Slow Cooker Veggie Lentil Soup
My first ever lentil soup.  I thought it was delicious but heavy on the thyme.  Mom said it was perfect.  
 
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, peeled, sliced and halved
1 medium carrot, peeled, sliced and halved
1 large stalk celery, sliced
1/4 medium red onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

1 (32oz) container Trader Joes Hearty Vegetable Broth

2 qt slow cooker

Place first 10 ingredients into your slow cooker.  Pour broth on top of ingredients until almost full (you should still be able to stir without making a mess).  Cover and cook on high 4 - 6 hours, or until vegetables and lentils are tender. 

Enjoy!

Red Onion & Pear Gratin
Adapted from Eating Well

1 small red onion, cut into wedges
2 ripe Bosc pears, cored and sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs
2 heaping Tbs Nutritional Yeast

Fill a large bowl three-quarters full with water; add a handful of ice cubes. Cut onion into wedges, place in a strainer and lower into the water. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Halve and core each pear; cut each half into equal slices. Drain the onion wedges well and place in bowl.  Add pears to the bowl along with 1/2 tablespoon oil, thyme, salt and a grinding of pepper; toss to combine. Pour into an 8 x 8 baking dish, cover with foil, and roast for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast in a small bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil; stir to combine. Remove the baking dish from the oven, sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the pear onion mix, and return the dish to the oven and roast until the breadcrumbs are well browned (approx 20 more minutes).  Remove the dish from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach & Grape Salad w/ Spicy Sweet Mustard Dressing
Adapted from Addicted to Veggies 

For the salad:
3 cups Baby Spinach, not packed
1 cup mix of red & green grapes, sliced in half
1/4 chunk small red onion, chopped small
1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered

For the dressing:
2 tsp mustard of choice
2 tsp fat free nayonnaise
1 tsp raw local honey
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Water, optional, till desired consistency is reached

Place salad ingredients in a bowl and toss to mix.  Mix dressing ingredients in a small glass and pour over salad ingredients.  Mix until well combine.  Enjoy! 

Zucchini, Onion, & One Pepper Stew
This recipe is the result of needing to use up a few vegetables that I found in the back of the fridge.   That said, the following measurements are all estimates as I just threw a bunch stuff into the crock and ultimately hoped for the best.  It came out amazing, thus me posting it.

1 Tbs olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped small
1/2 large onion, chopped small
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ground McCormick Italian Herb Blend
Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste
Fresh Ground Salt, to taste

1 Heaping Tbs Tomato Paste + enough water to make a saucy pourable consistency

2 qt slow cooker

Place first 9 ingredients into your slow cooker.  Mix tomatoe paste with water and pour into the slow cooker.  Stir to combine, adding more paste + water if needed.  Cover and cook on low 4 hours (or on high 2 hours) until vegetables are tender. 

Enjoy!