Vegetarian Soup for the Soul and Get Your Goat and Beet It Salad

After a long week of being emotionally drained, another meltdown was inevitable. It came Thursday after a particularly long day that left me feeling completely burned out and in general very apathetic about life. I’ve been struggling with what has become a mundane day-to-day routine filled with unnecessary stressors and a lack of inspiration.  At the brink of a nervous breakdown, I expressed my urge to take drastic life changing measures on an unsuspecting Bill.

Instead of arguing, Nugget took the loving partner approach. He validated my mounting stress and acknowledged my need for a soul-nurturing environment. Without completely uprooting our small family, Bill came up with an incredibly insightful albeit simple plan of action. Instead of leaving our evenings open ended with the possibility of dwelling on the stress of the day, we will set goals to nurture our mind, body and soul each day.   

Today, this translated into cooking a nutritious meal. I bring you:

Vegetarian Soup for the Soul and Get Your Goat and Beet It Salad

Vegetarian Soup for the Soul
*vegan

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs in juice

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 small butternut squash, chopped

3 bunches multicolored carrots, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced

½ small red cabbage, chopped

½ bunch purple kale, chopped

1 handful of chives, chopped

1 15-oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a stockpot with steamer insert and sauté onions until soft. Add the can of tomatoes, vegetable broth, water, butternut squash, carrots, jalapeno, and cabbage. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Place the kale and chives in steamer insert. Set steamer inside stockpot and steam for 5 minutes. Remove insert and add kale, chives, beans, and vinegar to soup.

3. Continue to simmer soup until carrots and squash are cooked through. Season with pepper to taste.

Get Your Goat and Beet It Salad
*vegetarian

1 bunch green lettuce, chopped

½ small red cabbage, chopped

½ bunch purple kale, chopped

1 handful of chives, chopped

1 bunch golden beets. peeled and chopped

1 bunch red beets, peeled and chopped

As much goat cheese as your heart desires

Olive oil to taste

Balsamic vinegar to taste

Ground pepper to taste

1. Toss lettuce, cabbage, kale, and chives in a large bowl.

2. Assemble lettuce mix on a salad plate. Sprinkle beets and goats cheese on top. Drizzle with oil and vinegar and top with ground pepper.