Sometimes my recipes fail miserably and I have to tweak them multiple times until I’m happy—it comes with the territory when you have no culinary training. The other week, I was looking for a dairy-free soup I could make, and of course turned to Pinterest where I found this. I made it (without the parmesan, of course) and…almost vomited. I’m not necessarily bashing it; I am just very particular when it comes to soup. I despise warm beverages (even in the dead of winter, I drink iced coffee), so if a soup too closely resembles a beverage in texture, I just can’t handle it—it has to be thick and chunky.

I tried the recipe again with some adjustments: more broccoli to make the base of the soup thicker, plus mushrooms and shrimp to add some chunks. And LOVED it! It’s yummy, healthy and filling.

Broccoli White Bean Soup with Shrimp & Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 ½ heads of broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cups mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 12-15 small shrimp, chopped
• 1 can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp dry toasted pine nuts

Directions

1. Cut the florets off the big broccoli stem and steam until soft. Set aside a cup of the broccoli.
2. Meanwhile, sauté the onions, garlic and olive oil over medium heat in a pot. When translucent, add the veggie stock and white beans. Bring back to a simmer, then remove from heat and stir in the broccoli.
3. Put the mixture in the blender (in batches) and puree.
4. Meanwhile (lots of multi-tasking with this soup), sauté mushrooms in some olive oil over medium heat. When they start to look cooked, throw in the shrimp for a couple minutes.
5. Stir in the mushrooms, shrimp and remaining cup of broccoli and garnish with a sprinkle of pine nuts.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 298
–Calories from Fat: 78
Total Fat: 8g
–Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 24mg
Sodium: 190mg
Total Carbohydrate: 38g
–Dietary Fiber: 11.5g
–Sugars: 6g
Protein: 17.5g

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It feels very weird to be posting a blog on a Saturday night, but I feel like this recipe needs to be shared with the world before the Super Bowl so that you can all make it for your football parties tomorrow night. Plus, I’m trying out this new thing called “being low-key on the weekends and catching up on sleep and relaxing” so my evening is wiiiiide open for working on the blog.

This recipe is a tasty way to lighten up traditional mac and cheese and, served in small cups, makes for a healthy Super Bowl dish.

Quinoa Butternut Squash “Mac” and Cheese

This will make 4 meal-sized servings, or 10-12 small appetizer-sized servings. Nutrition facts are for one meal serving.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (dry)
• 3 cups butternut squash cubes/chunks
• 2 tbsp vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• 1 ½ tbsp flour
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare quinoa according to package directions (typically you just boil water, toss in the quinoa, simmer it for 10-15 minutes).
3. While quinoa cooks, boil butternut squash until soft. Drain and put in blender with Greek yogurt and vegetable broth. Puree.
4. Over medium-low heat, melt butter in a pot. Whisk in the flour until combined. Add in the milk, squash puree and salt and pepper to taste. I have a hot pepper obsession, so I like to throw in a heft dash of cayenne pepper as well.
5. When combined, take off heat and stir in cheddar cheese until it’s fully melted.
6. When the quinoa is finished, stir it into your butternut squash cheese mixture. Transfer to a baking dish.
7. Mix the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle them over the top.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 360
–Calories from Fat: 155
Total Fat: 17g
–Saturated Fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 50mg
Sodium: 386mg
Total Carbohydrate: 34g
–Dietary Fiber: 4g
–Sugars: 6g
Protein: 17g

Need some other healthy ideas for what to serve at your Super Bowl party? Here’s what I’m making for the potluck I’ll be going to (in addition to the quinoa mac and cheese):

Vegetable Bean Dip

Avocado Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Who are you rooting for tomorrow? Any big party plans? I’m obviously a Pats fan, but if they can’t be in the Super Bowl then I want the team who beat them to snag the championship. So, it pains me, but GO RAVENS!

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For all the low-carb eaters out there, spaghetti squash is the best thing about fall. Now all nature needs to do is produce a vegetable that tastes like ice cream. Almost anything you’d want in your bowl of pasta can be put in a bowl of spaghetti squash for a guilt-free meal. And as an added bonus, you get a serious workout trying to cut the damned things in half lengthwise (I’ve seriously had to put it on the floor and push the knife through by stepping on it. I know, super hygienic).

HOW TO PREPARE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

1. Cut in half lengthwise with a butcher’s knife.
2. Scoop out the guts with a spoon.
3. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. I use a Crayola painting brush because I. Am. Ghetto.
   
4. Place the squash rind-side-up in a glass pan and bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
5. When it’s done, scrape a fork down the inside to remove the squash in spaghetti strands.

INGREDIENTS

This will make one serving.

• ½ spaghetti squash
• 4 jumbo shrimp
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Handful of fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup white wine
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp olive oil

PREPARING THE SHRIMP SCAMPI

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic on a skillet until garlic is soft and starts to brown.
2. Add wine and lemon and let simmer for a minute.
3. Add shrimp and basil and simmer about 3 minutes, until shrimp starts to turn pink.
   
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer until they’re warm and soft.
5. Add to your spaghetti squash and garnish with a lemon wedge.

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This delicious quinoa salad is one of my favorites. The summery citrus flavors mix wonderfully with the classic autumn combo of dried cranberries, walnuts and cheese. Perfect for this time of year (or any). Oh, and it’s healthy.

This apple quinoa salad is ridiculously easy to make (even if your only kitchen skill is boiling mac and cheese, you can pull this off), and it stores in the refrigerator really well. I’ll usually make a big batch, eat it for dinner, and then eat the leftovers for lunch the next couple days.

Ok, fine. Last time I made it, I annihilated the entire bowl of leftovers late at night after having a…few…drinks on Legal Harborside’s roof deck. It happens.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 3 servings.

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 or 2 apples, skinned and chopped
• 1 orange, peeled
• 3 green onions, bulbs discarded, green parts chopped
• Handful of walnuts, chopped
• Handful of dried cranberries
• Feta cheese crumbles
• Juice from 1-2 lemons (depending on how strong you want the citrus flavor)
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the quinoa. To do so, bring 2 cups water to a boil, add in 1 cup dry quinoa, reduce to a simmer for about 15 mins until water has been absorbed.
2. When the quinoa is cooked, stir in the olive oil and lemon juice.
   
3. Skin and chop up an apple or two, depending on preference. Peel the orange, separate each wedge and remove the clear/white casing. Chop the wedges into chunks. Chop up the green onions. Coarsely chop a handful of walnuts.
   
4. Mix all your “choppings” into the quinoa along with a handful of dried cranberries.
5. Top with desired amount of feta cheese crumbles and serve.

Nutrition Facts

per serving

Calories: 490
–Calories from Fat: 194
Total Fat: 21g
–Saturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 19mg
Sodium: 246mg
Total Carbohydrate: 63g
–Dietary Fiber: 7g
–Sugars: 19g
Protein: 13g

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