Tag Archives: soup

Spicy Veggie Tortilla Soup

26 Mar

(This post is from a week ago. I apologize for the time warp but hope you enjoy it anyway.)

I had a delightful kitchen victory on a very sleepy Sunday night. When I say “very sleepy,” I mean running on four hours of sleep for no good reason at all. I was sick on Friday and half of Saturday with a migraine, so as soon as I felt better, I decided to take advantage of it. The mister and I stayed up late playing games and having a ton of fun on a dreary, drizzly day. I rolled into bed at 3:30, an unheard-of hour for me. 7:30 struck the next morning, and I was wide awake with no chance of going back to sleep. My internal clock needs to be bashed over the head.

Anyway, I was unable to go back to sleep but still barely functional all day (thanks also to some nasty cramps, TMI), and yet I managed to meal plan, grocery shop, cook soup, and tidy the kitchen afterward. Victory!

I have been thinking about making tortilla soup for about a month now, and the time finally came. After looking at several different vegetarian versions, I based my final one on this recipe from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen. I tweaked the ingredients quite a bit, but the method is still mostly Susan’s. Here’s my version of:

Spicy Veggie Tortilla Soup

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
  • 1 15-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes (mine had added green chiles, too)
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, chopped (seeds removed if you want less heat)
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 cups beans (I used two cans of a medley of red kidney, pinto, and black beans)
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh corn (optional)
  • 6 corn tortillas
  • 2 limes, cut into quarters
  • A bunch of Swiss chard, scrubbed and chopped
  • Black pepper (to taste)

Spray a large soup pot with cooking spray and set over medium heat. When warm, add the onions and salt, cooking until softened. When the onions are nearly done, add the garlic and cook about two more minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the diced tomatoes into a bowl and add the jalapeno or serrano, chipotle (if using), oregano, and chili powder into a bowl and combine well with an immersion blender. (If you don’t have one, you can use a regular blender.)

When the onions and garlic are cooked, add them to the bowl (or the blender) and combine. Return everything to the pot and cook over medium heat until the tomato mixture thickens slightly, stirring often. Now add the broth, water, beans, and corn (if using) and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer, allowing the flavors to marry.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375° F. Cut the corn tortillas in half and then slice into 1/4″ strips. Spray a baking sheet with oil, scatter the tortilla strips, and then spray the tops with oil. Sprinkle a little salt over the top. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, stirring once every five minutes, until they get crisp but not browned. Set aside.

When soup is done, serve topped with black pepper, a squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkling of tortilla strips.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

The soup tastes even better the next day! Just store your tortilla strips separately and add them to each serving.

Once again, I prepared this soup in my Le Creuset, much to the mister’s chagrin. It weighs a ton, and he’s the official dishwasher. Sorry, baby, but it’s love. It tastes equally good in a bowl and in a mug.


Lunching out

30 Jan

I apologize for my brief hiatus, but basking in the glow of my new engagement was something I couldn’t pass up. We’re actually getting married in 26 days, so this period will be very short-lived. I’ll be a married lady before I know it!

Anyway, I do have some foodie pics to share.

I was naughty last week and didn’t cook a single lunch for myself. So much for saving money!

On Monday, it was Rainbow for a juice (apple-cucumber-ginger), lentil vegetable soup, and a small salad (lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, beats, red bell pepper, sunflower seeds, and Follow Your Heart Vegan Lemon Herb dressing.

Wednesday brought me a delicious Yo Amigo Taco Salad from Native Foods Cafe: “A blend of romaine, cabbage, Native Taco Meat, and salsa fresca. Topped with corn, green onion, cilantro, and tortilla chip croutons. Served with our original creamy chipotle dressing on the side.” I added avocado for a buck. This salad was huge and heavenly and took me almost an hour to eat. Normally I consume my meals with the abandon of a ravenous wolf, but this salad was so dense and filling that I had to slow down. I couldn’t even eat all of it!

On Friday, I went back to my friend Rainbow for some hot-bar action. More than half a pound of roasted Brussels sprouts, tofu chili, and a Hansen’s root beer. I brought some fine aromatics into the office, fo’ sho’.

Um, yeah, Fatburger fat fries may have been dinner one migrained night.

There has been plenty of tea, too, with happy messages. So timely. :)

I was back to the kitchen this weekend, however, so I’ll have some homemade yummies and a recipe to share starting tomorrow.

Quinoa Mushroom Soup

12 Jan

I made soup. A lot of soup. I intended to end up with four servings, but the result was at least six. Maybe eight. It’s hard to tell, since I’ve only consumed three bowls, but I expect Mr. X will do away with the rest soon.

I had planned to make taco salad for my lunches and barley mushroom soup for dinners, but X decided he really wanted the salad, so I switched ‘em. Because I’m trying to save money on my grocery bill, I decided to use quinoa instead of barley because I already had some in the house. I also subbed green split peas for another type of bean to eliminate soaking and pre-cooking time. I also cooked the whole thing in my slow cooker, which was an excellent choice. The result was earthy and surprisingly filling. I will add a picture when my memory card stops misbehaving.

Quinoa Mushroom Soup

  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 3/4 cup green split peas, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 container shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 3 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 to a whole bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse what needs to be rinsed, and chop what needs to be chopped. Throw everything but the salt, pepper, and parsley into the slow cooker with five cups of water. Set it on high for about three hours, or until the split peas have softened. Add the parsley and reduce to low for as long as you like. I did about three hours. Add salt and pepper (and more thyme, if desired) to taste and serve.

Makes 100,000 6 servings.

The soup is warm, thick, comforting, and incredibly healthy. Notice that there is no fat at all. You could add tomato paste or other veggies, but I loved how basic and satisfying it was with just the thyme and delicate veggie flavors shining through. Feel free to make it on the stove. I would guess that you should simmer it for about an hour. Serve it and savor the homey, happy taste.

What a week and two recipes

10 Oct

WOW. The last week did not go the way I had planned. I envisioned a lovely week of cooking a variety of new vegan recipes and enjoying “fall” in LA. But things did not go that way. Instead, I was sick most of the week and, even worse, we got into a huge, nasty fight with one of our roommates, which almost saw us moving into the first vacant apartment we could find. Seriously. As a result, my mood was in Hades, and we cooked about three times total. Yeah, it was bad, and I feel puffy and broke. I kept sitting down to blog, but it just wasn’t going to happen. However, I am not abandoning Vegan MoFo, or this little blog at all – I promise!

Before everything went down, we made two recipes from the cookbook of the week. (Well, actually, I was cooking when the fight happened. Bad times.) Then, when we were feeling a little better, we made a third based on the book, too, which I’ll share soon. See? I did my homework – I just neglected to turn it in on time. Drop me a letter grade.

For the record, I used my shiny new LA Public Library card to pick up Myra Kornfeld’s The Voluptuous Vegan as this week’s selection. In all honesty, it was really hard to choose what I wanted to make from her book for three reasons: 1. all the recipes are higher in fat than I prefer, 2. many include unusual and/or expensive ingredients (kudzu and burdock are just not on my usual grocery lists), and 3. most contain too many steps and ingredients. I like a fancy meal as much as the next gal, but I’m pinching pennies these days, and I’m too starving by the time I get home to spend two hours over my cauldron.

Sidebar: wouldn’t it be bad-ass if I actually cooked over a cauldron?

Anyway, I’ll give a full review another day this week (no, really!) and get straight to the food. Our first meal involved a bastardized version of two recipes:

It was Kornfeld’s Butternut-Lemongrass Soup, made with her Southeast Asian Stock. I made a lot of changes to both recipes, so I’m sharing my versions with you.

Asian-Inspired Soup Stock

  • 1 onion, peeled and diced*
  • 1 leek, cleaned thoroughly and diced*
  • 2 celery stalks, diced*
  • 1 carrot, peeled (or scrubbed, if you’re lazy) and diced*
  • 1 small or 1/2 a large sweet potato, peeled and diced*
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
  • Zest from one lime, cut in long strips and lightly bruised
  • 1 shallot, peeled and diced*
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 8 cups of water

*Feel free to leave all these veggies pretty chunky. Since you’re making stock, they’ll be fished out at the end anyway, so size and shape aren’t very important.

Toss everything into a large stock pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Taste to test for flavor development. When done, drain out the chunks and store the stock in a large container with a tight lid. It makes about six cups when done.

Sorry for the lack of pics. It was a seriously bad day.

OK, four cups of that goodness went into our soup:

Butternut-LemongrassKabocha Lime Soup

  • 1 medium or large kabocha (or other) squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
  • About 1/4 cup diced leeks
  • 2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small or 1/2 a large sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 14-oz can low-fat coconut milk
  • 4 cups Asian-Inspired Soup Stock
  • Zest from one lime, cut in long strips and lightly bruised
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Juice of one lime

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Stab the squash with a knife or fork several times all around – I usually do about 6 stabbings. Bake it in the oven until it’s fork tender, about 45 minutes. Let it cool, then cut it in half, discard the seeds, and scoop the flesh into a bowl.

Heat the oil in a medium or large pot over a medium flame. Add the shallots and leeks and sauté for about five minutes, until they become soft. Add the garlic and stir for three additional minutes.

Add the squash, sweet potato, coconut milk, stock, lime zest, and ginger to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking, covered, for about 15 minutes. When the potato is softened, remove the lime zest. Now you have a choice: either do the less-weird thing and blend the soup in a regular blender or with an immersion blender, or, since the blender belongs to the roommate you may or may not have just called a naughty word I won’t write on this blog, use a potato masher to break down the sweet potato and squash directly in the soup pot. Add lime juice and black pepper to taste.

Eat. Enjoy. Makes 4 servings.

It was a tasty soup, which Mr. X liked more than I did, but I suspect blending it would taste a lot better – as would using lemongrass. I swear I saw it in every grocery store one week, and then last week, the shelves were bereft of it. Sad, no? I asked what the deal was, and one store representative told me they hadn’t received any due to the “weather change.” Hmm . . . it was 80° one day and 75° the next. Brrr? Anyway, the stock was quite good, and I plan to use some in our dinner tonight. I probably wouldn’t make the soup again, but I’m glad I experimented.

Stick it to me

24 Jun

I had acupuncture for the first time last Friday during the $25 special being run by Golden Cabinet Chinese Medicine. I had read lots of good things about acupuncture treatments helping migraines, plus the Fitnessista seems to adore it, so I swallowed hard and made an appointment. Needles and I are not exactly close friends. In fact, I would call us mortal enemies. I have twice fainted from being stuck (once getting my ears pierced at 21 — I’m a wild and crazy gal, clearly), and when I don’t actually lose consciousness, I flip out like a crack fiend going through withdrawals. Or something. Anyway, I don’t like being poked by metal things. My migraines have been so insane lately, though, that I’m pretty much willing to try anything.

And you know what? I didn’t die. Actually, I had an extremely positive experience. Curtis, the acupuncturist, was great to work with. He made me feel relaxed and took the whole thing slowly because of my phobia. Since all the needles were on my back or my left ear (for realsies), I couldn’t see them go in, so once I got used to the feeling (which isn’t really pain, but rather just an odd tingling-pressure-thing), I felt very comfortable. The whole day following, I was in an exceptional mood. Not that I’m a total cranky pants in general life, but I don’t tend to be all sunshine and rainbows on a typical day, so I really enjoyed the feeling. Did it cure my migraines? I actually got one the next day but haven’t had another since. Of course, a week isn’t really very long to judge that kind of thing, but six pain-free days in a row is a lot for me this time of year. I’ll talk more about that in another post.

I decided to experiment with some of Curtis’ food and lifestyle recommendations this week, just to see how they did me. Let’s start with breakfast:

Yes, that is miso soup. I read on his blog (and several others that discuss traditional Chinese medicine and diet) that soup is a great breakfast. I know miso is Japanese, not Chinese, but my goal was to incorporate these ideas into my own lifestyle. During the work week, I enjoyed a warming, soothing bowl of soup featuring the following: about a tablespoon or so of white miso, one cup of spinach, coconut rice, and as much sriracha as I felt like using. Coconut rice was ridiculously easy to make: bring one can of light coconut milk to boil in a pot, add 2/3 cup of brown rice, and cook until it’s tender. Done. I used a quarter of what resulted for each serving, and it was amazing, seriously. I think I’ll do the same thing again next week. I also had a cup of my favorite Choice Premium Japanese Green Tea and a banana.

Curtis also recommended a “blood nourishing” meal following the end of my most special lady time each month. His recommendation included beef, which obviously doesn’t fly in my kitchen, so I read up on some iron-loaded options and made yet another variation on X’s Spicy Portobello Chili. This time, I used black beans, black eyed peas, and lentils for the legumes, and I cooked it up in the crockpot. (Pre-cook the beans but not the lentils and then throw everything in for about 4 hours on high.) I served mine atop a baked potato coated in nutritional yeast:

Unfortunately for my sensitive stomach, I made the beans from scratch but only soaked them for four hours prior. Apparently, I need to stick with the overnight method, as the tummy-attacking enzymes need far longer than four hours to die off. It still tasted delicious, though, and didn’t bother the boy, but I could only eat the meal twice. On Wednesday, I stuck with my potato but topped it with another quickie peanut sauce:

This was unmeasured amounts of peanut butter, nutritional yeast, sriracha, Newman’s Own Lighten Up Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing, and ground ginger. It was surprisingly good and filling, though it doesn’t touch my favorite version. Look for another peanut sauce dish soon.

So what’s the verdict? I felt good replenishing my lost iron through the chili (when it wasn’t angering my stomach) and the spinach in my soup. I will try to stick to this idea in the future. I loved — loved loved loved — starting the day with miso soup instead of oatmeal or something carbier. It was a major winner. I am still dreaming up next week’s variation!

Have you ever eaten soup (or something else weird) for breakfast? Tell me about it!

Pro-Immunity Chickpea Noodle Soup

14 Jan

For the record, I don’t like the word chickpea. I like garbanzo bean. It has a much more whimsical sound, and it’s more literal. They are beans, not peas.

All the same, I couldn’t resist some light pun action in titling this soup.

It’s cold this week. I know this isn’t the Great Snowy North, but Oklahoma gets its share of inclement weather, especially ice. This week, we had ice’s less offensive, more powdery friend in the air. Of course, with highs not about the middle 30s Sunday through Wednesday, that seemingly innocuous visitor could have quickly turned nefarious.

All of this is to say that it’s cold, and weather changes give me allergy/sinus/cold/whatever problems, so I decided a nice pro-health soup was on the lunch menu. I based it lightly on the Chickpea Noodle Soup from the Happy Herbivore and very, very loosely on the Mellow Lentil “Sniffle” Soup from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. Here’s the result:

Brigid’s Pro-Immunity Chickpea Noodle Soup

  • 1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup plus 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 green onions, chopped, white and light green parts divided from dark green tops
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 large crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, rinsed, destemmed and chopped (about 1/2 cup total)
  • Cracked black pepper to taste
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 ounces soba noodles
  • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed, or 1 3/4 cup freshly cooked
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white or yellow miso

First, get everything cleaned, chopped, and ready to go.

Once all the veggies are  ready to go, heat 1/4 cup vegetable broth in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat. (My electric stove runs hot, so I always err on the side of low heat.) Once the broth is hot, add the carrots, celery, garlic, the white and light green parts of the green onions, and the thyme. Heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until everything is lightly softened.

Now add the mushrooms, the cracked black pepper, and another 1/4 cup of broth. Stir, and let cook until the mushrooms lightly soften.

Add the water and the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to reach a boil.

Once the soup is boiling, add the soba noodles. I broke mine in half, but I’d even recommend cutting them in thirds or quarters. Stir, then let the liquid return to a boil. My noodles took about 3 minutes, but refer to the cooking instructions on your package. When they are cooked to your preference, remove the pot from the heat.

Stir in the dark green part of the green onions, garbanzos and miso until everything is thoroughly combined. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your palette. I added more pepper and thyme at the end. Makes four large servings.

This soup does not taste like the condensed chicken noodle of my past, but it has the same comforting feel plus the added benefits of not being a fat, sodium, and chemical bomb. It’s also a rarity in my kitchen: a dish that is neither spicy nor dessert.

Of course, the top photo shows me enjoying it with some of my coworker’s homemade “Wicked Hot Sauce.” I just wanted a little extra oomph that day.

“Pro-immunity?” you say. “I scoff at you.”

I call this a pro-immunity soup because of a few things.

1. Garlic. In addition to making almost everything taste better, it’s been linked in studies to boosting the immune system, fighting off viruses, promoting wound healing, and preventing infection. It may even prevent cancer. I’ll take it! I actually could have added about twice as much of the stuff to this soup, but I’m trying to be a good friend and neighbor.

2. Carrots. The beta carotene in this beloved rabbit food boosts T cells and helps fight infection. Carrots also just belong in soup.

3. Miso. It’s touted to have many of the same health benefits of garlic (immunity-building, cancer-fighting, infection-beating). It’s also a much better way to add delicious salty flavor to foods than the white powdery stuff. It also contains B12, which vegans especially have trouble getting in a normal diet.

4. Mushrooms. More and more studies link shroomies with disease prevention, especially cancer. They also ward off infections, both viral and bacterial. And they are tasty.

5. Pepper. Yes, once again, studies link the spice to immune-system-boosting and all that good stuff. Plus, it’s delicious on any savory dish.

In addition to these claims, I amped up the nutrition by using soba noodles instead of whole-wheat. I actually prefer the texture of soba in soups, but they also have the added benefit of being gluten-free (as long as they are made with buckwheat only) and lower on the glycemic index. The garbanzo beans also add protein, texture, iron, and fiber.

If you eat one quarter of the recipe, you will take in 10 grams of protein, 48 grams of carbs (8 from fiber), 2 grams of fat, 690 mg of sodium, 17% of your daily iron, and 12% of your magnesium needs. Not too shabby for a tasty, comforting bowl of soup.

Suggestions:

  • I would go even heavier on the garlic and mushrooms, but then I’m like that.
  • Feel free to add other favorite veggies: regular onion, peas, spinach, zucchini, etc. I wouldn’t go with anything too sweet (butternut squash, corn), but pretty much anything else would be tasty. You can also use more celery. I’m just not a big fan of the stuff.
  • Before adding to the pot, dissolve the miso in a little bit of hot water or a bit of the broth from the soup. It was a little hard to combine when I added it with everything else. When I make quick miso soup, I usually dunk it in the bowl with a couple of tablespoons of hot water and whip with a fork. Otherwise, it can sink to the bottom in a big clump. I didn’t think of it this time, but I highly recommend it. Just don’t add it any earlier than I did. Miso’s flavor degrades when exposed to prolonged heat.

Getting to know Dreena

7 Jan

My Friday off started in a typical way:

Yep, oatmeal and coffee. I did the oats a little differently this time, though. I took a cue from SnackFace and added a mashed banana into the boiling water with the dry oats. I loved the flavor, but I should have used less water. I tend to like my oatmeal less watery, and it didn’t occur to me that the banana would add so much more moisture. I also tossed in a couple of chopped pecans, about a teaspoon and a half of maple syrup, and a healthy shake of cinnamon.

I plan to do a full post – maybe this weekend? – on all my great kitchen-related Christmas gifts, but for now I offer merely a preview.

My taller half’s mother gave me Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink and Be Vegan for the festivities. I’ve been interested in the book for a while, thanks largely to Caroline, who frequently makes and then sings the praises of Burton’s Cashew Ginger Tofu. I must try it for myself soon.

Because things have been crazy since November 30 (my first rehearsal), I’ve tackled two easy and fairly quick recipes from the book. The first (prepare for camera phone pictures):

Chipotle Lime Two-Bean Hummus.

I swear it looks better in person. Check out the link above.

I love hummus, which I don’t think is a secret here. I love creamy, garlicky, garbanzo hummus. I love thick, flavorful hummus made from other beans. However, making my own delicious spread has always eluded me. I have a food processor, but the texture and flavor were never both right at the same time. This recipe, however, is delicious. It doesn’t have the velvety texture I usually prefer, but the slightly chunkier/grainier feel works with the more intense flavors. I’ve had it with carrots and atop a baked sweet potato. Either way, it’s delicious and zesty.

The second:

Lemon Chickpea Lentil Soup.

This stuff is really, really delicious. I only made a half batch (with full spice measurements), and it was still plenty for three full lunches (as in I was too full to eat anything else with it those days). It’s very hearty, thanks to the garbanzos and the lentils, and it had a rich flavor. I went with the zucchini option rather than the tomato, though I think next time I’ll do half and half. I omitted the celery because, believe it or not, Reasor’s was out. This irked me, but it was nothing compared with the sad, black, horrible day when they were out of garlic. I shudder just remembering it. I also reduced the olive oil because I’ve been brainwashed by my friend the Vegan Epicurean. :) As you can see, I topped with hot sauce.

So far, Ms. Burton has a believer in me. I have a ton more of her recipes marked, so I hope to have more to report soon.

Sunday Prep Work: almonds, soup and boatmeal

29 Nov

Dear Chocolate Covered Katie,

You are a genius.

But more on that in a moment.

Sunday was a really bizarre day for me. I rose around 8:00, got clean and dressed, and my taller half and I headed to his car. We were going to church, you see. Somehow I managed to hit the left side of my head so hard on the car that I spent the next six hours feeling like total crap. I actually worried that maybe I’d given myself a head injury. In addition to the head pain, my stomach hurt, I felt lightheaded, and I was seeing poorly out of my left eye. Luckily, by mid-afternoon, it faded, but it was a little frightening for a while.

I did, however, manage to get in some exercise – finally – following my ankle injury. We walked a little more than two miles at a moderate pace, which really helped to stretch the stiff muscles. Then I lifted some weights following this Self video. I modified it by using eight-pounders and by only doing two sets. It felt great.

And now, let’s talk about food preparation. Between the hours of 8:30 and 9:45 p.m., I accomplished the following:

  • Made a half batch of almond milk.
  • Roasted up some Mexican Chocolate Almonds.
  • Simmered a pot of Basic Lentil Soup.
  • Prepped the ingredients for a morning of Pumpkin Boatmeal.

Let’s go in order, skipping the almond milk ‘cause it’s nothin’ you ain’t seen here before.

My Week #3 contest winner is on a particular diet, so I couldn’t send her any of my old standbys. So I decided to try something new. Thus Mexican Chocolate Almonds were born.

  • 1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted almonds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a lipped baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Rinse almonds in a colander to remove any residue. Put them in a medium bowl and top with oil, cocoa, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Mix well to combine. Roast on baking sheet for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.

These would be great with a touch of maple syrup added with the oil and spices, but that was on the no-no list.

Next up is my incredibly easy Basic Lentil Soup.

  • 1 cup red or brown lentils, rinsed
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
  • 4 cups of liquid (I used 2 of low-sodium veggie broth and 2 of water, but you can use any combination of the two you want)
  • 2 bay leaves

Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil.

Then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.

I accidentally overcooked mine slightly, so I added another cup of water at the very end to thin it out. I recommend just paying more attention. This soup is intentionally spice-less because I plan to doctor it up differently for dinner each night this week. I’ll share my variations with you.

And finally, I bring you the newest love of my life, Pumpkin Boatmeal ala Chocolate Covered Katie. Boatmeal is baked oatmeal, in case you aren’t a CCK reader (but, really, you should be!). I took her original recipe, quadrupled it to make enough for my whole work week, and then tweaked it slightly. Check out her post on making it for one. Here is my variation.

  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
  • 1 1/3 cups homemade almond milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly spray an 8×8” baking pan with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Pour into baking dish and cook for 20 minutes. Makes four servings.

I scooped out a fourth into a bowl and sprinkled a tiny amount of vegan sugar on top. The sugar was completely unnecessary. The hint of maple syrup plus the natural sweetness of the pumpkin are enough. Seriously, this is one of the most delicious breakfast foods I’ve ever, ever, ever eaten. It has the heartiness of stovetop oatmeal, but baking it takes the texture and spices to a whole new level. Seriously, you must try this dish! Here it is emanating heavenly light:

To prep the ingredients for this morning, I combined the oats, cinnamon and salt into a zip-top bag. I then mixed the vanilla, maple syrup, pumpkin, and almond milk in a bowl. I placed a small piece of plastic wrap on the surface to keep the pumpkin from getting a weird texture and then covered the whole thing in foil before refrigerating it.

This morning, I preheated the oven, sprayed the baking dish, and mixed the oat mixture into the pumpkin mixture. It took longer for the oven to heat than to do the prep work. The rest of the week, I will reheat a serving at a time in the microwave. I will report back on how well it kept.

Do you do cooking prep work on the weekends? I like devoted a little bit of Sunday to getting things out of the way. Whenever I have something home cooked for lunches during the week, it’s almost always something I whipped up on Sunday following The Amazing Race.

Weekly Contest #3 Results and Winner

22 Nov

Yep, it’s time again to talk about my most recent contest, so let’s get right to it.

As a reminder, the challenge was to make something raw – an uncooking challenge, if you will. I decided to make raw, taller-half-killing soup. The poor thing is allergic to avocados, so it was all for me. Darn. ;)

I looked at a few recipes from around the blog world and combined them to make Raw Avocado Salsa Soup.

All you do is combine in a blender:

  • Flesh from 1/2 an avocado
  • 4 cherry tomatoes
  • Juice from 1/4 to 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • About 1/2 a cup of homemade almond milk (start with 1/4 cup and add more to obtain desired consistency)
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro

Blend until smooth and creamy. I have to be honest: I didn’t love this soup. I think I made it too creamy. The flavor was good, but it just wasn’t my taste preferences. I would be willing to try raw soup again, but I need a different – maybe chunkier? – texture and flavor. It would have been a good salad dressing or dip.

And now, what did my readers come up with?

First is Little Momo, who submitted not one, but two entries. The first are Sunshine Bars, based on this recipe at Gone Raw.

Don’t they look gorgeous? She also shared Nanaimo Bars using an original recipe:

I had to Google the term. Basically, Nanaimo Bars are no-bake squares featuring layers of cookie, icing, and chocolate. Yum! Sign me up. Here is her recipe for our enjoyment:

Base
1 cups coconut, shredded
2 cups mixed nuts(I used pecans and cashews)
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup raisins
3 tbsps. cacao powder
coconut water

Middle
1 8oz. jar of Artisana Goji Bliss

Topping
1 cup coconut oil(warmed)
2 tbsps cacao powder
agave to taste(you want a bittersweet top since the rest is so sweet)

You will need:
large mixing bowl
food processor
one small baking pan(8×11)
saran wrap or wax paper
refrigerator

First, put your coconut oil in a bowl of warm water to thaw and set aside. Do this with the Goji Bliss aswell. Then, combine dates and raisins in your food processor and pulse until finely chopped, put aside in large mixing bowl. Process your nuts until fine and mix in with dates, raisins, now add the shredded coconut and cacao powder. Add a very small amount of coconut water and mix together until it is a sticky consistency(if you use soaked dates/rasisins, you will not need the coconut water). Line your pan with saran or wax paper, press in mixture evenly, set aside. Now pour the Goji Bliss over this mixture and press in to even out. Now, mix together the coconut oil, cacao powder, agave, a wee bit of coconut water (this will make the top layer more of a fudgy texture) for your topping and pour into pan. Set in fridge or freezer. Ready in 30 mins. Enjoy!!!

Once again, Kate of Fat Ass to Fit Ass, shared her lemon recipe, Raw Lemon Pudding:

She gets major props for being able to cut through an avocado pit.

Superwoman much? Like me, she embraced the avocado and lemon in her creation.

Edit to add: Vegan of the Great White North submitted her recipe on time, but it hightailed it to my spam folder. Darn it! Here is what she shared, however, Raw Vegan Cheezecake.

Ain’t it gorgeous? Head to her post to see all the progress pictures.

And the winner is . . . Little Momo! I liked the double effort, and her presentation on both is just gorgeous, but the Nanaimo Bars won me over all by themselves. I can’t get behind the consumption of raisins, but I can let that slide. ;) I will contact you about your prize, darlin’.

On cupcakes and amazing soup

7 Nov

Today my taller half and I ventured to Oklahoma City to attend The Girlie Show, a super kick-butt craft show full of talented ladies held every November. It’s a great opportunity to get started on holiday shopping, and it’s also a wonderful way to blow some of your holiday-shopping money on yourself.

Anyway, I don’t go to OKC terribly often because: 1. it’s an hour and a half away, 2. the toll costs $8 round trip, and 3. Tulsa is generally more awesome. Sorry friends, but it’s true. However, I do make it to Das Kapital several times a year, and it’s always a great opportunity to try out some tasty food. Today did not disappoint.

My first food encounter was the fine folks of culinary stop was a booth giving out free coffee samples from Elemental Coffee Roasters at The Girlie Show. I tried the Groove blend, which was light but still strong. I had about a shot-glass’s worth and was still bouncing off the walls. I should really never drink coffee twice in one day. All in all, it was a tasty brew, but I would have to try more blends before giving a real review. Also, I have no photos. No pictures, no write-up, I say.

Afterward, we ventured over to Saturn Grill in suburb Nichols Hills (which I didn’t realize until today even existed). Check out their interesting menu here. My cheese-loving half went with the Rustin Roman Pie:

It featured red sauce, roma tomato, red onion, fresh basil, mozzarella, goat cheese, and Kalamata olives. He was quite happy and ate every bite. I had a small nibble and gave it a thumbs up.

I veganized the Grilled Veggie Sandwich (held the mayo) and tried the daily soup, Pumpkin Ancho:

Oh my word. The sandwich was good — the veggies (zucchini, bell pepper, onion, portobello mushroom, plus spinach and tomato) were well grilled and full of flavor:

but the soup was one of the best soups I’ve ever had in my life. It had so much savory body and delectable spicy notes. It’s normally topped with sour cream and pecans, but I had them hold the dairy. I can’t imagine it would be better with it. I need to recreate the soup.

On the side were a trio of housemade pickles that I could sorta tolerate. That says a lot coming from me, an avowed pickle-hater. As I told the woman who worked there, they actually taste like a vegetable. My taller half loved the two pieces I didn’t touch.

Over all, I give it *** on the veggie-options scale and ***** on the tastiness scale. That soup inched it up an extra star. (See this post for more info on the scales.)

Saturn Grill has two locations, one at 6432 S. Avondale Dr. in Nichols Hills and another at 4401 W. Memorial in OKC.

———–

After lunch, we jetted a mere 0.7 miles up the road for cupcakes from Green Goodies by Tiffany — vegan cupcakes, in fact. A representative was there offering free samples at The Girlie Show, but none of the ones on offer were dairy-free. She told me, however, that vegan ones are available in the store every day, so I knew I wanted to drop by before we made the trek home.

It has an adorable exterior:

And an even cuter interior, but I didn’t take a photo. Silly Brigid. They offer a variety of flavors in organic, vegan/allergy-free, or diabetic-friendly and gluten-free. They do special orders, too. Pretty great, eh? Well, the proof is in the pudding cupcake.

Above is my taller half’s Salted Caramel (a vanilla cupcake with a caramel interior topped with buttercream frosting a caramel drizzle), and below is my vegan Green Hostess (a chocolate cupcake filled with vanilla buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache and a recognizable swirl). Here is what my love said about his:

The salted caramel cupcake rattled the walls and set fire to the floor!

I had a nibble and my goodness, it was incredible. Mine, however, was…also incredible! It tasted very much like a Hostess cupcake except instead of chemicals and beef fat, it was full of real-food flavor and a delicious dark-chocolate wallop. It was incredibly fluffy and moist, and the ganache was thick and chocolatey. The gal working today told me it’s their most popular flavor period. Check out the interior:

They can do any flavor in any of the preferred options (vegan, wheat-free, etc.) with advance notice. They also do cupcake towers for weddings and the like. If you’re in Oklahoma City, don’t miss out!

Over all, I give it ***** on the veggie-options scale and ***** on the tastiness scale. This is serious cupcake bidness. These are by far the best cupcakes — let alone vegan ones — I’ve had at a specialty shop.

Green Goodies by Tiffany is located at 7606 N. Western Ave. in Nichols Hills.

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 962 other followers