Minestrone Soup
Lemony Kale Salad
Crisp Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts
Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Minestrone Soup - link to my favorite recipe here!

To cut down on cooking time, I used canned beans (1 can chickpeas and 1 can cannelinni), which is discussed at the link. I added small diced Delicata squash along with the fennel and beans and stirred in spinach at the end. I used stokes purple potatoes instead of yellow potatoes and did not add any pasta.


Lemony Kale Salad from Cook With What You Have
Serves 2 - 4

1 bunch kale, dinosaur kale is my favorite but any kind will work
Zest of half a lemon
2/3 cup bread crumbs, fine, coarse, whatever you have

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with the side of chef’s knife with some salt into a paste or put through a garlic press
Juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons (start with a little less and increase as needed, see headnote)
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Remove the ribs from the kale unless the ribs/stems are very tender. I do this by holding the stem end and then pinching and pulling the leaves down the stem.

2. Stack the kale leaves and cut them crosswise into very thin strips with a sharp knife. Put them in a serving bowl and add the lemon zest.

3. Shake the dressing ingredients together in a jar or whisk together in a small bowl and pour 3/4 of it over the kale and mix well. Let sit for a few minutes or up to an hour.

4. Put 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat and add the bread crumbs and a pinch or two of salt
(and more garlic if you wish). Toast, stirring often until toasty smelling, a shade darker and crispy. (You can also add minced garlic to the skillet if you like.) Add to salad and toss again. Taste and adjust with more dressing, as needed.

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Did you know that consuming dark chocolate is linked to better brain function and improved memory? For best results, stick with a 1-ounce serving of dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao content or raw cacao.

Or try this quick, easy, and decadent recipe. It’ll surprise you that it has health benefits! Avocados and dark chocolate have high amounts of magnesium which reduce inflammation and metabolize cortisol which relaxes the body and mind. Other magnesium rich foods are bananas, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, spinach. Make it your own, for example, by mixing in cinnamon. Or cayenne pepper if you like it spicy or a sprinkle of toasted unsweetened coconut flakes on top.

Serves 6

2 medium avocados
½ cup cacao or cocoa powder
¼ cup pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
cacao nibs + flaked sea salt for garnish, optional

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the cacao nibs and flaked salt in a food processor and puree until smooth. Refrigerate to cool.

2. Divide evenly among serving dishes and top with a sprinkle of cacao nibs and flaked sea salt, if using.

3.  Keeps for up to 1 week refrigerated in an airtight container