panera copy black bean soup

ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped small
1/2 bell pepper, chopped small
1 small carrot, diced small
1.5 tsp cumin
1 cup dry black beans, rinsed
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp salt (+ more to taste)
1/2 lemon juiced (2 tbsp)

instructions:
1. set instant pot to sautee on high.  fry the onions and garlic with a tbsp of olive oil or water (2-3 minutes).  add in the celery, red bell pepper, carrots, and cumin and cook for another 3 minutes.

2.  add in the dry black beans, vegetable broth, and salt.  give it one good mix.

3.  press cancel.  then set to manual on high for 30 minutes.  once the time is up, release the pressure manually.

4.  using a ladle with open holes, scoop out 1-1.5 cups of black beans.  add in the lemon juice and bland the rest of the soup using an immersion blender or in a blender. 

5.  pour the blended soup back into the instant pot and add in the reserved black beans  mix together, taste and add more salt or cumin to taste.  serve immediately.  garnish with cilantro, avocado, salsa and serve on its own or with some bread or rice.  

10 minute white bean parmesan spinach soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
6-8 cloves garlic minced
6 cups vegetable broth (stock)
15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp italian dried herbs
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4  15 oz cans white beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
4 cups baby spinach
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (for serving)
3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

instructions:
1.  in a large pot or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  add onion and garlic; cook until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant (about 2-3 minutes), while stirring occasionally.  add in the broth, tomatoes, sugar, italian herbs, salt and pepper.
2.  bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to combine all of the flavours together.
3.  stir in the beans and spinach.  continue to simmer gently until the spinach has wilted, (about 2 minutes).
4.  take off heat.  stir through the parmesan cheese.  taste test, adjust salt and pepper if needed.

serve immediately.

lentils and quinoa

ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups mushrooms
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 cup lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups water divided
1 tsp miso paste optional*
1/2 cup red quinoa or variety of choice, uncooked
4-5 cups fresh spinach
salt + pepper to taste
olive oil fresh herbs and grated cashews* to garnish

instructions:
heat the oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven or cast iron pot. 
add shallots and carrots and cook until the carrots have started to soften, about 3-4 minutes. 
add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are juicy and tender, another 5 minutes. 
add garlic, red pepper flakes and herbs.
stir around until the whole mixture becomes fragrant, about 1 minute.
pour in lentils, broth, 2 cups of water and miso (if using).
bring the mixture to a boil, recover and reduce to simmer for another 15 minutes. 
remove pot from heat, uncover and add spinach, gently stirring to combine.
taste and season with salt and pepper.

note:
the miso adds a great umami flavor, but you can just use sea salt if you don't have miso.  you can also totally use parmesan if you want.