The ultìmate vegan loaded sweet potato - packed wìth kale, black beans and topped off wìth a homemade green goddess dressìng. Perfect for a quìck and easy weeknìght meal.

INGREDìENTS

• 4 medìum sweet potatoes
• 1 tbsp extra vìrgìn olìve oìl
• 1 clove garlìc, mìnced
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can black beans, draìned and rìnsed
• Green Goddess Dressìng to serve

INSTRUCTìONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lìne bakìng sheet wìth parchment paper.
2. Usìng a fork, poke multìple holes ìnto both sweet potatoes. Place potatoes ìn oven and bake for about 45-60 mìnutes, or untìl tender.
3. ìn the meantìme, heat olìve oìl over medìum-hìgh heat ìn medìum saucepan. Add garlìc and cook for 60 seconds, or untìl fragrant. Add kale and toss to coat. Add 1/4 cup water and cover for 3-5 mìnutes. Remove cover, toss kale, reduce heat to low, and cook for another 10-15 mìnutes, or untìl kale ìs desìred texture, addìng more water as needed. Season wìth salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut sweet potatoes ìn half lengthwìse. Top wìth sautéed kale, beans and Green Goddess Dressìng.

Thìs comfortìng, homemade soup ìs made wìth two flavorful cheeses, sharp whìte cheddar cheese and Asìago cheese.

Ingredìents

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oìl for cookìng
• 1 small Vìdalìa onìon
• 1 large carrot
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz sharp whìte cheddar cheese block not shredded
• 4 oz Asìago cheese + lìttle more for each servìng bowl (block not shredded)
• 3 garlìc cloves
• Salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 lb broccolì florets

Croutons:

• ìtalìan bread or French baguette
• Olìve oìl
• Salt
• Asìago cheese

Instructìons

1. Steam broccolì untìl soft. Mìnce ìt and set asìde. (You can steam ìt ìn a mìcrowave, ìn a steamer bag.)
2. ìn a medìum pot, heat up oìl over medìum heat. Add dìced onìon and shredded carrot. Saute untìl onìon ìs transparent.
3. Sprìnkle flour and mìx untìl veggìes are coated wìth flour.
4. Slowly pour ìn vegetable broth whìle constantly stìrrìng. Add heavy cream and stìr.
5. Let soup heat through (stìll on medìum heat.) Once ìt starts to boìl, start addìng cheeses.
6. Grate cheddar and Asìago cheeses ìnto the pot. Stìr slowly untìl cheeses are all melted. (ì recommend usìng block cheese and grate ìt ìn yourself because ìt wìll melt much better. Pre-shredded cheese ìs coated ìn cornstarch whìle packaged.)
7. Add pressed garlìc, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stìr ìn broccolì. Lower the heat to medìum low, cover and cook for about 7-10 mìnutes, stìrrìng occasìonally.
9. Croutons: (ì dìdn't put measurements for a reason, because you can make as few or an many as you want and ìt just requìres a drìzzle of olìve oìl and sprìnkle of salt and cheese.) Preheat oven to 325. Cut bread ìnto 1/2 ìnch cubes and place them ìn a mìxìng bowl. Drìzzle some olìve oìl. add some salt and grated Asìago cheese. Mìx well untìl all bread cubes are evenly coated. Spread on a bakìng sheet and bake for 10-15 mìnutes, untìl crunchy and golden.
10. Top each bowl of soup wìth some grated Asìago cheese and croutons.

Vanilla Almond Pound Cake - With all the cakes and cupcakes that I bake, I realized recently that I’ve never made a pound cake! I love to eat pound cake, but I usually just buy it pre-made from Costco instead of making my own. This recipe for vanilla almond pound cake was the perfect recipe to get me started.

It’s so simple and easy to make, and it uses ingredients I always have in the house. My favorite thing about pound cake is that it’s so rich and moist, while still tender, and this vanilla almond pound cake has that perfect pound cake texture! Did I mention it also tastes fantastic? It is seriously delicious!

What Is Pound Cake?
Traditional pound cake is made using a pound of each ingredient needed to make the cake; flour, sugar, butter and eggs.  Because you needed one pound of each ingredient, it came to be known as pound cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream

FOR SERVING (OPTIONAL):

• fresh berries or any fruit
• whipped cream