Did you know I was once vegan for 7 months?

It’s true. 7 months with no meat, dairy or eggs.

It started after what was supposed to be a very romantic getaway to Napa with Shawn in December 2011. After eating more than my fair share of cheese with all the wine we tasted, I was not feeling well for days after. I convinced myself that I must have an issue with dairy. This definitely had may have had something to do with having watched Forks Over Knives and Food Inc. documentaries a few days earlier. Either way, I decided to give up all animal products and was vegan from the January until July.

And like the good fiance he was, Shawn went vegan with me. Our entire diet was fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Our weekly grocery bill was cut by 2/3 and better yet we even lost a few pounds. We both felt amazing.

But…

I sure did miss pizza with cheese. Real cheese. Vegan cheese never cut it for me. And eggs cooked over easy with sourdough toast and avocado. And more than anything, I really missed deli sandwiches. Eating out was tricky too.

So when we went on a camping trip that July, the idea of chopping veggies and cooking brown rice on our Coleman stove sounded like too much of a pain. Turkey burgers it was!

I slowly started incorporating in all foods again, and now we’re in a happy medium where we still have vegan meals from time to time, along with eating dairy and lean proteins. Everything in moderation is what works best for us now.

This vegan potato, cannellini bean and kale soup is one of my favorite recipes I created during our vegan months. It is so full of flavor, and the white beans give it a meaty texture and chew. You’ll forget there isn’t any meat.

What really makes this soup is the garlic rosemary crostini’s. You slice up a sourdough baguette and top them with a flavorful garlic, rosemary and olive oil mixture then toast them up in the oven. Their crispiness and sourness makes this soup irresistible.

After weekends full of holiday parties, sugary cocktails & cookies galore, I love to reboot with this clean eating soup. After eating it you’ll feel like a whole new person.