I know, I know…you’re all thinking, “What’s The Opinioness doing posting a recipe on a Friday??”  But I wanted to share a recipe with all of you in honor of World Vegetarian Day!

October 1st isn’t only World Vegetarian Day, it also kicks off Vegetarian Awareness Month.  Cutting out meat just one day a week, like on Meat-Free Mondays, eliminates your meat consumption by 15% which can have a positive impact on your health and the environment. And if you don’t care about your health or Mother Earth (but The Opinioness hopes you do!), going meat free could win you $1,000.  Money AND vegetarianism…sign me up!

Onto the cooking…so this soup goes to show that you really can whip up a tasty meal on the fly.  I was standing in my kitchen, famished, with no clue what I was going to eat.  Believe me, it happens way more often than you think!  I grabbed some of my fave ingredients that I had lying around, still not entirely sure what I would cook.  Then I thought, maybe I’ll prepare a pasta dish.  But these ingredients tasted so good on their own as I was sauteing them, that I transformed this into a soup.  Sometimes the simplest recipes are truly the best.  You don’t need store-bought canned soup loaded with sodium and preservatives.  You can prepare a warm, delicious soup in minutes…no, really!

Don’t feel like cooking, then check out my favorite veg restaurants.  So whether you’re a vegetarian, a vegan or a meat-eater, embrace your inner veggie lover today.

Quick & Easy Tomato Veggie Soup

2 large cans (1 lb, 12 oz each) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup baby bella mushrooms
1 large handful of baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup (or 1 small can) black olives, diced
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet for a few seconds on medium to high heat.  Add mushrooms, sauteing for approximately 5 minutes.

Add 1 full can of tomatoes with juice and then add just the juice of the 2nd can of tomatoes.  Add garlic powder.  Lower heat to medium and stir frequently.

After a few minutes, add olives and spinach.  Continue sauteing until mushrooms start to soften and turn golden brown.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2

Bon appetit!