Italian Wedding Soup, plant based

Have you ever had Italian Wedding Soup from a can and thought to yourself, "This is good but it could be better"?  I discovered Italian Wedding Soup as an adult so I do not have a family recipe or childhood memories or expectations but it seems to me the soup from a can is basically just meatballs and broth with the occasional piece of celery or carrot swimming by.  Delightful yet lacking.

Italian Wedding Soup before adding fresh spinach

I wanted to take the idea of this soup and turn it into a hearty winter meal.  But I didn't want to stand in the kitchen for hours after work making meatballs.  I also thought it should actually be more like a dumpling, or a wrapped meatball so it would stay intact in the broth.  I also wanted to add some greens to the soup right before serving.  And of course, I didn't want to eat meat or serve meat to people I care about.

Italian Wedding Soup, without added fats or meat

Recipe:

12 cups water

1.5 cups Bob's Red Mill Bean soup mix

1 tablespoon Better Than Beef bouillon

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

a dash of black pepper

     

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup diced celery

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 cups sliced mushrooms

Any other vegetable you would like to add such as broccoli, bok choy, etc.

1 bag frozen non-meat meatballs such as Nate's Meatless Meatballs 10.5 oz.

1 package round dumpling wrappers, Twin Dragon Brand 

6 cups fresh baby spinach

Simmer soup mix in water with bouillon for at least 90 minutes before adding mushrooms, corn, peas and celery.  You may have to add more water to maintain a broth.  Simmer another 10 minutes and then add the wrapped dumplings.

To make the wrapped meatball dumplings, take each meatball while still frozen or partially frozen and cut in half.  Wet the edges of a dumpling wrapper and wrap the half meatball to seal and set aside.  When all the dumplings are made, add all at once to the simmering soup and cook until the dumplings are translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the spinach and stir to wilt.

Serve with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.

Vegan or Plant Based Chunky Potato Miso Soup

Note to self:  write down recipe for chunky potato miso soup!

Lunch soup for one or two (while listening to Bolero):

2 small russet potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped to bite size chunks
3 small new red potatoes, same but leave peel on
1/2 cup sliced baby bok choy stalks
Dash of salt
Dash of Bragg 24 herb seasoning mix
2 teaspoons white miso paste
Enough tap water to cover potatoes
Bring to boil in 2 quart saucepan and boil hard for about 8 minutes or until tender and water has reduced by half.  Turn of the heat and mash about half of the potatoes leaving the rest chunky.  Add a splash of almond milk, a pinch of white pepper, and one finely diced stalk of celery and return to medium heat for two minutes before pouring into a serving bowl.  Garnish with a teaspoon of Tofutti Sour Cream (non-dairy) and fresh dill.  Optional toppings; TVP Bacon-like bits and/or non-dairy cheddar cheese shreds.  No onion for me but you go right ahead.  Hint, if soup is too thin add a sprinkling of potato buds to help thicken it up.

Chicken noodle soup, only not

Sometimes, especially during the winter months, I like a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch.  That's a bit of a problem since we no longer eat meat so I want to share this successful recipe as a way to satisfy the need for a soup similar to Campbell's but without animal protein.

Brown rice pasta with celery and soy sausage bits in broth.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups water
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon, No-chicken flavor
2 tablespoons sausage flavored TVP, dry
2 cups dry brown rice pasta
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, diced—optional
a dash of dried parsley

Bring water and broth to boil, add bouillon and TVP and pasta in a 3 quart saucepan.
Simmer for 5 minutes with the lid off, then turn off the heat and add the vegetables and parsley.  Let sit for 8 to 10 minutes with the lid on.
When the pasta is perfect so is the soup—not too al dente and not too soft.  Just right.

Super Potato Soup with Kale and Beans, Plant-based no added fat or PBNAF

Re-post

(This is what we are having for dinner on this rainy evening, how about you?)

Plant-based Potato Soup

Potato soup for dinner.  It has always been one of my favorite meals, even back when we were meat-eaters.  I didn't have to adjust the recipe much to make it heart healthy and dairy free, but now I have expanded my traditional potato soup recipe to include kale and beans.  Now it is super potato soup.  Listen to "Potato Chips" by Slim Gaillard. (I found it on an album of kid's music.  It's great!)

Traditional Potato Soup, Rebecca's Favorite:

3 cups russet potatoes peeled and diced
2 cups unpeeled baby red, white and blue potatoes
4 cups water
2 teaspoons "Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base"
1 teaspoon Bragg 24 Herb seasoning
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1-2 cups non-dairy milk (depending on how thin you like your soup)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

2 tsp miso paste (to be added at finish after soup is removed from heat)
1/4 cup Tofutti non-dairy sour cream (optional)

Boil potatoes in water for 10 minutes or until tender, pour off all but one cup of the water.  Add all other ingredients except miso and sour cream.  Slightly mash the potatoes, leaving some whole pieces.  Allow to thicken over low heat for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in miso and non-dairy sour cream.  Sprinkle with more herb seasonings.
Serve with whole grain toasted bread for dipping.  Yum.

Now, to turn this into Super Potato Soup with Kale and Beans:

Add after potatoes are tender:
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
Then:
6 cups fresh kale with thick leaf veins removed added 4 minutes before end of cooking.
1 can beans--whatever your favorite is (white kidney beans are a great choice)  4 minutes before end of cooking
1/4 cup fresh parsley added at end of cooking (this knocks it right out of the ballpark).

Pot Pie Filling over Baked Potatoes

The other day while walking through the freezer section of Yokes, our local market, my daughter mentioned that one of the foods she misses (now that we don't eat meat) is Chicken Pot Pie.  I agreed and mentally filed it away as a recipe to someday turn into a vegan dish.

Nearly Chicken Pot Pie Filling over a baked potato

Pot Pie Filling Recipe, plant-based with no added fat

(First bake 2 or more large potatoes for an hour at 375, or until fork tender.  Let rest for a few minutes wrapped in foil)

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic 

1 cup vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

2 fresh carrots, sliced thin

2 stalks celery, diced

1/2 teaspoon Not Chicken Bouillon 

pinch each of sage, Bragg 24 herb seasoning, dried parsley 

dash black pepper

Brown mushrooms in large skillet, then add the carrots and cook for a couple of minutes.  Combine water with cornstarch and bouillon in a small measuring cup, whip to remove lumps.  Place all remaining ingredients including cornstarch and water mixture into skillet and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes or until thick and bubbly.  (In my opinion frozen veggies don't need to be "cooked" for long, just "heated" so they keep their nice color and texture, so please don't overcook).

Spoon filling mixture over the prepared baked potatoes. Take a picture.

Optional:  If you really want something in this to taste like "chicken meat", I recommend using soy curls chopped into bite size nuggets.  Just add 1 cup soy curls and 3/4 cup more liquid, broth or water.

Optional toppings:  nutritional yeast flakes and flaxseed meal

Turmeric Soup

Turmeric Soup

Have you heard the buzz about how good Turmeric is for you?  It fights inflammation and has been found to be an effective treatment against arthritis so I have been working on ways to use it more in our diet.  For instance there is a hot sweet drink recipe floating around the internet that we really like which calls for turmeric, ginger and cinnamon in hot non-dairy milk.  It is a wonderful alternative to hot chocolate.  I won't blog the recipe since I didn't create it, but if you search for it you can find it on several sites.

Today I wanted a creamy mushroom soup for lunch and thought, I should try adding turmeric and black pepper to it and see how that goes.  As it so happens, it goes down just fine.

Ingredients for one bowl of soup:
1 cup finely chopped fresh button mushrooms
2 dollops of hummus (homemade if you can to keep out unwanted fats)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 healthy dash of ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup almond milk
1 dash of Bragg 24 Herb blend

Simmer over medium high heat until thickened, yet green stuff is still green, about 5 minutes.
Take a picture.

Sweet Potato Dumplings, Plant-based

Re-post:  Leather Dumpling Recipe

My grandma made wonderful leather dumplings that she didn't write down the recipe for. I spent a few years since she passed away trying to recreate her magic but I have never quite been able to achieve it. Now that we are following a plant based diet, nearly fat free, I have decided to create an extremely low fat vegan version and here it is!  Listen to anything by the Soggy Bottom Boys while you prepare this.

Plant based leather dumplings

Vegan leather dumplings with seitan

Dumpling dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pureed sweet potato
1/2 cup tofutti soy cream cheese
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1 cup iced water

Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl, set aside. Combine wet ingredients in blender to combine, and then add mixture to dry ingredients all at once. Fold together until just combined, over mixing will make the dumplings tough.
Roll dough out to a thin sheet between 1/8" and 1/4" thickness. Cut into rectangles about 1" x 2" and drop into boiling broth.

Broth:

12 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons vegetarian bullion that is chicken flavored
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup dried mushrooms
1/2 cup diced carrots

Bring to a rolling boil for 5 minutes to cook the carrots before adding dumplings, one at a time.  Then add in the final ingredients:

2 cups chicken flavored seitan in bite sized pieces
15 oz can lentils, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced broccoli (add last with 2 tbsp thickener after dumplings are all cooked and floating)
or bok choy, sliced thin

Thickener: equal parts water and cornstarch mixed to a paste

Continue simmering for just a minute and then turn off the heat.  Serve with green salad on the side.

Seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten and other ingredients.  

Artichoke and Meatball Stew, Plant-based

Hearty winter stew for the plant-based diet

Artichoke and Meatball Stew, Plant-based

8 cups water

1 cup vegetable broth

6 potatoes

1 cup dry lentils

½ teaspoon Pepper

1 teaspoon Bragg 24 herb seasoning

½ teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

Simmer 10 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients:

1 cup dry pasta, thick type

1 cup soy curls, broken into ½” pieces

1 cup fresh celery, diced

1 cup frozen spinach

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, diced (from a jar, water marinated)

10 oz frozen vegan meatballs, such Nate's

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Salt to taste

Simmer an additional 20 minutes.

Optional add-ins:  sliced mushrooms, kale, garbanzo beans, bok choy, carrots, or your favorite veggies

Serve with nutritional yeast sprinkled over the top

Lentil Stew

Lentil Stew

Lately I have been really craving a hearty stew made with lots of veggies and legumes.  This only takes an hour to simmer, or you can leave it on the stove for two or three hours.  Something about this combination of ingredients is very tummy friendly and satisfying without oils, onions or meat.

Ingredients:
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix
3 cups of water
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon Bragg 24 Herb Sprinkle
1 clove garlic, minced

Simmer for at least 45 minutes, or up to 2 hours.  Then add fresh vegetables :

1 cup diced carrots
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 potato, peeled and diced

Simmer another 15 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are fork tender.  Add remaining vegetables and soy curls (optional):
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 cup broccoli coleslaw slivers or shredded cabbage
1/2 cup soy curls torn into bite size pieces
black pepper to taste
Additional water to maintain a nice soupy consistency.

Simmer for just 5 minutes or so and turn off the heat.  Serve immediately with a dollop of non-dairy sour cream and some nutritional yeast sprinkle or let sit for up to an hour and then serve (the flavors will blend and it won't burn your mouth so much).

Now doesn't your house smell yummy?
I hope you are wearing your "Life is Good" T-shirt, if not now, when?
Are you listening to "I Love Being Here With You" sung by Erin Boheme?  Good music for good food.

Plant based Cream of Broccoli Soup

So what do you get when you cross a rainy day with a giant bag of broccoli and a new Vitamix?  Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup of course.  Cream of broccoli soup is not something I can ever order in a restaurant because it always smells awful and likely always is made with onions.  I have been thinking lately thought that I need a recipe for this that I actually like because of all the nutritional benefits of broccoli I have been hearing about recently.  I love broccoli, just don't care for the smell of it in a cream soup.  As it so happens, when you make it yourself and don't overcook the broccoli it doesn't seem to smell bad.

I was inspired by a recipe from "bonappetit" found here: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/11/vegan-cream-of-broccoli-soup but it calls for olive oil and an onion (I don't do onion).

I found after I made it without the onion and oil that it needed a little something, and turned out so good I don't want to lose the recipe so without further ado....

Serves 4
Plant Based Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
3 cups fresh broccoli, diced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup water
2 cups mushroom broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of Bragg 24 Herb Seasoning blend

Simmer above ingredients until fork tender, about 10 minutes.  Pour into blender with the following ingredients and puree until smooth.

1 teaspoon Maggi Seasoning
Dash of dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Splash of Silk Soy Creamer, not sweetened or flavored, just plain (optional as this will add a little fat)
Dash of black pepper
Salt to taste

Serve with toast points and watch the rain fall.  Sing along with Willie Nelson singing "Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain".  The dog will howl and life will be good.

Corn Chowder, plant based with no added fat

The other day my Mom called to say she used the tofu garlic sauce I had left in their fridge (leftover from a pizza party last weekend) along with about 6 or 8 fresh ears of corn (she eliminated the husks and cobs) to make a really nice creamed corn dish.  She seemed amazed that she liked it, A LOT.
It reminded me that she has always wanted a really good recipe for corn chowder.  Since that is not something I am really familiar with, I looked for the best recipes on-line and got the general idea: bacon, corn, potatoes and cream or half and half, and black pepper.  Tyler Florence of the Food Network has a nicer sounding recipe but it still has heavy cream and butter and olive oil in it.  We enlightened folk know that all that is just death on a spoon.  Sorry Tyler.

Fiona Boyes has a Blues song called, "Chicken Wants Corn" that might be just the ticket to listen to tonight.

Here is my plant-based version, let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

2 lbs baby new potatoes, boiled until tender and then drain off all but one cup of the water.
1 cup organic vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Bragg sprinkle
1 stalk finely diced celery
Corn removed from two fresh ears,
     1 cup frozen corn or enough to make up the difference for 2 cups total
1 can sweet creamed corn, non-dairy
1 cup rice milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon TVP Bacon flavored bits (vegetarian)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Steps:
1. Boil potatoes until fork tender, drain off all but about one cup of the water.
2. Return to heat and add celery, corn, vegetable broth and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.
3.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to gentle simmer.  Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes before serving.
4.  Call your mom and tell her you just made her favorite corn chowder.

Rice and Lentil Soup Mix

I am not sure what to call it, but if you take one cup of brown rice and one cup of Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix and add it plus 5 cups of water to a saucepan and let it simmer for a while....well, let's just say the house will smell fantastic and lunch is ready.

Ingredients:
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix
1 cup brown rice
5 cups water, add more halfway through cooking if it doesn't still appear very wet
1 teaspoon vegetarian chicken flavor bouillon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Bragg 24 Herb seasoning mix
1 pinch chili powder
1 pinch cumin
Rice non-dairy Mozzarella Shreds for topping

Combine everything in saucepan, except mozzarella shreds and let simmer for an hour or more.  It will become soft and the flavors will meld nicely.  If you don't like it that soft, just cook it for less time (1/2 hour for the soup mix and 45 minutes for the rice, so start the rice first).
Dish up about a cup of the mixture and add a pinch of rice shreds to the top.  Mmmm.

This would also make a great filling for a Vegi-Wrap with steamed kale.

Eat your lentils!