Vegetable Chicken Soup with Orzo

Are you getting sick of pumpkin yet?

I've got a veggie soup that will fix that. Starring the lovely whole grain kamut in the form of orzo pasta.

Heads up! We're going savory today.

With the influx of fall and colder weather all I would like to do is hunker down and eat hot soup.

Like this one. 

It's seriously becoming one of my favourite soups. Whenever I make it I'm always sure to make enough for lunch leftovers the next day. I have never tried orzo before until I made this. It's shape is similar to rice but it's texture is very tender and soft.

The parmesan cheese may seem like a strange addition to vegetable soup, but believe me it's a match made in heaven. The older the parmesan cheese, the better. It will have less fat and even more flavour. It's also high in calcium. But whatever you do don't buy that pre-grated stuff. It's just not fresh.

I highly recommend you get a really nice rye or pumpernickel loaf of bread to go with this on the side. Perfect for swiping the bowl with!

Vegetable Chicken Soup with Orzo (serves 4-6) adapted from Chicken & Vegetable Soup

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Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup brussels sprouts, cut into halves
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1-2 whole sprigs of thyme
• 1 (14 oz) can no-salt added tomatoes
• 4 cups of no-salt added, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry (uncooked) kamut orzo
• 1 cup green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup grilled chicken, shredded
• Grated Parmesan cheese for topping (about a tablespoon per bowl)

Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat heat the olive oil. Swirl to coat the pan.
2. Add onion, carrot, brussels sprouts, garlic, black pepper and sea salt. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring every so often until the onions are translucent. 
3. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a low rolling boil. Then add the orzo and green beans; cook 3-5 minutes more. Stir in the shredded chicken.
4. Taste and add more salt/pepper if needed.
5. Serve hot and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Pear and Squash Salad with Clean Balsamic Vinaigrette

Looking to add some kick to your lunch or dinner? This salad will certainly do the trick. I love eating salads for lunch, often with a sprinkle of lemon juice and black pepper, but sometimes the same old same-old gets boring. So what do you do? Kick it up a notch with seasonal produce and homemade clean eating salad dressing. By adding other dimensions using fresh natural ingredients you can make an out of this world salad or meal and still keep things healthy... Keeping YOU clean, lean and full of energy.

So where do you start? How about lettuce? The other day when I was putting this salad together I thought instead of the boring old romain or mixed greens, why not try something different; Boston Lettuce! It's always been one of my favourites. Also know as Bibb lettuce, it's crispy, tender and has such a buttery soft texture. It's also vividly green. Remember the more colours you eat the more nutrition you get. So let's keep that rainbow coming.

Next up seasonal bartlett pears and roasted delicata squash. Seriously, this squash is the bomb! It's shaped similarly to a sweet potato and you can eat the skin. It's yellow in colour and has green stripes. If you have never tried this type of squash before then you're in for a real treat. To roast, first wash then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Place each half cut side down and make slices of half moon shapes. Toss with some olive oil, sea salt & pepper and roast at 425*F on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until tender.

Here is the nutritional profile for 1/2 cup of delicata squash:

And the other stars of this show are toasted omega 3 rich pumpkin seeds and my very own maple balsamic vinaigrette.

Pear and Squash Salad with Clean Balsamic Vinaigrette
(serves 2-4)

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Ingredients:

For the Squash:

• 1 medium delicata squash
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt & pepper to taste

 For the Salad:

• 1 head of boston lettuce, washed
• 1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 large bartlett pear, sliced very thinly
• 1/2 cup snow peas, trimmed and halved
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 small chopped green bell pepper
• 3 tbsp dried cranberries
• 4 tbsp maple balsamic vinaigrette (recipe here!!!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut squash in half, de-seed and slice each half into half moon pieces. Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast on a baking sheet for 30 minutes until tender, turning half way through roasting.
3. In a large bowl toss the lettuce, cucumber, snow peas, bell pepper, dried cranberries and vinaigrette together. Portion between plates and top with roasted squash, sliced pear, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!