Sweet Potato Soup With Ginger & Vanilla
Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 15 minutes
Here’s the vision: vanilla bean and ginger holding hands in a field of sweet potato, with pretty bursts of lime lighting their way, and just a touch of heat.
This recipe came about when I looked in my pantry and screamed “Is there anything at all interesting in here???!?!” The vanilla beans were like “Uh, hello, try us in soup?” So what if my blog has accidentally tripped and fallen face first into a big soup pot? It’s March and it’s dreary, and I can hardly manage to tie my shoes on these gray days, never mind cooking something any more complicated than soup.
Plus, this one has special powers!
For one, the aromatherapy. Try to feel seasonal affective disorder as the delicious scents of ginger and vanilla waft through your abode.
For another, teleportation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t cook with vanilla every day. It took me on a much needed vacation away from my comfort zone, to a more intriguing place.
So my vision for this recipe was a short but sweet ingredient list with nothing superflous and nothing wasted. Pure, clean flavors. I suppose I wanted to be the Raymond Carver of soup. Hope you love it! And hopefully the next pic I post will look like spring, and not Thanksgiving. Haha.
[ed note: I wrote this yesterday, and today, the sun is actually shining!]
~ Everything gets pureed in the end, so don’t stress too much about chopping things too perfectly.
~ My favorite method of scraping the vanilla bean is to slice the bean across the waist, using a steak knife. The slice each half lengthwise, and use the steak knife to scrape out all the delicious vanilla beaniness.
~ My little container of vanilla beans reminded me not to discard the skin! Throw empty vanilla skins into a cup of sugar, cover, and let it sit around for a week or so, giving a stir every now again. BOOM! You have vanilla sugar. Put it in your coffee or something delicious like that.
~ Not really a note, but I know that yams are not botanically sweet potatoes, and I’ll be deleting all comments that yell at me about it. (Yes, people yell at me about yams sometimes. It happens!)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 lbs garnet yams, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (tip to use a steak knife)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Preheat a 4-quart soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, until translucent. Add ginger and red pepper flakes, and saute another minute or so.
Add yams, veggie broth and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat a bit to a slow simmer and cook until potatoes are tender – usually 5 more minutes or so.
Once tender, add the vanilla beans. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Or transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor to puree. Be sure to let the steam escape in between pulses so that the steam doesn’t build up and explode all over you. Then transfer the soup back to the pot.
Add maple syrup and lime and taste for salt. Thin with a little water, if necessary. You can eat immediately, but the flavor develops a lot as it sits. The lime mellows out and the vanilla becomes more pronounced, especially the next day. Serve garnished with lime, if you like. You may also want to do a coconut swirl, or something like that, if you’re feeling fancy.
Smoky Tomato Lentil Soup With Spinach & Olives
Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 15 minutes
I’m not one of those people who freezes soup, although I do occasionally try to be one of those people, and then find the poor victim in the back of the freezer way too late. To avoid that tragedy, I’m usually simmering up a pot a few times a week, and there is almost always a lentil variety in the mix. It’s flexible and easy and takes to new flavors like a champ, so I’m always tinkering.
I rendevous with all manner of lentil; de puy, black lentils, red, you name it. But I always come back to the basic, dependable and oh-so-flavorful brown lentil. It’s my little black dress. And they’re like, what, $1.50 a pound, even for organic? That’s lentils for weeks, my friends.
This week, I had a windfall of smoked paprika. It’s one of those spices I love, but they don’t sell it where I usually do my shopping, and if I don’t make a special spice trip, the jar can languish empty for months. So when I picked up a beautiful fragrant baggy, I wanted to make up for lost time and use it in copious amounts. Add to that the scrumptious kalamata olives I had leftover, and some baby spinach that was dying to be used, and there you have it! A lush, flavorful, healthful soup that was just amazing served with a crusty baguette smeared with homemade hummus.
~ Since olives are salty, wait until after adding them to decide if you need more salt.
~ You can use hot smoked paprika instead of sweet, but do remember that it’s hot! So your soup is gonna’ be spicy. Start with a tablespoon and go from there.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
1 cup dried brown lentils (or green lentils)
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1 24 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups fresh baby spinach (or chopped spinach)
3/4 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives
Preheat a 4-quart soup pot over medium high heat. Saute onions in oil with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 15 seconds or so, then mix in the thyme and paprika.
Add the lentils, broth, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are almost tender. Add the tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with your hands to get them into small pieces, as you add them. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for another 20 minutes or so, or until lentils are very tender. Add spinach and olives and stir frequently until spinach is wilted and velvetty. Add water to thin, if necessary.
Taste for salt, and let sit for 10 minutes or so for flavors to marry, then serve!
Prune & Poppyseed Hamantaschen
Makes around 32 cookies
I know, you needed this recipe last week for Purim. But so what? These fabulous cookies can be enjoyed year round! In fact, when I was a teeny tiny Brooklyn girl taking my yellow school bus to yeshiva kindergarten, I didn’t even know that hamantaschen were holiday specific.
Oh, what’s that you say…what’s Purim, hamantaschen and yeshiva? Google it! Just kidding (sort of.) In a nutshell, Purim is sort of Jewish Halloween (although, that definition is debated. But I always enjoyed the costume aspect!) Hamantaschen are fruit filled 3 sided cookies (shaped like a bad guy’s hat. You’ll see when you google it.) They’re fun and yummy and if you share one with any member of the tribe, their eyes will widen and their hearts will swell.
There are a few traditional fillings for the cookies. Apricot jam is popular, as is raspberry. But my favorites were always prune or poppyseed. And I have a vague memory of a filling that was both! After doing my own googling, I realized that it might not exist. But whatevs, I invented my own. Sort of a fig newton filling, with crunchy toasty poppyseeds and a few melted chocolate chips and orange for extra depth.
The dough is not quite flaky like a pastry dough. It’s crisp on the exterior, but soft and cakier inside. Lemon gives the cookie just a little bit of brightness that is very reminiscent of the Kosher bakeries of my youth.
If you grew up with these cookies, I hope they bring you back. And if you’ve never tried them, I hope you’ll become a new fan!
~ For the cookie dough, I used coconut oil for its yummy buttery qualities. Temperature seems to be a really important factor when using coconut oil (it’s solid when cold, liquid when warm), so make sure the oil is at room temperature.
~ I also use warm milk, because cold milk might make the dough too stiff. Warm the milk briefly in a microwave safe bowl or on the stove top. You want it to be slightly warmer than wrist temperature, but not hot.
~ If you’re preparing the dough way in advance and refrigerating, you’ll need to let it thaw for a good long while. The dough gets very stiff when refrigerated, and will need a few hours to get pliable again.
For the dough:
2/3 cup refined coconut oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup warm plain non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
4 teaspoons vanilla
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons organic cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
8 oz Prunes
1/4 cup poppyseed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
Prepare the dough:
In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat together the coconut oil and sugar. It should be somewhere between creamy and crumbly. Add the milk and beat until smooth and incorporated. Mix in the zest and vanilla.
Add 2 cups of the flour, the cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Beat on medium until smooth. Add the rest of the flour about 1/2 a cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until the dough is stiff, smooth and not tacky. It will probably start climbing up the beaters. That’s ok!
Divide dough in two, roll into a ball and flatten a bit into a fat disc, then wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the filling.
Prepare the filling:
Roughly chop the prunes and place them in a sauce pot. Add the poppyseeds, sugar, orange juice, water and orange zest. Cover and bring to a simmer. Let it cook until the prunes are very soft, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes. If it seems too stiff, add a little extra water, a tablespoon at a time, until it loosens up a bit. It should be the texture of a thick jam.
Transfer to a blender and add the chocolate chips. Puree the mixture while still warm so that the chips melt. If it is too thick to puree, once again, add a little water until it will blend.
Once nice and smooth (although many poppyseeds will remain whole) transfer to a bowl and set aside at room temp until ready to form the cookies.
Form the cookies:
Have ready 2 large baking sheets, lined with parchment paper.
Sprinkle a clean, dry countertop with a little flour. Take one portion of dough and flatten it out a bit with the palm of your hand, then roll about 1/8 inch thick, sprinkling with flour if the dough seems sticky.
Using a 3 inch cookie cutter, create 14 to 16 circles of dough.
Then peel away the excess dough.
Now fill each cookie with about a teaspoon of filling.
Pinch together two sides to form a cone.
Then fold up the bottom, once again pinching the sides to seal.
Now you’ve got a bunch of Hamantaschen!
Preheat oven to 350 F then roll out the other portion of dough and repeat. If desired, you can roll out the remaining excess dough and make a few more cookies. I’m always too lazy to do that!
Bake cookies for 10 minutes, then rotate pans and bake for another 8 minutes or so. The bottoms should be golden brown. The tops don’t brown much.
Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Store cookies at room temp in a tightly sealed container. I think they taste even better the next day. Happy Purim!
The PPK 100 For 2012
Now that the Oscars are over we can get to the list everyone’s really been waiting for…it’s the PPK100 for 2012! (The list is down there somewhere under this epic image.)
Vegan food was fun, cheesy, smart, sweet and boozy last year, and we’ve got the products, websites, events, utensils and recipes to prove it. Thank you to Katie Hubbard and Laura Beck for helping to write this year’s entries. This year the number 100 slot is empty, leaving room for everyone that says “BUT YOU FORGOT ABOUT X!” Well, maybe they’ll still make it on.
I compiled the list by asking everyone from my mom to my favorite musicians what inspired them in 2012. I also posed the question on Twitter and Facebook (of course!) so that I could get as much feedback as possible. Since this is the Post Punk Kitchen 100, naturally there are a few items from Terry and I that made it on to the list, but I tried to make it as diverse as possible, giving shoutouts to all of the amazing peeps that made 2012 a delicious year.
The list is in no particular order, #1 isn’t necessarily any more important or better than #47 in our eyes. The main point was just to have some fun. From time to time we link to stuff you can buy on Amazon. If you purchase through those links, the credit will go to supplies for The Teal Cat Project.
If you see a mistake or if I accidentally didn’t give credit, please just let me know. And of course let us know what inspired you in 2012. Enjoy!
1) Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner
2) Cinnamon Snail
3) #veganfoodshare
4) Homemade Liquers
5) Finding Vegan
6) Popcorn Tofu At Wheatsville Coop, Austin TX
7) The Vegetarian Butcher
8) Vegan for Life
9) The Vegan Experience on Serious Eats
10) Compassionate Cake
11) Moms On Facebook Sharing Recipes
12) Eat Pastry
13) The Wynn In Las Vegas
14) Coconut Bacon
15) Veg News Food Photography
16) Raised Donuts
17) Tabby Toffee’s For Teal Cat from Lagusta’s Luscious
18) Chia Pudding
19) The Vegan Shop-Up
20) The Vegan Secret Supper Club
21) Cafe Gratitude in Kansas City
22) Homemade Tempeh
23) VegOut App
24) Soy Not Oi! 2
25) Shichimi Togarashi
26) Extracting the Teargas Cone of an Onion
27) Beyond Meat
28) Virtual Vegan Potluck
29) Umeboshi paste
30) Jorge Garcia’s and Nooch Toast
31) Epic Vegan Mealtime
32) Kale mojito
33) LA’s Vegan Beer Fest
34) Vegan Fish Sauce
35) Vegan Cupcakes Take Over Toronto
36) Traditional Pickling
37) Spherification & Pearls
38) Treeline Treenut Cheese
39) Seitan Meats Jesus Pizza from PizzaNista
40) Tea Leaf Salad at Burma Superstar
41) Patric Chocolate’s PB&J OMG bar
42) Vegan Food On Buzzfeed
43) Nooch Vegan Market
44) Twix from OCD
45) Daiya Havarti Wedge
46) Native Foods
47) Butternut Alfredo
48) Nut butters in baking
49) Vegan Butter
50) Funny pasta shapes from Amazon
51) Porcini powder
52) Homemade Syrups for Drinks
53) Steve’s Cinnamon Coffee Ice Cream
54) M.A.K.E., Santa Monica
55) Butchering A Lemon
56) Vega One
57) Homemade Kombucha
58) Moscow Mule
59) Toasted Rice Powder
60) Star Anise
61) A Profound Hatred of Meat
62) Keepin’ It Kind
63) Mac And Cheese With Roasted Artichokes at MOB
64) Compost
65) Baker’s Creek Catalog
66) Pretzels In My Ice Cream (Ideally After Midnight)
67) Vintage Spatula
68) Coconut Fiber
69) Chopped Vegan
70) Cookbooks From The Library
71) Manifest Vegan’s Ube Ice Cream
72) Coconut Oil
73) Smoked Olives
74) Green Vegan App
75) Capital City Bakery, Austin TX
76) No Whey Chocolates
77) Vegan Butterfingers
78) Bánh Mì
79) Crushing Seeds In A Garlic Press
80) Homemade Kimchi (Or Not)
81) Victoria Vegan Vodka Sauce
82) Archived Vegetarian Times
83) Boston’s Vegan Corner
84) Raw White Chocolate Bar by Organic Nectars
85) My Drunk Kitchen does Raw Vegan Cheesecake
86) The Vegan Zombie
87) Potato Towers
88) 50 Shades of Kale
89) Carrot Bacon
90) Olives For Dinner
91) Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
92) Homegrown Kale (Scattered Kale Seeds)
93) Vedge Restaurant, Philly
94) Vegan Richa
95) Blissful Chef’s Cooking Tool of the Month
96) Pumpkin Pie Filled Muffins
97) Aliens Day Out
98) Food Mountain
99) Re-purposing Non-Vegan Kitchen Utensils
100) ?????? You tell us!
Thanks so much for all who participated (in order of appearance)! Troy Farmer [Raven & Crow], Lagusta Umami [Lagusta’s Luscious], Quarrygirl [Quarrygirl], Jason Das [SuperVegan], Sarah Kramer [Sarah’s Place], Laura Beck [Vegansaurus], Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan [OurHenHouse], Terry Hope Romero [Vegan Latina], My Mom [no website], Gabrielle Pope [Vegans on the Move], Mo [Mo Betta Vegan], Jess Sconed [Get Sconed], Lianne Mai-Ly Hilgart [Voute Coutre], Elizabeth Castoria [Veg News], John McDevitt [Laziest Vegans In The World], Stephanie Seabirds [Seabirds Truck]
Chocolate Yogurt Bundt Cake
Makes one 12 cup Bundt, serves 16
Active time: 15 minutes || Total time: 2 hours
Does chocolate cake ever need an introduction, or is this pretty self-explanatory?
Fine, I will spell it out for you: I was craving chocolate cake!
And I wanted something supermoist, you know, the kind of cake that melts in your mouth and melts your heart and makes you forget about the snow outside that might not ever melt!
I’ve been on a Bundt kick lately, because they’re so casually fancy, and I’ve just been too busy for anything more than one bowl and one baking pan. I threw in some chocolate chips and dusted with powdered sugar to at least give the appearance of effort. And if you’ve got a bushel of strawberries burning a hole in your produce pocket then now is a good time to use ‘em.
So there you have it! A deeply delicious and chocolatey cake that you never need a special occasion to bake. Tonight I’m going to share it with my writing group because another bonus? You can eat it with one hand!
~ I used coconut yogurt, but I think any plain or vanilla yogurt will work. I really like the So Delicious brand.
~ For the boiling water that you add at the end, make sure to measure it after boiling, not before, since some might evaporate.
~ I pulled everything off with a simple whisk, but feel free to use an electric hand blender if you prefer!
~ If you can’t accept a Bundt Cake without icing, try the ganache here.
1 1/4 cups plain or vanilla vegan yogurt (see note)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
To decorate:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Fresh strawberries
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, milk and canola oil until smooth, about a minute. Mix in the vanilla.
Sift in about half of the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until almost smooth, then add the remaining flour and hot water. Mix again until smooth. It’ll be relatively thick.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared Bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes to an hour. A knife inserted through the center should come out clean, but because of the chocolate chips it might be hard to tell. Just make sure there’s not a bunch of batter on it.
Let cool for 20 minutes or so, then invert on to a cooling rack to cool completely. Because the cake is so moist it may take a little tapping to get the cake to release.
Once completely cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with strawberries!
Bouillabaisse With Roasted Yellow Squash & Chickpeas
Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 45 minutes
This isn’t your run of the mill chickpea tomato stew. It’s got so much interesting goodness going on: fennely bites, a little orange undertone and just a hint of the sea. I wish I had a really interesting story to tell about me and bouillabaisse and my French lineage but…the truth is, the word just got stuck in my head. A few days ago out of nowhere. Bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse.
In fact, before today I couldn’t even tell you what went into the recipe. Just one of those things that sounded super fancy to me in the 80s and kind of fell off the radar.
But I became intrigued and did some intense research (uh, google image search). A Provençal fisherman’s stew, a bit spicy, usually served with crusty bread and rouille. OK, well, count me in.
For my vegan version, I had two main goals — replicate the fishiness and retain that eclectic fancy rustic-ness. For the sea flavor, I decided on my old stand-bys: chickpeas and just a little crumbled nori. And for garnish, a few briny capers. Easy enough!
To mimic the pretty shapes of the shellfish that poke out of the stew every which way, I decided to go with yellow squash, cut into half moons. Since sometimes boiled summer squash can get mushy, I opted to roast the squash and toss it in at the end. Forgive the fussiness, but well, sometimes a little extra work produces great rewards. The roastiness brings a lot to the bowl.
In most of the photos I saw, I noticed that although the stew was brothy, there was a lot of stuff floating around, likely from flakes of fish. But I decided to throw in a handful of red lentils to give the broth some interest and boost the flavor even more.
For the rouille, I decided to…oh wait, what’s that you say, what is rouille? Well, duh, it’s a peppery mayo! How could you not know that?
For mine, I basically followed Julia Child’s recipe (she uses almonds, although many recipes call for breadcrumbs) and threw in a little Ina Garten (that’s the dijon mustard.) Now, of course bread and spread are options here, the stew is filling enough on its own, but please if you’ve got the time, make the rouille! It was so rich, cozy and decadent, and really just the thing for dipping into the stew on a blustery winter afternoon.
And there you have it. A vegan bouillabaise that even a French fisherman would love. OK, fine, a French fisherman would probably laugh at me and call me terrible things in French. But still. It’s still totally delicious.
~ Since yellow squash tapers at one end, you can simply slice the narrowest part into discs. Then cut the rest in half lenghtwise and make 1/4 inch thick cuts widthwise to create the halfmoons. You can use zucchini instead, if you like!
~ I love the flavor that fire roasted canned tomatoes bring to the party, but use only the tomatoes, not the juice. You can reserve that for another soup another time! It freezes well in a small plastic ziplock. I just grab the tomatoes out of the can and crush them in my hands right into the pot. But if you don’t feel like being savage, you can chop them on a cutting board, too.
~ One average sized naval orange should get you enough zest. Use a microplane grater and eyeball the amount. It’s too frustrating to actually measure a teaspoon of zest, in my opinion.
~ If your nori is incredibly fresh, you should be able to crumble it in your hands. But sometimes, even if the package has been open for only a few days, the nori is too pliable to crumble. In that case, roll it up and chop into tiny pieces with a chef’s knife.
~ I roasted the peppers for my rouille while the squash was roasting. That made it super easy to pull together.
~ Most recipes call for saffron. I didn’t have any, but if you do, congratulations Warren Buffet! By all means, throw some in.
2 average sized yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons
Olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (one bulb should be enough)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
24 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, tomatoes only, chopped (see note)
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup red lentils
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon salt
1/8th teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
Several dashed fresh black pepper
1/2 sheet nori, crumbled into tiny pieces
5 cups vegetable broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups cooked chickpeas (a 25 oz can, rinsed and drained)
For garnish:
Chopped flat leaf parsley
Fennel fronds
Capers
To serve:
Toasted bread
Rouille
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the yellow squash with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. When oven is preheated, roast for 10 minutes, then flip and roast for another 5 minutes or so. Remove from oven and set aside. In the meantime, prepare the stew.
Preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Saute fennel and onion in about a tablespoon of olive oil with a pinch of salt for 5 to 7 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the remaining ingredients, except for the chickpeas, cover pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and leave the lid ajar so that steam can escape.
When potatoes are tender and red lentils are cooked, about 15 minutes, add the chickpeas and turn heat to its lowest setting, cooking uncovered for 15 more minutes. This is so that the potatoes don’t overcook, but the lentils have more time to turn mushy and the flavors can develop even further. Add up to an extra cup of vegetable broth if needed, to keep the stew brothy. Cook this way for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and let stew sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Taste for salt and seasoning. Remove the bay leaves and thyme springs before serving.
To serve:
Ladle stew into bowls, top with roasted zucchini, capers, fresh parsley and fennel fronds. Serve with toasted bread spread with rouille.
Curry Tofu Tacos With Pintos & Kale Slaw
Makes 8 tacos
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes
I’ve been away from home for most of the winter, but the instant I walk through the door, still in an airplane funk, all I want to do is cook. My boyfriend looks at me like I have a carrot growing out of my forehead, and I’m like “I wish! I love carrots.”
Jet-lagged or not, this time of year is always so muddled and I never quite know what I’m craving. The winter makes my taste buds so restless. Let’s see…curry? Or Mexican? Or hippy? Oh, what the hell, let’s do all three. You could even call these YOLO Tacos (if you wanted to be the most annoying person in the world.)
The tofu is simply sliced into slabs, soaked in a little puddle or curry powder, olive oil and soy, then grilled to high heaven. (You can also broil.)
The beans are equally as simple: sauteed onions and an entire field of garlic (ok, 4 cloves), some fresh tomato, cilantro. Done!
And the Kale Slaw is my favorite hippy vegan recipe, and really not much more difficult than making guacamole. It’s sliced into shreds, and doused in a creamy garlicky dressing of avocado, tahini, and red wine vinegar. So easy! Even though there are a few components, the entire recipe should only take 30 minutes or so.
Now that I’m home and relaxed, I hope to be updating a little bit more regularly. Thanks for sticking around, everyone, and I hope you’re having a delicious (if restless) winter!
~You don’t have to press the tofu here, but if you have time, then it’s not a bad idea. Otherwise, just squeeze as much water out as you can, and blot the tofu with paper towels.
~I used my favorite S&B curry powder. Use whichever mild curry you like best!
~I was feeling very hippy vegan, and so I pulled out the old school Bragg’s Liquid Aminos for the tofu. You can use soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, too. If it needs more salt, just sprinkle some on after the tofu is cooked.
~To prepare the kale, pull the leaves from the stems. Roll up a few leaves at a time (into a cigar shape) and slice widthwise to make 1/4 inch strips. That is what “chiffonade” means! I used purple kale because PURPLE! But you can use whatever kind is available. About 1/2 of my bunch equaled the 6 cups needed for this recipe.
For the tofu:
1 14 oz package extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
For the pintos:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
For the kale slaw:
6 cups shredded kale (stems removed, chiffonade – see note)
Dressing for slaw:
2 cloves garlic
1/2 an avocado
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water (plus more to thin)
To serve:
Remaining 1/2 of avocado, diced small
8 corn tortillas
Make the tofu:
Preheat grill over medium high heat, or preheat broiler. Slice tofu into 8 equal slabs, widthwise.
On a rimmed dinner plate, use a fork to mix together Bragg’s, olive oil and curry powder.
To grill, spray the hot grill pan with cooking spray. Dredge each slab of tofu into the curry mixture on both sides, then place on the grill. Let cook for about 7 minutes each side, or until grill marks appear.
For broiling, place on a lightly greased baking sheet about 3 inches from the broiler. Broil each side about 5 minutes, keeping a close eye so that they don’t burn.
When ready to serve, slice the tofu slabs into four strips lengthwise.
Make the beans:
Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more. Add the chopped tomato, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook until tomato is broken down and releasing juice, about 3 minutes.
Add the beans and heat through. Mix in the cilantro, and turn the heat off. Keep covered until ready to serve.
Make the Kale Slaw:
In a blender, pulse the garlic to get it a bit chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Add extra water as needed in order to get it to a thick but pourable consistency, like a thick milkshake.
Place the shredded kale in a bowl and add the dressing, using a rubber spatula to scrape the blender and get everything out.
Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale for about 30 seconds. Taste for salt and seasoning.
To assemble:
Warm the tortillas (I wrap mine in paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds.) Place a bit of kale, a scoop of beans and a few strips of tofu in each taco. Add a little chopped avocado, and eat up!
Chickpea & Rice Soup With A Little Kale
Serves 6
Total time: 40 minutes || Active time: 15 minutes
See those sets of footprints in the snow? Now notice where one set disappears? That was when soup was carrying you.
It’s January (again? wtf!) in the midwest. The Christmas lights are coming down (well, they should be anyway), the Valentine’s hearts have not yet appeared, and the New Year’s Resolutions are just beginning to wobble. The only thing that’s keeping society from falling to pieces is soup!
Invite a friend over, break some bread (olive sourdough spoken here), and inhale big bowlfuls of comfort like this one. Chewy rice and succulent chickpeas, fragranced with rosemary, thyme and celery, pulled together by luscious cashew cream. And of course I throw in a little kale at the end for good measure. I chose lacinato because it holds its bite, but you, of course, can use whatever you like! Some green onions on top add another whiff of of flavor and even a hint at Springtime, which — hard to believe — is just around the corner. I promise.
~ I used red rice here, but you can use whatever you like. Just note that brown rice will have a longer cooking time, so plan accordingly.
~ A good strong broth is essential for flavor here. I recommend Better Than Boullion, No Chicken flavor if you can get your hands on it. So worth it! Especially in the winter months when you might not have any homemade.
~ If — for whatever reason — you don’t want to use cashew cream, unsweetened plain almond or soy milk will work. It doesn’t get as creamy, but it’s still yummy! Just please double and triple check that it’s unsweetened, or it’ll be awkward tasting.
3/4 cup cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 cup rice, rinsed (see note about rice)
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, diced chunky
5 cups vegetable broth
1 24 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)
4 cups chopped kale
Thinly sliced green onion, for garnish
Drain the cashews and place them in a blender with one cup of fresh water. Blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula occasionally to make sure you get everything. This could 1 to 5 minutes depending on the strength of your blender.
Preheat a stock pot over medium heat. Saute onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and saute a minute more.
Add rice, celery and carrots and then pour in the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring down to a simmer, add the chickpeas, and let cook for about 15 more minutes, until rice is cooked and carrots are tender.
Add the cashew cream and kale, and simmer until kale is wilted, 3 to 5 more minutes. You may need to add water to thin the soup if it seems too thick. Taste for salt and seasonings and let sit for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to marry. Serve topped with green onions.
It thickens as it cools, so if you have leftovers, just thin with a little water when you reheat.
Hoppin’ John Bowl With Red Hot Tahini
Serves 6
Total time: 45 minutes || Active time: 45 minutes
I am soooo looking forward to the new year. 2012 was one of those that had me screaming “DO OVER!” Still, I know I have a lot to be grateful for and of course December 31st is the perfect time to reflect on that: family, friends, my home, my cats (ok maybe it was hard not to put “cats” first.) But whether or not the year rocked or sucked, it’s always nice to have a clean slate. And a clean kitchen. So let’s start the year off right, with some black eyed peas!
If you only make beans from scratch once a year, definitely make it New Year’s and definitely make them black-eyed peas. Of course, it’s said that these little legumes bring prosperity when eaten on the New Year, a little Southern custom that’s thought to have Jewish roots as well. But let’s leave the origin arguments to the discussion page on Wikipedia, and get down to what matters…the recipe!
Traditional Hoppin’ John is made with ham hock, but in this vegan version we’ll be using “ham mock” or “sham hock,” or whatever vegan pun you prefer, it’s just a little liquid smoke and bay leaves. Since I’m not really content with a few beans over rice, let’s turn the bean around and prepare a full-on bowl. Lots and lots of steamed greens, red rice and smoky beans, smothered in a sauce that keeps up the Southern Jewish theme; a simple concoction of tahini and Frank’s Red Hot! This stuff is irresistible: spicy, nutty, savory, tangy, garlicky bliss. And to cool things down, a little tomato parsley salad is a welcome burst of freshness. This bowl will definitely start the year off right!
From my kitchen to yours, HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL! Here is to a fabulously prosperous 2013, glowing with peace, love and plenty of tahini.
~For time management purposes, start the rice and simmer the beans at the same time. While those are working away, throw together the sauce and salad. Steam the greens once everything is ready, since they take a matter of minutes and you don’t want to serve cold greens accidentally.
~If you prefer not to make the beans from scratch (for shame), you can use two 15 oz cans of beans, rinsed and drained. Heat very gently on the stove top or in the microwave, and sprinkle with a little salt and a few drops of liquid smoke.
~Tahini can vary in liquid from brand to brand. Some are very fluid and others are stiff and chunky. I prefer to use the more liquidy brands. Don’t be surprised if you have to add up to 1/2 cup of extra liquid when making the sauce, depending on the kind of tahini you have.
~Collards are probably the most fitting green to serve here, but the ones at my local Whole Foods were looking kind of sad, so I went with beautiful lacinto kale. Collards take about 7 to 10 minutes to steam, and kale only about 5. Simply discard the rough stems, tear leaves into large pieces, place in your steamer, and flip every few minutes using tongs, while checking for doneness. I like a little snap left in my greens, and consider them done when they’re a bright Godzilla green.
~You can definitely make everything but the greens and tomatoes in advance, if you like! The beans taste even better if they have time to absorb the smoke and seasoning overnight and the sauce keeps well in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.
For the Hoppin’ John:
1 1/2 cup dried black eyed peas, soaked in water overnight
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
For the Red Hot Tahini:
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot)
1/4 cup water (plus more as needed)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic
For the Tomato Parsley Salad:
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup finely sliced green onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Several dashes fresh black pepper
Dash salt
Also:
1 pound steamed greens (I used lacinto kale, see note)
6 cups cooked rice for serving (I used red rice)
Make the Hoppin’ John:
Drain the soaked beans, and place them in a 4 quart pot. Submerge in water, with water coming about 2 inches above the beans. Add bay leaves, salt and liquid smoke. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring the heat down low, and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Check often so that they don’t overcook. When beans are still firm, turn the heat off and uncover. Let them hang out until everything else is ready. They will continue to cook in the hot water, so turning the heat off ensures that they don’t overcook.
Make the Red Hot Tahini:
Simply blend everything up in a little blender until smooth. A Magic Bullet works perfectly. Add water by the tablespoon to thin as needed. Taste for salt and spiciness.
Make the Tomato Parsley Salad:
Toss all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Taste for pepper and vinegar.
Assemble:
Place greens and rice side by side in a large bowl. Top with black-eyed peas. Drizzle with sauce and top with the tomato salad. Serve immediately and prosper!
Voluptuous Pumpkin Pie
Makes one 9 inch pie
This recipe first captured my heart in 2001. I had discovered Myra Kornfeld’s wonderful Voluptuous Vegan and was so happy to have a guide that used so many from-scratch vegan ingredients. This pie was actually my first ever attempt at a homemade vegan pumpkin pie and I haven’t strayed from it since. Why mess with perfection? It’s rich and creamy, and has got the perfect amount of autumn spices. Myra includes a nut topping in her original recipe, but I like mine unadulterated. Well, ok, maybe a little Rad Whip or other creamy topping, but that’s about it. The recipe is slightly modified from Voluptuous Vegan and appears in our pie book, Vegan Pie In The Sky.
~ Agar powder is a crucial ingredient here for getting the perfect texture. It’s similar to a vegan gelatin, but made from seaweed, not whatever gross stuff gelatin is made from. It comes in flakes and powder form, but I prefer the powder because it is so fool-proof and easy to work. Check your local Asian market for Telephone brand, or you can order it from Amazon or Vegan Essentials. One small jar will get you through dozens of pies, so it’s a worthwhile ingredient to have on hand.
Single pastry crust, fit into a 9 inch pie plate
3 cups cooked pumpkin or other sweet winter squash
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup plain unsweetened soy milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 /4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon agar powder
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a blender, pulse together pumpkin, maple syrup, soy milk, canola oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, cornstarch and agar powder until very smooth. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 60 to 65 minutes until the center looks semi-firm not liquidy. Check the edges of the crust after baking for 40 minutes; if the edges appear to be browning too rapidly carefully remove the pie and apply crust protectors to the edges to keep from getting too dark.
Remove from oven and onto a cooling rack for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 4 hours before slicing. Serve with Rad Whip, vegan whipped topping or your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream. In the photo, we piped cream around the edges of the pie with a large decorating tip.
Blueberry Oatmeal Waffles
Makes 6 eight-inch waffles
I know a magical place, where blueberries are always in season….my freezer!
For a long time, I had a fear of putting blueberry batter into my waffle iron. I mean, maybe it was a valid concern. The blueberries do sorta’ explode, and that could lead to burning. But I guess you can add “burnt blueberries” to the list of things I no longer fear. The thing is, they taste good. Call them “caramelized,” if you must. The trick is to spread the batter a bit, and close the lid slowly but firmly. You will get beautiful, evenly cooked waffles that are literally bursting with berries!
I love the texture of this waffle; a bit crispy from the oatmeal, but still deliciously moist from the applesauce. It’s the perfect way to start the day. Or, whatever, have waffles for dinner. See if I care!
If you’re looking for a waffle iron recommendation, I love my Cuisinart 8 inch waffle maker. I keep the heat on 3 most of the time. And if you’re in the Omaha area, come to my Vegan Waffle Party at the Omaha Public Library Read It And Eat Culinary Conference on Saturday November 3rd. Don’t forget your bib!
PS I really wanted to get a killer maple syrup food porn shot, but my camera battery died, and waffles wait for no man.
~ This recipe calls for white whole wheat flour, which is an amazing variety of wheat that bakes and tastes a bit more like all-purpose flour, with a wholesome tinge. I kinda’ dig wheaty tasting waffles, but if you’d rather use all-purpose, then go ahead! You can also use whole wheat pastry flour, if you prefer.
~ I used regular old plump frozen blueberries, but wild blueberries are a great choice because they’re smaller, which means they distribute more evenly into the batter.
~ Slice leftover waffles and freeze them in a plastic freezer bag. Then just toast and serve whenever you need a waffle fix!
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or your fave non-dairy milk)
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and allspice into a mixing bowl. Mix in the oats. Make a well in the center and add applesauce, milk, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Stir with just until combined.
Let batter rest for 5 minutes or so, it will thicken a bit. Fold in the blueberries. Don’t worry too much about the blueberries bleeding into the batter, it’s no biggie.
Cook in waffle iron according to manufacturer directions. In my 8 inch waffle iron, I use a heaping 1/2 cup of batter. Remember to spray or brush the iron with oil in between each waffle.
Roasted Butternut Alfredo
Serves 4
Total time: 1 hour (plus cashew soak. 30 minutes if using canned butternut.)
Active time: 20 minutes
Whether you’re lugging them home from the farmer’s market, or plucking them out of your backyard garden, October means it’s time for butternut everything. If you’re a butternut maniac like I am, then this is good news. But perhaps in your zealous lust for the creamy orange flesh you’ve come down with a severe case of Butternut Burnout ™.
Yes, butternut in your breakfast, soup, muffins and in your salads…it has taken its toll. No more sweet gingery autumnal goodness, you say. No more spicy warm cinnamon goosebumps. Butternut Burnout ™ means a steady diet of kale and chocolate forever more or at least until Spring.
However, there is a way to combat BB. And that’s by treating it with savory elements, rather than sweet. This Roasted Butternut Alfredo is sure to combat all of the damage done to you by those butternut waffles. The squash is roasted first, and then pureed with cashew cream to make a thick, autumnal sauce, that is lush, creamy and most importantly, savory. White wine, some sauteed onions and garlic…oh yes, keep it coming. Butternut forever! Butternut for life!
~ An average butternut weighs like 3 lbs. You don’t need that whole 3 lbs for this recipe, but you should roast the entire thing anyway. To roast, Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a large chef’s knife, cut the the round part of the butternut from the long part. Slice the round part in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush or spray parchment lightly with oil and place squash pieces, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until squash is very tender. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the squash needed for this recipe. Save the rest for whatever you like: soup, muffins, or just mashed up with some ginger, maple syrup and cinnamon.
~ You can make this with a can of butternut or pumpkin puree, too. Of course you won’t have the roasted squash to put on top, but them’s the breaks. It will still be yum.
~ You can also make this with any winter squash, I’d imagine. Pumpkin, delicata, acorn, kabocha….all good choices.
~ I like to have extra sauce to serve with veggies and stuff. If you have no such need, then this sauce will probably be sufficient for an entire pound of pasta.
~ I would have loved to use fettuccine or linguine here, but I didn’t have any. I ended up using strozzapretti, but that’s a bit hard to find. Fusilli would be a great choice, or a smaller pasta like orecchiette. I can see penne working, too! What I’m trying to say, I think, is that this is a great sauce for any kind of pasta.
~ As always, you can soak cashews overnight. Or soak em all day. Just try to remember to soak ‘em in advance so that you’re not waiting for the cashews to make the recipe. If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec type million dollar blender, well, luck you! You can skip the soaking step.
1/2 pound pasta (see note)
Sauce:
1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups roasted butternut squash (see note)
2 tablespoons mellow white miso
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the rest:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage
3/4 cup dry white wine
Several dashes fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
For garnish:
Extra roasted squash
Pepitas, or chopped pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts
Once the squash has roasted, bring a salted pot of water to boil for the pasta. When boiling, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with the vegetable broth. Blend until very smooth. Rub sauce between your finger and when hardly any grittiness remains, add the roasted butternut, miso, nutritional yeast (if using) and lemon juice. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure you get everything.
While the sauce is blending, start the onions. Preheat a large cast iron pan over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 7 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds or so, just until fragrant. Mix in the sage and pepper. Then add the wine and salt and turn the heat up to bring wine to a boil. Let boil for about two minutes, to reduce a little.
Turn down the heat to medium low. Now add the butternut cream to the pan, and stir to incorporate the onions and everything. Heat through, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken a bit. Taste for salt and seasonings.
Oooh, creamy!!!!
Set aside some of the sauce (you can reserve a cup or so for veggies if you’d like to throw some on top.) Add the pasta, and toss to coat. Serve topped with additional roasted squash and a sprinkle of nuts.
Scramble Tofu Breakfast Bahn Mi
Makes 4 sandwiches
There are many reasons to love Terry Hope Romero. Her shiny black hair, her Ewok style, and her huge heart among them. But even if she were like, totally evil, I would still love her for this Scramble Tofu Bahn Mi! I mean, who else would think of that? And who else would execute it so perfectly? This is another recipe from her new book Vegan Eats World. Do yourself a favor and preorder this book. No food lover should be without it! OK, now I’ll let Terry take it away…
“This hearty bahn mi filling of golden scrambled tofu packed in a toasted baguette is too good to eat only for breakfasts, eat them up for casual weeknight meals too. You could always just use carrot and cilantro for garnish, but for really amazing sandwiches make the Daikon and Carrot Star Anise pickles!”
~ Making your own pickles might sounds like a P.I.T.A. but it’s actually quite simple and rewarding. Make the pickles on Saturday and have them ready and waiting for you at Sunday brunch.
~ If star anise isn’t already a common ingredient for you, it’s best to purchase them from a bulkbin at a spice store (like Penzey’s), asian market or health food store. You can purchase only the four you need for the pickles! Once, when I only needed a few, they weren’t heavy enough to register on the scale and the cashier just gave them to me for free. Hee hee.
For the tofu:
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
4 scallions, white and green parts divided and sliced very thin
4 cloves garlic, peeled and mince
1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably Thai thin soy sauce ) or tamari
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder, any variety
For assembling:
4 six to eight inch crusty sandwich rolls or sliced from 2 baguettes
Vegan mayonnaise
Cilantro springs
Thin slices of ripe tomato
Paper thin slices of red radish or matchsticks of daikon or jicama
Asian garlic chili sauce (such as Sriracha or sambal oelek)
For the pickles:
1/2 pound daikon radish (about one slender 10 inch radish)
1/4 pound carrots (about 2 large carrots)
6 large green jalapeño or serrano chilies, stems removed
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns, black or mixed color
4 whole star anise
Make the pickles ahead of time:
Peel daikon and carrots and slice into thin long matchsticks no thicker than 1/4 inch: I use a mandolin for this but you can take your time and use a chef’s knife. Or even better, use a Y-shaped julienne peeler. Slice the chilies in half, remove the seeds (or keep them in for really hot pickles), and slice into very thin slivers. Toss everything together and pack into a clean, dry 1 pint glass mason jar.
In a small saucepan bring to a gentle boil the vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns and star anise and boil for 2 minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt and then pour everything over the vegetables in the jar, including the star anise and peppercorns. Cover very tightly and chill for 30 minutes before using. Keep tightly covered and chilled when not using.
Make the sandwich:
Heat a wok or cast iron skillet until nearly smoking, then sauté mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of oil until tender and browned, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from wok, wipe down the surface and add remaining oil. Add the shallots and stir-fry until golden, about 4 minutes, then add white parts of scallion and garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Crumble in tofu, add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Whisk together vegetable broth, soy sauce, lime juice, coriander, white pepper, and curry powder and pour over tofu. Use a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir fry tofu until all of the liquid has been absorbed and tofu is golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Tofu should be moist, but not wet. Add the green tops of the scallions, fry for another minute and remove from the heat.
Slice rolls in half and toast if desired. Spread insides with mayo and distribute the tofu evenly on the sandwiches. Top each sandwich with cilantro, tomato, radish, chili sauce, and daikon pickles if using. Eat immediately but over a plate…these are messy goodness.
Sauerkraut Mushroom Soup (Shchi)
Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 20 minutes
You guys, Terry has a new book coming out! It’s called “Vegan Eats World” and it’s 300 international-inspired recipes. It’s out on October 30th but ready for pre-order now. This book is hardcover and full-color and errything, and I’m going to share a few recipes with you over the next week or so.
Last month on the Post Punk Kitchen facebook, we were talking soups and stews, and someone was reminiscing about a Ukranian sauerkraut soup they grew up with. I remembered that Terry had a recipe for it, so I thought that this would be the perfect one to start with.
OK, now Imma let Terry take it away!
“Sauerkraut soup? Believe it! Sauerkraut proves a robust and tangy base for this hearty, Russian-inspired, winter-cold-cutting soup that’s bursting with vegetables.”
~For the sauerkraut, shun the lifeless canned stuff in favor of the high-quality ’kraut sold in jars or plastic bags in the refrigerated section; even better, buy it in bulk (usually stocked in big barrels) in some Kosher or Eastern European markets.
~You’ll be using the juice so be sure to set some aside!
2 cups cremini mushrooms, stems removed and caps wiped clean
1 large leek, root and dry leafy ends trimmed, cleaned and finely diced
1 cup finely diced carrot
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (or vegetable broth)
2 cups diced parsnip or potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional, but very good)
2 teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
2 1/2 cups sauerkraut, with juices
1/2 cup sauerkraut juice (or more vegetable broth)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
A few twists cracked black pepper
For garnish:
Your favorite vegan sour cream (optional)
Chopped fresh dill or parsley
Slice mushroom caps in half, then slice the caps into quarters to create bite-size mushroom pieces. In a 4-quart soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté the leek, carrot, and celery in vegetable oil for 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and mushrooms and sauté for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until mushrooms have reduced in size and released most of their liquid.
Pour in the wine and simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in parsnip, vegetable broth, bay leaves, allspice, caraway seeds (if using), marjoram, sauerkraut, sauerkraut juice, and ground black pepper. Increase heat and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat, stir occasionally and cover.
Simmer the soup for 35 to 40 minutes or until the parsnips are tender. Remove the bay leaves, turn off the heat and season with cracked black pepper and salt if necessary and garnish with parsley. Allow soup to cool 5 minutes before serving. Top each bowlful with a generous tablespoon of vegan sour cream.
Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
Makes 2 dozen cookies
Photo by Vanessa Rees
Of course cookies are always fun to eat, but their crunchy, sugary tops make snickerdoodles even more so. Maybe I should work for the snickerdoodle industry? Since the Mexican Hot Chocolate ones were such a hit, I’ve been experimenting with different varieties for my next cookbook, and these are a favorite; an enticing spin on classic cinnamon snickerdoodles, livened up with chai spices: ginger, cardamom and a hint of cloves. It’s the perfect cookie to welcome in Autumn!
Over the summer I spent a few weeks in Brooklyn shooting dozens of photos for the book, with faboo photographer Vanessa Rees and my buddy Terry, plus an assortment of other helpers (so many dishes!) It was a great time, spilling fabrics all over the floor to get the exact right napkin, arranging sprigs of cilantro just so, and wrapping noodles around forks. So I wanna’ share a little bit of the process here. This video tracks the life of a food photo; from picking out the background, to the lighting, to props, there is so much that goes into each shot before it gets to the page. Here you can see that we tried several different arrangements (Should the cookies be on the baking sheet? Parchment? Maybe a plate? With tea?) before settling on the final composition.
I can’t wait to return to Brooklyn this winter for round 2. But for now…cookies!
~ Since we’re not weighing the flour, the consistency of dough can vary. If your dough seems excessively sticky (like, it’s difficult to roll into balls that hold their shape and it’s sticking to your hands), then an extra tablespoon of flour or two gently kneaded into the batter oughtta’ fix it.
~ If you are the type to make cookies on a weekly (daily?) basis, it might be worth it to invest in a cookie disher. It’s basically a smaller ice cream scoop, but it ensures that the cookies come out uniformly sized.
~ For a lower fat cookie, replace 1/4 cup of the oil with 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. The cookie will come out a bit softer and puffier, but still amazingly delish!
~For people who said that they had problems with sticky dough, try washing your hands and make sure they’re very clean and a bit damp. That will help insure that the dough doesn’t stick.
For the topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch cloves
For the cookies:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the topping ingredients together on a dinner plate. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil, sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix for at least a minute, until it resembles applesauce. Then mix in vanilla.
Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough. Get in there with your hands to mix, it’s the easiest way to get the dough to come together.
With clean, moist hands, roll dough into walnut sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2 inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2 inches apart (they do spread a little). This should be easy as the the bottom of the cookies should just stick to your fingers so you can just flip them over onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, they should be a bit browned on the bottoms. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Yogurt Bundt Cake
Devilish Potatoes
Garlicky Thyme Tempeh