To all my whole food plant eaters out there and to those who have yet to discover the joy and benefits of eating plants, I give you a new idea. It was new to me anyhow.
A few months ago I took my doctor’s advice and read *Chef AJ’s The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss: A revolutionary approach to conquer cravings, overcome food addiction, and lose weight without going hungry. We’d gained a few pandemic pounds and as a vegan already, I wasn’t sure what to do. Her book rocked my kitchen! And my world.
One of AJ’s main tenets to weight loss is eating vegetables for breakfast. Most of my friends already think the way I eat is crazy, and this positively sent them over the edge. But you know what? I love it! Consider that most American style breakfast food is loaded with sugar and fat. Breakfast menus everywhere prove it. But, eating savory vegetables first thing in the morning is perfectly normal to many people outside of North America.
I DARE YOU to give this a try. I actually love savory breakfast and once you get used to eating soup and maybe even a salad—scandalous!—you just may find that starting your day any other way will leave you wanting.
Soup in particular is an ideal way to get your veg.
- You don’t need a recipe; it’s more of a formula.
- It requires little time or effort.
- You can make it in huge quantities and eat it all week.
- You can pack a lot nutritious punch into one pot!
- Soup can be hot or cold, depending on the season and your taste.
- You can eat as much as you want.
- So much love…
Once you get the hang of it you’ll find the combinations are endless. It’s likely you’ll already have many of these ingredients in your pantry.
Morning Ritual Veggie Soup #1
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable bullion paste or 4 cubes
- 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 5 (or more) cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 5 peeled carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup millet
- 1 cup brown or green lentils
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 zucchini, quartered and chopped
- 5 leaves lacinato kale, chiffonade (what I had left in the frig, use any kale)
- 1 15-16 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- Half 10 ounce bag frozen edamame (these were hanging out in my freezer, peas work too)
- Half 10 ounce bag frozen corn (or fresh cut off the cob)
- Water
Dissolve the bullion in two cups boiling water in a heat proof cup or bowl. Set aside.
Water saute the onions in a big soup pot (mine is 6 quarts). Water saute just means you put a bit of water in the pot with the onions to get them going. You won’t miss the oil! Stir as you go and, if needed, add a bit more water to prevent burning or sticking to you pot. After a few minutes, add the garlic. After another minute or so add the celery, carrots, the millet and the lentils. Give everything a good stir.
Time to add the bullion water and the tomatoes. After that, add enough water to cover everything in the pot. Bring up to a boil. Add all the rest of the ingredients and enough water to keep the contents covered and turn down the heat to a simmer and put a lid on the pot. Keep an eye on it, checking after about 15 minutes. Once the lentils are cooked the soup is finished!
Enjoy now, or let it cool and refrigerate and enjoy (every morning!) until it’s gone and time to make a new pot.
*To learn more about Chef AJ check out her YouTube Channel.
Global Staci 