Sometimes there's no time to chop, prepare, or THINK. We just want to eat something fast, but if your system is like mine, it may be telling you that you have had a few too many Trader Joe's appetizers in the air fryer lately, no? Just me? Counting calories is for chumps, in my world, but listening to the body is not. And my body was craving some NUTRIENTS.
The problem with nutrient packed meals is they can be a real pain to prepare, but with a few creative seasonings, and a nearly prep-work free set of ingredients, I came up with this throw together recipe on my 30 minute lunch break today.
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Extremely Easy
Dietary Needs: Vegan, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Soy Free
Ingredients:
1 32 oz container vegetable broth
1/2 medium onion, minced or chopped small (this is the only prep work needed for this recipe, and if you didn't even feel like doing that, you could by pre-chopped onion or use dried minced onion instead!)
1 TBSP minced garlic (I used the pre-chopped jarred kind because I'm lazy)
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP nutritional yeast
1 tsp Trader Joe’s Mushroom & Company Multipurpose UMAMI Seasoning Blend (if you have a local TJ's it's $2.99/bottle... I'd recommend getting it there)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can great northern beans, drained (save the liquid... aquafaba!)
1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch
Black pepper and salt to taste (you WILL need salt; I ended up using about a tsp)
OPTIONAL: Miyoko's Mozzarella, serving size to preference, crumbled
Instructions:
In a large pot, set veggie broth on high heat. Begin dumping in all of your seasonings, chopped onion, garlic, and tomato paste.
When soup is steaming, add in your drained beans. There is no need to rinse.
When soup comes to a boil, toss in your Cruciferous Crunch blend, and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, to desired vegetable texture.
Add black pepper, and take off heat. Allow to cool slightly so you can taste and decide how much salt to add. I like things pretty salty, so I added about 1 tsp.
Optional: add Miyoko's Mozzarella, crumbled over the top of the soup. I found this added a very satisfying accent.
That's it! Serve warm and enjoy!