Butternut Squash, Kale, & White Bean Soup

There is nothing more nourishing than a bowl of warm vegetable bean soup on a chilly autumn evening! This simple soup can be made in about 30 minutes, perfect if you are crunched for time on a busy weeknight. I like to keep small containers of cooked beans in my freezer so I can pull them out and whip something up in a hurry! You could of course use canned beans, and if you do, the best brand to buy is Eden Organic. They use BPA-free cans and also cook kombu seaweed in with their beans, which helps to make them more digestible.

If you are not yet in the habit of cooking beans from scratch, here is what I do: after the kids go to bed I will sort through a couple of cups of dry beans (usually about 4 cups) and pick out any rocks or clumps of dirt, then rinse the beans in a colander. Then I place them into a large glass bowl and cover them with a few inches of warm water. Be sure to add enough water! Whenever I ask Tom to soak beans or nuts, he never adds enough water and in the morning they will have all expanded and be exposed to air. He's learning, slowly. ;-)

Adzuki Bean and Sea Vegetable Soup

Seaweed? Yep, that's right, those beautiful vegetables that grow in the ocean. They're really quite tasty! I realized recently that I had not yet highlighted this wonderful, mineral-rich plant. Did you know that sea vegetables offer a concentrated source of trace minerals, particularly iodine? Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is incredibly important for normal function of the human body. So important that every single cell has a receptor for this amazing "master switch" of metabolism. Want to have perfectly regulated body weight and body temperature? Then shoot for optimal thyroid hormone function. How do you do that? Eat a gluten-free diet that keeps your autoimmune thyroid antibodies down, and add in some seaweed on a regular basis.

Seaweed is one of nature's richest sources of iodine. Iodine is THE key ingredient in thyroid hormones. We have all heard of T4, tetraiodothyronine, the pre-hormone, and T3, triiodothyronine, the active form of thyroid hormone, but what does that mean? It means four iodines attached to a tyrosine amino acid or three iodines attached to a tyrosine amino acid. One of these iodines is removed with the help of selenium as a cofactor when turning the inactive T4 into the active T3 thyroid hormone. So in essence, if you do not have adequate iodine and selenium, your body may not be able to produce enough thyroid hormone. Are you eating a diet high in phytates, oxalates, and raw cruciferous vegetables? You may have an increased need for iodine, as these foods tend to bind to iodine.

Seaweed can be found at your local health food store. Look for kombu (kelp), wakame, hijiki, arame, or dulse. I keep kelp granules in a small container on our table to sprinkle on food. I like to add wakame to soups like this one.

Mung Beans and Rice with Indian Spices and Caramelized Onions

I have had a number of requests for slow cooker recipes. Thank you! You have inspired me to use my slow cooker more often in the last few weeks! It is so nice to simply add all of the ingredients to the pot, walk away, and come back hours later with a warm, hearty meal in front of you. I have a few new slow cooker recipes to share with you in the coming weeks (both meat and vegetarian). The following nightshade-free recipe is designed for the Elimination Diet and is perfect for Phase 2 and Phase 3.

Aside from being one of the quickest legumes to prepare and the easiest of all beans to digest, mung beans have numerous positive health benefits. They are a good source of essential fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals, and protein. They show good antioxidant activity in the scientific literature. Mung beans don't have a very strong flavor so they tend to take on whatever you add to them during cooking. Indian spices pair particularly well with mung beans as do dried herbs. Last week I made a tasty mung bean, leek, and potato soup with dried tarragon, thyme, and dill. You can really play with spices and herbs to create some delicious combinations.

Garlic-Rosemary White Bean Dip on Gluten-Free Baguette

The other day a wonderful friend came to visit us from Seattle along with her children. She brought a spread of beautiful, delicious food to share. I also cooked up a lovely white bean, olive, tomato pasta sauce to go over noodles. I had plenty of leftover white beans in the pot which I wasn't sure yet what to do with. Well, my friend suggested I make a white bean dip.

And so I did.

We have been enjoying it spread over slices of a crusty whole grain, gluten-free baguette that I have been making. My kids beg me to make this recipe almost daily now. It is a kneadable, gluten-free, vegan yeast bread I developed with very little starch and only a smidgen of xanthan gum. It is moist and dense with a flavor and that resembles 100% wheat bread. Hint: it will be in my next book.

Spicy Thai Mung Bean Burgers

What would be nice to warm up with on a chilly winter day? Spicy, hot peppers, ginger, and garlic! I created this vegetarian burger recipe to test for nightshades during Phase 3 of the Elimination Diet, though everyone can enjoy this flavor-packed recipe! When I first made them, Tom said "Wow Al, these are amazing!" I enticed him with a taste while he was working in the home office. Not soon after, he was in the kitchen scrambling around for more.

They are fantastic if placed into a "natural burger bun" such as Napa cabbage leaves or romaine lettuce leaves. Combined with sliced avocado, sprouts, and my spicy coconut cream, these burgers are a crowd pleaser. Though I have to admit my girls won't eat them. My twin toddler boys who will eat just about anything I put in front of them like these to a certain extent but they are not crazy about them. This is one of the few recipes I have posted on this site that is not super kid-friendly. I guess it is probably my liberal use of spicy ingredients!

Moroccan Chickpea and Potato Soup

Welcome to day five of our Gluten-Free Progressive Dinner party. This month's theme is Winter Warmers. Today I offer you an easy, warming soup recipe from our cookbook. This is by far one of my family's favorite recipes. I probably make it about twice a week! My seven-year old loves to pack this soup in her lunch. Of course anything with curry and potatoes is sure to please.

My children adore chickpeas (otherwise known as garbanzo beans). They even eat them plain for breakfast with cooked quinoa and a sprinkling of sea salt.

I forgot, amongst all of the Elimination Diet hype, that I was participating in this wonderful event. I have more Phase 2 recipes to share in a few days. But for now enjoy this very flavorful vegetarian soup recipe (or cook it up for your children).

Adzuki Bean & Yam Hash

Alright, an elimination diet breakfast recipe seems to be in order. We've been enjoying this recipe all week. I just don't think it gets any better than yams, beans, and collard greens! What a nutritious way to start your day! Use this recipe during Phase 2 of our Elimination Diet. 

Tom couldn't get enough of this recipe and kept going back for more each time I made it. In fact, I keep finding his empty bowls in the office! We have been serving this over cooked quinoa with sliced avocado on top. I bet it would also be great wrapped in Napa cabbage leaves as a "burrito."

Butternut Squash Casserole with Sage and Shallots

Here is a vegan alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving turkey....a casserole with the flavors of Turkey. Poultry seasoning, sage, shallots, beans, squash, and apples all slowly cooked to perfection in the oven. The vegetable stock and arrowroot provide a thick sauce that holds the flavors. Served over wild rice and topped with a cranberry sauce, you have yourself a great meat-free Thanksgiving main dish!

This recipe was inspired by a phone conversation I had with a friend of mine. She was looking for meat-free Thanksgiving recipes, like casseroles with beans and squash, and asked if I had any recipes. For hours after our conversation and while cleaning my house, this recipe slowly evolved in my mind. I made it a few days later and it was good, but tasted a little flat when served without the Cranberry Sauce. It needed something acidic to balance the flavors. I thought about using tomatoes, vinegar, or citrus but wanted to keep those out in order to create a recipe that didn't consist of any common allergens (citrus and tomatoes are common).

Granny Smith Apples! Yes!

I added two peeled, chopped apples to the casserole and made it again today using Cranberry Beans instead of Cannelini beans. It was delicious! I served it with my Whole Grain Flatbread recipe for dinner this evening.

I should mention that my kids didn’t like the casserole….unfortunately. They usually will only eat squash if it is made into a puréed soup. I don’t know why they are picky with this vegetable, but they are. Luckily I had also just made a big pot of lentil soup which they happily devoured!

Please note that these photos were taken with my first batch of casserole. The second batch (the following recipe) has more of a saucy casserole feel from the apples which practically fall apart during cooking.

Summer Vegetable Kitcheree

Kitcheree is a highly nourishing, hypoallergenic stew made from mung beans and brown rice. It assists in the detoxification process as it is very easy to digest. The spices and summer vegetables create a luscious stew that can be made in just minutes using a pressure cooker, though you don't need one to make this.

I know, I know, summer is nearly gone and Autumn will be upon us soon enough. I am not ready yet. I'm still savoring every last bit of this warm, dappled September sun. Sure, we harvested all of our sugar pie pumpkins and other winter squash today and my daughter was already asking when will I be making pumpkin scones and pumpkin pie, not yet though. Summer is still here, let's just be with it while it lasts.

I'll be sharing the White Nectarine Ice Cream you all keep asking me about in my next post. We'll say farewell to Summer, celebrate the fun times, and eat ice cream. Are you with me? :)

For now, how about using up the summer veggies in this fantastic bean and whole grain stew! This recipe is perfect for those of you who are vegan and following the Elimination Diet, particularly during Phase 2…...and will also work for those of you simply desiring a fast, healthy, and tasty meal. I made this stew and packed it into two large Thermos containers for our recent wild blueberry picking adventures in the mountains. We all enjoyed a bowl of warm stew after the sun had set. There was a certain chill in the air and having a warm meal was just divine! Tastes good + nourishing = blissed out, happy, energetic, and ALIVE!!

Spicy Summer Black Bean Salad

The days of overflowing gardens and refrigerators full of produce are upon us! What to do with all of those peppers, tomatoes, and onions? I got it! A fresh black bean salad!

On Saturday, the girls and I went to the market to pick up what is not growing in our garden, such as peppers (mine aren't ready yet), cucumbers, carrots, and garlic. While I was picking out a few hot peppers, my girls saw some "pretty tomatoes" that they really wanted to buy. Apparently the tomatoes in our garden aren't pretty. So I bought tomatoes as well.

Dilled Adzuki Bean and Rice Salad

Today I offer you a recipe in spirit of sunny days and lighter fare (although it has been a bit chilly here). Adzuki beans and rice are very easy to digest while giving you clean-burning energy to get you through fun-filled summer days. I made this for dinner tonight, though I am looking forward to the leftovers for lunches.

I made a large pot of both brown jasmine rice and adzuki beans for dinner last night so it was very easy to throw dinner together tonight. I used fresh carrots which we bought at the market on Saturday, while the green onions, butterhead lettuce, and fresh dill came from our garden.

Melissa at Gluten Free for Good just did a great post which included the health benefits of dill. And while you are there be sure to check out her coconut beet ice cream, it looks fabulous!

For a refresher on how to cook beans please refer to this post. But remember, adzuki beans are considered "small beans" and do not require any soaking.

To cook a pot of Brown Jasmine Rice:

Place 2 cups of rice into a 2-quart pot, add just a tad under 4 cups of water and a large pinch of sea salt. Cover pot, place over high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the rice is boiling turn heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let stand about 10 to 20 minutes before serving. Be sure to let your rice cool to room temp before making this salad.


Dilled Adzuki Bean and Rice Salad

Serve this grain and bean salad over fresh lettuce leaves, or place a spoonful of salad in each leaf and eat "wrap style." Try adding diced cucumbers, red bell peppers, or any other vegetable you desire to this recipe. Garnish each serving with toasted sunflower seeds. Salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

4 cups cooked long grain brown rice
3 cups cooked adzuki beans
4 large carrots, diced
4 green onions, sliced into rounds
small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
butterhead lettuce
toasted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
2 to 3 teaspoons raw honey
1 teaspoon Herbamare
1 large garlic clove, crushed

Place all ingredients for the salad into a large bowl. Set aside.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. I actually add all ingredients to the jar and use my immersion blender to combine the ingredients.

Pour dressing over salad and toss together. Serve over lettuce leaves and garnish with tosated sunflower seeds and avocado slices if desired.

Elimination Diet Modification: If you have introduced lemon juice and are okay with it then replace the vinegar with equal amount of lemon juice in Phase 3.

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Grain and Bean Salads To GO!

Today I have a very simple grain and bean salad recipe for you. Something you can easily whip up if you have leftover grains and beans. My children love this salad. Today I made it for Tom and packed it up for him to take on a two day trip to Seattle.

If you have been following my last few posts, you'll know that I have been totally consumed taking care of all four of my children whom have had the chicken pox. Luckily now they will have lifetime immunity! The end of this week marks 5 whole continuous weeks of dealing with this. Now we are on the home stretch. My last child, 16 month old Ben, has them this week. He had a 105.3 fever the other night, the highest I have ever seen a fever before.

Thank goodness for breast milk, which was his only food for almost 2 days. He was not interested in food or water and I would imagine would have been very dehydrated if it weren't for mama's milk. Now today, he is beginning to get his little Benny spunk back and has been busily playing outside for most of the day.

Bean and Rice Breakfast Bowls

I have had numerous requests for more breakfast ideas that don't involve eggs or soy, and of course without gluten or dairy. Here is a tremendously simple idea for you to take into your kitchen.

Beans and rice. With a Spicy Avocado Sauce recipe.

The idea isn't a new one. Cultures all over the world consume these two staple foods for most meals of the day.

Here in the United States these foods go almost unknown in most households. So now, I invite you to try them out for breakfast. Notice how you feel for the remainder of the day. For Tom and I, we feel energized and satisfied. I am not really all that hungry during for the remainder of the day when I start out with this meal.

Why are beans and rice so beneficial for breakfast?

In Tom's words: Breakfast is a very important meal. The literal meaning of the word is to break-the-fast of your evening rest. Part of what wakes you up in the morning is the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is increased in a state of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. The brain needs sugar to function, the body knows this. Whole grains and beans have the necessary carbohydrates to fuel the brain and calm the cortisol. Because of their high fiber, amino acid, B vitamin, and magnesium content, they supply the necessary carbohydrates in a time-released fashion. This sets up a pattern of a steady blood sugar-to-insulin response for the entire day.

As long as you have your rice and beans pre-cooked, throwing together this meal is a snap! I like to use Sticky Brown Rice that I have made the night before. You can find the recipe here. Any kind of beans can be used. Yesterday Tom cooked a large pot of pink beans which are similar in flavor and texture to pinto beans. Black beans would be good too.

A basic lesson on cooking beans:

1. Buy your beans in bulk from a co-op or health food store. If you let your beans sit for too long in your cupboard or pantry they will have a difficult time cooking and may never cook thoroughly. Tom and I did this once with some black beans we had in the cupboard for too long. I had soaked them overnight and then cooked them the next day but after 2 1/2 hours they still were not cooked, just slightly crunchy in the center. So I composted them and threw the rest of the bag into the garden. Pretty soon we had black bean plants popping up everywhere! That Autumn we enjoyed our first crop of fresh black beans! Lily was 2 years old at the time and had so much fun shelling the beans!
2. Sort though the beans and pick out any rocks or shriveled, discolored beans. Place them into a bowl, rinse them and fill the bowl with water. Let them soak for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. If you wish to sprout your beans before cooking then drain off the water (after soaking for 8-24 hours) and cover with a damp cloth, rinse and drain every few hours until you see a very tiny sprout form on the beans. Then they are ready to cook.

3. Drain off the soaking water and rinse well.

4. Place the beans into a large pot and fill with fresh water. Add a 3-inch strip of kombu seaweed. This will help to break down some of the indigestible sugars to make eating beans more enjoyable.

5. Simmer until the beans are cooked through (timing will depend on what variety of bean you are cooking, see the bean cooking chart in my book, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook). You can take a few beans out of the pot every once in a while and taste them, if they are soft and mash easily then they are done.

6. Once the beans have cooled a bit, I place them into containers for freezing. Make sure you pour some of that bean cooking liquid over the beans before freezing. They seem to freeze better if suspended in liquid. Store the remainder of your beans in glass containers in the fridge.

Great Gluten-Free Wraps

I like food. I love the contrasting colors, pungent flavors, and good feelings that come from it. And eating these naturally delicious whole foods is really just as wonderful when eating gluten-free.

For those of you who have just begun this process of switching your diet to its new gluten-free form I offer you these suggestions for making wrap style sandwiches work with gluten-free tortillas.

I know it can be frustrating to make a wrap with a cold, and somewhat dry brown rice tortilla only to look away for a second and find the whole thing in pieces. Think about it though, what happens to rice when you put it in the refrigerator? It becomes dry and hard, right? And to make it edible you heat it up with a little water?

This holds true for using rice tortillas also. For best results steam them, in a steamer basket or over a pan of piping hot food. Flip them, and wait until they get ultra pliable before removing and proceeding with your wrap or fajita or whatever your meal may be.

But I digress, I was in a hurry when I made these wraps and did not steam them long enough. And so, inevitably, they began to crack apart like you see happening in the top wrap in the photo above.

Another trick is to run a clean dish towel under very hot water, ring it out, and place it underneath the tortilla while you are putting the filling in.

Alright, so on the the wrap. The flavor combinations are unusual I know -- arugula, cauliflower, onions, roasted red peppers -- but the contrasting pungent flavors are truly delicious. Each bite is as savory as the last. And for me, maybe one wrap wasn't enough for this hungry breastfeeding mama of twin boys! Yes, I admit, I had two they were so good.

Roasting your own red peppers is super easy, it only takes about 10 minutes. And if you think you don't have time, just know I made these wraps along with a big pot of creamy (dairy-free) potato soup with four kids at my feet and Tom out of town for the day (and evening). It is a quick and easy meal as long as you have beans that are already cooked. I had a container in the freezer but canned beans would work too. Once it is made you will have tasty meals or snacks for days to come. I know for our family, having already-made bean spreads is indispensable.

If a roasted red pepper spread doesn't peek your interest then try our tasty, simple Hummus recipe.

Roasted Cauliflower and Arugula Wraps with Red Pepper Chickpea Spread

Roasted Red Pepper Spread:1 ½ red bell peppers, roasted *see instructions below
2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
4 tablespoons almond butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic
1 to 2 teaspoons Herbamare or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Cauliflower:
2 tablespoons or so extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into chunks
fresh cauliflower, cut into pieces
sea salt

Other Ingredients:
fresh arugula or any fresh organic green
brown rice tortillas (steamed and still warm)

To roast bell peppers: Place 2 or 3 peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler until the skin is charred, turning frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove peppers from pan and place them into a paper bag or a covered glass bowl, let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Remove peppers and peel off charred skin. Cut peppers and remove the seeds.

To make the spread: Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt, pepper and/or garlic if needed. *Note: if you are nut-free or have toddlers who are not yet eating nuts then you can replace the almond butter with sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter (this one won't produce a color that is as lovely as the one pictured though). For toddlers, just take some of the spread out before you add the almond butter and stir in one of the above mentioned seed butters.

To roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place onions and cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet and toss in olive oil. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Roast for about 15 minutes.

To assemble the wrap: Steam and warm the tortillas like we talked about above. Spread with red pepper spread, add veggies and arugula, roll, slice in half, enjoy!

We would like to hear what other ideas for wraps you might have. Please share what you like best. Thanks and Happy Cooking!

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Black-Eyed Pea Soup and Oven Fries

So you want to eat nutritious, healing foods AND need to eat gluten-free? Look no further. Having simple, easy-to-prepare recipes like these can make this type of lifestyle very doable.

Here is a little secret recipe of mine. Well not so secret anymore. I have been making this soup for many years, I think about 9, and for some reason forgot to include it in our cookbook. Black-eyed peas are a wonderfully easy legume to cook with because they require no soaking. So don't fret if its 5pm and you are in a quandary as to what to make for dinner. As long as you have some very basic ingredients stocked in your kitchen you can have dinner ready by six.

I vividly remember the first time I made this soup for Tom. We were still in school then and pregnant with our first daughter, Lily. It was a chilly day in October and he was at school and work all day. I maybe had a class or two, don't quite remember. I do remember, though, that this day I created my pumpkin pie recipe (now in our cookbook). It was a very good first attempt and before putting it the cookbook I made many modifications to get it just right. Well that was dessert. For the meal, I made this soup (recipe to follow), corn muffins, and braised greens. You can only imagine the delight in his eyes coming home to a warm kitchen filled with sweet and spicy smells and the dining room table set for two with a bountiful meal. Oh food, glorious food!

Curious about the nutrient value of black-eyed peas?

Well, like other legumes black-eyed peas boast cholesterol-lowering fiber. In addition, this very same fiber prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, hypoglycemia, or insulin resistance.

This soup is also an excellent choice if you are on Phase 3 of Tom's 28-Day Elimination and Detoxification Diet. It can be eaten once peppers (nightshades) have been introduced back into the diet.

So let's get cooking!

We like to serve this soup with a number of things (not necessarily all at the same meal). Sometimes we make Apple Spiced Collard Greens from our cookbook. Sometimes we serve it with brown rice, other times polenta. And occasionally (our children's favorite) we serve the soup with Oven Fries (a mix of yams and potatoes). Note: the Oven Fries recipe can be found on page 205 of our cookbook.

Someone recently inquired about gluten-free spices. Click here for a list of companies that offer gluten-free spices, baking extracts and flavorings, and spice mixes.

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Soup

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups dry black-eyed peas

8 to 10 cup water

3 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 cups (or so) broccoli florets

3 teaspoons sea salt or Herbamare

In a large (8 quart) stock pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 6 to 7 minutes or until very soft. Add garlic and spices. Saute a minute more.

Then add beans and water, cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Add carrots and cook for about 10 to 15 more minutes. Add red pepper and broccoli and simmer until vegetables are tender and beans are cooked, about 45 minutes total cooking time.

Add salt to taste and remove from heat. We like to sprinkle extra chili flakes on top of our bowls for an added kick!

Quick Hummus Lunch

Today was house-cleaning day. Lily (6-years old) decided to make a chore chart and put our names next to what needed to get done. She put all of our names (including the babies) on clothespins to attach next to each chore. She decided that Ben (10 months old) would be her helper for the family room and toy clean-up. She soon realized that having him in the room was a bit more work than she had intended. Well, you can only imagine what happened.

Eventually the house did get clean and then it was lunchtime. While the girls were finishing up cleaning their room, I began to prepare lunch. It was 12:15 already and we were all hungry.

Since we were out all day yesterday I didn't have a chance to make the hummus. Remember the large pot of garbanzo beans I cooked on Friday?

Hummus is very fast to make and makes a great lunch. I have been making it for a long time now. I never use a recipe, just put everything into the food processor and every time it turns out just right. Everyone always loves my hummus and frequently asks for the recipe. Eventually I began measuring and created this recipe. You can also find it in print in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and another Herb & Olive Oil Hummus variation in my Nourishing Meals cookbook. 

You can get pretty creative with hummus. Think Rosemary-Olive Hummus, or Roasted Garlic & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, or how about adding a little lemon zest and fresh parlsey to the batch. The options are endless.



Hummus

Hummus is a traditional Middle-Eastern dish made from garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas, and tahini. It makes an excellent dip for fresh vegetables or a great spread for sandwiches or wraps.

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, or 2 cans
½ cup sesame tahini
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 to 3 cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt or Herbamare, or to taste
¼ cup bean cooking liquid or water to desired consistency

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. You will want to taste the hummus to see if it needs more lemon, tahini, garlic, or salt. Also, add more water for a thinner consistency and process again. Hummus freezes very well. Source: www.NourishingMeals.com.

Also on the lunch menu was leftover quinoa, honeycrisp apple slices, and sliced persimmons. After our light and energizing lunch it was time to get outside.

Ahh, November, with its crisp fresh air and damp, spongy ground. It was a good day for gardening. The girls and I spent the later part of the afternoon preparing our garden beds for winter. Turning big, dry maple leaves into the beds in the front and pulling out old strawberry plants in the large bed in the back. We found ladybugs that had begun to hibernate in the roots of the plants. Worms and beetles were also among us in the damp soil. There is something soul-satisfying about working outside in the rich, wet earth. We all came in rosy-cheeked and covered in soil. Time for hot soup and rice. While we got cleaned up Tom began making a pot of brown jasmine rice and Red Lentil Dal (from our cookbook). I wanted something else to go along with our dal and rice, so I made a pot of curried vegetables. The warming spices felt just right on this chilly November evening.

After the babies and the girls were asleep, I made a batch of divinely delicious gluten-free brownies. That recipe to come in a later post. Goodnight!

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