Week 40 -- Sunday Evening Stew

I'm still at my parent's house (just a few more weeks until my new house is really mine), and today my mom took pity on me and gave me a break from struggling in her kitchen.  She made her delicious Sunday Evening Stew with dumplings.  When I could still eat wheat, she used to make a seitan log and cook it on this stew, but now we eat it without the seitan and it's still just as good.

This is a good old fashion stew that's great for serving to people who are afraid that eating WFPB means giving up their traditional comfort foods.

Vegan nostalgia.

Sunday Evening Stew

about 4 cups of chunked gold potatoes
3 small onions, cut in half
4 large carrots, chunked
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
4 stalks of celery, chunked
2 tsp each sage, savory, thyme, garlic, and onion powder
2 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp miso
4 cups water
1 Tbsp gluten-free flour blend mixed with 1 cup water

Dumplings
2 cups gluten free flour blend
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp hemp seeds blended 1 cup water
scant tsp lemon juice
a few drops of apple cider vinegar

1. Spread veggies in one layer in large skillet.  The liquid should just reach the top of the veggies.  Let simmer until everything is tender (no need to stir), about 30 minutes.  Save the flour to add after the veggies are tender, then cook until the flour cooks into a gravy.
2. Mix the dry dumpling ingredients.  Mix the liquid ingredients together and then mix into the dry.  Plop the batter on top of the stew, cover, and continue cooking and dumplings are firm.
Let cool before eating.

Makes about 6 servings.

Week 36 -- Not Chicken Soup

I'm now moved out of my apartment and living with my parents until things are settled with me buying a house, so I'm cooking in mom's kitchen for a few weeks.  Mom and I, though we both eat WFPB, have some very different cooking styles (and the different cooking equipment that comes with that), so it's taking some adjustment.

But the perk of living at home for a while is mom-made comfort food when you aren't feeling well.  I was feeling sup-par and mom and I (but mostly mom while I moaned melodramatically from my bed) made the classic comfort food of Not Chicken Soup.

This soup uses one of mom's favorite WFPB ingredients:  soy curls.  We avoided them for years, thinking they were highly processed protein chunks like those "chicken style" tvp chunks we ate in our early vegan days, but they are actually just whole soybeans that are somehow magically transformed into "meaty" strips.  Don't question the magic.

My dad loves his Not Chicken Soup with noodles.  We dove into the Bag O' Pasta that I brought from my apartment and decided to try the green bean vermicelli.  They were very strange looking -- clear and goopy and not unlike a sea creature -- but they tasted surprisingly perfect in the soup.

Tastes like coming home!

A big bag of soy curls ready to be transformed.

Not Chicken Soup

1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sage
1 tsp savory
1 tsp thyme
Black pepper
2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 onion 
3 garlic
3 celery with leaves
4 carrots
1 tsp molasses
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Miso 2 Tbsp
Soy curls 1 cup
Noodles (optional)

1.  Chop all vegetables.  Put in pan with seasonings (except miso) and about 3-4 cups of water.  Simmer as long as you can stand it. (Add about 2 more cups of water eventually.  Add it gradually as needed.)
2. Rehydrate soy curls according to directions on the bag.  Add miso and soy curls to the soup and simmer a few more minutes until soy curls pick up some of the flavor.
3. Serve over noodles if desired.

Makes about 3 servings for hungry people.

Week 28 -- Crockpot Surprise

This is more a cooking tip than a recipe.  Usually I make this soup every few months.  I've been better this year about using things up, but I still managed to accumulate some sad veggies.  I tend to end up with clumps of frozen veggies in mostly used bags and leftover cut up veggies. 

This is not only a great way to avoid wasting food, it's a great cheap meal for weeks when you're trying to save money, and it's low on effort.

Use any sad vegetables you have: lumps of frozen peas, limp celery, dried up carrots, wrinkly tomatoes, wimpy greens, shriveled garlic, that other half a head of cabbage left over from last week's coleslaw, etc.

I have found that my crockpot holds about 1 gallon plastic bag full of veggies.  I have one bag that I use over and over again (just wash and turn inside out to dry) and I fill it with all of my sad chopped vegetables.

Throw them all into a slow cooker with water and either a can of beans or a cup of red lentils and let it all cook together on low all day.  No matter what veggies I use, this always ends up tasting delicious and flavorful.

There it is, ready to cook.

Hours later, you magically have soup!

Crockpot Surprise

About 1 gallon mixed vegetables, fresh or frozen, chopped

1 cup red lentils or 1 can beans

Water to cover

Put all in crockpot.  Cook on low about 8 hours.

Makes about 6 servings

Week 26 -- Creamy Vegetable Soup

I was in the mood for peas and carrots, but I didn't want a tomato-based soup.  It was a little on the cooler side today and I was home sick dealing with seasonal allergies, so I was craving something hot and comforting.

This soup reminds me of the creamed tuna on toast my mom used to make when I was little, just without the tuna.  It would be very good served over toast or cooked grains. 

This took a while to simmer, but it wasn't very difficult and that gave me time to get this week's baked oatmeal in the oven. 

There's the finished soup.

And here's what it looked like before blending.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Creamy broth:
1 red onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic diced
1 1/2 carrots diced
2 stalks celery diced
1/4 cup dried mushrooms, broken into pieces
1 can cannellini beans with liquid (or 1 1/2 cup cooked white beans)
4-6 cups water to taste
1/2 tsp each sage, thyme, parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
pinch black pepper

1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cup diced carrot

1. Water saute onion and garlic until soft.  Add other broth ingredients.  Simmer about 45 minutes.
2. Blend broth.
3. Thaw peas.  Steam diced carrots.  Stir into broth.

Makes about 4 servings.

Week 23 -- Lemon Millet Soup

I was at my Mom's house for the day, and Mom mentioned she wanted to try a whole-food plant-based version of Greek lemon and rice soup.

We try to avoid rice because of arsenic concerns, so we decided to use millet.  I thought it worked out well, but Mom says she would try using already cooked millet so it falls apart more in the soup.

We made our own super fast veggie stock, but feel free to replace that part of this recipe with your own veggie stock or a no-salt store-bought stock.

As with many of these soups, I never ate the authentic version, I've only eaten my own recipe, so I have no idea how this compares to the real deal.

We served the finished soup with homemade falafel, salad, and a cashew-cucumber sauce.

Lemon Millet Soup

4 cups veggie stock (1/2 a carrot, 1 stalk celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1/4 cup mushrooms, parsley, simmered with about 3 1/2 cups water then pureed)
2/3 cup uncooked millet
1 can chickpeas with their liquid (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas with 1/2 cup cooking liquid)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp miso

1.  Heat stock.  Add millet and simmer until millet is over-cooked. 
2. Ad chickpeas, lemon juice, and miso.  Let all come up to temperature but do not boil after adding miso.

Makes 4 servings.

Week 19 -- Cream of Asparagus

I had a guest chef again!  Mom and I made this cream of asparagus on a very cold and wet spring day, and it was just what we needed to warm up.

The photos don't do justice to how pretty and green this soup is.  This is a great fancy soup that's surprisingly simple to make.  It doesn't have many spices so the flavors of the veggies really shine through.

This is a great soup for anyone trying to eat less salt.  The celery and asparagus are both naturally salty vegetables.  If you're used to lower salt, you may want to omit the miso paste.

A word about asparagus.  If you are worried about some, ahem, side effect from the asparagus, you might be interested to know that, through the fun of genetics, some people get "asparagus" pee and some people don't.  Also, some people are able to smell asparagus pee, and some people aren't.  So if you're one of the people who think it doesn't affect you, it could be just that you can't smell it.  I'm one of those who can't smell it, so I have no idea if mine smells or not.  More on that fascinating topic can be found at Nutritionfacts.org.

Back to the soup.  Dad wanted to buy some processed biscuits to go with it, but I suggested we make some of my corn-free cornbread instead.  To make them taste more processed, I added a tiny bit of miso.  It does make them taste buttery, but they taste just as good without.

It takes so much willpower to do a photo before digging in!

Grind the millet to a cornmeal-like texture.  Do this BEFORE you blend any liquids for the soup.

Most of the veggies are getting a head start cooking while we prep the asparagus.

Pile of corn-free cornbread biscuits.

I couldn't get a good picture of the amazing color.

Ready to eat!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

1/2 cup cashews

Add water to make 1 cup
4 tsp arrowroot
2 tsp miso (optional)

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 bunch asparagus, bottoms removed, chunked, tips reserved
Water to cover

1. Blend the cashews, water, arrowroot, and miso.  Set aside.

2. Cook onions, garlic and celery.  Add water to just cover. 

When mostly cooked, add asparagus chunks except for tips.  

3. When veggies are tender and bright, remove from heat and puree.

4. Gently steam asparagus tips.

5. Mix cashew cream and veggie puree.  Return to gentle heat until hot throughout.  

Top with asparagus tips.

Biscuits

1/2 cup millet
1/2 cup garbanzo flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 Small bananas
1 tsp miso (optional)

1. Grind millet in blender to a coarse meal texture.
2. Mix millet, garbanzo flour, and baking soda.

3. Blend bananas (and miso) until smooth.  Mix into dry ingredients.

4. Plop onto parchment with spoon or cookie scoop.  Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.

Week 18 -- Purple Soup

I love the taste of this soup, but mostly I love how pretty it is!  The broth is a beautiful clear purple.  I like to chop the veggies ahead and throw them into the crockpot some morning.  This makes a lot of soup for very little work.

I may have already mentioned (in the cabbage soup recipe) how much I love the buttery taste and texture of slow-cooked cabbage.  It is one of my favorite foods.

I like the simple flavor of this soup, but if you're new to low salt eating, you may want to stir a small spoonful of miso into your bowl.

Isn't that a gorgeous color?

My aloe and cacti are hoping I'll share with them.
(I won't.)

Purple Soup

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

8 oz baby bella mushrooms or white mushrooms

1 small head purple (red) cabbage

1 can white beans

1. Chop all veggies.

2. Drain and rinse beans.

3. Put all in crock pot or slow cooker.  Let cook for about 8-10 hours on low.

Makes 9-10 servings.

Week 13 -- Cabbage Soup

This is the soup equivalent of an old pair of jeans.  It isn't splashy, but it's comfortable, it's simple, it doesn't take a lot of work, and it's perfect for lounging around.

I like to prep the veggies for this soup on a weekend and then put them in the crockpot on a weekday morning.  I usually use a ziplock bag for my crockpot veggies, and, when I say "a ziplock" I mean one poor ziplock that I wash and use over and over.  I discovered quite by accident that one gallon ziplock fills my crockpot exactly, so it's not only good for storage, it helps me know how many veggies to cut.

This is a great recipe for using up the rest of the cabbage after you've made other recipes.  This time, I used a little less than half the head for a stir fry.  I love cabbage, but I find it annoying to cut, so I always just keep going once I have some momentum and cut it all at once for several recipes.

On a literary note, you've probably read 1984 by George Orwell.  The part of this book I remember the most is the beginning of the second paragraph of the book.  "The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats."  I know it's supposed to evoke a feeling of an old and unpleasant place, but I always think, "Yum!  Boiled cabbage!"  I think of this every time I make this soup.  When I walk into my apartment building at the end of the day I sniff the air and think, "Oh!  One of my lucky neighbors is eating boiled cabbage!" and then I remember that I am the lucky one!  George Orwell obviously never ate this soup.

I used pinto beans for this recipe, but any kind of bean you have in the pantry will taste good here.

There's my trusty old ziplock.  After it's done its job, I wash it and let it try standing up inside out so it can get some well-deserved rest until the next time I need it.

See, one ziplock fills the crockpot to the top.

The finished soup! 

Cabbage Soup

1/2 head cabbage, cut into thick strips
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
3 small gold potatoes, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 can beans, drained and rinsed
10 cups water

1. Chop all veggies. 
2. Put in crockpot.
3. Cook on low for about 8-10 hours.  Sometimes I turn it to high when I get home and let it cook another hour or so.

Makes about 8 servings.

Week 9 -- Walnut Soup with Broccoli

I use cashews when I want a creamy soup or sauce, but I have a big bag of walnuts that I love, and they're full of healthy fat, so I decided to experiment. 

This soup isn't spectacular, but it's nice for a winter evening.  It has a rustic old-world taste, but the broccoli brightens it up. 

I have two big glass "veggie bowls."  I like to fill the bowls to the brim with veggies to steam.

These steamed veggies have no idea they're about to become a lot more close...

I didn't use my immersion blender because I wanted the soup really smooth,

plus I needed to use my regular blender for the walnuts anyway.

Lots of herbs!  The more, the merrier.

There's my beautiful soup, ready to be dished up.  The steamed broccoli is so bright!

After I jarred up my soups for lunches, I didn't have a full serving left for dinner.

The potatoes there were about to become pizza potatoes.  They have nothing to do with the soup, 

but they were so cheerful and my soup cup was lonely, so I let them join the photo.

Walnut Soup with Broccoli

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

3 stalks celery

½ cup walnuts

3 cups water

2 crowns broccoli

1 tsp each thyme, sage, and savory

¼ tsp celery seed

black pepper

1. Chop the broccoli and set aside.  Ideally, you want to let it sit at least 30 minutes.  This gives the enzymes time to activate and you get more nutritional benefit.

2. Chop the onion, garlic, and celery.  Put them in a saucepan with a little water so they can steam over medium high heat.  Once tender, turn off and let veggies cool a little.

3. Blend the walnuts with 1 cup of water.  Once smooth, add the onions, garlic, and celery to the blender.  Blend again, adding more water as needed.

4. Return soup to saucepan.  Bring to a simmer.  Add seasonings.

5. Lightly steam broccoli.  Add to soup and let simmer a few more minutes so the flavors can meld.  Don't overcook or you'll get mushy broccoli.  It's nice when it's still a little crisp.   Add water to soup to get to desired thinness, if needed.

Makes about 4 servings.

Week 8 -- Lentil Soup #1

I love lentils.  I was raised on them, and the combination of nostalgia, cheap price, quick cooking time, and, of course, taste, means that I can't get enough of them.

This is the perfect time of year to eat lentils, too, because we've just entered the Catholic season of Lent.  In fact, the word "lentil" comes from the tradition of eating these pulses during the traditionally meatless season of Lent.

Okay, that was a lie.  "Lentil" actually comes from the Latin for "lens" because they're lens-shaped and "Lent" comes from Old English for "spring," but I think that's a pretty strong coincidence, don't you?  It's a sign from the universe that lentils should be enjoyed especially during spring.

I use lentils in many recipes, but this is one of my favorites.  It's very different from our family's traditional lentil soup.  The flavors in this soup were inspired by trying to recreate a restaurant lentil soup that I loved.  There will be other lentil soup recipes to come, because lentils are, dare I say, the most versatile pulse, despite their strong flavor.

By the way, what is a pulse, you may ask?  Well, lentils are a legume (but not a bean).  Pulses are the dried edible seeds of legume family plants including beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils.  Pulses are super healthy and are full of fiber, protein, and iron.

Look at that bag of green lentils!  So much potential!
You can use cheap brown or green lentils for this recipe.  

I bought the cheaper frozen spinach this week.  I always buy "cut leaf" but the "chopped" was half the price, so I gave it a try.  I know the difference now.  The chopped is great for dips, but I would rather have had the "cut leaf" in this recipe.

I may have burned my mouth a little because I couldn't wait to taste this deliciousness.

Lentil Soup #1

1 cup brown or green lentils, sorted through and rinsed

6 cups of water

1 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 stalk celery

1-2 carrots 

1-2 gold potatoes 

2 roma tomatoes

1 cup frozen spinach

2 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Start the lentils simmering with about half the water.  Add more water as the soup cooks to keep all ingredients covered.

2. When lentils are just tender, add the vegetables as you chop them.  

3.   When all the vegetables are tender, add the molasses and ACV.

4. Let simmer as long as you can stand to wait.  I was in a hurry and only lasted 10 minutes.  

This soup works well in a crockpot, but don't add the molasses and ACV until just before eating.

(I've heard adding acid while pulses cook keeps them from getting tender, but this may be a myth.)

Makes about 4 servings.