch bowl. 

I hope you find a beautiful kuri squash and try out this autumn recipe! Other squashes like pumpkin or kabocha may also work, but I haven't tested them out yet and cooking times may vary. Full recipe below!

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Maple Ginger Roasted Kuri Squash Salad

Rainbow Hummus Wrap [Vegan, Oil-Free]

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This rainbow hummus wrap is super healthy and so easy to make! I've been working on including more raw veggies in my meals lately and this has been one of my favorite ways to get them in.

You could definitely make this with a store bought hummus to save time, but they tend to contain a lot of oil so I like to make my own. I personally try to avoid oil in my own at home cooking. Plus, it's just not necessary in hummus. This homemade hummus is creamy and delicious enough on it's own. 

I had the idea to try and make a lightly spicy almost cheese-like pimento hummus. I usually make hummus with roasted red pepper, but this didn't seem too far off, and it turned out to be a wonderful (and slightly faster) alternative to roasting red peppers.

Pimentos are those little red things they stuff into green olives. As a kid I used to love green olives, but I hated pimentos so I would always pick them out, but as an adult I can fully appreciate the tangy taste they add to spreads and sauces. You can find pimentos at almost any grocery store in little glass jars near where the jarred olives and peppers are. 

I hope you enjoy the recipe! If you do, leave a comment down below and let me know how it turned out. 

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Rainbow Hummus Wrap

Sweet Potato & Cabbage Salad with Miso Tahini Dressing

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Cabbage and sweet potatoes have been the focus of nearly all of my recent recipes, but this salad has taken my enthusiasm for both of them to the next level. Crunchy raw cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper tossed with a creamy miso tahini dressing is the perfect combination. Add in some roasted sweet potatoes and you have a filling meal that almost couldn't get any healthier. 

I've never been that into salads- mainly because of lettuce. It's watery, low in nutrients, and in order to fill up on it I feel like I'd have to eat tons. So I tend to stick to vegetable soups, but raw vegetables have amazing nutritional benefits that I'd be missing out on if I didn't include them in my meal rotations.

Purple cabbage is one of the most nutritionally dense foods you can eat, as are sweet potatoes, so these two foods in the same meal make for an amazingly healthy combination. They are high in antioxidants, fiber, calcium, and many other important vitamins and minerals. 

This miso dressing is completely oil-free, but still so creamy and savory, and it totally changes the cabbage flavor for the better. The raw veggies lose that bitter taste and simply lend their fantastic crunchy texture to the savory flavors of the sauce. 

This recipe is perfect for lunch or as a side salad to be served with dinner. It will serve 2 people for lunch or 4 people as a side dish, and the best part- it's ready in under 30 minutes! 

Recipe below!

Sweet Potato & Cabbage Salad With Miso Tahini Dressing

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