Lotsa Veg Chowder

That's dill sprinkled on top of the soup. Extra bump of flavor. 

Here is a super easy and very quick soup for a week night meal; be sure to include something hearty like my basil-butter bread to round out the menu. I also made a simple onion and fresh tomato relish to serve on the toasty bread. Excellent. We ate every crumb and slurped every drip.

Lotsa Vegetable Chowder (from “Forks Over Knives” by Del Sroufe, pg 94)

Here’s what you need:

8 small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes

½ small onion, peeled and chopped

3 ears fresh corn, kernels removed, cobs reserved

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks of celery, chopped

½ C chopped red bell pepper

1 C chopped broccoli and cauliflower stalks – remove the fibrous outer parts

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 T fresh thyme or ½ T dried thyme or to taste

2 t ground cumin or to taste

3 T fresh dill or ½ T dried dill or to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s what you do:

Prepare all the veggies. Place the potatoes, onion, corn kernels, corn cobs, carrots, celery, red pepper, broccoli/cauliflower, garlic, thyme, cumin and 6 cups of water in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes or until all the veg is very soft.

Remove the corn cobs and use the back of a knife to scrape out the starchy corn bits still left in the cob. Discard the cobs and add the creamy corn starch back to the pot. Remove 1 cup of soup from the pot and mix in a blender until totally smooth. Return to the pot. If you like a smoother, creamier soup, you could blend 2 cups of soup.

Season with salt, lots of cracked pepper and lots of dill. I allowed the soup to simmer for another little while to thicken it more. I also seasoned it with some vegetable stock concentrate. 

For my Basil-Butter Bread I simply creamed some pesto from my freezer with some Earth Balance butter and smeared it over a crusty loaf of bread. Bake. Broil. Toast. Cut in slices. 

For my Onion-Tomato Relish I simply warmed sweet onions and sweet tomatoes over a very low heat until all juicy and melty. 

(printable recipe)

My Three Things and a New Dog

I have this queer habit of lying in bed at night, reciting three things aloud, and yes, my hubby hears this every single night:  my lesson plans, what I am going to wear, and what’s for dinner. Leave one of these elements out of the nightly routine and I am a mess come morning.

Lesson plans: “Should I begin the unit on Robert Frost or Science Fiction tomorrow?” (You can see how important it is to know what to teach to a room full of 8^th graders.)

Wardrobe: “Should I wear my sleeveless blouse or my black turtleneck sweater.” (You are thinking I am joking, but that’s how often the weather changes up here in Michigan, seriously. I am addicted to the Weather Channel.)

Menu: “Should we eat a real meal on plates or just grab any old can from the pantry and call it good?” (You probably now understand that I am a control freak.)

So lately, I haven’t really been going through my famous three-point-nightly-plan and it’s gotten pretty ugly around here. Bringing up the poetry lessons instead of the Asimov lesson; arriving to my freezing cold school building with a short sleeve shirt; and coming home to an empty fridge. So sad.

But NOT this week! I have tons of great lessons planned; all the summer clothes are tucked away and sweaters are out and at the ready; I MADE A MENU! (big announcement!) Everything comes from Del Sroufe’s excellent cookbook “Forks Over Knives.”

                Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with Ponzu Sauce, brown rice, raw veg salad

                Quesadillas and refried beans, Nacho cheese, roasted tomatoes from the freezer

                Broccoli Rice Casserole, Gardein Chicken Nuggets (LOVE those things), salad

                Lotsa Veg Soup, garlic toast, bruschetta

     Red Lentil Dahl, white rice, green beans from the freezer

One reason I have been so off kilter these past few weeks is this pretty girl, named Lucy. We rescued her from the pound a few weeks ago and my life has been filled with long walks, training, and trips to the Chow Hound for dog food. This girl can EAT!

Jalapeno Sour Cream Sauce

Those are veggie burritos under there. Toasty on the top and chewy on the bottom. 

If it’s covered with a sauce, I love it. That goes for pasta, pizza, grains, beans, salads, sandwiches, desserts and even breakfast (think honey sauce, yogurt sauce, fruit sauce). Love them all. Tell me if there is anything better than a huge sandwich smothered in spicy mayo and coleslaw and totally dripping in sauciness. No. There isn’t.

I know this looks totally decadent and creamy and full of fat and calories, but it’s mostly veggie broth – so relax and have a second helping. This recipe really put vegan ingredients to the test and I think they passed with flying colors. You could, I suppose, use dairy sour cream and dairy cheese, but why? Be good to your heart and the earth and the animals and go vegan.

I sprinkled dried cilantro and sliced tomatoes on top before baking. Those black things on top are escaped black beans and sliced zucchini. 

Here’s what you need:

2 T Earth Balance butter

2 T flour

1 C vegetable broth or stock

¼ C non dairy sour cream (Tofutti brand)

1/3 C grated Daiya Jack or Cheddar cheese

Black pepper

¼ C minced pickled jalapeno peppers

Here’s what you do:

Melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute, whisking constantly. Don’t let it brown. Add the veggie broth and keep whisking until it is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream, cheese, black pepper and jalapenos. Stir until it is all well incorporated. Adjust for seasonings and thickness…..meaning add more peppers or broth to your taste. Pour over whatever type of burrito or enchilada you got  goin’. Bake and enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Cashew Sauce

V is for Vegan and S is for Sauciness

Whoa. If you like cilantro and lime you will LOVE this sauce. I guess once you conquer the basic cashew cream sauce, you can flavor it in any way you please…..and this pleased me very much.

(I used a bunch of frozen veggies from my freezer. Onions. Corn. Roasted red pepper. Flageolet beans.) 

Here’s what you need:

1 C raw cashews

½ bunch cilantro – leaves and stems

1 lime – zest and juice

½ t salt

¼ t cayenne pepper

1 C water

2 T cider vinegar

1 T olive oil

(I spread on a bit of refried beans. Topped each with the sauteed veg. Rolled and placed in oven proof dish. I put a bit of salsa underneath so the burritos don't burn.)

Here’s what you do:

Place all in a high powered blender and watch what happens.

Note: I tried pouring the sauce over the burritos both before and after baking them. I preferred it cold much better….and check out the unnatural color it turned when it was baked!  You could pour this over stuff, like I did here. Or you could spread this on tortillas before making bean burritos or quesadillas. It would be great as a fresh dip and even thinned out as a salad dressing.

Strawberry Cupcakes

V is for Variety and M is for Muffin….or is that Cupcake?

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

What’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? One is for breakfast and the other is for dessert? Not in my book; I like them both at all hours of the day.

These were excellent and came directly from “The Joy of Vegan Baking,” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. They were surprisingly tender and the strawberry taste is very prominent. Isn’t that raspberry just about the cutest thing you ever saw?

Here’s what you need:

1 ¾ C white flour

1 t baking soda

1 C granulated sugar

½ C canola oil

1 T distilled white vinegar

1 t vanilla extract

8 ounces frozen or fresh crushed strawberries

Here’s what you do:

Mix the flour, baking soda and sugar. In a different bowl, combine the oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add the strawberries. Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix – do not overmix.

Scoop into prepared cupcake tins, about half way full – I use cupcake liners and spray them. Bake for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting:

½ C Earth Balance nondairy butter – room temperature

2 C powdered sugar

1 ½ t vanilla

2 T nondairy milk

Food coloring

Strawberries or raspberries to decorate

Homemade Pasta with Incredible Mushroom Sauce

V is for Variety and H is for Homemade

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

One of my favorite memories is making pasta with my kiddos when they were little. How they loved turning the crank and catching the fresh noodles. Everyone had to have a turn. Flour all over the counter. Trying not to fret over flour on the floor. Accepting the thick, ugly strands of pasta along with the super long thin ones. Playing around with different colors of dough: green from spinach, red from beet juice, orange from baby food carrots. Watching them devour what they had created.

Nowadays I can get a batch of pasta done in about 1 hour, and that’s including the 30 minutes you need to rest the dough.  Practice makes perfect, as they say.

This pasta was very soft, which surprised me because it called for semolina instead of regular flour.  I always thought semolina was harder flour, but I do think we cooked it a bit too long, and as you probably can tell from my photo at the top of this post, we mixed it too vigorously, so it broke apart. But none of that bothered us. I am definitely making this again – especially the sauce!

Here’s what you need for the pasta:

2 C semolina flour

2 T olive oil

1 T water

½ -3/4 C silken tofu (replaces the egg, which you don’t really even need. The tofu helped create a really silky dough)

1 t salt

Here’s what you do for the pasta:

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it all comes together. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. Cut dough in quarters and run it through a pasta machine. Don’t overcook it….maybe 2-3 minutes at most!

Here’s what you need for the Incredible Mushroom Sauce:

Minced onions – to taste, but don’t be hesitant to load them on

Dried oregano

Minced garlic

Portabella mushrooms – remove the stem and gills and slice

Shitake mushrooms – remove the stem and slice

White button mushrooms – sliced

¾ C dry red wine

Fresh tomatoes – lots!

Fresh basil

Here’s what you do for the sauce:

Sautee the onions for a few minutes. Add the oregano, garlic, mushrooms and some salt. (A great trick to enhance the oregano is to rub it between your hands which releases all the beautiful oils of the dried leaves. Sprinkle the herb directly on the onions and you will love what a difference this makes to the flavor.)  Continue to cook the onions and mushrooms for a bit. Add the red wine and fresh tomatoes. Cook until it all gloriously comes together. Maybe 30 minutes or so. Add fresh basil at the end. 

What Vegans Eat

V is for Variety and W is for What Vegans Eat

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

Recently I mentioned to a friend that I have been eating a vegan diet for almost an entire year and his response was probably pretty typical. "Vegan?? What do you eat?"

I went home and roasted two trays of red peppers and cooked a huge batch of garbanzo beans. It felt as natural as can be. It's what vegans eat.

Pear Frangipane Tart

V is for Variety and I is for INA - vs - ISA 

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

I am literally sitting in my comfy chair watching Ina Garten on my DVR making a huge dessert for Jeffrey – 6 egg yolks, 1 C heavy cream, billions of sticks of butter. I am sure it tastes great, but with those ingredients, you can only eat a tablespoon before you reach your quota of fat… and my god… shouldn't we consider that cholesterol level for at least a mili-second? Come on, Ina!  

I am also literally sitting in my comfy chair going through my photos and drooling over this BEAUTIFUL pear frangipane tart from IsaChandra (Post Punk Kitchen). No butter. No eggs. No cholesterol. No guilt. Totally 100% VEGAN and incredibly awesome.  I literally made it twice last week with pears from my backyard tree. How cool is that? Go right ....HERE.... to see the recipe and literally, do NOT change a single thing....literally. 

(I also just literally knocked over an entire bottle of beer on my husband…. but that’s another blog post.)

My Life in France - a book review

Anyone out there interested in participating in the Vegan Month of Food 2013?  (VeganMoFo) The fun starts in September. You can see my VeganMoFo2012 posts by clicking here. 

I just finished reading “My Life in France” by Julia Child. I unabashedly admit that I never tire of Julia – her wit, her phrasing, her unexpected interjections of French, her whoops and hallas (is that a word?); her love of life – or rather joie de vivre?– her love for Paul, for her sister, for quirky  people and most of all, her understanding that a meal is an event which (if properly treated) might never be forgotten.  She repeatedly recounts unique meals while living in France- from a simple piece of fish to the most unbelievably ridiculous pressed duck– according to her, the best meal of her life and the best food in France. (Follow this- the duck is smothered to death in order to retain the blood; it is then partially roasted and pressed until the blood and other fluids drain out. They are mixed with wine and bits of the organs from the duck. “The height of elegance.”…… Whatever…...)

“My Life in France” is a quick and pleasant read, especially if you like food and France and Julia Child. Her voice is strong and clear:  “When [Paul and I] read an article about the horrifying effects of TV on the American home life, we asked [our in-laws] if they had bought a television set yet – they hadn’t-- or if they knew anyone who had – no, again. Did our nieces and nephew feel left out of the gang for not having such a machine? ‘No… for the moment.’”  These words spoken in 1949 – worlds before Julia’s entrance into the American TV scene, into my DVR, and into my heart. 

Potato Crust Pizza

V is for Variety and Y is for Yes, those are potatoes in that thar pizza!

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food (VeganMoFo)  I intend to post 20 times during the month of September – all about vegan food. Check out the gals who organize the project here, and search out other fantastic vegan bloggers. I decided on the theme of “V is for Variety” because, honestly, once I quit the chicken breast – my food choices exploded! Join me!

Really exciting news for me last week! My Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookie post made the VeganMoFo Round-up! BAM!  I couldn’t believe my eyes! Check it out right ….HERE…. I am pretty geeked about this! So fun! And such a great recipe from Post Punk Kitchen, so you know it’s a winner!

These guys are really good.....but only consider making them if you like a hit of spice!

I also messed around with a potato crust pizza twice last week – topped it once with roasted tomatoes and onions and the next night with fresh tomatoes and summer squash from my garden.

Check out the size of those beets!

Shred some Yukon potatoes and onions. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. 

Wring out every bit of water from the potatoes, add some grated garlic, salt,  pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and some vegan parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes in a cast iron skillet and carefully flip over! It took lots of patience and some fiddling with a metal spatula. Oh, so worth it. 

 Slide the crust back into the hot skillet and voila! Put on your toppings and bake for another 10 minutes or so. I do not recommend any kind of sauce because you want to keep that nice crispy crust. 

The inspiration for this excellent pizza came from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen. Thanks Beate!