Creamy tomato and pasta soup

This recipe was inspired by a creamy tortellini recipe seen below. I wanted to make a plant based version of the creamy soup. If you like tomato soup, I highly suggest this recipe it was pretty yummy and reheated well.

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/171098794/creamy-tomato-tortellini-soup/

Ingredients:
1 tsp of coconut oil
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 tbsp of tomato paste
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 14 oz can of light coconut milk (I used trader joe's brand)
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of green beans
1 tbsp of dried basil
1 tbsp of oregano
1 tbsp of parsley
1 tsp of thyme
8 oz of whole wheat penne (4 cups cooked)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Add 1 tsp of coconut oil to a stock pot. Heat oil until just melted.
2. Add minced garlic cloves and diced onion to the heated oil and saute for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent.
3. Add green beans to the onions and garlic and saute for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, coconut milk, tomato paste, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, and salt and pepper to pot. Stir.
5. Heat the soup up to a boil and then let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.
6. While the soup is simmering, bring another pot of water to a boil and add the 8 oz of whole wheat penne. Cook for 7-10 minutes until Al Dente.
7. Drain pasta in a colander.
8. Add pasta to simmering soup and stir.
9. Serve and enjoy!

Complete breakfast smoothie

This is an original smoothie recipe. I like this smoothie because its a full meal, at least for me, it keeps me full until  lunch.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of fresh seasonal fruit, I used strawberries for this one (any berries or peaches would work well too)
1  large ripe banana
1 cup of frozen mixed tropical fruit. (If you cannot find a mix I would suggest just using frozen pineapple.)
1.5 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk or soy milk
1 tbsp of natural peanut butter
1/4 cup of rolled oats

Instructions:
1. Add  fresh fruit and banana into the blender first.
2. Then add frozen fruit, peanut butter, and rolled oats.
3. Add approximately 1.5  cups of almond milk to the smoothie,  add only enough to cover the top of the fruit. You can add more as blends depending on the thickness you prefer. 
4. Blend and enjoy!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe was inspired by the recipe below. This is something I will add into my recipe routine, it was very good and very low in points. Two baked eggplant slices without cheese are only 1 WW pt!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-eggplant-parmesan-2/

Ingredients: Makes 5-6 servings.
2 large eggplants, peeled
Salt
2 jars of tomato sauce, and perhaps more to add on spaghetti
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp Italian herb seasoning
1 tbsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Onion power
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup of low fat mozarella cheese (optional)
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (optional)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1. Peel and slice the eggplant into a little less than 1 inch thick discs.
2. Place slices in a colander, one level at a time to make sure all slices are salted, and sprinkle each level with salt liberally.
3. Let sit for an hour and then pat the slices dry, this step is to help draw water out of the eggplant to take remove the bitterness.
4. Once eggplant is dry, preheat the oven to 350 F and mist a foil covered baking sheet with olive oil.
5. Put panko crumbs in a bowl, add italian herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
6. Crack eggs open into a bowl and whisk until blended. (About 30 seconds)
7. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg on both sides.
8. Then dredge eggplant slice in Panko crumbs on both sides until evenly coated and place onto baking sheet.
9. Once they are all covered in crumbs, place in the oven for 10 minutes.
10. While the eggplant slices are cooking, ready a 13 x 9 roaster or baking pan by ladling one layer of tomato sauce thinly on the bottom.
11. Take the eggplant slices out of the oven and place single layer of eggplant discs onto the layer of sauce in the roasting pan. Sprinkle with parmesan (optional).
12. Ladle another thin layer of sauce over the first layer of eggplant discs.
13. Place another single layer of eggplant discs on top of the first layer of eggplant. Ladle sauce over the second layer. Sprinkle with parmesan and mozarella (optional)
14. Bake for 35 minutes in the 350 F preheated oven.
15. Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil.
15. Serve with whole wheat spaghetti and salad to make a complete healthy dish!

Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing: Mustard lime vinaigrette

When you've run out of salad dressing, this homemade dressing works great in a pinch! It only takes 2 minutes to to make and is only 1 pt per serving. The dressing was inspired by the recipe below.

http://australian.food.com/recipe/lime-mustard-vinaigrette-232084

Ingredients (single serving):

1 tsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of dijon mustard

1 tbsp of lime juice

1 tsp of dried chives

Sprinkle of salt 

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until blended. (30 seconds)

2. Pour over salad and enjoy!

Easy, Healthy Ramen Noodle Soup

This is an original recipe that I whipped together one night with a lovely birthday gift of organic ramen noodles from my friend April! To make this low calorie and a healthier soup I did not use any oil.

Ingredients:
1 pack of ramen noodles, preferably organic to make it healthier. (I recommend this brand http://www.hakubaku.com/content/view/54/75/)
4 cups of of vegetable broth
3 cups of water
1 zucchini, sliced thinly into quarters
1 onion, diced
1/2 a small head of cabbage shredded
1.5 tsp of Chinese five spice
3 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable broth to a large soup pan. Begin heating the stock on medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cabbage to the broth and saute for about 3-5 minutes until cabbage and onions are lightly translucent.
3. Add in zucchini and saute for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Add .5 tsp of Chinese five spice, 1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar, and tsp of garlic powder to the veggies and stir.
5. Add rest of vegetable broth and 3 cups of water to the veggies.
6. Add 1 tsp of Chinese five spice, 2 tsp of rice wine vinegar, 1/3 cup of soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to soup.
7. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 10-15 minutes.
8. While the soup is simmering, bring 6 cups of  salted water to a rolling boil in another pot and add dry ramen noodles.
9. Boil for 4 minutes and drain the noodles.
10. After the soup has simmered for 10-15 minutes, place a 1/2 cup of r
amen noodles in a bowl and pour soup over noodles. Enjoy!