Your Vegan Mom

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.

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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?  

School Night Cuisine: Lentil Soup

But before you stop reading let me just say, this ain't no ordinary bowl of lentils, I call this baby Provencal Lentil Soup with Roasted Potato Croutons, mostly because I'm not very good with titles, but also because it has some south of France kind of flavors goin' on. You should try it. Here's the recipe:

Soup:
about 2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 smallish carrots
3 ribs celery
1 large onion
2 tsp. herbes de provences
dash of red chile flakes
1 pound lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
4 cups water
1/4 c. finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
salt & pepper

Potato Croutons:
2 medium red potatoes
about 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Dice carrots, celery, and onion and saute in olive oil over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Stir in herbs and chile and cook for another minute. Add lentils to the pot then the liquid. Stir. Cover the pot and raise the heat to high. When the pot boils, give it a stir, leave the lid ajar, and turn it down to low so that it can enjoy an gentle simmer for about an hour or until your lentils are soft and soupy.

While your soup is asimmerin’, turn your oven to 425, and dice your potatoes. Toss potatoes with the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, and spread them out in a single layer on a parchment covered baking pan. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.

To serve: ladle soup into bowls,top with crispy potatoes, and place a wedge of lemon on the side.

Tomato Lentil Soup

That's all. I don't feel good.

Much Better than Cup O' Noodles

But not a whole lot harder. This is what I'm eating for lunch. And well, I was just thinking, you should be too.

Mushroom Noodle Soup
Makes 2 hearty helpings

4 dried shitaake mushrooms
5 cups water
1 bundle soba noodles
1/2 medium onion
1 large carrot
about 1/3 block super firm tofu, diced
about 2 Tbsp. tamari
a dash of toasted sesame oil
a shake of red chili flakes
handful of baby spinach
half a lemon

Boil 1 cup water and pour over mushrooms to rehydrate while you prepare the other ingredients. Chop carrot and onion. Put remaining 4 cups of water in a medium sauce pan over high heat, add carrots and onions. When water is boiling, add noodles. Remove mushrooms from soaking liquid, slice into thin strips and add to noodles. When noodles are done, add tofu and the mushroom soaking liquid. Season to taste with tamari, sesame oil, and red chili flakes. Let simmer for about a minute. Stir in spinach; when it's wilted, but still bright green, serve with a wedge of lemon.