Week 47 -- Pumpkin Pie Soup

As promised, this is the first soup from my new kitchen!  I'm limited in ingredients and cooking equipment, but I managed to pull together a holiday-appropriate yummy soup. 

This is a sweet and spicy soup.  If you'd like it a little sweeter, add an extra 1/4 cup raisins or some date paste.  It's also hearty because it's full of lentils, so it made good lunches for work.

The onions get nice and sweet, and don't forget that anytime you eat onions with grapes (raisins) you get extra nutritional power due to synergy:  https://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-synergy/

This soup was even good when eaten at my dining room folding table.  

Pumpkin Pie Soup

1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup dry red lentils
4 cups water
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
1 can (2 cups) pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp molasses
1 scant tsp apple cider vinegar

1.  Saute the onion in a little bit of water. 
2.  Add the raisins, lentils, and water.  Let simmer until lentils are soft (about 15-20 minutes). 
3.  Add the spices, pumpkin, molasses, and apple cider vinegar.  Let simmer about 5-10 more minutes to let the flavors blend.

Makes about 4 servings.

Week 44 -- Hot and Sour Soup

This is one of my mom's favorite soups, and it was nice on a chilly fall day.  She wanted to make it, and I just hovered.  This soup was never one of my favorites, but I appreciate it much more as an adult than I did as a kid. 

I asked mom if she needed carrots for this soup, and she gave me a strange look and said, "Why would I put carrots in this?"  Then, half an hour later, as we sat down to eat, she looked in her bowl and said, "Oh, yes, I guess I do usually put carrots in this."  So, the moral of that story is that you should feel free to add some matchstick carrots when you make this soup.

Note that this soup does contain oil.  It is the only soup you will ever see on this blog that includes oil.  The sesame oil here is used only for flavor, not for cooking.  It adds some heat and deeper flavor.  Mom keeps some in the cupboard that is really used only for this soup.  It is only a tiny bit of oil, and it really adds to the flavor, but it is totally optional for those who are strictly oil-free or don't have sesame oil on hand.

This soup is very spicy.  It is about the upper limit of spice that I can handle (and only because the tofu mellows it a bit).  Feel free to cut down on the red pepper flakes if you want it a little calmer.  It should be noted that I am a spice wimp, so if you are a spice lover, go ahead and add some more pepper. 

Hot and Sour Soup

1 cup sliced mixed mushrooms
1/2 T molasses
1 T miso
4 cups water
1 T arrowroot dissolved in a little water
1/2 block tofu
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T apple cider vinegar

1. Saute the mushrooms in a bit of water. 
2.  Add the other ingredients.  Let cook until arrowroot cooks and thickens the soup (it will become clear when it's cooked).

Makes 2 servings.

Week 43 -- Simple Chili

Fall is definitely the time for a long-simmered chili.  My crockpot is still packed in storage with the rest of my belongings (just a couple weeks until my new house is ready for me -- we're getting there).  So I've put off making chili, because chili that is made and eaten right away just isn't the same as one that's been bubbling for a few hours.

But this week Mom had an afternoon off from work (in exchange for spending a Saturday working -- I helped but didn't realize it would entail hiking in the mud, but we survived and came home that night to the chili leftovers), so she had time to make chili and let it simmer on the stove top for a few hours.

Veggie chili is a simple crowd-pleaser, and it can be served over millet (my favorite), in a bread bowl, over baked potatoes, with tortilla chips, or as a crucial ingredient in plant-based chili "cheese" fries.

You can see my millet peeking out underneath!

Simple Chili

1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans of beans (we use light red kidney, dark red kidney, and pinto)
1 quart of crushed tomatoes
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder (we use a single-ingredient ancho chili powder)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp each sage and thyme
1 tsp miso mixed in a tiny amount of water
(optional: 1/2 tsp lemon juice -- this was in our home-canned tomatoes already and reduces the need for salt)
1 Tbsp carob powder
1/2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp gluten free flour blend mixed in a tiny amount of water

1. Saute onion in a little water.  Add pepper and garlic and continue to saute until soft.
2. Add other ingredients.  Let simmer for several hours until you are ready to enjoy.

Makes about 6 servings.

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 38 -- Cream of Mushroom Soup

This week's soup almost didn't get made.  It was super busy at my new job, and I am missing my own kitchen (along with my soup equipment: slow cooker, stock pot, immersion blender, etc.).  And then I wasn't feeling well this weekend. 

So late at night Mom helped me make one of her regular soups.  She uses this cream of mushroom as a base for green bean casserole, stroganoff, and other casseroles, but it's also good on its own, even though it's pretty rich.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 onion, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/2 lb mushrooms, diced
2/3 cup cashews
1 tsp each savory, sage, and thyme
1 Tbsp miso
1 tsp molasses
1 Tbsp arrowroot
2 cups water
1 Tbsp parsley

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a little water until cooked.  Add mushrooms and cook until dark and softened.
2. Put cashews, savory, sage, thyme, miso, molasses, arrowroot, and water in blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour cashew cream over mushrooms.  Heat until arrowroot thickens.  Add parsley.

Makes about 4 small servings.

Week 37 -- Plum Lentil Stew

I'm calling this soup "Plum Lentil" because it uses dried plums for some wonderful sweet and deep flavor.  What's that?  You don't have dried plums?  You may know them by their old name: prunes.

I don't know why prunes get such a bad reputation.  They're sweet and delicious!  Sure, they keep things moving smoothly, but that doesn't mean they're only for old people.

I like the prunes cut into pieces.  The easiest way to do this is with a pair of kitchen shears or scissors.  Prunes are fabulous in oatmeal (especially in oatmeal mix because they add so much sweetness and flavor) or on top of nut butter on crackers.  In this soup, they cook down right into the lentils.  Don't tell anyone they're in there, and they would never guess your secret ingredient.

The warm spices make this perfect for cool, rainy fall days.

The molasses and spices make this so dark,
you'd think they were brown lentils!

Plum Lentil Stew

1 lb dry red lentils
1 cup dried plums or prunes, cut into smaller chunks
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp molasses
About 6 cups water

1. Boil the red lentils in about 5 cups water.  Add the dried plums and onion.  Cook until everything is tender (about 15 minutes).
2. Add spices, molasses, and more water as needed.  Let simmer on low heat about 30 minutes (you can speed this up if needed, but the longer it simmers the more the flavors will meld).  Let cool before eating.

Makes about 5 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 22 -- Old World Eggplant Stew

I struggled to name this soup.  I've never had anything like it other places, but it just sounded good to me.  And this soup did hit the spot.  I was under the weather with seasonal allergies and this had ginger and the gentle warmth of allspice, plus a little sweet and a little tangy.

This is not a pretty soup.  The broth is dark and rich, and the eggplant gets soft and melts in your mouth.  But it's great for when you aren't entertaining and want something hearty and warming but not heavy.

Old World Eggplant Stew

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch ginger, minced
1 cup red lentils
1 medium eggplant, cubed
8 oz. mushrooms, chunked
4 cups water
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp miso paste

1.  In large soup pot (or slow cooker), saute onion and garlic in a little water until softened.  Add ginger, lentils, and water.  Chop the rest of the veggies and add them.  Cover and simmer until lentils are cooked and veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.  If using slow cooker, just throw everything in there.
2.  Add seasonings.  Let simmer about 5 minutes to let flavors meld.  Take out a little broth.  Mix it with the miso paste and add back to the soup.  Turn off heat.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Week 16 -- Lentil Curry Soup

I love the idea of curry, but I shied away from it for years for two reasons:  first, I can't handle spicy foods (again, I love the idea of them, but they trigger my MCAS), and second, I'm allergic to cloves, which are usually in curry powder.

My mom, however, makes a really good curry soup, with her own curry powder, so I can eat all I want of her food!  You can use commercial or homemade curry powder in this recipe.  The easiest way to make your own is to read the ingredients on a curry powder blend you like.  You can also search online as there are many recipes that can fit your own taste -- spicy or less spicy.

I was home visiting for a few days and she showed me the secrets of her yummy soup, so we made it together for the blog.  Her recipe usually includes liquid aminos and sugar, two things I'm trying to limit.  Our experiment went well -- this soup is delicious! 

I can chop vegetables and take photos at the same time! 
No, actually, Mom is chopping here.

The veggies are starting to multiply.  Soon they might overflow the pan!

More veggies steaming on the stove.

Mom is trying to wrangle all those yummy veggies in the pan.

The finished soup with a big mound of millet.

Ready to eat! 

Lentil Curry Soup

1 onion, chopped

4 medium carrots, chopped in large chunks

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 medium large gold potatoes, chopped in large chunks

1 cup red lentils

1 bag frozen peas

1/2 bag frozen spinach

2 Tbsp curry powder

Water to cover

4 cups cauliflower

4 dates

1 cup reduced fat unsweetened coconut

2 1/2 cups water

2 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp miso

1. Steam the onion, carrots, and garlic in a little water in a large skillet.  Keep covered.  

2. When partially softened, add potatoes and lentils.  Add the peas and spinach.  No need to thaw first, as they will thaw in the soup.  Add curry powder.  Add water to cover.  Cook until lentils are tender (about 10-15 minutes).  About halfway through, add chopped cauliflower.

3. In a blender, blend dates, coconut, water, molasses, and miso.  Add to soup and let all warm up.  (Try to avoid boiling after miso is added.)
4. Serve with cooked millet or other grain, if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

Week 12 -- Lentil Soup #2 and Magic Sprinkles

Happy St. Joseph's Day!  I mentioned last week that I'm not a big fan of St. Patrick's Day, but that is not true for St. Joseph's Day!  This is one of my favorite feasts.  I have a lot of memories of family and church traditions from this.  Who doesn't love a holiday that includes a tradition of sharing cookies with your friends and neighbors?

Another great thing about St. Joseph's Day is that it's traditionally a meatless feast.  And what is our family's traditional meal?  Why, our favorite pulse, of course!  Welcome back, lentils!  

(Our other traditional food is carduni, burdock stems cooked in an egg batter.  We don't eat eggs now, but Mom and I both have our own ways of preparing this.  Mom uses garbanzo batter.  I use silken tofu and, usually, green beans, because I'm too lazy to prepare real carduni.)

This lentil soup is closer to our traditional St. Joseph's Day lentil recipe.  Grandma used to make it with a packet of onion soup powder.  Our family replaces that with savory herbs and molasses.  Mom adds liquid aminos (feel free to add some if you aren't strictly limiting salt -- it does add a lot in this dish, but you can still enjoy it without).

Our family tradition also dictates that you should add water without measuring it.  If the soup ends up thick, you serve it over pasta.  If it ends up thin, you add some pasta to it and eat it with a spoon.

One last St. Joseph's Day tradition is "St. Joseph's Sawdust," a condiment made by frying seasoned breadcrumbs.  To replace that, I make my "magic sprinkles."  These sprinkles are great on pasta any time of year.

So much promise in a bag of lentils...

There's the soup!  As you can see, it's in the middle for thickness, 

so I jarred up some as soup and ate the rest over pasta.

Here are the lentils served over pasta.  It's actually red lentil pasta.

Mom says this is as silly as eating a seitan sandwich. 
I agree, but it's my favorite pasta, so I don't mind being silly! 
There are the magic sprinkles on top and extra on the side.

Lentil Soup #2

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 carrots, diced
1 lb green or brown lentils, rinsed and sorted
6-8 cups of water
1 tsp each savory, sage, and thyme
black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp molasses

1. Saute the onion in a large soup pot in a little bit of water.  Add the garlic and carrots.

2.  Add the lentils with at least 6 cups water.  You can decide if you want to play lentil roulette and add water without measuring.  It's a fun surprise!  Add the seasonings, too.  Let everything simmer about 30 minutes until the lentils are tender.

Makes about 4 servings.

Magic Sprinkles

4 Brazil nuts
3 Tbsp flax seeds (ground or whole)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 - 1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp miso paste

1. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor.  Process until finely ground and crumbly.

Everyone should eat 4 Brazil nuts each month to keep cholesterol levels healthy, but no more or you'll get too much selenium.  This recipe makes one month's worth of cheesy statin-substitute.  If you want more than this in a month, replace the Brazil nuts with more flax seeds or other nuts.

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.

Week 3 -- French Onion Soup

I have to admit, I have never eaten French Onion Soup.  Even though it always looked good -- who doesn't love bread covered in melted cheese? -- I couldn't stomach the idea of beef broth.  The smell of it has always turned my stomach, even before I became vegan.

Still, I've been enchanted with the idea of this soup, and it was finally time to try my hand at making it.

I have no idea if this tastes like the French Onion Soup you remember.  I do know that it tastes delicious and I had a hard time stopping at one serving!

I made my own bread and cheese, but you can take a shortcut with a whole grain or sprouted grain bread and plant-based cheese.

It starts with onions, so many beautiful onions.

 Did I mention my kitchen smelled amazing while this was cooking?

This buckwheat bread is made from whole grains.  It's yummy, but takes a little effort.

I usually make two batches at once.

Goopy melty cheese is perfect for this recipe.  

I made a double batch to have some on hand for grilled cheese and pizza.

There's the soup, just about done.  It's not the prettiest soup, but it's the taste that matters.

Yummy onion soup topped with crouton and cheese.  

French Onion Soup 

3 large sweet onions

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp thyme

2 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (ACV)

1-2 Tbsp miso, to taste

4 slices whole grain bread (recipe follows)

non-dairy cheese (recipe follows)

1. Put a thin layer of water in a large soup pot.  Thinly slice onions and add to the pot.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.  Make sure the bottom of the pot doesn't get dry.  Add tiny bits more water if needed.  This will take forever, about an hour.

2. Chop garlic and set aside. (You want to give it time to sit to get the full nutritional benefit.)  When the onions are ready, add the garlic and thyme.  

3. Add molasses, ACV, and about 5 cups of water until it looks like just a little too thick for a good soup density (I am not good at measuring water).  You'll be adding a little more in a minute.  Let the soup come up to a simmer.

4. Make cheese.  Spread cheese on sliced bread and broil.

5. Mix miso with a small amount of water in a cup.  Add to soup.  Do not boil after miso is added (you don't want to lose the beneficial cultures).

6. Ladle soup into bowl.  Top with cheesy bread.  Enjoy!

Makes 4 servings.

Buckwheat Bread

This bread is based on the recipe from this blog: 

 http://www.wholeheartedeats.com/2016/06/unbelievable-buckwheat-bread/

1 3/4 cups raw buckwheat groats

2 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp psyllium husk 

1 cup water

3 Tbsp date syrup (dates blended with water) or maple syrup

2 tsp baking powder (Hain is corn free)

1. Soak buckwheat several hours or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 320F.  Drain and rinse buckwheat.  Put it into the bowl of a food processor.  

3. Rinse the bowl you had the buckwheat soaking in.  Add chia, psyllium, and water.  Let it sit for a few minutes.

4. Process the buckwheat until it makes a smooth batter/paste.

5. Put buckwheat batter back in the bowl with chia/psyllium gel.  Add date syrup and baking powder.  Mix well.

6. Put a strip of parchment in a loaf pan.  Pour the batter into the pan.  

Bake for 90 minutes.  Let bread cool completely before slicing.  

Note: Wash your food processor immediately before the batter dries into cement.

Cashew Mozzarella

Based on the recipe here:

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/how-to-make-fresh-vegan-moxarella-cheese/

1/4 cup cashews (can substitute sunflower seeds for nut free)

1 cup water, divided

2 Tbsp + 1 tsp tapioca starch 

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp - 1 Tbsp lemon juice, to taste

1 tsp miso

1. Blend cashews with 1/4 cup water until smooth.

2. Add the rest of the water and all other ingredients.  Blend again.

3. Pour mixture into a small saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.

It will get thick and goopy.  Turn off the heat when it is totally goopy and no longer runny.

Note: If you are used to saltier foods, add more lemon juice.  

Sour tastes trick the tongue into thinking foods are saltier.

This cheese is also fantastic for grilled cheese, quesadillas, pizza, casseroles, etc.