Veg-ful Soup

Do you have an abundance of fresh herbs & veggies?

 

If yes, this soup is for you!  If no... this soup is for you!  Yay!..

Adapted from EarthBalance

Veggies:
Onions
Corn (fresh)
Carrots
Green beans
Frozen peas

Seasonings:
Vegetable/veg chicken bouillon
Fresh basil, parsley, and oregano

Other:
Great northern beans
Yukon potatoes or pasta (I attempted the dumplings... didn't work too well...)
Corn starch slurry
Seitan chicken (minus the oil, baked at 350 until poofy)

Lasagna

Oh, gosh.  I got a job at a restaurant for the summer, and it has TOTALLY messed up my schedule.  I haven't had a "normal" spare second for the past two days, so I haven't posted this lasagna yet... but here it is!  (Although, I love my new job.  Wouldn't trade it for any other...)  And sorry, I'll get a picture soon, I was just WAY toooo tired last night, and Saturday as well.

Adapted from HHL

Sauce: mix together 3 8 oz cans tomato sauce, 1 tbsp rosemary, chili powder, red wine vinegar, mirin, Italian seasoning, LOTS of chopped parsley, and other stuffs that should go in tomato sauce ;)
Noodles: Yup.. you need noodles for lasagna.
Tofu ricotta: mix 12 oz pressed/crumbled tofu, nooch, nutmeg, juice of 1 lemon, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Veggies: saute chopped onion, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms until their juices are gone, then add some frozen peas.

OK, assembley.  Sauce, noodles, tofu, veggies, noodles, sauce... etc etc... end with noodles, sauce, and FYH cheese.  Bake for 45 minutes at 400. 

I didn't eat this the day I made it, so I can't say that it gets better with time, or less watery, or whatever.  But I would assume both statements are true.  :)

Leek and Lemon Pasta

Lemony Leeky Pesto Pasta

Adapted from Happy Healthy Life

Serves 10 +

12 oz. whole wheat penne pasta, cooked until al dente

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 3/4 cups sliced leeks (about 2 small leeks)
12 oz tofu

3 Tbsp mirin

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Other green veggies like broccoli, asparagus, or green beans

1 tsp Italian seasoning
Pepper, to taste

Blend together the orange juice through mirin until smooth. Set aside.
Sauté the peas, veggies, and seasoning in a bit of water until tender, about 5 minutes.

Plate the pasta, top with the pesto sauce, and surround with veggies. Good hot or cold.

Rice, Broccoli, Peas, and "Chicken" Casserole with Cheese

I'm 99% sure that this recipe would fit under the catagory of "make again as often as possible".  It was amazing.  Like, really, really amazing and fabulous and all the things you want every dish to be but never really happens.  This has got to be total comfort food- the blended tofu lends a rich creamyness, and the rice is a very healthy source of carbs.  The peas add nice little bursts of flavour, while the cheese is rich and bursting with... cheeseyness.  Not to mention the flavour of the chicken and the broccoli's texture.  I think it's obvious why I love this dish.  Seriously.  Actually, I want more... but M and I have already eaten all the leftovers.  I guess that means... I will be making this delicious casserole again soon.

Rice, Cheese, Broccoli, “Chicken”, and Peas Casserole

Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Serves 8

1 small onion, diced

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

1 cup frozen sweet peas

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 cup brown rice, cooked with 1 ½ cups water

1 1/2 - 2 cups diced vegetarian chicken
14 oz tofu, pressed
1 ½ tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
1 tbsp miso paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated low fat jack cheese
1 cup low fat cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat a frying pan over medium high heat, and add the onion with a bit of water. Sauté for 2 minutes, and then add the broccoli. Continue to sauté for 5 more minutes, until almost tender, and then add the peas and 1 tbsp Italian seasoning. Cook until heated through. Put in a casserole dish, along with the rice and chicken.

Meanwhile, blend the tofu with an immersion blender or something similar until smooth. Add the thyme, bullion, and miso, and blend well. Stir into the rice and veggies with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove, and then top with the two cheeses. Bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve hot, hot, hot!

Soup!! Again. (But it's WHITE this time...)

 More soup, I know.  But they're all different, right?  Sure, whatever.  But, no, really, this one is different because it has milk it it.  Yay milk!  Other than that, this is your pretty standard afair of delicious creaminess with chunks of veggies and potatoes and fake meat.  Just the thing to make you smile.

Potato Vegetable Soup


Adapted from Taste of Home

Serves 6-8

1 lg onion, chopped
1 cup coined carrots

½ small cabbage, shredded

3-4 lg Yukon gold potatoes

1 ½ tsp caraway seeds

1 tbsp Spike seasoning
A few dashes ground coriander
3-4 cups water
1 tbsp vegetarian beef bullion
2 cups almond milk
3 cups vegetarian ham, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 ½ cups peas
Cheese, to top

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat with a bit of water. Add the onion and carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add the potatoes through almond milk, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add in the remaining ingredients except cheese, and heat through for 5 more minutes. Serve topped with cheese.

Cheesey Garlicy Odd-Yet-Good Israeli Couscous

This has got to be on the top ten list of odd and  insanely good combinations of ingredients.  I have never eaten Israeli couscous before, and was a little weirded out at first.  Then, as I ate more and more, the dish started to taste better and better.  Once all the leftovers were gone, I was very determined to make this quick, protein packed dish again soon.  It would be excellent for lunches, too.  M absolutely loved the raisins; I wasn't that big on them, but, then again, I have never really liked raisins all that much.  Which just goes to show how much I loved this dish, because normally I would never even condiser touching something with raisins in it.  Yum!

Quick, Jazzy Israeli Couscous

Adapted from Happy Healthy Life

Serves 5

2/3 cups Israeli couscous

1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup shredded spicy cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mirin

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp raisins

1 cup frozen green peas

3/4 cups cooked white beans

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 tbsp fat free mayo

Bring the water to a boil in a kettle with the couscous.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 9 minutes.  Remove from heat, and let sit for 5 more minutes.  Then, return to very low heat and add in the remaining ingredients, and heat through.  Serve.

Deja Vu Soup? Not So Much

 I seriously feel like I am making the same soups over and over and over again, because they all have the same ingredients.  Onion.  Garlic.  Potatoes.  Tomatoes.  Carrots.  Broth.  And those things seem to go in every soup that I have ever made.  I felt like that when I was chucking ingredients in the pot last night, and got the feeling "here we go again".  But actually, this soup did turn out quite different, and that was due to the tomato sauce.  It's really funny that something as simple as that would change the whole soup, but it did make it quite different from any other soup that I have made recently.  And I have made a LOT of soup in the past few months.  I find that when I'm not in school that I eat two bowls a day, of the same kind.  Which, in most cases, I really don't mind one little bit.  So here's the very tomatoy soup that makes a huge batch.  And it's already half gone in a day and a half, because M and I have already eaten two bowls a piece.  Cause it's just that good.

TOH Veggie Tomato Soup

Serves 8

Adapted from Taste of Home

1 ½ cups whole wheat penne pasta
3 monster-sized carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 bay leaves
3 yukon gold potatoes, cubed
28 oz can tomato puree
3 cups water plus “beef” bullion
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp rosemary
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 cup cooking sherry
2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 cup frozen peas
1 lb vegetarian beef, chopped (opt’l)

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the pasta until just under tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat, and sauté the carrots and onions in a bit of water for 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic, and sauté until tender, about 5 more minutes. Add the water through chili powder, and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Add the remaining ingredients and pasta, and cook until heated through. Serve (don't forget to take out the bay leaves).

Another Stir Fry

Here's another quick stir  fry with the very typical long list of ingredients in the sauce.  It's really good, just life every other stir fry that has come along recently here.  M really likes it, because of the chicken and peanuts, which are among her favorite ingredients.  Mine too, but I like a lot of things.  I was very pleased with how this turned out.  Plus, I actually managed to not under or over cook the rice this time, so that was a really nice change. Yay!  Go me.

Coconut “Chicken” Curry

Adapted from Chinese and Thai 400

Serve 6

½ cup tamarind juice
1 tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion1 tbsp agave nectar

¾ cup reduced fat coconut milk

Chili sauce, to taste
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp corn starch
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed

2 cups broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen peas (I used snow peas when I made this, but it would be better with peas)

1 vegetarian chicken, about 3 cups, chopped
12 oz fingerling potatoes, cut in half if large and boiled until tender
Rice and peanuts, to serve

Mix together the tamarind juice through corn starch in a bowl, and set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Sauté the onion for 2 minutes, and then add the garlic. Sauté for another minute and add the broccoli and bell pepper. Sauté for another 4 minutes, and then add the sauce. Add the peas and “chicken”, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add in the potatoes, and simmer for another 2 minutes, until heated through. Serve over rice, topped with peanuts.

Shepard's Pie Take 2

I love these types of dishes- the pies or quiches.  So does M.  The thing is, they are kind of a bit of trouble to make the crust and the dish all in one night, but I had lots of time that night, so I was able to pull this dish off.  Actually, it was fairly simple as far as pies go, and really good, too.  What made me really happy was that I actually found a use for the bag of TVP sitting in my pantry that has been in  there forever and a day, which has got to be one of my pet peeves.  And so this pie was born.  The really funny thing, though, while I was making the crust I was thinking about how I had developed such a foolproof recipe for a pie crust.  Then, when I went to serve the finished dish, I had such a hard time getting the crust to detach itself from the pan.  The I realised that I had forgotten to spray the pie plate with Pam.  Stupid me.  But this still turned out really good, and I still love that pie crust more than any I have ever tasted.  I ended up filling six more ramkins along with the pie plate, and I'm rather grateful for that, because they are something good I can take to lunch.  A really filling and warming dish, to say the least.

Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Potato Topping

Serves 8 plus extra ramkins

Adapted from I Eat Food

1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup water
1 tbsp Better Than Bullion Vegetarian Beef Flavouring
14 oz tomato sauce
2 tbsp bbq sauce
2 ½ cups cooked pinto beans
1 ¼ cup frozen peas
3 tbsp corn starch mixed with 1 cup water
1 cup TVP
1 oatmeal sesame pie crust
3-4 cups mashed potatoes (Yukon gold + Silk + garlic powder)
parmesan cheese, to serve
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add a bit of water, and then toss in the onions and carrots. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme, water, bullion, tomato, bbq sauce, beans, peas, and corn starch, and cook for a couple minutes. Add in the TVP, and simmer for 5-7 more minutes, until the TVP has pretty much soaked up the better part of the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 375.

Remove the veggies from heat, and pour in the pie crust. Any extra filling can go in ramekins. Top with potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and the filling is bubbly. The ramekins might need less time.

Serve topped with pepper and parmesan.

Umm... Lasangne?

I am so excited!  I just got 3 new cookbooks from Half-Priced books, and they are loaded with really good looking recipes.  I really can't wait to crack them open, and they are loaded with tons of mouth-watering recipes.  One's vegetarian, one is Chinese and Thai, and the other is just plain Thai.  Lots of stir frys, but there are other interesting dishes too.  The funny thing is, is that if I made a recipe from one of the cookbooks every day, it would last me for almost three years.  That's a lot of cooking, I think.  Heh, who am I to talk about a lot of cooking?

This recipe was rather interesting to make.  I do not really think it's real lasagne.  It's kind of lasange, kind of something else.  I modeled it after a smoked fish version, and then saw that what I was planning would not really work out.  So, I ended us pretty much improving the whole thing, and it actually turned out tasting pretty decent.  And so, here you have it.  I totally just made this up as I went along, and this is how it went.  I think.

Kind Of Vegetable Lasagne

Serves 8

1 large onion, cut into rings

1 lb button mushrooms, sliced

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 cup carrots, coined

1 tbsp Italian seasonings
2 tbsp vegetarian chicken bullion
9 lasagne sheets, boiled until tender, about 10 minutes

14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

1 cup skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 lb vegetarian bacon
2/3 cup frozen sweet peas

In a large frying pan, heat a bit of water and add the onion.  Saute for a couple minutes, and then add the mushrooms through carrots.  Saute until almost tender, about 7 minutes, and then add the Italian seasoning and bullion.  Continue sauteing until tender.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375.  Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray.
Line the bottom of the casserole dish with 3 noodles.  Add 1/3 of the sauted veggies, leaving behind the juices.  Then add 1/3 of the bacon, half the cheese, and then the peas.  Add another 1/3 of the lasagne noodles, and then another 1/3 of the veggies and 1/3 of the bacon.  Add the remaining noodles, then veggies, tomatoes, bacon, and finally the last of the cheese.  Pour the reserves vegetable liquid over the top.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or so, unitl heated and cooked through.

.. And Now I Really Need to go to the Grocery Store

After making this soup, I think there is almost no ingredients at my house except for a onion and some cilantro.  Seriously, this is getting rather desperate.  I actually just had barely enough "ham" to make this soup, and I had to add it to my individual bowl.  That seemed rather depressing.  It was the same way with the cooked rice.  Atleast I have some time now to actually do something besides homework because it's Christmas break.  But still, I have actually been working for quite a surprising amount of time for the past week.  It's getting kind of old. 

Out of all the recipes that I had been planning to make, this was the only one that I could have actually made.  Which was OK with M and I, because we were frozen solid when we got back from shopping at an outdoor mall.  Which was insanely busy, I might add.  But this soup was, thankfully, not all that hard to pull together, moslty becasue M did all the washing, and we had dinner on the table in just over an hour.  The soup was delicious, and very filling.  We were both starving, and this just hit the spot.  It made a very large batch, too, which is a good thing because otherwise I would be fighting M for the leftovers.  Which will probably end up happening anyway.

Dark Veggie and Rice Soup


Adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen

Serves 10
1 smallish onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, coined
6 cloves garlic, pressed
Just over 1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced

5 cups water

2 tbsp Better Than Bullion Vegetarian Beef Flavouring
14 oz can diced tomatoes
Generous 1 cup frozen peas
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
2 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tbsp corn starch mixed with 2 tbsp water

1 bunch spinach, stemmed
3 cups vegetarian meat
1/3 cup brown rice, cooked
Cheese, to top
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and carrots for 2 minutes and then stir in the garlic. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 more minutes, until pretty much tender. Add the remaining ingredients through the rosemary, and simmer until the sweet potatoes are almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add the corn starch slurry, the spinach, the meat, and the rice. Simmer until ready to serve. Serve, topped with cheese and salt and pepper.

Paneer Tofu and Peas Stir Fry

I have no clue whatsoever why this recipe caught my eye- I guess it just looked appealing.  I had such a kitchen-y day today, because I also had to do the cooking for my greek competition (which I think we won, too!)  I won’t be posting any of the recipes, because they were pretty gross.  The tizaki that I made was a hit, though, but I hate cucumber.  So there.  This is another easy stir fry that deserves five gold stars.  One really weird thing, though.  No soy sauce!  I’m dead serious.  It is Indian, but still.  Actually, there are a lot of other flavours that take its place, so there’s no lack of flavour, or sauce for that matter.  One really depressing thing though.  A Greek recipe had called for lemon juice, and I only had one lemon on hand, and so did this recipe.  I juiced it, and then, unknowingly M threw away the leftover juice.  And so there was

Paneer Tofu and Peas

Adapted from Vegan Dad

Serves about 4

½ tbsp peanut or other frying oil

26 oz tofu, pressed and cubed
6 tbsp milk
2 tbsp plain (or almond, or vanilla) yogurt
1 tsp miso paste

Heat a non-stick frying pan (or wok) over medium heat with the oil. Whisk together wet ingredients in a small bowl, making sure miso dissolves. Add tofu to frying pan and fry for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is pretty much done and you are ready to stop and move on to the next step.

Add the wet mixture and cook for a couple seconds, and then remove to a separate bowl.

1 large-ish sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 large onion, halved and sliced
1" piece of ginger, grated
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
4 cups frozen peas

28 oz can diced tomatoes (or 3-4 fresh tomatoes, here used 14.5 oz canned and 2 fresh)

1 cup milk

2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potato, and cook until tender-firm, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Heat a wok over high heat with a bit of water. Sauté the onion for a couple minutes, and then add the ginger. Sauté for about 5 more minutes, and then add the cilantro and seasonings, and cook for 2 more minutes, mixing the spices thoroughly. Add the peas, tomatoes, and potato and cook for five minutes. Add remaining ingredients and tofu, and cook for about 10 more minutes, until heated through and bubbling slightly.

Serve over rice.

Easy Mock Beef Stew

Here I am, with my stew, almost sweating while I eat it.  Ah, fall... it's not 100 degrees anymore!  I honestly thought the weather was about to become really cold... that's why I ended up making this.  But the weather would not cooperate, and, alas, it's honestly NOT stew weather. 

But back to the recipe.  It was a very thick and satisfying stew, to say the least.  And, like I pointed out to M, it took up all of 20 minutes total of actual working on the dish- the rest was just letting it simmer.  Incredible, if you take into account how much food we actually made.  And good thing it made such a large batch, too, because this is something that I would want large amounts of.  So thick, creamy, and such a rich and deep flavour.  A definate stew to get you into the mood for fall and Halloween.

Easy Mock Beef Stew

Adapted from I Eat Food

Serves 8

1 lb mock beef, chopped
3 tbsp mirin
3 small onions, chopped

4 smallish carrots, coined

4 medium red potatoes, chopped

4 cups water or vegetable broth

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp Better than Bullion Vegetarian Beef flavouring

1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Pepper and salt, to taste
1 1/3 cups frozen peas
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water

Heat a dutch oven over high heat with a bit of water. Sauté the carrots and onion until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, stir, and then add the remaining ingredients except the beef, peas, and corn starch. Stir well, bring to a boil, and then cook, just over a simmer and covered, for 35 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, and cook for 20 more minutes, until heated through and veggies are tender.

Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew

Ah, lentils.  They seem to be one of the most finicky foods that I have ever worked with.  But a small bag had been sitting in our pantry for quite some time now, and I think fate was calling with I stumbled across this posting on Vegan Dad's blog.  And I'm so glad I did, because it turned out to be something quite different from what I normally end up making.  The first night M and I had it over a bit of rice, because that was all the food in the house that was ready to eat.  (We finally finished off our monster 5 lb bag of rice... and got another one.  It's good stuff, that rice.) Anyway, this stew is a lot like soup.  It gets more flavourful as time goes on, so the first night I wasn't all that impressed.  But the next day the flavour seemed to have doubled, and it tasted so much better.  M was especially fond of the stew- I thought it was good, but nothing to dream about.  I really liked the peas and potatoes, though.  They seemed to go extremely well in the dish- not to mention it looks a whole lot prettier with them.

This is great over rice as a main dish, or just by itself as a side.  Whatever floats your boat...

Sweet Potato And Lentil Stew

Adapted from Vegan Dad

Serves 6-8

1 large onion, sliced
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
2" piece ginger, grated
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 cup crushed tomatoes (or more, as needed)
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup red lentils, presoaked
2 cups chopped green beans
1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a bit of water in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute onion, garlic, and ginger for 10 minutes, until onion is tender. Add sweet potatoes and red pepper and cook for one more minute.
2. Add the spices, and mix thoroughly. Add both forms of tomato, lentils, green beans, and peas. Bring to a light bubble, and cover. Cook for about 30-45 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more crushed tomatoes to get the thickness that you want. Serve, either alone or over rice.