Throw 'em for a Loop Spring Greens Soup

I have been really into soups lately, and something about this idea really sparked my interest... Honestly, I think that I was more curious than anything when I saw an adaptation of this recipe! I generally don't serve soups where one of the main ingredients are greens, so against my better judgement I tried... And I am so glad that I did!

1 medium onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups veggie broth

freshly ground black pepper

Salt

12oz Yukon potato, cubed

3 cups sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan butter

3 cups fresh spinach

3 cups fresh arugula

2 cups fresh flat leaf parsley leaves and tender stems

Garnish: sauteed mushrooms and fresh arugula

1. Sautee down onion in olive oil for about 3 minutes, add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add broth, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and return to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the mushrooms in vegan butter over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes until tender and the liquid is evaporated. Set aside.

3. Once the potato mixture has completed simmering, add the mushrooms and remove from heat. Use the immersion blender to blend the new mixture until almost smooth. Season again.

4. Add the spinach, arugula, and parsley. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Again remove from heat.

5. Use immersion blender to again blend the soup until only flecks of green remain. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with sauteed mushrooms and fresh arugula.

Lentil Soup

I must admit that this soup is a bit of an adaptation from that 'so cute you almost hate her' petite, Italian lady Giada de Laurentis.  Her lentil soup recipe isn't too far off from vegan, and is a simple, filling, and healthy dish that just gets better as a leftover.  

2 TBSP olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 14oz can of diced tomatoes

1 lb lentils

11 cups veggie broth

4 to 6 sprigs of thyme

2/3 cup dried elbow pasta

1 cup shredded vegan parm (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, and saute down the onions, carrots, and celery until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the can of tomatoes with their juices and simmer until the juices break down and the tomatoes break down a little, about 8 minutes.  Add the lentils and mix to coat.  Add the broth and stir.  Add the thyme sprigs.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.   Stir in the pasta, and simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.  Season and take off the heat.  Serve up in bowls, and add parmesean is desired.   

Vegan Hollandaise

Which kind of sounds 'non-appetizing'... I will be the first to admit that there is no sex appeal in the sound of this one.  At the same time, desperate times calls for creativity.  We have a long standing tradition in my family of eggs benedict and lots of mimosas on Christmas morning.  Whereas the mimosas require no adaptation, I wanted to be able to toast baby Jesus with both the drink and our traditional food this year.  By golly, I think that it WILL be done! The plan: english muffin, grilled portobello mushroom, grilled asparagus - or possibly grilled green onion - all drizzled with this.....

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 TBSP flour

1 cup water

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp Dijon mustard

juice from 1/2 to 1 whole lemon

Whisk all the ingredients together - except the mustard - in a sauce pan over medium heat.  This sauce is prone to burning, so make sure and stir frequently.  Once it becomes noticeably thicker, add the mustard and simmer on low for a few minutes.   Enjoy!

   

Tuscan White Beans and Swiss Chard

This is fresh, healthy, quick, and just yummy satisfying...  Using the Swiss Chad stems seems odd, but it works beautifully.

1/2 vidalia onion, chopped

large bunch of Swiss chard, stems chopped off
1 teaspoon minced garlic
15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered with juice)
15 oz. can cannelloni beans (or any white beans). drained and rinsed
4 large fresh sage leaves, minced
 salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Wash chard and slice off stem ends.  Dice stem ends--approximately 1/4 inch dice.
In wok or large frying pan, warm olive oil.
Once oil is warm, vidalia, chard stems, sage and garlic. Sauté until soft.
While chopped veggies are sautéing, roughly chop remaining chard leaves and drain and rinse beans. Add both to pan, dump in contents of diced tomatoes (including liquid) and cover.  Once chard is soft, stir it up and add salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Serve hot with rice!

LOVELY Lima Bean Soup

Lima beans are no longer yuck.... This soup will change everyones perception of what lima beans are all about.

2/3 cup diced onion

3 TBSP soy margarine

1 TBSP olive oil

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced celery

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups lima beans

1 apple, peeled and sliced

4 cups veggie broth

salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large pot, saute the onion in the margarine and oil over medium head until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, and garlic and cook another 5 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, boil the lima beans for about 10 minutes to make them extra soft. Drain the lima beans and add them to the pot with the veggie stock and apples. Lower the heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Puree with a hand blender and season with salt and pepper! Mmmm...

Pasta with Hummus Sauce

A couple things... I know that hummus sauce sounds a little iffy.  Also, this is a casserole...and I generally always say no to casseroles.  I guess I am a little of a snob like this.  This dish was developed from trying to get rid of a bunch of pasta left over from the previous recipe....and WOW! Yumm!! The hummus doesn't really even taste like hummus as much as a binder to create a creamy texture.  Comfort food in it's best fashion!

    1 lb your favorite whole wheat pasta
    1 can diced tomatoes
    1 small can tomato sauce
    5 oz kalamata olives (pitted and diced)
    1 bag frozen spinach (thawed and drained) or 1 bag sauteed fresh spinach
    1 large container garlic hummus or equivalent homemade hummus
    1 cup textured soy protein hydrated with 1 cup water
    1/2 to 1 cup soy milk

    1 TBSP oregano
    salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease large casserole dish.

Cook pasta according to package.

In large bowl mix together all ingredients except pasta and soy milk.
Stir in cooked pasta and add soy milk until pasta is coated and mixture is moist.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into casserole dish.

Cover and bake for about 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for about 10 more minutes, or until the top of the casserole starts to get crispy.

Serve and enjoy!

Bowtie Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

This is an extremely easy recipe to throw together on a busy night.... After the pasta is cooked, it takes another 10 minutes max. The EVEN BETTER part is that all the leftovers it makes can be turned around into the casserole I will post next!

12 oz bowtie pasta

20 sundried tomatoes, not packed in oil
 5 cloves garlic, mined
 3-4 tablespoon olive oil

1 portobello mushroom cap, chopped
1 bag of fresh spinach
 2-3 tablespoon toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup white wine

zest of 1/2 lemon

a little chopped fresh thyme

Boil bowtie pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, soak sundried tomatoes in boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Remove and chop coarsely.  Put olive oil in a heated saute pan, and saute about 3 minutes until more translucent.  Add garlic, white wine, sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach is just wilted.  Add cooked drained pasta, walnuts, lemon zest, and mix thoroughly while still over heat.

Enjoy!