4 Healthy Body And Soul Warming Recipes For Cold Winter Days (We Love #1!)

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Eating healthy is an important defense, especially during flu season. We all know that is true, but it just doesn’t become the priority when we have so much to do for the holidays. We get so caught up in the holiday spirit — planning gifts, buying gifts, catching up with friends and family. This is the time of year we want to do everything for others, and we love every minute of it. We can, however, get so caught up in the spirit of giving; we forget the basics of what we should be doing for ourselves.

You know that grabbing some fast food at the mall just isn’t doing what’s right for you, but, well, when you are busy you think it’s better than nothing at all. It seems like a better alternative than making a four course meal. Sometimes even the thought of having to sit down and eat a big meal is too much to grasp because there’s just so much to get done.

So you might think about the beauty of a simple one-pot meal. A beautiful, fragrant pot of soup, chili, or stew really covers all the bases, and it’s pretty easy to make even when you don’t have a lot of time.

We have made a list of four quick, healthy, delicious meals that don’t take all day to make. Most of them can be made in a crock pot, they don’t take long to eat, and the clean-up is also fast.

Keep reading! So when old Father Winter decides to stick it to us, you will be glad you have some healthy recipes to fall back on.

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1. Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium organic sweet onion, finely minced
2 large organic garlic cloves, chopped to bits
4 medium Yukon Gold or white potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 large organic carrots sliced and diced
2 stalks organic celery sliced and diced
1-2 cups chopped fresh kale or baby spinach
2 boxes of organic low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 hefty splash of white wine
1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 teaspoon each fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste (optional)

Instructions:

Sauté the finely minced onion in the olive oil for about five minutes (or until onion is soft and translucent).

Add the fresh minced garlic and briefly sauté it with the onion.

Carefully add two boxes of organic low or no sodium chicken broth, along with the chopped celery and carrots. Bring your soup to a boil.

Once your soup is boiling, add the potato cubes and kale.

Season your soup with the black pepper, garlic powder, onion power, red pepper flakes and fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Pour in a hefty splash of dry white wine.

Reduce the heat, but continue to simmer your soup for an additional 30 minutes (or until the potato is soft).

Alternately, you can place everything in your crockpot and cook on low for eight hours or on high for six hours.

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2. Vegetable Pasta

This is perfect for vegans! Filled with veggies, it is warm and hearty and will satisfy even the most finicky eater.

Ingredients:

¾ cup whole wheat pasta
6 small organic mushrooms (your choice)
5 medium organic tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 large organic carrot, thinly sliced
7 whole olives
10 pieces of organic broccoli florets
20 baby spinach leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Boil the pasta according to directions. Strain and set aside.

While your pasta is boiling, put a heavy pan on the stove and turn on high heat for about 30 seconds, Add the broccoli and carrots. Turn the heat to medium low and cook for about two minutes. Stir so that they do not burn.

Add the tomatoes and your salt and pepper. Stirring constantly, cook on a low flame for about five minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients (except for the pasta) and cook over medium heat for about another five minutes.

Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. You can also add other Italian seasonings if you like such as coriander or parsley.

Add the pasta and stir well. Serve hot!

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3. Christmas Curry

Ingredients:

1.5 teaspoons of fennel seeds
1.5 teaspoons of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of chili powder or flakes
1 medium sized organic cauliflower
3 thumb-sized pieces of ginger
9 cloves of organic garlic
20 finger aubergines
3 medium sized organic white onions
2 green chilies
2 pounds of organic tomatoes
1 large cinnamon stick
5 ounces of cashews
3.5 ounces of coconut shavings
1 organic pomegranate
1 tablespoon olive oil

Spice Blend

1 teaspoon of cardamom pods
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
3 dried Kashmiri red chilies
7 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Indian Tempeh

3 cloves of organic garlic
1 small handful fresh curry leaves
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Using a mortar and pestle, grind the fennel seeds and coriander seeds and chili flakes until they are fine.
Put the cauliflower on a cookie sheet and rub half of the ground spices and the oil into the florets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the cauliflower in some aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 10 minutes to allow it to brown. Set aside.
Peel and finely grate the ginger and six cloves of garlic. Combine two-thirds of the ginger and the grated garlic with the other half of the spice mixture.
Cut each aubergine with small sharp knife. Rub the ginger mixture into each cut and just a drop of olive oil.
Put the aubergines in a small roasting tray. Cook for 20 minutes. Set aside.
Split the cardamom pods, add the seeds to the mortar with all other ingredients in the spice blend and grind them together well.
Peel and chop the onions, and de-seed the chilies. Chop the tomatoes and chilies, but keep them separate. Peel and slice the last three cloves of garlic.
In a large pan over medium heat, add all the ground spices and toast them for about one to two minutes.
Stir in one tablespoon of oil and add the onions, chilies, garlic, and the rest of the ginger. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, and about seven ounces of water. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
In your blender, combine four tablespoons of water and the cashews. Blend until smooth and stir this into the curry. Cook for another five minutes.
For your tempeh, peel and slice the garlic. Add to a frying pan with just a splash of olive oil, the curry leaves, and mustard seeds. Over medium heat, fry for one minute, then drain on a paper towel.
Chop up the roasted cauliflower into florets and stir into the curry. Add the aubergines.
Top your curry with the tempeh and shaved coconut. Cut your pomegranate in half and smash it so that the seeds come out. Top your curry with your pomegranate seeds.