All tagged Prebiotics

Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan, GF)

Creamy Mushroom Soup tastes like pure comfort food but is loaded with veggies and has no cream or half-and-half!  It’s as easy as cooking onion, mushrooms, and potatoes in broth and blending until smooth with nondairy milk.  The chanterelle mushrooms from @MushroomMikeLLC add both elegance and a peppery, earthy flavor. 

Serves: 4-6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 tablespoon avocado oil

½ yellow onion, diced

Pinch of salt

28 oz. white mushrooms, diced

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup dry white wine

3 russet potatoes, diced

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk (I used Ripple)

10 chanterelle mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons butter (vegan)

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional: Drizzle of olive oil

How (your directions):

Heat avocado oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. 

Add the diced yellow onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add diced mushrooms, salt, and dried thyme.  Sauté, stirring frequently, until liquid from mushrooms evaporates, about 5 minutes.

Add white wine and stir for 30 seconds.

Add potatoes and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat vegan butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Add chanterelle mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Season with a pinch of salt.   

Turn the stove heat off and stir in nondairy milk into the soup.  Using an immersion blender or high-speed blender, blend the mushroom soup until smooth.

Serve soup with freshly ground pepper and a spoonful of chanterelle mushrooms on top.  Drizzle with good olive oil and enjoy hot!

Why (the science):  Fiber-rich potatoes and nondairy milk add a plant-based creaminess to the soup without the need for heavy cream or half-and-half!  Mushrooms are prebiotics, which feed the healthy bacteria in your gut to help reduce inflammation and boost your immune system.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan, GF)

These Banana Oatmeal Cookies are the bomb!  They have no processed sugar, are gluten-free, and vegan, so you can feel good about eating them any time of day.  Made with wholesome ingredients, they can be meal prepped and enjoyed for one-the-go breakfasts, snacks, or as a yummy dessert with a piece of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate on the side.  Bonus: they’re made in the food processor!  Ahem, minimal clean up 😊

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

What (your ingredients):

2 ripe bananas

6 dates, pitted (make sure they’re soft and sticky)

1 tablespoon coconut oil, not melted

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

How (your directions):

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Add bananas, dates, coconut oil, salt, baking powder, and vanilla to a blender.  Pulse 10 times, then blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Add rolled oats and pulse 5-8 times.  You want the rolled oats slightly broken down to form a dough, but not blended so much that you end up with a paste or completely smooth dough.  Leave a little oat texture.

Spoon six cookies onto lined baking sheet.  Smooth edges, and create a flat top to the cookies using the back of your spoon.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy warm! 

Store remaining cookies in an airtight container for a week.  Reheat and serve with a drizzle of peanut butter and a side of fruit for breakfast.

Why (the science):  Oats and bananas are prebiotics, which means that feed the healthy bacteria in our gut, which improves our mood and immune system.

** Recipe inspired by Nutrition Refined