Showing posts with label Recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipe. Show all posts
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Tomatoes!
When your garden goes a little crazy and gives you a lot of tomatoes
you take a bunch, cut them up, throw them in a pan with a little olive
oil, a little balsamic, dried basil, oregano, and garlic. Toss them
over some noodles. Yum.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Tomato Soup, by Tia
When Tia was little, under 2, she was sitting in my lap while I was eating dinner, I looked down and saw her grabbing the tomatoes out of my salad and licking them. The phrase, "don't lick my tomatoes" was born that night. (File under a phrase you never thought you'd have to say.)
She does love tomatoes. She and Kira wanted a tomato soup. We tried one recipe last Thanksgiving, and I liked it, but the girls wanted something a little different. Here's what Tia found; she made it and they loved it. (It's a winner, all 5 of us like it!)
http://coalefinnsoftball.blogspot.com/2016/06/today-i-made-tomato-soup-with-my-nanny.html
This summer, we are doing our reading and writing program. The reading program started years ago, probably 6 or 7 years ago, and the girls would get paid a penny a page for reading. The books had to be at or above their reading level and they had to write the titles down, the name of the book, the number of pages, and then at the end of the summer they'd have to total up what they earned. They all read a ton. They like to read so it's an easy way for them to earn some summer money.
As they grew older, and all are fantastic readers, we decided the program should evolve a little. They started blogging for money a couple of summers ago. They get paid a penny a word. They blog, and at the end of the summer we grab all the blog posts and word count them in a word processor. Again, they are responsible for the tallying and they get paid.
We now have a limit on how much money you can earn by reading (it's $75) and no limit on what you can earn by writing. (Actually, the rule is apparently a little more subtle... After you earn $25 in blogging you can earn more by reading... Next summer it's going to be the simpler rule of 75 for reading and no limit for blogging.)
This summer, I decided that we should evolve the blogging program a little more and if you find a recipe, make it, and blog about it, you get $5 for that post. (You get $7 if you create a recipe and blog about it.) I like new recipes and I like the girls to cook. (We'll see if the payment stays as high for next summer.) So far, we've gotten a few new recipes. This post links to the first one this summer. Go Tia!
She does love tomatoes. She and Kira wanted a tomato soup. We tried one recipe last Thanksgiving, and I liked it, but the girls wanted something a little different. Here's what Tia found; she made it and they loved it. (It's a winner, all 5 of us like it!)
http://coalefinnsoftball.blogspot.com/2016/06/today-i-made-tomato-soup-with-my-nanny.html
This summer, we are doing our reading and writing program. The reading program started years ago, probably 6 or 7 years ago, and the girls would get paid a penny a page for reading. The books had to be at or above their reading level and they had to write the titles down, the name of the book, the number of pages, and then at the end of the summer they'd have to total up what they earned. They all read a ton. They like to read so it's an easy way for them to earn some summer money.
As they grew older, and all are fantastic readers, we decided the program should evolve a little. They started blogging for money a couple of summers ago. They get paid a penny a word. They blog, and at the end of the summer we grab all the blog posts and word count them in a word processor. Again, they are responsible for the tallying and they get paid.
We now have a limit on how much money you can earn by reading (it's $75) and no limit on what you can earn by writing. (Actually, the rule is apparently a little more subtle... After you earn $25 in blogging you can earn more by reading... Next summer it's going to be the simpler rule of 75 for reading and no limit for blogging.)
This summer, I decided that we should evolve the blogging program a little more and if you find a recipe, make it, and blog about it, you get $5 for that post. (You get $7 if you create a recipe and blog about it.) I like new recipes and I like the girls to cook. (We'll see if the payment stays as high for next summer.) So far, we've gotten a few new recipes. This post links to the first one this summer. Go Tia!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
stuffing (our faces)
It's a veryveryvery vegan Thanksgiving! This year, we stayed home and had a our Thanksgiving as our family of 5. We missed our friends who were traveling, but we'll get together over the Christmas Break.
Appetizer
Creamy tomato soup
Slightly modified:
24oz organic strained tomatoes (Bionaturae Organic brand)
1 1/2 cup organic veggie broth
1 cup organic raw cashews
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons organic dried basil
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 - 2 organic bay leaf
Put everything but the cashews and 1/2 cup of the broth in a pan. Stir and heat. But the cashews and the 1/2 cup of the broth in the blender. Blend until smooth. Add to the soup after it's cooked for about 10-15 minutes.
Note: You can re-blend the soup (pull out the bay leaf before you do!) if you want the garlic to not be chunky or if your cashew cream clumps when you add it.
You can kind of see the soup in the picture below.
Green salad
Romaine
Tomato
Cucumber
Dressing of olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic. We never measure.
Home made Tofu-Turkey
We made our own turkey! I found that recipe and it sounded interesting. (Tia totally wanted to make a home made Tofu-Turkey or have some sort of "turkey.")
It totally broke--like people discussed in the comments on that other site. (And I almost dropped it when I was pulling it out of the oven, but I caught it! It was a precarious few seconds that felt like minutes.) Oh, well. It was very (veryvery) tasty!
Note, make 2xs the marinade.
We only used 4 tubs of tofus... (we got sprouted, and I was worried, but it came out okay.) We followed the directions on that other site. It was worth making and I'd make it again, but I might think about the way I put it together... A square pan? I don't know... Maybe I'll try it again as the recipe suggests. I'll let you know.
Tofu turkey on left, dressing on right.
Stuffing
3 baguettes diced into cubes the night before then toasted in the oven for a few moments (well, some were toasted longer 'cause we forgot they were in the oven and we preheated the oven for pies--oops. All is well that ends well. The glass container they were stored in didn't break, and thank goodness they weren't in something plastic!)
1 cup (use more next year--1.5-2 cups) celery
1 medium onion (again, use more)
2 teaspoons (?) sage
1/2 bag (4 ounces) dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans broken up
4-5 cups of broth
(I didn't measure, and I liked the way it came out. Hopefully, I can recreate it.)
Brussel Sprouts
I found this recipe and since I've been on a Sriracha kick lately, I knew I had to make it! (Everything about this recipe is the same as the original site. I just put it here in case the web site goes away or something. They get full credit!)
Mashed Potatoes
(From Forks over Knives, see link above for a picture on our site and then a link to their site.)
Gravy
Pumpkin Pie
I made my usual pie.
2 packages of 3/4 pound silken (soft) tofu
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2/3s - 1 cup brown sugar (we always go less sweet) (could be maple syrup)
This makes enough for 2 pies. We always do one with crust and one with just chocolate chips (in the red silicone pan). Soy whipped cream on top for the vegans!
The girls were awesome helpers and even took the lead cooking. Kira made the soup and salad dressing, they all cut brussel sprouts, Tia made the salad and had the idea that we make a homemade "turkey," Natalie made the gravy, and best of all they helped in whatever way I asked! I couldn't have done it without them! Nick was super helpful, too. He helped keep things running smoothly and the kitchen clean!
(I have no idea why my pictures of the food are so fuzzy looking, but I'm guessing I had something on the lens of the camera. I wiped it off before I took the pictures of the pies so they are more clear.)
Appetizer
Creamy tomato soup
Slightly modified:
24oz organic strained tomatoes (Bionaturae Organic brand)
1 1/2 cup organic veggie broth
1 cup organic raw cashews
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons organic dried basil
2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 - 2 organic bay leaf
Put everything but the cashews and 1/2 cup of the broth in a pan. Stir and heat. But the cashews and the 1/2 cup of the broth in the blender. Blend until smooth. Add to the soup after it's cooked for about 10-15 minutes.
Note: You can re-blend the soup (pull out the bay leaf before you do!) if you want the garlic to not be chunky or if your cashew cream clumps when you add it.
You can kind of see the soup in the picture below.
Green salad
Romaine
Tomato
Cucumber
Dressing of olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic. We never measure.
Home made Tofu-Turkey
We made our own turkey! I found that recipe and it sounded interesting. (Tia totally wanted to make a home made Tofu-Turkey or have some sort of "turkey.")
It totally broke--like people discussed in the comments on that other site. (And I almost dropped it when I was pulling it out of the oven, but I caught it! It was a precarious few seconds that felt like minutes.) Oh, well. It was very (veryvery) tasty!
Note, make 2xs the marinade.
We only used 4 tubs of tofus... (we got sprouted, and I was worried, but it came out okay.) We followed the directions on that other site. It was worth making and I'd make it again, but I might think about the way I put it together... A square pan? I don't know... Maybe I'll try it again as the recipe suggests. I'll let you know.
Tofu turkey on left, dressing on right.
Stuffing
3 baguettes diced into cubes the night before then toasted in the oven for a few moments (well, some were toasted longer 'cause we forgot they were in the oven and we preheated the oven for pies--oops. All is well that ends well. The glass container they were stored in didn't break, and thank goodness they weren't in something plastic!)
1 cup (use more next year--1.5-2 cups) celery
1 medium onion (again, use more)
2 teaspoons (?) sage
1/2 bag (4 ounces) dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans broken up
4-5 cups of broth
(I didn't measure, and I liked the way it came out. Hopefully, I can recreate it.)
Brussel Sprouts
I found this recipe and since I've been on a Sriracha kick lately, I knew I had to make it! (Everything about this recipe is the same as the original site. I just put it here in case the web site goes away or something. They get full credit!)
1½ pounds brussels sprouts
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup rice-wine vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons Sriracha, or more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup rice-wine vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons Sriracha, or more to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim the base away from the brussels sprouts and discard. Cut the sprouts in half.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, honey and Sriracha to combine. Add the brussels sprouts and toss until they are fully coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Pour any extra olive-oil mixture onto the pan and tilt the pan around to distribute it.
4. Roast until the sprouts are crispy on the outside and golden and caramelized on the cut sides, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, honey and Sriracha to combine. Add the brussels sprouts and toss until they are fully coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread the brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Pour any extra olive-oil mixture onto the pan and tilt the pan around to distribute it.
4. Roast until the sprouts are crispy on the outside and golden and caramelized on the cut sides, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Mashed Potatoes
(From Forks over Knives, see link above for a picture on our site and then a link to their site.)
Gravy
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- ¼ cup garbanzo bean flour
- freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 bag of cauliflower
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup of cashew cream
- dash of unsweetened, unflavored plant milk
- freshly ground pepper
- Dash of sea salt
Pumpkin Pie
I made my usual pie.
2 packages of 3/4 pound silken (soft) tofu
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2/3s - 1 cup brown sugar (we always go less sweet) (could be maple syrup)
This makes enough for 2 pies. We always do one with crust and one with just chocolate chips (in the red silicone pan). Soy whipped cream on top for the vegans!
The girls were awesome helpers and even took the lead cooking. Kira made the soup and salad dressing, they all cut brussel sprouts, Tia made the salad and had the idea that we make a homemade "turkey," Natalie made the gravy, and best of all they helped in whatever way I asked! I couldn't have done it without them! Nick was super helpful, too. He helped keep things running smoothly and the kitchen clean!
(I have no idea why my pictures of the food are so fuzzy looking, but I'm guessing I had something on the lens of the camera. I wiped it off before I took the pictures of the pies so they are more clear.)
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Alphabet soup
Very hearty, tomato-y, yummy!
I found a recipe online and decided I had to try it because it had SMOKED PAPRIKA in it! However, you should know by now how well I follow directions. I do not follow them very well at all. In fact, I followed the directions so poorly that I'm not even linking to the original recipe.
Here's what I did:
6 cups veggie broth
1 onion diced
1.5 red bell peppers diced ('cause that's what I had--could be 1 or 2)
3 small yukon gold potatoes
2 cans garbanzo beans
3 carrots diced
3 stalk celery diced
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
I diced all the above veggies and through them into a big pan with the veggie broth. I added all the ingredients above this line and let things cook for 30 or 40 minutes so they got nice and soft.
Next, I added all these ingredients:
1 24 ounce jar of tomato sauce
1-2 teaspoons dried basil
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (could be more, but I didn't want it to be too spicy for the girls)
I let things cook a bit longer... 20 or so... maybe longer. I was doing other things around the house.
Then a couple hours went by and the soup was on "low." I had to taken a sick kitty to the vet; when I got back and looked at the soup (and tasted it) I decided it would be PERFECT to add alphabet letters to!
So I added:
1 cup alphabet letters
3-4 cups water 'cause it was really thick and I knew it would just get thicker. (You can add whatever amount of water you want, really. I could have added a little more.)
After the letters cooked, I added a LOT of baby kale. Then my husband asked if I could stick in a vegan sausage for flavor, so I stuck in one Italian one.
Serve! Enjoy!
Add black pepper to taste
Results:
5 out of 5 ate it and liked it. The youngest liked it the least well and that was surprising to me, but she did like it.
Here's what I did:
6 cups veggie broth
1 onion diced
1.5 red bell peppers diced ('cause that's what I had--could be 1 or 2)
3 small yukon gold potatoes
2 cans garbanzo beans
3 carrots diced
3 stalk celery diced
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
I diced all the above veggies and through them into a big pan with the veggie broth. I added all the ingredients above this line and let things cook for 30 or 40 minutes so they got nice and soft.
Next, I added all these ingredients:
1 24 ounce jar of tomato sauce
1-2 teaspoons dried basil
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (could be more, but I didn't want it to be too spicy for the girls)
I let things cook a bit longer... 20 or so... maybe longer. I was doing other things around the house.
Then a couple hours went by and the soup was on "low." I had to taken a sick kitty to the vet; when I got back and looked at the soup (and tasted it) I decided it would be PERFECT to add alphabet letters to!
So I added:
1 cup alphabet letters
3-4 cups water 'cause it was really thick and I knew it would just get thicker. (You can add whatever amount of water you want, really. I could have added a little more.)
After the letters cooked, I added a LOT of baby kale. Then my husband asked if I could stick in a vegan sausage for flavor, so I stuck in one Italian one.
Serve! Enjoy!
Add black pepper to taste
The letters!
Results:
5 out of 5 ate it and liked it. The youngest liked it the least well and that was surprising to me, but she did like it.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Happy October (a new cornbread)
I finally got around to making this recipe from The Breakfast Drama Queen. Except, I changed it a little. Are you surprised? She likes savory cornbread, and I, while I don't like sweet, do like sweet cornbread. I have even been known to pour a little maple syrup on my cornbread. Sweet cornbread makes sense to me--savory, not so much.
Okay, so what'd I do? I loved her idea of pumpkin, so I didn't change that! I stuck with the recipe she made for the most part, except I added about a quarter cup of maple syrup. I probably should have reduced the soy milk I used (didn't have almond), 'cause it's taking a long time to bake!
From her site, with my modifications.
INSTRUCTIONS
Okay, so what'd I do? I loved her idea of pumpkin, so I didn't change that! I stuck with the recipe she made for the most part, except I added about a quarter cup of maple syrup. I probably should have reduced the soy milk I used (didn't have almond), 'cause it's taking a long time to bake!
From her site, with my modifications.
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups polenta (cornmeal)
• ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk (or whatever non-dairy milk you prefer)
INSTRUCTIONS
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9x9 pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and water. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and maple syrup. Add the baking powder and salt, followed by the polenta, and stir well. Add the non-dairy milk, and mix until completely combined.
• Pour into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, (with my extra liquid, it took 30 minutes) or until the tops feel firm. Cool for 5 minutes before eating or transferring to a cooking rack.
Verdict? We liked it. It's not that sweet. It's very moist. The amount was perfect for the 5 of us. I served it with My Mexican Soup!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
More inspiration for new dinners
Some of these will need "fixin'"
http://www.misorecipes.net/miso-recipes/walnut-miso-dip/
http://www.plantbasedkatie.com/potato-waffle/
http://minimaleats.com/vegan-stir-fried-udon-noodles/
http://www.veganinsanity.com/recipes/super-cheesy-vegan-pesto-pasta/#.VBmghUtsfYv
http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2014/09/04/chickpea-scramble-sweet-potato-salsa-garlicky-kale/
http://mydarlingvegan.com/2014/09/oatmeal-date-scones/
(I wanna fix this one so there isn't vegan butter in it. I'll try do something with it to make it more Whole Foods Plant Based)
http://www.doradaily.com/my-blog/2014/09/super-lasagna.html
Need to learn more:
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/5545/a-winter-vegetable-garden-in-northern-california/page/all
http://www.misorecipes.net/miso-recipes/walnut-miso-dip/
http://www.plantbasedkatie.com/potato-waffle/
http://minimaleats.com/vegan-stir-fried-udon-noodles/
http://www.veganinsanity.com/recipes/super-cheesy-vegan-pesto-pasta/#.VBmghUtsfYv
http://www.picklesnhoney.com/2014/09/04/chickpea-scramble-sweet-potato-salsa-garlicky-kale/
http://mydarlingvegan.com/2014/09/oatmeal-date-scones/
(I wanna fix this one so there isn't vegan butter in it. I'll try do something with it to make it more Whole Foods Plant Based)
http://www.doradaily.com/my-blog/2014/09/super-lasagna.html
Need to learn more:
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/5545/a-winter-vegetable-garden-in-northern-california/page/all
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Recipes I want to make
Here's a list of links that I've been collecting (leaving windows open in my web browser--some have been open most of the summer). I keep wanting time to try new recipes and blog about them, but I haven't had time! June and July were very busy with work and teaching, then we had a vacation at the beginning of August, and then back to school.
Veggie and whole grain bowl! I make a variation of this all the time, but it's fun to see it in recipe form.
http://www.plantplate.com/Recipe/Detail?RecipeID=11058
http://ohmyveggies.com/one-pot-peanut-sesame-noodles-veggies/
One pots are always easy, and intrigue me, but don't capture me fully after I make them.
Intriguing no-oil cornbread
http://breakfastdramaqueen.com/2014/08/02/cornbread-mini-loaves-gluten-free-and-vegan/
Grown up cookies! These look good!
http://talesofakitchen.com/cookies-brekky-bars/grown-up-dark-chocolate-quinoa-cookies/
Then I just saw this one...
http://thevegan8.com/2014/08/07/bbq-pesto/
and I think it led to this one....
http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2014/07/14/bbq-pulled-pork-pizza-with-mango-salsa/
and then I got the idea of making home made BBQ sauce... this recipe isn't vegan, but it could be!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys-bbq-sauce-recipe.html
'cause I might need it if I make homemade BBQ: vegan worcestershire sauce. (And because worcestershire is so much fun to say as you type!)
http://www.marthastewart.com/258132/homemade-vegan-worcestershire-sauce
I really, really want to make this. In fact, I'm going to try, today! I have the cashews soaking but I need to get cheesecloth.
http://blissfulbasil.com/2014/07/10/herbed-cashew-cheese-spicy-tomato-jam/
& I found this looking for more ideas around vegan cheese.
http://katyskitchen.ca/vegan-cream-cheese-herb-garlic/
& along the same theme...
Maybe my vegan friend, Patti, will make this one with me! We need a cooking day!
http://thehumbleplate.com/sides-and-snacks/mushroom-thymenutcheese/
Looks fab, but only 3 of us would like it so it has to go to the bottom of the list.
http://avocadopesto.com/2014/07/20/sweet-potato-chickpea-salad-gluten-free-vegan/
Maybe for a pot luck someday
http://myplantbasedfamily.com/2014/07/23/pasta-salad/
I definitely need to make pesto! I'm going to substitute pine nuts in though.
http://katyskitchen.ca/basil-oregano-pesto/
Looks super yum.
http://tasty-yummies.com/2014/01/28/southwestern-quinoa-bites-recipe-with-avocado-dipping-sauce-gluten-free-and-vegan/
I want to try the carmel, 'cept I don't like coconut so I'll have to substitute/modify.
http://thevegan8.com/2014/07/29/sweet-potato-cinnamon-muffins-with-sweet-potato-caramel-glaze/
A slightly different black bean dip than we make.
http://www.healthiersteps.com/VeganCooking/tabid/70/entryid/169/spicy-black-bean-hummus-vegan-gluten-free.aspx
Both look interesting and fun, but the top one looks better than the bottom one, to me.
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/tart-cherries-energy-bars/
Not a recipe, but pretty tasty
http://shop.thepurebar.com/Pure-Ancient-Grains-Bars/c/PureBar@AncientGrains
And now I can shut lots of windows in my web browser! Yay!
Veggie and whole grain bowl! I make a variation of this all the time, but it's fun to see it in recipe form.
http://www.plantplate.com/Recipe/Detail?RecipeID=11058
http://ohmyveggies.com/one-pot-peanut-sesame-noodles-veggies/
One pots are always easy, and intrigue me, but don't capture me fully after I make them.
Intriguing no-oil cornbread
http://breakfastdramaqueen.com/2014/08/02/cornbread-mini-loaves-gluten-free-and-vegan/
Grown up cookies! These look good!
http://talesofakitchen.com/cookies-brekky-bars/grown-up-dark-chocolate-quinoa-cookies/
Then I just saw this one...
http://thevegan8.com/2014/08/07/bbq-pesto/
and I think it led to this one....
http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2014/07/14/bbq-pulled-pork-pizza-with-mango-salsa/
and then I got the idea of making home made BBQ sauce... this recipe isn't vegan, but it could be!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys-bbq-sauce-recipe.html
'cause I might need it if I make homemade BBQ: vegan worcestershire sauce. (And because worcestershire is so much fun to say as you type!)
http://www.marthastewart.com/258132/homemade-vegan-worcestershire-sauce
I really, really want to make this. In fact, I'm going to try, today! I have the cashews soaking but I need to get cheesecloth.
http://blissfulbasil.com/2014/07/10/herbed-cashew-cheese-spicy-tomato-jam/
& I found this looking for more ideas around vegan cheese.
http://katyskitchen.ca/vegan-cream-cheese-herb-garlic/
& along the same theme...
Maybe my vegan friend, Patti, will make this one with me! We need a cooking day!
http://thehumbleplate.com/sides-and-snacks/mushroom-thymenutcheese/
Looks fab, but only 3 of us would like it so it has to go to the bottom of the list.
http://avocadopesto.com/2014/07/20/sweet-potato-chickpea-salad-gluten-free-vegan/
Maybe for a pot luck someday
http://myplantbasedfamily.com/2014/07/23/pasta-salad/
I definitely need to make pesto! I'm going to substitute pine nuts in though.
http://katyskitchen.ca/basil-oregano-pesto/
Looks super yum.
http://tasty-yummies.com/2014/01/28/southwestern-quinoa-bites-recipe-with-avocado-dipping-sauce-gluten-free-and-vegan/
I want to try the carmel, 'cept I don't like coconut so I'll have to substitute/modify.
http://thevegan8.com/2014/07/29/sweet-potato-cinnamon-muffins-with-sweet-potato-caramel-glaze/
A slightly different black bean dip than we make.
http://www.healthiersteps.com/VeganCooking/tabid/70/entryid/169/spicy-black-bean-hummus-vegan-gluten-free.aspx
Both look interesting and fun, but the top one looks better than the bottom one, to me.
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/tart-cherries-energy-bars/
Not a recipe, but pretty tasty
http://shop.thepurebar.com/Pure-Ancient-Grains-Bars/c/PureBar@AncientGrains
And now I can shut lots of windows in my web browser! Yay!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
cornbread
Earlier this fall, Nick wanted cornbread. I had nixed his favorite brand of cornbread because the corn wasn't organic and I dislike GMOs. I bought a bag of organic corn meal and figured I'd find a good recipe online. The first recipe I made was okay...
I went searching for other ideas and I found this cornbread recipe from a fabulous blog that I don't often frequent but need to more often! It was good cornbread--very tasty. However, I really wanted to get rid of the oil. I'm not against fat, but I like to cook with whole, low-processed foods--hence, no oil. After making PPK's recipe a few times, I figured out how I wanted to modify it. Here's the modified version:
I went searching for other ideas and I found this cornbread recipe from a fabulous blog that I don't often frequent but need to more often! It was good cornbread--very tasty. However, I really wanted to get rid of the oil. I'm not against fat, but I like to cook with whole, low-processed foods--hence, no oil. After making PPK's recipe a few times, I figured out how I wanted to modify it. Here's the modified version:
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3-1/2 cup of cashew cream** (replacing the oil)
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups soymilk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (upping the apple cider vinegar)
Directions:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3-1/2 cup of cashew cream** (replacing the oil)
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups soymilk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (upping the apple cider vinegar)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350, line a 9×13 baking pan with a parchment paper, a silicone sheet or use a silicone pan--or use a regular pan with a little oil wiped on it so the cornbread doesn't stick.
Mix the soymilk and the vinegar together and set aside.
In a large bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt and mix (by hand is fine).
Make a thick cashew cream... For my blender to grind the cashew cream well, I have to make way more than I use in this recipe. I stick the extra in the refrigerator. I always use it in a day or so; I'm not sure how long it will keep, but I bet it would freeze okay.
For my cashew cream I used 1 cup of cashews and (almost) 2/3s of a cup of water. Here's what it looked like when done. You can see it's pretty thick.
Add the maple syrup to the soymilk mixture. Stir or whisk for about 2 minutes so it can get more bubbly.
For my cashew cream I used 1 cup of cashews and (almost) 2/3s of a cup of water. Here's what it looked like when done. You can see it's pretty thick.
Add the maple syrup to the soymilk mixture. Stir or whisk for about 2 minutes so it can get more bubbly.
Pour liquid mixture into the dry mix, plus 1/3-1/2 cup of cashew cream and mix well (no need for a mixer, by hand is fine.
Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and let set for about five minutes before you bake for 20-30 minutes; start checking at 20 minutes because you don't want it to get too dry. In my glass pan it tends to be done in 20 minutes.Test with a knife or a toothpick for doneness.
If you like soft, sweet cornbread, do the 1/2 cup of cashew cream and add 4 tablespoons of maple syrup. The more cashew cream, the softer the bread (I've been known to add more than 1/2 a cup). Obviously, more maple syrup means a sweeter bread. Enjoy!
Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and let set for about five minutes before you bake for 20-30 minutes; start checking at 20 minutes because you don't want it to get too dry. In my glass pan it tends to be done in 20 minutes.Test with a knife or a toothpick for doneness.
If you like soft, sweet cornbread, do the 1/2 cup of cashew cream and add 4 tablespoons of maple syrup. The more cashew cream, the softer the bread (I've been known to add more than 1/2 a cup). Obviously, more maple syrup means a sweeter bread. Enjoy!
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Square Pie? Pie Squared?
I decided I wanted to make a pie crust for our pumpkin pie that didn't involve flour. I'm not a huge pie crust fan. One of my daughters is though, so, on Thanksgiving, we'll have traditional pumpkin pie for her. For me and the two other little girls, we're trying some new things. Today, we experiment!
I took this recipe from Straight Up Food
&
this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie (this was for a very small amount of pie crust)
and combined them into:
15 dates (the 365 brand from Whole Foods that come in a bag, I don't know what kind)
3/4 cup of oats
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3/4 cup of walnuts
1 tablespoon soy milk (or as needed)
Process the dates and walnuts until pretty smooth, then add the cocoa and walnuts. After the mixture is processed determine if you need the soy milk (it should be pretty darn sticky). I needed about a tablespoon to get it to a good texture.
Press into a pie pan.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350.
On the Straight Up Food blog, there are instructions on how to roll the pie crust out and transfer it into the pan. This method did NOT work for me. I rolled on a silicone sheet, but I couldn't get it to come off in one piece. It was okay; I just mashed the pieces back together in the pan. I was going to use my round glass pie pan, to make the pie, but I didn't think the crust would EVER come off of the glass since the mixture really stuck to the silicone. I opted instead to use my square silicone baking pan, instead and that's why we have a square pie (I'm buying a round silicone pan right now!)
For the pie filling, I made (mostly) this recipe from my blog; but of course, I changed it! No oil! Less tofu! Cashew cream!
Here's what I did this time:
1 package of silken (soft) tofu
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cashews
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
2/3 cup maple syrup
(optional chocolate chips)
Add cashews, maple syrup and tofu to the blender. (Drain as much of the liquid from the package of tofu as you can (easily), but you don't need a tofu press or anything like that.) Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and blend! (I don't feel I can get a good texture from my mixer, so I just use the blender. Plus, if you're using cashews you need the blender and why dirty up more bowls/appliances?)
Scatter chocolate chips on the crust. Here's what my scattered chocolate chips looked like:
Pour the filling on top.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Here are the nutrition facts for 1/12th of the filling (I think it would make 2 pies if I had pie pans.) Note, these nutrition facts do NOT include the chocolate chips or the pie crust. Often times, I make pumpkin pie with no crust. I always include the chocolate chips, but I lie to myself and tell myself that chocolate is medicinal and that calories don't count in medicines--but that's just me.
The results?
The girls love it and I like it! I think it's a little too sweet and will do a version with less maple syrup. The texture was GREAT; I'm still debating about how I feel about nutmeg. The crust was good; definitely what I'd use for an "everyday" crust--lower fat, healthier, but I might try with more walnuts and less or no oats for Thanksgiving. Truthfully, I like pumpkin pie filling on top of chocolate chips best.
(Despite the review, note, I've eaten a lot of this pie--going to spend some time on the treadmill. Heh.)
I took this recipe from Straight Up Food
&
this recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie (this was for a very small amount of pie crust)
and combined them into:
15 dates (the 365 brand from Whole Foods that come in a bag, I don't know what kind)
3/4 cup of oats
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3/4 cup of walnuts
1 tablespoon soy milk (or as needed)
Process the dates and walnuts until pretty smooth, then add the cocoa and walnuts. After the mixture is processed determine if you need the soy milk (it should be pretty darn sticky). I needed about a tablespoon to get it to a good texture.
Press into a pie pan.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350.
For the pie filling, I made (mostly) this recipe from my blog; but of course, I changed it! No oil! Less tofu! Cashew cream!
Here's what I did this time:
2 15 ounce cans pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cashews
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional)
2/3 cup maple syrup
(optional chocolate chips)
Add cashews, maple syrup and tofu to the blender. (Drain as much of the liquid from the package of tofu as you can (easily), but you don't need a tofu press or anything like that.) Blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and blend! (I don't feel I can get a good texture from my mixer, so I just use the blender. Plus, if you're using cashews you need the blender and why dirty up more bowls/appliances?)
Scatter chocolate chips on the crust. Here's what my scattered chocolate chips looked like:
Pour the filling on top.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Here are the nutrition facts for 1/12th of the filling (I think it would make 2 pies if I had pie pans.) Note, these nutrition facts do NOT include the chocolate chips or the pie crust. Often times, I make pumpkin pie with no crust. I always include the chocolate chips, but I lie to myself and tell myself that chocolate is medicinal and that calories don't count in medicines--but that's just me.
The results?
(Despite the review, note, I've eaten a lot of this pie--going to spend some time on the treadmill. Heh.)
Currently, the plan is: one pie like this--er, with more walnuts and less oats in the crust; one pie with regular crust and no chocolate chips; one with regular crust and chocolate chips; one with chocolate chips, less sweet, and no crust. We'll see if we need more than 4 pies.
Edited to add:
I liked this crust, but am not sure I love it and I didn't end up making it for Thanksgiving.
Edited to add:
I liked this crust, but am not sure I love it and I didn't end up making it for Thanksgiving.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Low-key weekend
We took it easy this weekend. We needed it! When we don't have a lot going on, I love to have cooking weekends and this weekend my biggest helper and I made:
Apple Crisp
Right now, we have a lot of fuji apples. I need to research more about organic apple farming. Even though we have a lot of apples, we're losing a lot to the bugs. Boo!
Right now, we have a lot of fuji apples. I need to research more about organic apple farming. Even though we have a lot of apples, we're losing a lot to the bugs. Boo!
Blueberry Energy Bites
I waffle back and forth and change up the kinds of nuts I use. I always use walnuts, but sometimes I add cashews. Sometimes I add oats and sometimes I don't. This time we made these just with walnuts and no oats and they were AMAZING. See the link for a picture and the recipe. We have streamlined the making process and instead of little balls, we just put it on wax paper and get it rolled flat (put wax paper on top, too) and then cut off little pieces.
I waffle back and forth and change up the kinds of nuts I use. I always use walnuts, but sometimes I add cashews. Sometimes I add oats and sometimes I don't. This time we made these just with walnuts and no oats and they were AMAZING. See the link for a picture and the recipe. We have streamlined the making process and instead of little balls, we just put it on wax paper and get it rolled flat (put wax paper on top, too) and then cut off little pieces.
Potato Soup
I just made it last week, but my husband requested it. I doubled the recipe this time, so I could have some to freeze. Last week, we didn't have any left over to freeze. It was a big hit! This time we added corn to it, and I have more ideas to doctor this up and make it even more exciting. It's a great soup base! I'll share the new versions as it evolves. (I knew it would change!) And remember, it's soup on Sunday!
I just made it last week, but my husband requested it. I doubled the recipe this time, so I could have some to freeze. Last week, we didn't have any left over to freeze. It was a big hit! This time we added corn to it, and I have more ideas to doctor this up and make it even more exciting. It's a great soup base! I'll share the new versions as it evolves. (I knew it would change!) And remember, it's soup on Sunday!
Cornbread--home made, vegan style, but I left a little oil so I need to work on this one--no recipe today.
Low sugar PB cookies
The girls really like these! So do I! They are "not bad for you" and I let them be a breakfast cookie! The girls love eating cookies for breakfast.
The girls really like these! So do I! They are "not bad for you" and I let them be a breakfast cookie! The girls love eating cookies for breakfast.
Pancakes!
I make these nearly every week--yea we're kind of boring around here, but I have 3 hungry girls who like these and the recipe makes so much that we have EASY breakfasts for M,T, & W. Just heat up the leftovers. (Timesavers are needed around here!)
I make these nearly every week--yea we're kind of boring around here, but I have 3 hungry girls who like these and the recipe makes so much that we have EASY breakfasts for M,T, & W. Just heat up the leftovers. (Timesavers are needed around here!)
We also had tortilla and almost homemade pinto beans and quinoa. For lunch, the next day, we spiced the pinto beans up with a little Mexican Chipolte vegan sausage. Yum!
The rest of the weekend, we cleaned and tried to get organized... Remember, we just moved at the end of July.
We also walked.
I got a fitbit. Did I tell you about that? I'll save it for another post. Exercise is one of the accepted topics around here.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
A blueberrilicious treat! (Edited)
Of course, I had to modify the recipe a little. (That's my MO, remember?) I added chia seeds for a little extra energy and nutrition goodness. I also made these with walnuts rather than almonds as she suggested. Walnuts have lots of omega-3s and I'm all about omega-3s. Omega-3s help reduce the inflammatory process. Walnuts are the "healthy" nut. (They are still loaded with fat, so that's why healthy is in quotes. Some people don't want to consume very much fat, but my girls are growing.)
Note, walnuts are very "oily," and the picture shows the little treats looking very shiny. As you roll the balls, you will get a lot of oil on your hands. You may want to put the mixture on paper towels to let it "drain" a little. I'm going to play around with adding some oats, and using a few less nuts to figure this little problem out, but for now, I wanted to warn you that this could happen. On the positive side of things, if you get a lot of oil out, you can feel good that you won't be eating all the oil.
I think some of the problem with so much oil coming out is that I processed the walnuts for a long time; we like the texture smooth. I will keep you posted on what I do and you can let me know what you do to fix this--thanks if you do! (I need a recipe tester, apparently!)
EDITED 6/24/2013:
I removed some of the nuts from the recipe and added a few oats. This time, it wasn't "greasy!" Yay! It was still was super yummy
1 1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup oats (these made it more "stiff"
1/3 cup Chia Seed
1 cup dates
1 cup dried blueberries
1.5 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
~3-4 tablespoons lemon juice (or juice from 1/2 lemon)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Process the nuts and dates in a food process until your desired texture. (We like things very smooth around here.)
(Be sure to check your dates for pits before you add them. It's awful if one sneaks into your food processor--you'll have to toss the mixture as you could break a tooth on a piece of date pit!)
Add in the blueberries. Add chia and up to 1/4 cup of oats -- I often only add oats if the walnuts look especially oily.
Add the salt, lemon juice, and vanilla.
When it's all processed take it out of the food processor and make the little bite-sized balls--aim for 20-25.
Below are the nutritional stats for one ball (if you make 22 balls from this recipe).
We plan to make a second batch tomorrow. At the risk of sounding trite, OMG, they are good! Thanks, healthy maven! You are awesome!
*Both my husband and our wonderful nanny thought the blueberry energy bites tasted chocolatey... I just thought it was the rich walnut flavor.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
New recipe Sunday--it's Apple Swirl Bread
Happy Cinco De Mayo! In honor, I made apple swirl bread and banana chocolate chip muffins. Not your traditional Cinco De Mayo food, but maybe later, I'll make black bean dip.
The banana chocolate chip ones are the ones I made a week ago (linked above). I changed them slightly by taking out 1/4 of whole wheat flour and substituting 1/4 cup of flax. I really like flax. I thought this made a nice change.
I did the same (subtracted 1/4 cup of flour and added 1/4 cup of flax) in the apple swirl bread. I also cut the sugar and maple syrup in 1/2 in the apple swirl bread. The apple swirl bread was still VERY sweet. I will probably reduce the sugar in it even more next time I make it--although, I'll probably make it this sweet when I take it to school for teacher appreciation day brunch. Here's my modified version (less sugar) of the apple swirl bread with my notes, too. The link above will take you to Dreena Burton's site where she has the original apple swirl bread recipe and a nice photo.
Apple Mixture:
1/2 cup diced apple (peeled first) (I didn't measure, I just used a whole medium-sized fuji apple)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (I didn't measure, I just squeezed 1/2 a small lemon)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/8 cup unrefined sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice (Nick wants less of this)
Batter:
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or 1 2/3 cups spelt for wheat-free version--Dreena's note)
1/4 cup flax
1/2 cup oat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup vanilla or plain non-dairy milk (unsweetened almond and soy as I didn't have a lot of either)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons of water (or more non-dairy milk)
Dreena's instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. First combine apple mixture: in a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and then add applesauce, sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix and set aside. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients for batter (sifting in baking powder and soda). Mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry, stirring through until just well combined (without overmixing). Add apple mixture to batter, and using a spoon or knife, ever so slightly fold/swirl it into the batter (okay to have thicker spots, as above, these will create delicious flavor swirls)! Pour into a lightly oiled (just wipe with a paper towel) 9″ x 5″ loaf pan (I use glass). Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
I overmixed the apple mixture in the batter and didn't get great swirls, but the bread was really tasty! It's really sweet; I plan to cut the sugar even more in the apple mixture (down to just 1 tablespoon) and probably only use 3 tablespoons of maple syrup in the batter next time.
The banana chocolate chip ones are the ones I made a week ago (linked above). I changed them slightly by taking out 1/4 of whole wheat flour and substituting 1/4 cup of flax. I really like flax. I thought this made a nice change.
I did the same (subtracted 1/4 cup of flour and added 1/4 cup of flax) in the apple swirl bread. I also cut the sugar and maple syrup in 1/2 in the apple swirl bread. The apple swirl bread was still VERY sweet. I will probably reduce the sugar in it even more next time I make it--although, I'll probably make it this sweet when I take it to school for teacher appreciation day brunch. Here's my modified version (less sugar) of the apple swirl bread with my notes, too. The link above will take you to Dreena Burton's site where she has the original apple swirl bread recipe and a nice photo.
Apple Mixture:
1/2 cup diced apple (peeled first) (I didn't measure, I just used a whole medium-sized fuji apple)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (I didn't measure, I just squeezed 1/2 a small lemon)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/8 cup unrefined sugar (I used brown sugar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice (Nick wants less of this)
Batter:
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or 1 2/3 cups spelt for wheat-free version--Dreena's note)
1/4 cup flax
1/2 cup oat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup vanilla or plain non-dairy milk (unsweetened almond and soy as I didn't have a lot of either)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons of water (or more non-dairy milk)
Dreena's instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. First combine apple mixture: in a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and then add applesauce, sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Mix and set aside. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients for batter (sifting in baking powder and soda). Mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry, stirring through until just well combined (without overmixing). Add apple mixture to batter, and using a spoon or knife, ever so slightly fold/swirl it into the batter (okay to have thicker spots, as above, these will create delicious flavor swirls)! Pour into a lightly oiled (just wipe with a paper towel) 9″ x 5″ loaf pan (I use glass). Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden and a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
I overmixed the apple mixture in the batter and didn't get great swirls, but the bread was really tasty! It's really sweet; I plan to cut the sugar even more in the apple mixture (down to just 1 tablespoon) and probably only use 3 tablespoons of maple syrup in the batter next time.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Pasta Primevera
I made this last weekend, from Forks over Knives
It was YUM! Next time, I'm going to make the sauce in a separate pan from the veggies so that I can have sauce for plain noodles. I have two girls who were leery of eating all the veggies. (Kira and Tia ate the pasta once--I had to pick the veggies out.) I really liked cooking the pepper, broccoli, onion, garlic, and peas together and the flavors worked so well together. Next time, I may or may not use carrots. I may add kale sometime... This recipe can be modified in so many ways and the sauce could be used with so many different veggies and pasta. Next time, I'll add a little salt; we just sprinkled it on at the end.
To make the sauce separately, I'll add the broth, oat flour, ground cashews, and soy milk to a small pan and cook it first and then pour it over the veggies and pasta.
The recipe took quite a bit of time with all the chopping, but it made quite a bit of food, so it was worth the time! Nick and I had 3 dinners out of it. Nat just ate it once. As I play around with different veggies, I'll let you know what I do to speed up the cooking (including using frozen broccoli).
I'm excited to have a new recipe that I love and that's easy to modify!
(Here's the recipe copy and pasted in case the Forks over Knives site ever takes it down. Full credit to them and Katelin Mae)
Pasta Primavera
Serves 6
Ingredients:
• 12 ounces quinoa penne
• 3 cups broccoli, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1½ tablespoon garlic granules
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 cup soy milk
• ½ cup oat flour
• 2 cups green peas
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 2 tablespoons fresh
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions:
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Then add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. When the pasta is slightly al dente, remove from heat, drain, and set aside. While pasta cooks, in a large sauté pan, sweat (see chef’s note below) the broccoli, carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic on medium heat for 10 minutes. Keep them covered and stir occasionally. Then stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Grind the cashews in a spice grinder to form a cashew powder. A coffee grinder or blender would also work. Either way, make sure the appliance is completely dry.
Stir in the soy milk, oat flour and cashew powder. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the oats from clumping together. Add the peas, black pepper, and dried herbs. Simmer for 10 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally, until the oats and cashews create a creamy sauce. Mix in the pasta and tomatoes. Best served right away. Also delicious chilled as a pasta salad.
Chef’s Notes:
Sweating is a mix of sautéing and steaming. The idea is the water will come out or “sweat” from the veggies, which creates enough moisture so that no added liquid is needed. To sweat an item, put the cut veggie in a sauté pan without oil or water over medium heat. Keep the pan covered and stir frequently. Do this until the item is cooked to desired frequency. If the pan is becoming dry or veggie starts to stick to the bottom of pan, add a little bit of water or vegetable broth. You can also turn down the heat.
Because you are grinding the cashews and using oat flour, they will be slightly coarse and you will likely see specks of these two within the cream sauce. If this bothers you, you could try substituting a more refined thickening agent, such as store-bought rice flour or potato starch.
If you are using fresh herbs, add them in the last step when you are mixing in the pasta and tomatoes.
It was YUM! Next time, I'm going to make the sauce in a separate pan from the veggies so that I can have sauce for plain noodles. I have two girls who were leery of eating all the veggies. (Kira and Tia ate the pasta once--I had to pick the veggies out.) I really liked cooking the pepper, broccoli, onion, garlic, and peas together and the flavors worked so well together. Next time, I may or may not use carrots. I may add kale sometime... This recipe can be modified in so many ways and the sauce could be used with so many different veggies and pasta. Next time, I'll add a little salt; we just sprinkled it on at the end.
To make the sauce separately, I'll add the broth, oat flour, ground cashews, and soy milk to a small pan and cook it first and then pour it over the veggies and pasta.
The recipe took quite a bit of time with all the chopping, but it made quite a bit of food, so it was worth the time! Nick and I had 3 dinners out of it. Nat just ate it once. As I play around with different veggies, I'll let you know what I do to speed up the cooking (including using frozen broccoli).
I'm excited to have a new recipe that I love and that's easy to modify!
(Here's the recipe copy and pasted in case the Forks over Knives site ever takes it down. Full credit to them and Katelin Mae)
Pasta Primavera
Serves 6
Ingredients:
• 12 ounces quinoa penne
• 3 cups broccoli, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1½ tablespoon garlic granules
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup raw cashews
• 1 cup soy milk
• ½ cup oat flour
• 2 cups green peas
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 2 tablespoons fresh
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions:
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Then add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the box. When the pasta is slightly al dente, remove from heat, drain, and set aside. While pasta cooks, in a large sauté pan, sweat (see chef’s note below) the broccoli, carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic on medium heat for 10 minutes. Keep them covered and stir occasionally. Then stir in the vegetable broth and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Grind the cashews in a spice grinder to form a cashew powder. A coffee grinder or blender would also work. Either way, make sure the appliance is completely dry.
Stir in the soy milk, oat flour and cashew powder. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the oats from clumping together. Add the peas, black pepper, and dried herbs. Simmer for 10 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally, until the oats and cashews create a creamy sauce. Mix in the pasta and tomatoes. Best served right away. Also delicious chilled as a pasta salad.
Chef’s Notes:
Sweating is a mix of sautéing and steaming. The idea is the water will come out or “sweat” from the veggies, which creates enough moisture so that no added liquid is needed. To sweat an item, put the cut veggie in a sauté pan without oil or water over medium heat. Keep the pan covered and stir frequently. Do this until the item is cooked to desired frequency. If the pan is becoming dry or veggie starts to stick to the bottom of pan, add a little bit of water or vegetable broth. You can also turn down the heat.
Because you are grinding the cashews and using oat flour, they will be slightly coarse and you will likely see specks of these two within the cream sauce. If this bothers you, you could try substituting a more refined thickening agent, such as store-bought rice flour or potato starch.
If you are using fresh herbs, add them in the last step when you are mixing in the pasta and tomatoes.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
New to us... Nofu loaf
I've been looking for new recipes as we are all a little burned out of the typical dinners around here. I found this months ago, and lots of my online vegan friends have made and raved about it, so I thought we'd give it a try. Of course, I did a teeny change. I left the topping off (see other links for pictures and more info).
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/04/dreenas-no-fu-love-loaf.html
http://familygoesvegan.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/no-fu-loaf/
No-Fu Loaf
1/2 cup brown (green) lentils
1 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1 cup water, boiled
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons chia seeds or flax meal
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground fennel (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Combine the lentils, vegetable stock, 1⁄3 cup of water, and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until just about tender. Once done, remove from the pan and remove the bay leaf. You can use the same pan to cook the steal cut oats for 20-25 minutes. (You can do the oats and lentils concurrently if you are in a hurry.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Once the steel cut oats are cooked, add the lentils and all the remaining ingredients. Stir very well. Transfer the mixture to a pan. I used a 8x8 glass pan with a silicone liner in it. (Next time, I'll use my 9x9 pan.)
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or so, before cutting to slice and serve. Serves 5-6.
I did not do the topping as suggested by the other recipe. I figured we'd mostly use this as "meat" for sandwiches and we each like different spreads. Some of us like vegan mayo, some like BBQ, some like mustard.
When the loaf came out of the oven, it was really wet still. It's firmed up a bit in the refrigerator. Next time, I'll probably try just 2/3s of a cup of boiling water to the mixture. It seemed a bit wet to me. It tastes pretty good; I feel it needs a little more spice or kick, or something. I'll make it again and let you know what I do next time. Natalie likes it, and the other two haven't tried it yet. Though I made it this afternoon, we had to go out to dinner to celebrate their report cards. We went to one of our favorite vegan restaurants.
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/04/dreenas-no-fu-love-loaf.html
http://familygoesvegan.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/no-fu-loaf/
No-Fu Loaf
1/2 cup brown (green) lentils
1 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup water
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water
1 cup water, boiled
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup rolled oats
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons chia seeds or flax meal
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tahini
2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground fennel (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Combine the lentils, vegetable stock, 1⁄3 cup of water, and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until just about tender. Once done, remove from the pan and remove the bay leaf. You can use the same pan to cook the steal cut oats for 20-25 minutes. (You can do the oats and lentils concurrently if you are in a hurry.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Once the steel cut oats are cooked, add the lentils and all the remaining ingredients. Stir very well. Transfer the mixture to a pan. I used a 8x8 glass pan with a silicone liner in it. (Next time, I'll use my 9x9 pan.)
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or so, before cutting to slice and serve. Serves 5-6.
I did not do the topping as suggested by the other recipe. I figured we'd mostly use this as "meat" for sandwiches and we each like different spreads. Some of us like vegan mayo, some like BBQ, some like mustard.
When the loaf came out of the oven, it was really wet still. It's firmed up a bit in the refrigerator. Next time, I'll probably try just 2/3s of a cup of boiling water to the mixture. It seemed a bit wet to me. It tastes pretty good; I feel it needs a little more spice or kick, or something. I'll make it again and let you know what I do next time. Natalie likes it, and the other two haven't tried it yet. Though I made it this afternoon, we had to go out to dinner to celebrate their report cards. We went to one of our favorite vegan restaurants.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Today's baking adventure
The girls and I made these pumpkin pie bars. I read this recipe last fall, and I must have forgotten about it, because in my mind, I was fantasizing about inventing pumpkin pie with no crust on the outside, but with oat flour in it. When I re-found the recipe I was glad I didn't have to go trying to invent.
The bars are still cooling in my fridge, as I was making them, I took a taste of the batter. I don't think I used enough dates in them. I didn't have Medjool dates, so I used 10 of what I had and I didn't measure. When I looked back at the recipe, I realized I should have measured--my eyeball from memory tells me I had 2/3-3/4 of a cup. I'm guessing I should have used more like 16-ish of the kind of dates I had.
Oh, well. I'll try again--there's always another weekend and I have three girls who are always happy to help me bake! Next time, I may add a touch of salt, too (like 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon) a little, not a lot, can make the taste zing.
Because they were less sweet, I stuck in some chocolate chips... I may make some sweetened cashew cream to go with them... I'll let you know more after we try them... remind me if I forget!
Here's the recipe straight from Cathy Fisher's site with all credit to her.
Ingredients:
10 medjool dates, pitted and diced (about 1 cup diced)
3/4 cup water
1 ½ cups rolled oats, ground into flour (see Notes)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or see Notes below)
1 15-oz. can cooked pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix), (or one and a half cups cooked, pureed pumpkin; see Notes below)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup non-dairy milk of your choice
Directions:
1. Place the 10 pitted and diced dates into a small bowl with the 3/4 cup of water and soak for at least 15 minutes.
2. Place the flour and Pumpkin Pie spice in a large bowl. In a blender, blend the soaked dates, the date soak water, the vanilla, and the non-dairy milk until smooth (1-2 minutes). Pour this into the bowl of flour/spices, and also add the pumpkin, and mix with a wooden spoon until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Scrape batter into an 8×8-inch baking pan that is lined with parchment paper (or use a non-stick silicone baking pan). Cook for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. (If you see a light browning and some cracks on the top, these are good indications that it’s done.) Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Optional: Finish with Macadamia-Vanilla Frosting (recipe below) just before serving, or top with a light dusting of grated macadamia or other nuts (using a rotary cheese grater). Storing in the refrigerator overnight will firm up these squares, then you can pack them in a lunch or as a snack.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes: 9 to 16 squares (depending on how small you cut them)
The bars are still cooling in my fridge, as I was making them, I took a taste of the batter. I don't think I used enough dates in them. I didn't have Medjool dates, so I used 10 of what I had and I didn't measure. When I looked back at the recipe, I realized I should have measured--my eyeball from memory tells me I had 2/3-3/4 of a cup. I'm guessing I should have used more like 16-ish of the kind of dates I had.
Oh, well. I'll try again--there's always another weekend and I have three girls who are always happy to help me bake! Next time, I may add a touch of salt, too (like 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon) a little, not a lot, can make the taste zing.
Because they were less sweet, I stuck in some chocolate chips... I may make some sweetened cashew cream to go with them... I'll let you know more after we try them... remind me if I forget!
Here's the recipe straight from Cathy Fisher's site with all credit to her.
Ingredients:
10 medjool dates, pitted and diced (about 1 cup diced)
3/4 cup water
1 ½ cups rolled oats, ground into flour (see Notes)
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or see Notes below)
1 15-oz. can cooked pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix), (or one and a half cups cooked, pureed pumpkin; see Notes below)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup non-dairy milk of your choice
Directions:
1. Place the 10 pitted and diced dates into a small bowl with the 3/4 cup of water and soak for at least 15 minutes.
2. Place the flour and Pumpkin Pie spice in a large bowl. In a blender, blend the soaked dates, the date soak water, the vanilla, and the non-dairy milk until smooth (1-2 minutes). Pour this into the bowl of flour/spices, and also add the pumpkin, and mix with a wooden spoon until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Scrape batter into an 8×8-inch baking pan that is lined with parchment paper (or use a non-stick silicone baking pan). Cook for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. (If you see a light browning and some cracks on the top, these are good indications that it’s done.) Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving. Optional: Finish with Macadamia-Vanilla Frosting (recipe below) just before serving, or top with a light dusting of grated macadamia or other nuts (using a rotary cheese grater). Storing in the refrigerator overnight will firm up these squares, then you can pack them in a lunch or as a snack.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes: 9 to 16 squares (depending on how small you cut them)
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Mexican Lasagna
Today, a friend emailed me. She's going to try to add a vegan dinner to her cooking once a week for 2013 and asked if I had any good recipes (Hi Linda!!!). I'm just about to email her back with the link to this blog. I was going to point her to the Mexican Lasagna recipe, but I never put it up here. I can't believe I don't have it here, but a search for both "mexican" and "lasagna" turned up NOTHING.
I may not have linked and put it up since my local vegan friend (Hi Patti!!!) and person I discuss cooking and most everything else with nearly every day already has the Mexican Lasagna recipe. In fact, I think she made Mexican Lasagna before I did.
A fun diversion: here's a picture of Patti and I cooking... we cooked up a vegan storm on Christmas Eve and a post about our fun day and wonderful feast is coming soon. (I just need a little less break time to get some work done!)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Pour 1/4 of the salsa (a scant cup) on the bottom of a 9 X 13" baking dish
3. Cover the sauce with a single layer of the tortillas (1/3 of the package)--it's OK to cut some in half
4. Top with 1/3 of the chorizo, 1/3 of the sweet potatoes, 1/3 of the roasted corn, & 1/3 of the black beans
5. Now top with 1/4 of the salsa, and repeat the layering, starting with the tortillas. You'll do this two times.
Tip from Veryveryverygreen: skip one (or more) of the layers of tortillas and add kale.
6. Cover the final layer with the rest of the salsa, spreading it well. Cover the lasagna with non-stick foil & bake for about one hour to 1 hour & 15 minutes--until the sweet potatoes are tender, and everything is nice & piping hot. Tip: Parboil the sliced sweet potatoes ahead of time to shorten the cooking time.
7. If you are able to eat avocados, adding just a little on top adds a nice balance to the spiciness of this dish.
Sour Cream-Like Topping - Optional
This was so quick to make & it added a nice cooling taste to this spicy dish.
Soak 1/2 cup of cashews in 1/2 cup of water for 30 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup of lime juice, to the cashews & water & blend in a high-speed blender (VitaMix) for a minute or two until creamy.
Add a sprinkle of pepper & salt if you like.
A spoonful is all you need.
I may not have linked and put it up since my local vegan friend (Hi Patti!!!) and person I discuss cooking and most everything else with nearly every day already has the Mexican Lasagna recipe. In fact, I think she made Mexican Lasagna before I did.
A fun diversion: here's a picture of Patti and I cooking... we cooked up a vegan storm on Christmas Eve and a post about our fun day and wonderful feast is coming soon. (I just need a little less break time to get some work done!)
Back to the recipe. Here's a link to where I got it (after Patti recommended it). It is good. I highly recommend getting the field roast Mexican Sausage if you can find it as it's GMO-free. I am not sure that the Trader Joe's version is non-GMO. I'm also not sure whether the TJ's roasted corn is GMO-free. Note, you can roast your own in the oven very easily... (A bag of frozen corn, a little bit of oil, and 20-30 minutes on broil in the oven will do it nicely!)
What did I do differently with the recipe ('cause I always modify!)? I think I used way more salsa than the recipe calls for, but other than that, I didn't diverge too much from the recipe... except I added kale to the layers... Ah, yes, it's all coming back to me now.
I replaced one of the layers of tortillas with chopped kale (or you can use chopped spinach). There's still plenty of tortilla goodness if you replace one of the layers of tortillas with a green leafy vegetable and it gets EVEN better for you.
I think I might be starting to crave this and I may need to make it ASAP! Here's the recipe copy and pasted from my Happy Healthy Friend's site:
Recipe was inspired by Kathy Hester's "The Vegan Slow Cooker"
For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here:
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8 generous portions
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 large sweet potatoes (2 lbs), peeled, & thinly sliced (that's the only work you'll have to do) Tip: Parboil the sliced sweet potatoes ahead of time, until "just tender" to shorten the cooking time. Too Busy to Bother Tip: Use about 3 cans of Taylor's Canned Sweet Potatoes--vacuumed-packed, no sugar or syrup.
- 2 16 ounce jars of your favorite salsa (I used chipotle)--enough for almost 4 cups of sauce (I used over-priced Guy Fieri's Chipotle salsa & LOVED the flavor. It does have canola oil in the ingredient list, but it lists as 0 fat, which means it's less than .5 a gram, & still unacceptable if you follow Esselstyn's diet strictly. Just saying...) More notes: I do think my use of a well-seasoned chipotle salsa added to the great flavor of the lasagna.
- 8 ounces of Upton's Naturals Chorizo flavored seitan (substitute with 2 links of Field Roast Mexican Chipotle "sausage", or 8 ounces of Trader Joe's Soy (Gluten-free) Chorizo, or make your own with this recipe. (you can substitute tomato paste or more beans or broth for the oil)
- 1 package of Food for Life corn tortillas (12 count)
- 1 can (15 ounce) black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 1/2 -2 cups of Trader Joe's Roasted Frozen Corn--about 1/2 of a package (can substitute regular frozen corn)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Pour 1/4 of the salsa (a scant cup) on the bottom of a 9 X 13" baking dish
3. Cover the sauce with a single layer of the tortillas (1/3 of the package)--it's OK to cut some in half
4. Top with 1/3 of the chorizo, 1/3 of the sweet potatoes, 1/3 of the roasted corn, & 1/3 of the black beans
5. Now top with 1/4 of the salsa, and repeat the layering, starting with the tortillas. You'll do this two times.
Tip from Veryveryverygreen: skip one (or more) of the layers of tortillas and add kale.
6. Cover the final layer with the rest of the salsa, spreading it well. Cover the lasagna with non-stick foil & bake for about one hour to 1 hour & 15 minutes--until the sweet potatoes are tender, and everything is nice & piping hot. Tip: Parboil the sliced sweet potatoes ahead of time to shorten the cooking time.
7. If you are able to eat avocados, adding just a little on top adds a nice balance to the spiciness of this dish.
Sour Cream-Like Topping - Optional
This was so quick to make & it added a nice cooling taste to this spicy dish.
Soak 1/2 cup of cashews in 1/2 cup of water for 30 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup of lime juice, to the cashews & water & blend in a high-speed blender (VitaMix) for a minute or two until creamy.
Add a sprinkle of pepper & salt if you like.
A spoonful is all you need.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Super fast black bean dip
When you're in a hurry for something filling, with protein, and tasty, we recommend our super fast black bean dip!
3 cans of Black Beans (BPA-free if possible)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1.5 teaspoons of salt
~8-12 ounces of fresh salsa (like pico de gallo) but use very little of the juice.
Optional: Chili Powder, Onion Powder
Directions:
Put 1/2 a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), the salsa (without the juice), and the garlic in the food processor and process until smooth (you want to make sure the garlic is all chopped up).
Next, add the spices (cumin and salt) pulse a few times to mix them in. Then add the remaining cans of drained and rinsed beans and process until mostly smooth.
Serve with veggies, rice, tortillas, tortilla chips, or whatever else you like. I also love to add it to wraps. This amount will usually last for (no more than) 2 days in our house with our family of 5. We all love it. It makes a super easy and fun dish to take to parties, too.
3 cans of Black Beans (BPA-free if possible)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1-2 tablespoons cumin
1.5 teaspoons of salt
~8-12 ounces of fresh salsa (like pico de gallo) but use very little of the juice.
Optional: Chili Powder, Onion Powder
Directions:
Put 1/2 a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), the salsa (without the juice), and the garlic in the food processor and process until smooth (you want to make sure the garlic is all chopped up).
Next, add the spices (cumin and salt) pulse a few times to mix them in. Then add the remaining cans of drained and rinsed beans and process until mostly smooth.
Serve with veggies, rice, tortillas, tortilla chips, or whatever else you like. I also love to add it to wraps. This amount will usually last for (no more than) 2 days in our house with our family of 5. We all love it. It makes a super easy and fun dish to take to parties, too.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Veggie Soup with Kale
I love Kale... With all my heart. And it's good for my heart. And lots of other body parts....
Okay, I'm not a poet so I'll stop there. I think with a little iteration I could turn that into a nice poem, but not today. I've got some other things to do! This is also the second attempt at posting this recipe--remember, yesterday I complained how blogger ate my post. Cross your fingers that this post sticks.
The days are starting to sort of feel like fall. Sort of. (Never mind that it was in the low 80s on Saturday and the high 70s of Sunday.) On Sunday, I wanted soup--warm, comforting soup. I wanted it with lots of green.
I scoured the web and looked at many versions of veggie soup with Kale. There are lots of similar recipes. I didn't see anything that was exactly what I was looking for so I made one up. Here it is:
2 yukon gold potatoes diced (not peeled)
1 large yellow onion diced
2-3 carrots diced
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 32-ounce container of veggie broth
~3 cups of water
Combine all of the above in a big stock pan and bring to a boil. Let it cook at a slow boil for 20-40 minutes or until all the veggies are soft. (The time it takes to make the veggies soft will depend on the size of the veggies.)
After the veggies are of a good texture add:
~28 ounces of diced tomatoes
another 32-ounce container of veggie broth
salt (if needed see how much is in your tomatoes and broth)
1 zucchini sliced into thin pieces (I sliced thin and then quartered) (peel or not, your preference, I didn't)
Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Add Kale 3-4 cups chopped with stems removed
You could stop here as it's a delicious very low-fat, no-oil soup. Or, if you're feeling adventurous you can add 2 links of Italian Vegan Field Roast Sausage chopped into small pieces. (Nick, Nat, and I love this stuff.)
If you choose to add the vegan sausage you will add fat to the soup, but it's delicious!
After you add Kale (and the vegan sausage), cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Here are the nutrition facts without the vegan sausage. If you add the sausage you add ~2 grams of fat per serving and ~48 more calories. (I'm calculating 10 very GENEROUS servings for this recipe, but it might be more like 16 normal sized servings. I love soup!)
Kid report:
Nat, the vegan who loves veggies, ate the soup.
Kira ate the broth and the potatoes
Tia ate the broth, potatoes, garbanzo beans, vegan sausage, and a few pieces of zucchini.
Yea, I had to try to ladle the soup up with only their preferred veggies.
I'll be making this soup again this fall and winter!
Okay, I'm not a poet so I'll stop there. I think with a little iteration I could turn that into a nice poem, but not today. I've got some other things to do! This is also the second attempt at posting this recipe--remember, yesterday I complained how blogger ate my post. Cross your fingers that this post sticks.
The days are starting to sort of feel like fall. Sort of. (Never mind that it was in the low 80s on Saturday and the high 70s of Sunday.) On Sunday, I wanted soup--warm, comforting soup. I wanted it with lots of green.
I scoured the web and looked at many versions of veggie soup with Kale. There are lots of similar recipes. I didn't see anything that was exactly what I was looking for so I made one up. Here it is:
2 yukon gold potatoes diced (not peeled)
1 large yellow onion diced
2-3 carrots diced
1-3 cloves of garlic diced
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 32-ounce container of veggie broth
~3 cups of water
Combine all of the above in a big stock pan and bring to a boil. Let it cook at a slow boil for 20-40 minutes or until all the veggies are soft. (The time it takes to make the veggies soft will depend on the size of the veggies.)
After the veggies are of a good texture add:
~28 ounces of diced tomatoes
another 32-ounce container of veggie broth
salt (if needed see how much is in your tomatoes and broth)
1 zucchini sliced into thin pieces (I sliced thin and then quartered) (peel or not, your preference, I didn't)
Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Add Kale 3-4 cups chopped with stems removed
You could stop here as it's a delicious very low-fat, no-oil soup. Or, if you're feeling adventurous you can add 2 links of Italian Vegan Field Roast Sausage chopped into small pieces. (Nick, Nat, and I love this stuff.)
If you choose to add the vegan sausage you will add fat to the soup, but it's delicious!
After you add Kale (and the vegan sausage), cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Here are the nutrition facts without the vegan sausage. If you add the sausage you add ~2 grams of fat per serving and ~48 more calories. (I'm calculating 10 very GENEROUS servings for this recipe, but it might be more like 16 normal sized servings. I love soup!)
Kid report:
Nat, the vegan who loves veggies, ate the soup.
Kira ate the broth and the potatoes
Tia ate the broth, potatoes, garbanzo beans, vegan sausage, and a few pieces of zucchini.
Yea, I had to try to ladle the soup up with only their preferred veggies.
I'll be making this soup again this fall and winter!
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