soups - Ditch The Diet Studio

Creamy Lima Bean & Kale Soup | 2 MINS

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 17:37:53 +0000

Everyone needs a good hearty soup for days when you don’t have time or don’t feel like cooking. But you still want something good for you meal fast on the table fast.

This Creamy Lima Bean and Kale Soup is healthy yet creamy and packed with flavor. It is my go-to version because it takes only 2 mins to cook in 1 pot (instant pot), it’s high in fibre and you use ingredients that you have in your fridge.

I use a lot of dry and fresh herbs and spices in my soup. Herbs and spices are some of the most powerful Detox Superfoods! For example, Rosemary was used in ancient times to purify the air and for its antiseptic properties. It is a well-established antioxidant and has been shown to prevent mutations in your DNA particularly in the liver and the lungs.

Ingredients

2 tbsp avocado oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 tsp fresh garlic, crushed
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tsp dried rosemary, oregano
2 cups cubed sweet potatoes
1 litre Vegetable Broth
2 cup cooked lima beans (either soaked and cooked from dry or canned)
2-3 cup kale without the stems and in small pieces
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Put the oil in the pot, select SAUTE.
When the oil is hot, add the onion, ginger, spices and cook until it is just starting to caramelise
Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Add herbs, sweet potatoes, carrots, lima beans and chopped kale.
Pour vegetable broth, salt and pepper.
Press CANCEL button to cancel SAUTE.
Lock on the lid, select the PRESSURE COOK function, and adjust to HIGH pressure for 2 mins. Make sure the steam valve is in the “Sealing” position.
When the cooking time is up, let the pressure quick release.
Using an immersion blender or a standing blender, blend 25% of the soup or to your liking.
Serve and enjoy!

The post Creamy Lima Bean & Kale Soup | 2 MINS first appeared on Ditch The Diet Studio.

The post Creamy Lima Bean & Kale Soup | 2 MINS appeared first on Ditch The Diet Studio.

Red Russian Borsch! A secret Why It Turns Out Delicious!

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 16:17:49 +0000

A staple of Russia and the Slavic world, borscht has inspired films and novels – and has even reached outer space.

A single bowl of beetroot soup, served with smetana (sour cream) and black bread, bring up images of Red Square almost as much as a glass of vodka or red/black caviar.

Some claim that borscht is not Russian at all. But does it really matter?

Among the many soups of traditional Russian cuisine, borscht is undoubtedly the king of all soups. The borscht recipes are really numerous, every Russian family has their own version of borscht recipe. The traditional borscht can take up to 5 hours to make.

My borscht recipe takes only 5 minutes to cook. This recipe is gluten free, vegan and a perfect fit to detox the body!.

Borscht is eaten hot or cold. Many recipes counterbalance the sweetness of the beets with the addition of acidity like Vinegar, lemon juice, or citric acid can be added to achieve a similar effect.

There is no need to measure any of the veggies, it always turns out wonderful. So eyeball it! (Your food processor will come in mighty handy for shredding all these veggies!). I love to chop by hands, it’s the Russian thing.

Here are ingredient list for those of you who needs to follow the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups shredded peeled beets
3 potatoes/1 cup of white beans (optional)
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 gloves of garlic
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 tbls of tomato paste
2-3 liters of vegetable broth (water works just fine too)
I use 2 liters because I love it thick.
2.5 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ACV
Bay leaf, caraway, paprika, S&P
dill fresh or dried
sour cream/Greek Yogurt for serving

DIRECTIONS:

* Saute shredded beets, carrots, onion and garlic in the 2 tbsps of olive oil for 5-8 mins.
* Add spices and tomato paste and cook for additional 5 mins.
* Add vegetarian broth or water.
* Add cabbage, potatoes and cook for 5 mins in Instant Pot or 20-30 mins on the stove .
* When turning the heat off, stir in lemon juice or ACV (Russian secret ingredient). Add fresh dill.

It’s ready to eat. Borscht is better the next day!

You can keep borscht for a week in the fridge. When not detoxing add cubes of beef at the beginning, saute and then add beets, carrots, onion, and garlic.

If figuring out what to make for dinner is a constant struggle, then I have got you COVERED! It’s my ebook: Easy One-Dish Recipes Guide!

It contains a dozen of my favorite ONE-DISH recipes that Taste DELICIOUS:

Take minimal prep work
Are all made in a single dish!
Make a complete balanced meal
Are easy to clean up

I handpicked these recipes to fit almost every type of diet, including vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free … all you have to do is choose the ingredients based on your tastes and preferences!

The post Red Russian Borsch! A secret Why It Turns Out Delicious! first appeared on Ditch The Diet Studio.

The post Red Russian Borsch! A secret Why It Turns Out Delicious! appeared first on Ditch The Diet Studio.

Rotisserie Chicken/Bone Broth Recipe

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 20:02:09 +0000

I’ve got a double-duty recipe for you today that’ll make you feel so organized you will blow your own mind!

And it only takes ONE POT – your slow cooker or my preferred way of cooking these days, IP or instant pot – and has the potential to save you serious $$$ if you ever use bone broth. I am a big believer in collagen and bone broth is a perfect solution.

First: roast a chicken in the crockpot/IP and then

Second: make healthy homemade bone broth in the same crockpot!

This roasted chicken is moist and succulent and makes a DELICIOUS meal – plus you’ll have a lot of leftovers!

I’m including a basic recipe but you can get fancy with it if you want – instead of using foil, make a base of chopped potatoes and carrots.

Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Rotisserie Chicken

(makes about 8-10 servings)

5 lb (2.5 kg) whole chicken

2 tbsp Rotisserie Chicken seasoning

Make a “snake” or coil out of about 2 feet (65 cm) of aluminum foil – this will be used as a baking rack to keep the chicken elevated from the bottom of the slow cooker. If you are using instant pot, it comes with a rack already to elevate meat from the liquid, which is a must in instant pot.

Rinse the chicken, trim away excess skin, and remove the giblets from inside the chicken (place the giblets in the refrigerator for use when making the bone broth). Place chicken on the foil inside the slow cooker breast side up and tie the legs together with kitchen twine if desired or on the rack of instant pot. Sprinkle with seasoning.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 5-6 hours on low until cooked through. It’s done when an instant-read thermometer stuck into the breast measures 165ºF (75ºC). When making chicken in instant pot, use your manual, how many minutes per pound of chicken.

To crisp the chicken skin: Preheat your broiler and place chicken on a baking sheet.

Place in the oven about 10 inches from the broiler, broiling for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp.

Carve the chicken to serve with your favorite vegetables, reserving the bones/carcass.

Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Bone Broth

NOTE: You can also make this using beef and turkey bones or fish bones, or a combination.

Chicken carcass, meat removed.
Giblets
4-5 carrots, roughly chopped
4-5 celery stocks (with leaves) roughly chopped
4-5 peeled garlic cloves
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (a must)
8 cups (1.8 ml) water
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp dried parsley and thyme

Put the bones, giblets, and chopped vegetables in the bottom of your 6-quart slow cooker/instant pot. Add the apple cider vinegar and water, plus the bay leaf, salt, and spices.

Cover the cooker and cook on low 12-18 hours or follow the manual of instant pot for time. Remove the bones and veggies from the crockpot and pour the remaining stock through a strainer, into a large bowl.

This broth can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for several months.

You can use this as a soup stock, a healthy warming drink, or a replacement for store-bought chicken broth in any recipes.

Are you going to give these a try? It’s surprising how simple these recipes are to make!

If you need more healthy strategies, I can help!

Sign up for a goal-setting (weight loss, hormone balance, fitness) session (under FREE Body Composition & Diet Analysis) HERE.

Make it a healthy day!

Lilia, Nutritionist Fitness Coach

The post Rotisserie Chicken/Bone Broth Recipe first appeared on Ditch The Diet Studio.

The post Rotisserie Chicken/Bone Broth Recipe appeared first on Ditch The Diet Studio.

Soup Starter Kits! You need this…

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 17:16:53 +0000

With the end of the year and all these busy times ahead of us, I want to focus on quick & easy meal tips this month! I’ve got a great timesaver for you today. It will help with dinner in a BIG way.

Have you ever made a soup starter kit?

These handy food-prep bags make getting dinner ready SO fast because you do all the prep work ahead of time. Remember, planning and preparing is the key to a healthy lifestyle.

When it’s time to cook, you simply pull your bag out of the freezer, throw the ingredients into a soup pot, instant pot (love mine) or slow cooker, add the other ingredients (liquid, protein, seasoning) and you’re on your way to a healthy and delicious meal.

How to make a soup starter kit:

Materials: freezer bags, label, permanent marker

Ingredients – 1 pound (500 g) of veggies for each soup kit

For the soup base: Carrots, onion, celery. Optional “extra” veggies: Bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini, sweet potato, corn, leeks, cabbage, red beets.

To make your kit, chop the veggies. For best results, blanch them by dropping them into boiling water for 4-5 minutes and then placing them in ice water so they can quickly cool. Dry thoroughly, then place in the freezer bag, removing all the air before sealing.

Label your bag with contents and date.

When it’s time to cook, simply put them in the slow cooker with:

1 lb (500 g) – turkey, beef, chicken
(Plant-based option: Add canned beans and rice/quinoa about 2-3 hours before it’s time to eat)
Large can of chopped tomatoes
1 pack (950 ml) broth
1-2 tsp of your fave spices & seasonings – thyme, marjoram, a bay leaf, etc.

And let simmer on low for 4-6 hours or use Instant Pot (use the manual for time).

Over time you’ll come up with your favorite variations. You really can’t go wrong!

If you are looking for more ways to create a healthier lifestyle including getting fit and losing extra pounds, schedule your FREE consultation with me to chat how can I help you. Schedule your consultation HERE.

Have a healthy day,

Lilia, Nutritionist & Fitness Coach for women over 40

The post Soup Starter Kits! You need this… first appeared on Ditch The Diet Studio.

The post Soup Starter Kits! You need this… appeared first on Ditch The Diet Studio.