I am so excited to share these Thanksgiving recipes with you, and also thrilled to have my first guest recipe post from one of my favorite bloggers - WeekNight Bite! WeekNight Bite is full of quick, nutritious recipes, mouth watering pictures and adorable videos to show you exactly how to cook the dishes! Lindsay - the creator of WNB - also happens to be a fellow San Diego native! I made one of her first recipes a couple of years ago - the Southwestern Quinoa Lettuce wraps - for a work lunch and everyone was raving about it and wanted to get the recipe from me. It's so good! Check out the recipe box to find other awesome recipes. I am dying to make her pumpkin pie smoothie!
Now...after seeing the picture above I'm sure you are drooling already and just want to get to the recipe so here it is:
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 Dorot frozen garlic cubes (or 3 chopped cloves of garlic)
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
1 cup dry red lentils* (rinsed)
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup (or up to 1 cup) unsweetened almond milk
Garnish: pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, honey, cinnamon
Serves 4.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot, then sautee onion until it becomes more translucent. Add garlic. Sautee.
- Add pure pumpkin, dry red lentils, water, and vegetable broth. Stir together.
- Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, honey, and salt and pepper. Stir.
- Bring soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes or until lentils are cooked through.
- Using a hand-blender, start to puree the soup. Or, you can transfer the ingredients from the pot to a
standard blender, but make sure to do small batches at a time.
- As you puree the soup, start to add the almond milk. Start with a half cup and if you prefer to thin it out a bit more, keep adding more almond milk until you reach the desired consistency.
- Taste test to make sure it is seasoned well. Salt and pepper are very important!
- Transfer to bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey.
- Get cozy and enjoy! :)
*Tip: Add additional honey or a packet of stevia if you would like your pumpkin soup to be more sweet and less savory*
Now...after seeing the picture above I'm sure you are drooling already and just want to get to the recipe so here it is:
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 Dorot frozen garlic cubes (or 3 chopped cloves of garlic)
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
1 cup dry red lentils* (rinsed)
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup (or up to 1 cup) unsweetened almond milk
Garnish: pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, honey, cinnamon
Serves 4.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot, then sautee onion until it becomes more translucent. Add garlic. Sautee.
- Add pure pumpkin, dry red lentils, water, and vegetable broth. Stir together.
- Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, honey, and salt and pepper. Stir.
- Bring soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes or until lentils are cooked through.
- Using a hand-blender, start to puree the soup. Or, you can transfer the ingredients from the pot to a
standard blender, but make sure to do small batches at a time.
- As you puree the soup, start to add the almond milk. Start with a half cup and if you prefer to thin it out a bit more, keep adding more almond milk until you reach the desired consistency.
- Taste test to make sure it is seasoned well. Salt and pepper are very important!
- Transfer to bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a drizzle of honey.
- Get cozy and enjoy! :)
*Tip: Add additional honey or a packet of stevia if you would like your pumpkin soup to be more sweet and less savory*
Are you ready for the salad portion? Introducing the WeekNight Bite's Butternut Squash, Kale, Farro Salad! YUM. This recipe just screams fall to me and it's so pretty and colorful!
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups cooked farro (about 1/2 cup dry)
1 1/2 cups butternut squash - cubed and roasted
1/4 shallot - minced
2 cups kale - chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup hazelnuts - toasted and chopped roughly
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4 shallot - minced
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp honey
Salt & pepper to taste
Serves 4.
1 1/4 cups cooked farro (about 1/2 cup dry)
1 1/2 cups butternut squash - cubed and roasted
1/4 shallot - minced
2 cups kale - chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup hazelnuts - toasted and chopped roughly
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing:
1/4 shallot - minced
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1/2 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp honey
Salt & pepper to taste
Serves 4.
- Start with the prep work: Cook your farro according to package instructions. Roast your butternut squash in the oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper until golden brown. Toast hazelnuts in the oven at 350 for 5 or so minutes.
- While squash is roasting, saute 1/4 shallot in 1 tbsp olive oil. Once shallot begins to cook down, add kale. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes until kale has shrunken down. Remove from stove.
- Start your dressing with 1/4 shallot and champagne vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes before adding the rest of the dressing ingredients. Season and taste to make sure you have the right amount of salt and pepper.
- Once everything is ready to go, mix all salad ingredients together! Top with fresh thyme.
I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving soup & salad courtesy of the WeekNight Bite! The holiday season is officially upon us, so I will definitely be bookmarking the WNB recipe box for my healthy fix amidst the indulgences.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
xoxo, Ellen
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
xoxo, Ellen