Zuppa Toscana for the Soul: how faux-talians solve all their problems. I may not be Italian, but I was a waitress at Olive Garden back in the day. And if there’s one thing I took away from that college gig, it was a dream – a dream to one day recreate the magic of Zuppa Toscana. Rejoice. Because that day arrived. And my version, is 100% dairy-free and delicious. Plus, the base is equally delicious as a seafood chowder. I like to call that a bonus round. If you’re equally giddy about the iconic Zuppa Toscana, read on to recreate this meal of endless soup, salad and breadsticks, any night of the week.

2020 is the year of comfort food and nostalgia. And I dare you to think of one other thing that serves up both better than a classic bowl of Zuppa Toscana. For those of you unfamiliar (gasp!) this soup got its fame as part of the Olive Garden’s endless soup, salad and breadstick promotion. It starts with a decadent, creamy base. It’s studded with salty bacon, spicy Italian sausage, roasted potatoes and tender kale (before kale was cool). I can almost hear the Italian music in the background just reminiscing about it…Back to reality and the dream to recreate this magic. I try to limit the amount of dairy I consume and coconut milk is my go-to for a creamy replacement. For that Chicken Soup for the Soul vibe, I mix the creamy coconut milk with bone broth to add rich flavor. And the rest, is all about the fixin’s!

While this soup is incredibly easy to pull together any weeknight, here are a few tips:

1.) Thickness: use the original recipe proportions for a thicker base. For a thinner base, just add another can of coconut milk and 1 cup of bone broth. This version will be more creamy, but a little less savory. Both are equally good!
2.) Quality Ingredients Matter: while this is a “healthier” version of the OG Zuppa Toscana, don’t skimp on some of the more indulgent ingredients like real bacon. The fat from the bacon will be used to sautee the veggies and adds major flavor, so I highly recommend a good cut of pork bacon (over turkey) without added sugar, if you can find it.
3.) Freeze It: this soup is a great make-ahead meal that will stay in the fridge for 2-3 months. Make a batch, let it fully cool, then store in a resealable container.

Ready to recreate those Olive Garden vibes? Read on for the Zuppa Toscana recipe and a bonus recipe for a Seafood Chowder version! Bon appetit!

“Healthier” Dairy-Free Zuppa Toscana
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
– 6 slices of bacon (ideally no sugar added)
– 1 lb chicken sausage (or ground turkey)
– 1 yellow onion, diced
– 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
– 2 large russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4″ moons
– 32 oz chicken bone broth
– 1 can full fat coconut milk
– 5-6 handfuls of kale, shredded
– salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
– optional: for more broth or thinner consistency, add 8 oz chicken bone broth and 1 additional can of coconut milk

Directions:                                                                                                              Step 1: Cut the bacon into 1 inch strips (I use a kitchen shears) and crisp in a large stock pot over medium heat. Use a slotted spoon to place the strips on a paper towel lined plate and keep the bacon fat in the stock pot.
Step 2: Place the chicken sausage or seasoned ground turkey in the stock pot with the bacon fat. Crumble and brown. Set aside on a plate, keeping any fat in the pot.
Step 3: Place the diced onion in the stock pot and cook until translucent; 5-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, stirring constantly for 45 seconds until fragrant. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Add the chicken bone broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking covered until the potatoes are fork tender; 8-10 minutes. If you cook too long, the potatoes will turn to mush!
Step 5: Add the coconut milk and browned sausage, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes so the flavors blend together. Then add the kale, season with salt and pepper, stir for a minute or 2 until the kale is bright green and wilted Add the bacon. Taste the broth and add additional salt, pepper and/or crushed red pepper for some heat!

“Healthier” Dairy-Free Seafood Chowder
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
– 6 slices of bacon (ideally no sugar added)
– 1 lb seafood (I used a mix of shrimp, scallops, muscles and squid)
– 1 yellow onion, diced
– 1 C carrots, diced
– 2 stalks of celery, sliced into half moons
– 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
– 2 large russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4″ moons
– 32 oz chicken bone broth
– 1 can full fat coconut milk
– 5-6 handfuls of kale, shredded
– salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
– optional: for more broth or thinner consistency, add 8 oz chicken bone broth and 1 additional can of coconut milk

Directions:                                                                                                              Step 1: Cut the bacon into 1 inch strips (I use a kitchen shears) and crisp in a large stock pot over medium heat. Use a slotted spoon to place the strips on a paper towel lined plate and keep the bacon fat in the stock pot.        Step 2: Place the diced onion, carrots and celery in the stock pot and cook until translucent; 5-8 minutes. Add the minced garlic, stirring constantly for 45 seconds until fragrant. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add the chicken bone broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking covered until the potatoes are fork tender; 8-10 minutes. If you cook too long, the potatoes will turn to mush!
Step 4: Add the coconut milk and seafood, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes so the flavors blend together and the seafood cooks. Then add the kale, season with salt and pepper, stir for a minute or 2 until the kale is bright green and wilted. Add the bacon. Taste the broth and add additional salt, pepper and/or crushed red pepper for some heat!

The post One Base, Two Deliciously Dairy-Free Soups appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Pasta lovers, imma ’bout to flip your world UPSIDE DOWN with this completely whole food, plant-based and low carb spaghetti squash carbonara. Im(pasta)ble you say? Oh yes way. Golden bundles of spaghetti squash sub for traditional noodles and a cashew-based ricotta lends creaminess to this dish topped with portabella mushrooms and a generous crack of the pepper mill. I’ve been dreaming this dish up for months after visiting The Butcher’s Daughter in LA and finally recreated the magic. Plus, no oven meal prep is what Texas dreams are made of in the summer. Get the dEATs for this Whole30 and keto-friendly recipe below, along with my pro meal prepping tips!

Friends, it’s been a WHILE! June was cray cray with a capital C, but I am BACK and you better believe I’ve been stocking up all kinds of recipe ideas. First, I was in Seattle conducting research on breakfast habits, then it was onto Minneapolis to do shopalongs (yes, I get paid to grocery shop with people!) and finally, the Fancy Food Show in New York! This trade show takes place every winter in San Francisco and summer in New York and showcases the latest food and beverage innovations. The biggest trends? Loads of functional foods (sleep elixirs, probiotics for digestive health, CBS for stress relief), avoidance of allergens (gluten-free, lactose-free, peanut-free) and plant-based everything (eggplant banana and mushroom jerky, oh my!).

While I don’t fully subscribe to a plant-based diet, I do try to abide by Michael Pollan’s 3 simple rules: eat real food, not too much, mostly plants. And I’m ready to get back to being a law-abiding eater after all this travel, which most definitely veered me off this path. I just can’t say no to cheesecake, what can I say? Beyond the health benefits, another bonus of a mostly plant-based diet means that it often means I don’t have to turn on my oven. In Texas, in July, that’s MAJOR. And this Whole30 and keto-friendly plant-based carbonara did just the trick to get me back on track.

So how do I meal prep like a pro without spending insane amounts of time in the kitchen? I got you. Check out my pro tips.

6 Tips to Meal Prep Like a Pro:

1.) Put It On Your Calendar: Just like you’d put any meeting on a calendar during the week, put your meal prep time on the calendar Sunday (or whatever day of the week) to make the commitment. I’ll also put each meal on my Google calendar so 1.) I always know what’s for dinner 2.) I can plan ahead to have the ingredients and 3.) I can group meals together that have common ingredients (more on that below).

2.) Versatility is the Secret Sauce: The secret to delicious meals every night of the week is to find 1 or maybe 2 sauces that you can prep in advance from scratch and use in a variety of different ways throughout the week. For example, this cashew ricotta is just as good with marinara or pesto, is an awesome veggie dip and also makes for a stellar toast topper with fresh summer tomatoes. Need more ideas? Check out some of the salad dressings from this post or sauces from my summer kebab post.

3.) Multi-Task Like a Boss: Time for a little honesty – you likely won’t get ALL your meal prep done during a 2-hour window on Sunday. Sorry not sorry for bursting your bubble. But, you can multi-task throughout the week to get ‘er done. For example, when I’m making steel cut oats on a Sunday morning to pack for breakfast for the week, I’m also roasting a whole sheet pan of vegetables. Or I’m hard boiling eggs or making a batch of quinoa. Whenever you’re in the kitchen, make it your goal to maximize the time and make at least two meals or meal components.

4.) Make Mega Batches: You’re also gonna have to learn to like leftovers. I HATED leftovers growing up, but now…every leftover is like a gift from the kitchen gods. Always make twice as much and refrigerate for lunches or pop in the freezer for the following week.

5.) Semi-Homemade Is More Than Semi-Ok: Anyone who tells you that you can ‘do it all, have it all’ is a big fat liar. We all need shortcuts. And no one should feel bad about it. Some of my favorite shortcuts? Store bought zoodles, pre-cooked quinoa, rotisserie chicken and canned beans.

6.) Allow For a “Whatever Night: Even I find planning every last meal a bit suffocating, so I always plan for a “whatever” night each week. Usually, there are more leftovers than expected, we decide to go out or we just need something simple like a meatless burger and frozen veggies. Keep some common staples in the freezer and pantry for those kinda nights. Well all have ’em.

Feeling like a pro yet? Or maybe just hungry? Me too. Thankfully, that much-awaited recipe for my Whole30 and Keto-friendly carbonara is just below. Bon appetit!

Spaghetti Squash and Cashew Ricotta “Carbonara”
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:
– 1 spaghetti squash
– 1 carton of portabella mushrooms
– extra virgin olive oil
Cashew Ricotta 
– 1 1/2 cups of raw cashews, soaked in water overnight (or at least 4 hours)
– 1/2 cup of water
– 2 T nutritional yeast
– 1 T apple cider vinegar
– 1 clove of garlic
– pinch of onion powder
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 
Step 1: Make the spaghetti squash by slicing it in half horizontally with a sharp knife (note: you’ll have to use some muscle!). Place a damp paper towel on a microwave-safe plate and put the spaghetti squash halves on top, cut-side up. Microwave for 15 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Once tender, set aside to cool.
Step 2: Prep the mushrooms while the spaghetti squash cools by slicing into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Add olive oil to a pan on the stove top over medium heat. Once hot (a few drops of water should sizzle), add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and stir occasionally until tender.
Step 3: Make the cashew ricotta by placing all the ricotta ingredients in a food processor. Blend until creamy, scraping the sides. Set aside in a bowl.
Step 4: Complete the dish by first removing the seeds and dried center tendrils of the spaghetti squash with a fork, leaving the tender edges in tact. Then, use the fork to scrape the interior sides of the spaghetti squash to release the “noodles”, scraping from the top edge down towards the center. Place the “noodles” in serving dishes, top with mushrooms, ricotta, a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

The post Im{pasta}bly easy meal prep appeared first on The Shooks Life.