Luscious saffron, cardamom & pistachio cream layered over an almond crust! These gluten-free Kesar Pista bars secretly pack 7g protein. Perfect for Diwali or any other holiday meal! (soy-free, dairy-free, vegan)

Kesar means saffron, and pista means pistachio. These saffron pistachio bars are just so delicious. I just wasn’t ready for how decadent and luxurious they were going to turn out! They’re kind of like creamy lemon bars, but with nutty pistachio and floral saffron flavors in them. 

The saffron-pistachio combination is very popular in Indian desserts and also desserts from many other cuisines. These two flavors just work so amazingly well together, especially raw, fresh pistachios and floral saffron.

I’m using that today to make a fusion Indian dessert based on kesar burfi, kesar pista ladoo, or pedas, but I made them into these bars. We make this almond flour crust with some cardamom and then make the cream topping with cashews, coconut milk, saffron, and a little pistachio, and then top it with generous amounts of chopped pistachio. It all sets up and it becomes just amazing!

If you don’t have saffron, you can skip that flavor, and add extra cardamom, add a pinch of turmeric for color, and an extra splash of vanilla. That flavor profile pairs really well with the pistachios, as well.

Why You’ll Love Kesar Pista Bars

• rich, creamy, decadent bars with nutty pistachios and floral saffron and cardamom flavors
• quick almond flour crust
• easy to make with simple ingredients
• naturally gluten-free and soy-free with almond-free option

Continue reading: Kesar Pista Bars (Saffron Pistachio Cream Bars)

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This easy vegan cream of mushroom soup is rich, savory, and packed with mushroom flavor, plus 14g protein per serving! Made with simple ingredients and ready in just 30 minutes. Perfect with crusty bread for dipping! With a side of whole grain bread – 18g Protein. (gluten-free, soy-free with easy nut-free option)

This recipe was originally posted March 6, 2013. It has been updated with modified recipe, pictures and video.

This cream of mushroom soup is a recipe that my friend Somer McCowan shared on my site over 10 years ago. Somer passed away from cancer months ago, and I’ve been thinking about her a lot, which got me thinking about this soup .

I tweaked Somer’s recipe a little bit, reducing the cashews, and changed a couple of the steps in the cooking method to make it simpler. 

The original recipe called for adding all of the stock to the mushroom mixture and boiling it and then blending some of that soup, but it’s not as easy when you have to transfer boiling liquid into a blender. So instead, I’m blending part of the cooked onion and mushroom mixture with the cashews and adding that back into the pan, then adding the remaining stock. 

This is just such a simple and delicious soup! You can change up the flavors to preference, deepen the flavors by adding some miso, add some fresh herbs for additional flavor, and some pepper flakes for a little bit of heat, if you like. If you don’t have wine, you can use balsamic vinegar instead.

Somer was just an amazing person, and her recipes were always incredible. When I was dealing with health issues, she pitched in with this recipe to help keep my blog going. She was just an absolute superwoman. She wrote for Forks Over Knives, co-hosted the Virtual Vegan Potluck, and was just the sweetest, most beautiful, compassionate person.

Somer’s cream of mushroom soup recipe is simple, yet it’s so creamy and flavorful with herbs and plenty of umami! She said, “I’d like to think if I was able to go to Richa’s house and bring her some lunch, that I’d bring her a big bowl of this soup. Feel better soon, girl.”

Why You’ll Love Cream of Mushroom Soup

• delicious, creamy soup with amazing herb and mushroom flavor
• easy to make in 30 minutes with simple ingredients
• gluten-free and soy-free with nut-free and oil-free options

Continue reading: Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup

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Marry me white bean soup is a creamy, smoky soup with rich, Italian flavors. That tofu cashew hemp cream packs nutrition! (gluten-free with easy soy-free and nut-free options. 23g Protein, 13g fiber 7mg iron. 1-pot, 30 minutes. Freezer friendly and budget friendly!)

What if I told you that you could make an amazing, creamy, 1-pot soup that is also comforting and nutrient-dense? It is hearty, budget-friendly, easy, and packed with protein, fiber, and iron. It is also packed with amazing flavor and is ready within 30 minutes. It is also weeknight-friendly and uses mostly pantry staples. The whole pot only costs about $5 to $6 to make.

Marry me white bean soup is creamy, hearty, and nutrient-dense. There’s 23 grams protein, 13 grams fiber, 7 mg iron, and even more nutrients in a bowl of this marry me soup! There’s protein from the white beans, cashews, hemp seeds, tofu, and nutritional yeast, and fiber from the vegetables, greens, and white beans.

To make it more hearty, you can add red lentils to the soup while simmering in the stock. The lentils add even more protein and fiber! Or, you can double up on the white beans. 

The sun-dried tomato, smoked paprika, creamy texture, and garlicky flavors work really well with some pasta as well. You can also serve it with cheese toast or toasted sourdough, garlic bread, pita.

Why You’ll Love Marry Me White Bean Soup

• The flavor! We build the flavor by
  • 1. Toasting garlic and pepper flakes to infuse the oil
  • 2. Toasting the tomato paste and sun dried tomatoes to deepen the umami
  • 3. Using a combination of tofu hemp seeds and cashews for cream so that the cream has volume and hearty creamy flavor!
• 30-minute 1-pot meal, easy weeknight dinner using mostly pantry ingredients
• creamy, smoky, hearty soup with tons of Protein and Fiber in every bite
• Meal prep, freezer friendly.
• naturally gluten-free with easy soy-free and nut-free options

Continue reading: Marry Me White Bean Soup (23g Protein 1-Pot, 30 minutes)

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Creamy, garlicky pepper white beans with spinach, finished with an irresistible crispy chickpea crumble, is the high-protein pantry meal I make on repeat, because it doesn’t even taste like a pantry meal. (20g protein, 13g fiber, 8mg iron. Soy-free with gluten-free and nut-free options)

This creamy garlic pepper sauce with beans and kale or spinach is fantastic on its own. But then we level it up with this crispy chickpea breadcrumb topping, which adds texture, another pop of flavor, and more even protein and fiber. Think high protein croutons!

There is tons of protein in this recipe (80 grams in the entire pan) along with about 52 grams of fiber and 32 milligrams of iron. There is protein from the beans, chickpeas, cashews, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, and kale, along with loads of fiber from the beans, chickpeas, kale, and hemp seeds.

This is a nutrient-packed meal, and you can increase the protein and fiber even more, depending on what sides you serve it with. Serve it with a side of multigrain bread or a good sourdough to bump up the protein and fiber even more. It’s also rich in iron, folate, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins, and it comes together pretty quickly.

You can also serve it over pasta, baked potatoes, or roasted vegetables. Or make a quick bean toast by topping bread with the creamy beans and air frying for 6 to 7 minutes for a super quick and satisfying lunch. It smells so good as it’s cooking. It smells peppery, cheesy, and heavenly. 

The crispy chickpeas on top are so addictive! You can use that topping over any pasta or salad. The topping alone is a must-make.

This recipe uses two cans of beans. The whole can of white beans will simmer in the creamy garlic sauce, while you are dividing up a can of chickpeas. Some of the chickpeas get blended into the sauce to make it creamy, and the rest gets crisped up to make this amazing breadcrumb topping.

Why You’ll Love Pepper Beans

• super easy pantry meal that doesn’t taste like a pantry meal
• High protein and fiber
• crispy chickpea-breadcrumb topping, you’ll want on everything
• naturally soy-free with easy gluten-free and nut-free options

Continue reading: Creamy Garlic Pepper Beans with Crispy Chickpea Crumble

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