Your Vegan Mom

Your Tuesday Tip: Halloween Soup

Black sesame seeds make good eyes for (vegan) sour cream ghosts floating in a bowl of black bean soup.  Pipe the sour cream from a plastic sandwich bag with a tiny corner snipped off.  You could even get fancy and pour the soup side by side with a sweet potato bisque, gently swirling them together with a knife to make spooky patterns, but next time I'll just stick with a simple black bean soup.   

Cooking Light: Way to Cook Vegetarian

  This photo is used with permission from the book.  That's cheese there on top.  I obviously skipped that garnish.  Diced avocado would be a nice vegan replacement.  

I was skeptical.  I assumed that most of the recipes in Cooking Light's new vegetarian cookbook would be filled with non-fat milk and light cheese products.  And there are a number of these sorts of recipes, but there is also a ton here to recommend this book to the vegans.  From Malaysian Noodles to Tempeh Fajitas, there are loads of crowd-pleasing healthy recipes for realistic meals.  I've made the Mexican Bean Soup with Corn Dumplings three times now, for five different families, to universal raves.  It's a simple, flavorful, hearty winter meal of a soup, with an ingenious twist in the form of masa harina dumplings.   You essentially make tiny balls of corn tortilla dough and plop them into the simmering soup near the end of cooking.  I just love this idea.  And it turns out as delicious as I had hoped.

The book is also filled with appealing photos and really informative step-by-step photo diagram how-tos that make this a great introductory cook book.  There's one on how to saute tofu and another on how to prepare spaghetti squash.  Yet another teaches you how to properly roll maki which I plan to study before my next sushi making adventure because, man, my rolls are sloppy.  

I have a list of a dozen recipes from this book that I still want to try and leafing through the pages right now I find myself getting excited about it all over again.  I had forgotten about the flaky dinner rolls that look just perfect for a holiday table and oh! the stuffed Moroccan flatbreads.  The baking recipes list ingredients by both weight and volume.  Thank you.  And it's this sort of attention to detail and recipe precision that really sets this book apart.  

Here have a taste -

Mexican Tomato-Bean Soup with Corn Dumplings 

Soup:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth (I used the cooking broth from the chickpeas.)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

Dumplings:

• 1/3 cup masa harina
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Remaining Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven (or big pot) over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 3 minutes or until tender.  Add chili powder and garlic; saute 30 seconds.  Add broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

2. To prepare dumplings, combine masa harina and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons hot water and 1 teaspoon oil; stir until a soft dough forms (dough will be dry).  Divide dough into 24 pieces, shaping each into a ball.  Add dumplings to soup; cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until dumplings float.  Stir in cilantro and juice.  Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls.  

Yield: 4 servings

Simple Comfort

I'm pregnant.  And it's hard to cook.  The smell of most everything makes me want to throw up, what I make doesn't taste good, and I'm tired.    

I have frequently come across the advice that you should put away meals in preparation for the arrival of a new baby, but I say do it sooner.  If there's any danger of becoming pregnant at some point in the near future, go ahead and put on a pot of soup.  

Unfortunately, I do not have a freezer full of nutritious single servings.  I have convinced Paul to make us dinner every night until the nausea passes, and last week I temporarily solved the problem by spending 85 dollars at Whole Foods on already prepared meals and snacks that lasted me a day and a half.  Oh, but it was a good day and a half.  That's also the day that I splurged on the ten pass at the local indoor playground that has free wifi, and coffee (which you can't drink because you're pregnant.)  So with my kid entertained and my bowl of Amy's No Chicken Noodle, I staved off the pending hormonal breakdown.  But of course, I can't live that life of luxury everyday.

Assuming you too have not heeded my advice about stockpiling healthy meals, I've found an alternative. This soup is the simplest of simple comfort foods.  As a matter of fact, if you're not eleven weeks pregnant, or two years old, this probably won't interest you.  I remember from the last time we did this, that I had the palate of a toddler for about nine months, and this time around it kind of comes in handy, since I'm already cooking for one kid.  This soup makes a perfect lunch for Desmond and me, with a bowl left over for when I'm hungry again, which is all the time.  From chopping to eating it takes maybe 20 to 25 minutes.  There are a couple of key happy pregnant woman factors at work here: no garlic or onions (puke), no long simmer time filling your home with delicious savory aromas (puke), plus it actually contains a bit of nutritive variety that I can stomach because it's cut up really small.  I have come a long way from week 8 when I would eat only cold pears, soda water, peanut butter crackers, and inari sushi.    

Toddler Soup

makes 3 grown-up size helpings

1 cup diced vege, for me that was 4 smallish carrots and 2 small celery stalks
about 1 T. olive oil 
1 quart vegetable broth (I've been using the Rapunzel powdered vegetable broth that you buy in a little jar in health food stores.)
1/2 c. small dry pasta
1/2 c. shredded seitan (I've been using White Wave chicken-style seitan, because I am not cooking.  One package made me three pots of soup.) 
a handful of shredded greens (cut up really small if you're cooking for a toddler or pregnant woman)

In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat.  When it's good and hot, throw in the carrots and celery.  Saute for 3 or 4 minutes, until they get a little bit of color.  Add the vegetable broth, and stir to scrape up any browned vegetable bits from the bottom of your pan.  If your broth is not already hot, then wait for it to come to a simmer before you add your pasta.  Once the pasta is about cooked, add your seitan and greens.  I have used both baby spinach (just stir in at the very end, until wilted and bright green) and russian kale (add before the pasta is done so that it has time to become tender, a couple minutes will do), but any cooking green you fancy will work, just adjust adding time accordingly.  Taste for seasoning, and serve.  I add nothing, by the way, but I'm really into the simple comfort of this soup.  You might like a squeeze of lemon juice, or a bit of salt and pepper, or a shake of hot sauce.  

But please, give me a week or two before we talk about hot sauce again.

Nava Atlas Stops By and Brings Soup

This book is clearly written by a mom.  It is filled with a wildly diverse group of straight-forward one pot meals.  These are not fancy dinner party starters.  These are the sorts of soups and stews that could fill up a family every night of the week.  In the back there are breads and muffins and biscuits to keep the bowls company, and an attractive spread of glossy photos in the middle to inspire you to get cookin'.

I like this book.

And I am delighted that the author chose this blog for a stop on her virtual book tour.  This is the fourth edition of the tome originally published as Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons.  As before, the recipes are organized around what you'll find in the market at any given time of the year, but now they are also blessed with being vegan.

To celebrate, I gathered together some bean sprouts and seitan, cilantro and scallions to whip up some pho bo.  

With it's dark earthy broth and bright fresh herbs, it is a lovely pick me up on a cold winter evening. You might want to try it too.  Here it is, straight from the author - 

Vietnamese “Beef”–Noodle Soup
The classic Pho Bo made faux with seitan
6 servings
This Asian soup is brimming with invigorating flavors and textures. I love it as a change of pace in the winter from thick soups and stews. It’s still every bit as warming. Despite the length of the ingredient list, this is a quick soup—you’ll be eating in about half an hour.

3- to 4-ounce bundle thin rice noodles or bean-thread noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
One 32-ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth
One 5- to 6-inch piece kombu (sea vegetable), optional
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 cups water
6 to 8 ounces seitan, cut into thin shreds
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice, or more to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Thinly sliced lime sections for garnish

Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente, then drain and cut into shorter lengths suitable for soup. Set aside until needed.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté over medium-low heat until both are golden.

Add the broth, optional kombu, soy sauce, ginger, five-spice powder, and water. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts, half of the scallions, and half of the cilantro. Season with lime juice, pepper, and if desired, some additional soy sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes longer, then remove from the heat.

Serve at once, garnishing the top of each serving with a thin wedge or two of lime, and the remaining cilantro and scallions.

---

Tomato Soup

My boy is two now and has become a toddler cliché.  For the last few months he was incredibly agreeable.  His favorite word was, “yeah,” delivered in this sweet little voice.  Example:

Are you ready for a bath?

Yeah.

89 cents for tofu? What a deal!

Yeah.

Three fish in a tree! How can that be?

Yeah. 

Oh for f@#%'s sake, turn already!

Yeah!

That last one was heard from the back seat while we ran errands during rush hour/ cranky time.  I was rightfully frustrated, but...oops.    

Now it's different.  Sweet little "yeah" has been replaced with big, full-bodied, arching-with-self-delight, screamed-from-the-tippy-toes, "NO!"  He practices.  Apropos of nothing at all, you’ll hear from his bedroom, with varying emphasis and volume, “No.  noooooooo.  NO!  no, no, no.  noooOOO!”

Just about everything receives one of those responses.  All sure-fire kid hits are now pushed away with exaggerated disgust.  No oatmeal.  No mac 'n cheese.  No sandwiches of any kind.  No.  No.  No.

    

So you can imagine my shock and delight when this soup was met with an emphatic yes.  He happily ate three bowls-full, while sitting in his high chair (another marvelously useful habit that I feared was behind us), and then protested when I finally put his bowl in the sink.  Oh, and two insignificant side notes - I like it too, and it's really easy to make.    

Tomato Soup

2 T. olive oil

2 smallish onions, diced

2 smallish carrots, diced

3 red potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

28 oz. can unsalted whole tomatoes with basil

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

3 basil leaves

3 T. red miso

6 c. water

salt and pepper 

1. In a big pot saute the the onions, carrot, and potatoes in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic, stir, and cook for another minute, until fragrant.  Add the can of tomatoes. Smash the big tomatoes with the back of the spoon or a potato masher and add the bay leaf, thyme, and basil.  Let the pot simmer while you prepare the broth.   

 
2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and stir in the miso until dissolved.  Add the miso broth to the pot. Stir and let simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are falling-apart tender and the soup is reduced a bit.     
  
3. Remove the herbs from the pot and puree.  Taste for salt and pepper (the miso is salty, so it may not need any additional salt). 
  

4. To serve - top with your favorite tomato soup garnish - croutons or snips of basil or chives or thyme or a swirl of pesto or cashew cream.   

Makes 6 servings.  

P.S. Desmond just woke up from his nap and is now sitting on my lap polishing off the tepid bowl of soup that I put together for that picture.  I guess he was hungry.  The combination of lots of shouting and refusing to eat will do that to a kid.  How long does this last?