SPRING GREEN MINESTRONE

SPRING GREEN MINESTRONE

SPRING GREEN MINESTRONE

In celebration of Goddess Month, a mantra of unconditional self-love, positive thinking, and holistic and natural living, this April I’ll be sharing a series of light, bright, and super simple recipes and activations– making high quality and delicious plant-based food more accessible to the ‘everyday eater’. Real, unprocessed food is a powerful entity, reducing our risk of ever developing chronic disease, and has been shown to holistically treat and reverse the conditions of those suffering. You are, after all, what you eat. [line][line]

The perfect meal for those lazy evenings when cooking feels like a chore and you want dinner on the table STAT, this springtime inspired minestrone requires only minutes of preparation and simmers to perfection in under 30 minutes flat. Featuring a pesto infused vegetable broth with a bright green blend of wilted baby kale, petite peas, protein and fiber rich cannellini beans, and baby broccoli for crunch, I serve my green minestrone with a crusty knob of french baguette. This recipe freezes particularly well – keep leftovers frozen in an airtight container to defrost at your convenience!

Spring Green Minestrone [serves 4]
for those in the Washington, DC and Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC areas, be sure to snag your recipe ingredients through Relay Foods’ Meal Plan Service (!)

2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
1 LARGE YELLOW ONION, DICED
2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED
1 LEEK, WHITE AND GREEN PARTS ONLY, CHOPPED
4 CUPS UNSALTED VEGETABLE STOCK
1 BUNCH (¾ POUND) BABY BROCCOLI, TOUGH STEMS REMOVED, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
1 CUP FROZEN GREEN PEAS
1 CAN (15 OUNCES) CANNELLINI BEANS, THOROUGHLY DRAINED AND RINSED
2 CUPS BABY KALE
6 TABLESPOONS DAIRY FREE BASIL PESTO
SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE

In a large heavy pot of Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until just hot. Add onion, garlic, and leeks and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened by not taking on any color (about 4-5 minutes). Add vegetables broth, bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add baby broccoli and peas, recover, and simmer until broccoli is just tender and peas have completely defrosted (about 5 minutes).

Remove soup from heat and gently stir in cannellini beans, kale, and pesto until kale has just wilted. Season to taste, serve and enjoy!

Nutritional Information [per serving = 2 cups]
266 Calories, 11g Fat, 34g Carbohydrates, 9g Fiber, 8g Sugar, 13.3g Protein [line][line]

recipe ingredients generously provided by Relay Foods