Weight Loss Recipes Sweet and Smoky Roasted Pumpkin Soup

• Start to Finish: Less than 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 6 cups cubed pumpkin
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground ancho chili pepper
• 1 dash freshly ground black pepper
• 1 dash salt
• 6 toasted pecans, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place pumpkin, onion, and garlic in a large metal bowl. In a small bowl, mix butter, olive oil, and maple syrup. Pour mixture over pumpkin cubes and mix well. Place pumpkin flat on a baking pan, using a plastic spatula to ensure all liquid transfers from the bowl to the pan. Tear bay leaves into 4 pieces each and place between pumpkin cubes. Roast for 30 minutes until pumpkin cubes are softened.

3. Pour cold chicken broth into a blender and add cooked pumpkin, again using a plastic spatula to ensure all liquid is transferred. Blend to desired consistency.

4. Transfer soup to a pot on the stove and heat to a simmer over low heat. Stir in chili pepper, and pepper and salt to taste. When thickened to desired texture, serve topped with pecans, if desired.

Recipe provided by Season with Spice

By Ellen Thompson

Source: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/10-satisfying-soups-weight-loss/sweet-and-smoky-roasted-pumpkin-soup

Favorite Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes Sweet Potato Casserole Creamy Mashed Potatoes Cornbread Stuffing Brussels Sprouts Green Beans And More!

Everyone loves this simple sweet potato casserole recipe!

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Old Favorites
Theres something about Thanksgiving that makes you crave old favorites. Today Im going to take you back to some of the most popular vegan Thanksgiving recipes that Ive posted over the past 3 years. Just hit the links to get to the complete recipes. For those of you who are preparing turkeys and are having a mixed crowd of meat eaters, vegetarian and vegans, youll please the most people if all of your delicious side dishes are vegan. And I guarantee you, no one will notice the difference!


Potatoes
Ive often asked myself how Thanksgiving became the "celebration of starch" with so many forms of potato dishes in addition to a bread stuffing. That said, I would never omit a single one!
Lets start with my absolute favorite, Sweet Potato Casserole. I assure you, everyone will love this dish! It has no added sugar because baked sweet potatoes are naturally sweet!  Although the recipe calls for baking the sweet potatoes or yams, feel free to peel and steam them if that saves you time. However, I do think baking them in their skins makes them a bit sweeter.

Combine mashed sweet potatoes, crushed pineapple, Earth Balance, cinnamon and salt. Top with chopped pecans.

The next thing Im serving is this year is Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy. Soft, silken tofu replaces the heavy cream in this light, low fat, mashed potato recipe. 

This low fat version of creamy mashed potatoes only has 109 calories per serving and just a few grams of fat!

Stuffing
Ive always favored cornbread for my stuffing. Heres a simple recipe for vegan cornbread and a Cornbread Stuffing Recipe that has a secret ingredient! You can start with store bought cornbread or cornbread stuffing cubes to save time.

Make the cornbread a few days early so the cut cubes have time to dry out

Shredded sweet potatoes add a sweet touch to this stuffing!

Now for the Veggies
Brussels sprouts are my all time favorite holiday veggie but I alway make green beans too for those who dont share my enthusiasm for the petite cabbage.
For a spicy, roasted vegetable, try my recently posted Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes. Another way to make them that is very simple and delicious and gives them a creamy texture is Brussels Sprouts with Garlic. For a light and festive salad, you can make Raw Vegan Brussels Sprouts with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette and Cranberries.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Crushed Red Chili Flakes.
By steaming before roasting, you can use less oil.

Brussels Sprouts with Garlic.
These garlicky Brussels sprouts have a creamy texture.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette and Cranberries.
This colorful raw salad is light and festive.

Growing up in an Italian home, our green beans were always tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, fresh garlic and some seasonings. Ive been making them that way every since! Heres a simple recipe for Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

Dried dill tastes just as good as fresh in this Green Bean recipe so dont worry if you cant find fresh dill at this time of year

Though not a Thanksgiving classic, this cauliflower recipe is very elegant and it slices well for individual servings. If your guests are cauliflower fans, try this Lemon Tahini Encrusted Baked Cauliflower.

This elegant cauliflower dish slices beautifully 

Hope you enjoy these classic Thanksgiving recipes!

The Fast Metabolism Diet Phase 3 Recipes Turkey Zucchini Meatballs

Try this recipe as your tasty way to sneak in some veggies during your fast metabolism diet Phase 3.

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg

1 cup zucchini, shredded and squeeze out any excess water

1/3 cup sprouted-grain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

3 ground onions, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with hands until combined.
3. Form into your desired sized meatballs and put it on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake and wait for about 15-20 minutes depending on size of meatballs.
4. There you got it! You may also serve it with tomato sauce with no sugar added. Enjoy!