Spiralized Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients 

• 3 quarts low sodium chicken broth
• 1-2 carrots depending on size
• 1 turnip
• 1 parsnip 
• Brussel sprouts (thinly sliced)
• Bacon 
• Red onion 
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Bay leaf 
• Rotisserie chicken (optional)

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a soup pot, drain on a paper towel 
2. Discard all or most of the bacon grease. If discarding all the bacon grease, add olive oil instead
3. Cook the onion, add in garlic for a minute 
4. Add the bacon, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, and broth 
5. Bring soup to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes
6. Add in the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes 
7. Remove from heat for 5 minutes
8. Serve

Basil Pesto Baked Tofu

This is an interesting one because it is so versatile! Its lunch, dinner, snack, and even a salad topping. Today I ate it simply as you see above with a side of veggies. But in the past I've thrown it into veggie stir fry bowls, rice bowls, salads, curries, pad thai, ramen, salads, the list goes on.

Tofu is a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless. I love pesto, so that's what I did today. I bought a huge pack from Costco, so I'll play with it some more and see what I come up with!

Ingredients

• Firm tofu
• Basil Pesto Sauce

For the Basil Pesto Sauce

• Fresh Basil, from your basil plants if you're a boss
• Garlic, whole or chopped
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese
• Pine Nuts/Almonds/Hemp Seeds (whatever is on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Drain the water from the tofu
4. Horizontally slice into 3 thinner layers
5. Set aside the amount of tofu that you need for today, and refrigerate the remaining tofu in a container with water.
6. Cut your tofu into 3 equal rectangles
7. Salt the tofu if desired and sandwich the tofu between two paper towels. Place a heavy can, or any other item you have on hand on top. This will help dry the tofu a little
8. Spread a small amount of pesto on each side of the tofu
9. Bake for 15 minutes on each side, possibly a little more depending on desired crispiness
   Note: The bottom side of the tofu will be browning, not the top.