Month: February 2017

Zucchini Soup



Cook Time: ~1 hour

Ingredients

  • 2-3 T oil
  • 6-7 T concentrated or crushed tomatoes
  • 2 small onions, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped (leaves optional)
  • 1 T salt
  • 3 small potatoes, cubed
  • 2 small zucchinis, cubed
  • small pasta of choice (elbows, pearls, or ditali) (start with half a box, then add more later if preferred)

Directions

The pasta is cooked separately from the soup and added at the end, so you’ll want to time when to start it boiling. When the rest of the soup is ready, add cooked and drained pasta to the broth.

Get a large soup pot and fill it with water (or 3 quarts). Add oil, salt, tomatoes, onions, celery (and leaves if preferred) to water. Bring water to boil. Lower heat, then cover and let simmer for 50 minutes.

Add potatoes. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add zucchini. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes, or until zucchini is fork-tender.

Add cooked and drained pasta, and serve!

Note: if it gets too thick or too strong, add more water; and if it gets too thin, add more salt and/or crushed tomatoes. Serve it with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese or ground pepper for extra flavor.


Basic Chili Recipe



Ingredients

  • 1 c TVP (might be more or less)
  • 1 large white onion

  • 1 large red bell pepper

  • 3 cloves of garlic

  • 2 cans tomato sauce

  • 1/3 c flour

  • 4 T chili powder

  • 1/2 t ground cayenne pepper

  • 2 t ground cumin

  • 3 T vegetable oil

  • salt, pepper

  • water

Directions


Mince the garlic. Finely chop the onion and bell pepper. Set aside. In a
small bowl, mix together the flour, chili powder, 1 tsp of the cumin, 1
tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of pepper.

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic,
and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the
ground beef and brown. While the beef is browning add a few pinches of
salt and cumin. Drain any excess fat.

Still cooking, add the flour mixture to the pot and stir to coat. Add
the tomato sauce and about 4 cups of water. The amount of water is up to
you, but will greatly affect the viscosity of the end product as well as
the flavor. This is totally up to you, and I suggest you play around
with the amounts.

Add the cayenne pepper and a few dashes of cumin. Stir well. Bring the
mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour.

Serve by itself if you want. I like to put in some shredded cheddar
cheese, some chopped scallions, and some sour cream and mix it all
together.


Winter Squash Soup with Fried Sage Leaves


Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 – 3 lbs winter squash
  • 1/4 c olive oil, plus extra for the squash
  • 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 12 whole sage leaves, plus 2 T chopped
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • chopped leaves from 4 thyme sprigs or 1/4 t dried
  • 1/4 c chopped parsley
  • salt and freshly milled pepper
  • 2 quarts water or stock
  • 1/2 c Fontina, pecorino, or ricotta salata, diced into small cubes

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Brush the surfaces with oil, stuff the cavities with the garlic, and place them cut sides down on a baking sheet. Bake until tender when pressed with a finger, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the 1/4 cup oil until nearly smoking, then drop in the whole sage leaves and fry until speckled and dark, about 1 minute. Set the leaves aside on a paper towel and transfer the oil to a wide soup pot. Add the onions, chopped sage, thyme, and parsley and cook over medium heat until the onions have begun to brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Scoop the squash flesh into the pot along with any juices that have accumulated in the pan. Peel the garlic and add it to the pot along with 1 1/2 t salt and the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick, simply add more water to thin it out. Taste for salt.

Depending on the type of squash you’ve used, the soup will be smooth or rough. Puree or pass it through a food mill if you want a more refined soup. Ladle it into bowls and distribute the cheese over the top. Garnish each bowl with the fried sage leaves, add pepper, and serve.


Spicy Brazilian Stew


Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 t olive oil
  • 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice
  • 2 canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo, minced
  • 1/2 t ground cumin
  • 1/2 t smoked paprika
  • 1/8 t ground allspice
  • 2 T dry sherry (optional)
  • 2 14.5 oz cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 c vegetable broth
  • 3 15.5 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 t freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2″ dice
  • 1 c vegan chorizo, crumbled (optional)
  • 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

Directions


In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, cover, and cook
until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and bell pepper and
cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.

Add sweet potato, chipotles, cumin, paprika, allspice, and sherry. Stir
in tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in
beans, and add salt and pepper. Cover and cook until vegetables are
tender, about 20 minutes.

Uncover, and stir in mango and chorizo. Taste and adjust seasonings, if
needed. Serve immediately, topped with cilantro.


Slow Cooker Vegetable Chili



Ingredients

In a slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, garbanzo beans, zucchini, onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, chili powder, green chile peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Directions

  • 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
  • 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
  • 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/3c chili powder
  • 1 4oz can chopped green peppers
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1T dried oregano
  • 2t ground cumin
  • 1t salt

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup



Ingredients

  • 1/4 c olive oil
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 2 carrots, cut in thick rounds
  • 1 parsnip, cubed
  • 1 small turnip, cubed
  • 2 leeks, thickly sliced
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 3 rosemary springs
  • 5 c vegetable stock
  • salt & pepper

Directions


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put olive oil in large bowl. Add prepared
vegetables and toss. Spread out in single layer on baking sheets. Tuck
in herbs among vegetables. Roast 50 minutes. Discard herbs. Transfer
vegetables to pan, add hot broth. Process in blender.

Roasted Paprika Mushroom Soup with Rosemary



Ingredients

  • 1 large jar (400 grams) roasted paprika (red bell pepper)
  • 12 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 T soy margarine
  • 1/2 c soy milk
  • 2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 T Hungarian paprika
  • 2 c vegetable bouillon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • splash lemon juice
  • parsley, fresh, chopped as optional garnish
  • dollop soy yogurt

Directions


Saute onions in large pot with half the soy margarine until glassy.

Add mushrooms and crushed garlic along with rosemary further saute until
the mushrooms are soft.

Add the roasted paprika and the vegetable bouillon.

Simmer covered for 15 minutes.

Puree to a smooth thick soup.

If you’d like it thinner, add more vegetable bouillon, or soy cream.

Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Serve with a dollop of soy yogurt and chopped parsley.


Peanut Pumpkin Stew



Ingredients

  • 1 jalapeno
  • 1/2T canola oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2T garlic, minced (4-5 cloves)
  • 1 12T fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2t cumin, ground
  • 1/4t garam masala
  • 1/4t turmeric
  • 1/2 small pumpkin, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 2c vegetable broth
  • 2T peanut butter
  • 1c caramelized seitan (recipe below)
  • 1/4c roasted peanuts
  • salt and cayenne pepper to taste
  • cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

Broil whole jalapeno on high and cook until skin is blackened and blistered, rotating periodically to make sure all sides are heated. remove from heat and let cool. Split the pepper open, remove the seeds, and chop into small pieces. Set aside.

In a medium stock pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and roasted jalapeno. Stir until garlic and ginger become fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the rest of the spices plus a pinch of salt. Cook another minute until spices are aromatic and throw in the pumpkin and bell pepper. Stir to coat with spices and cook until pumpkin starts to become tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and increase heat to high. When mixture starts to boil, add vegetable broth. Bring stew to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Let stew simmer at a low boil for 20-30 minutes.

When pumpkin is very tender and breaks apart easily, stir to mash some of the pumpkin and thicken the stew. Add the peanut butter and stir to blench completely. Add Caramelized Seitan and peanuts (you can either add this into the stew or place on top when served). Season with salt and a little pinch of cayenne pepper if there’s not enough heat for you. You can also soften the spice and bring out the peanut flavor with a small pinch of sugar. Garnish with cilantro.


Lentil Soup with Chipotles


Serves 4-5

Ingredients

  • 1 T canola oil
  • 1 small onion or 1/2 medium, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 t cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 1 1/3 c brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 6 c water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 to 2 canned chipotles in adobo, to taste, rinsed, seeded and sliced, plus a t of the adobo sauce
  • Croutons or toasted tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

Directions


Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot. Add the
onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic,
cumin and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is fragrant,
30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the lentils and water, add salt to taste
(1 to 2 teaspoons) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover
and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 50 minutes. Taste
and adjust seasoning.

Using a hand blender, coarsely purée the soup, or purée half the soup in
batches in a blender. (Make sure to remove the stopper from the blender
lid and hold a towel tightly down over the top to avoid hot splashes.)
Stir the blended soup back into the pot, and combine well. Add the
chipotles, and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish each
serving with croutons or toasted tortilla chips if desired.


Hearty American Chili



Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 t olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 cup seitan, finely chopped
  • 1 c textured vegetable protein granules, reconstituted with water
  • 1 16-oz can dark red kidney beans, drained
  • 2 T chili powder
  • 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 t paprika
  • 1 t ground cinnamon
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/2 t ground cumin
  • 1/2 t cayenne
  • 1/2 t ground allspice
  • 1/2 t dried marjoram
  • 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 t ground coriander
  • 1 c water
  • 1 c tomato sauce
  • 2 T tomato ketchup
  • 1 T apple cider vinegar
  • 1 t vegan Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 t agave nectar
  • 1 package shredded vegan cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste, seitan, and textured vegetable protein, and cook 2 minutes longer. Add beans, chili powder, cocoa, paprika, cinnamon, salt, cumin, cayenne, allspice, marjoram, pepper, and coriander. Stir in water.

Add tomato sauce, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, and agave. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional water and adjust seasonings, if needed. Serve hot, topped with vegan cheddar.