Warming Soups & Global Warming

We were hanging out with a most excellent friend when he presents the question. Can you name the beans for 15 Bean Soup? He then pulls out his partial list and checks it as we rattle off bean varieties that come to mind. We never completed the list, but it did prompt Art to buy a bag of 15 Bean Soup. We agreed on all the ingredients, and I prepared the soup as planned. The night before, I soaked the beans. I remember my mom doing that, so the tradition lives on and I also enjoy the anticipation of soup the next day. How many beans can you name?



ART & VICKI'S 15 BEAN SOUP
10 med. carrots
1 bunch kale
1 bunch Italian parsley
4 small leeks
2 medium onions
3 Serrano peppers
5 small garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups water
3 vegan bouillon cubes
1 pound 15 (or more!) varieties of beans

METHOD
Place beans in a large pot, cover with water, and soak overnight. After soaking, drain water, add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 3 hours. While this is happening, prep your vegetables. Then, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the garlic, onion, and pepper and saute until almost translucent. Add the leaks and carrots saute more. At this point & in this order, I put the beans, sauteed vegetables, bouillon cubes, kale & parsley in the Slow Cooker on low for 8 hours. I seasoned mine with sea salt, and needed nothing more. Art discovered that for him adding ketchup and mustard was the perfect taste sensation!



Art's Mom gave me this silicone loaf pan for Christmas, so I tried it out on 'Pumpkin Raisin Loaf' from TEV (pg. 169). Instead of kamut flour I used white along with vanilla soy milk and golden raisins. Delicious! The pan is refrigerator, freezer, microwave, and oven safe. Has a quick-release, non-stick surface that cooks quickly. It's also dishwasher and metal utensil safe. Love it, thanks Char!






This is 'Chickpea Broccoli Casserole' from VwaV (pg. 96). It was really good. I ate it all myself over a 3 day period. Nope, I didn't get any help at all eating this one. But, I think my family would enjoy it with a crafty disguise -- like phyllo, samosas, tacos, pita bread, sandwiches, pizza, or something along those lines. Or, I could just continue to keep it to myself!





This soup was inspired and modeled from 'Curried Lentil, Potato, and Cauliflower Soup' from Vegetarian Soups for all Seasons Bountiful Vegan (pg. 73) Though Nava may not recognize it because there are several changes:
I used red lentils instead of brown/green
I used 2 lg. leeks, leaving out the celery
I used kale, omitting the spinach
I also skipped the tomatoes

I ate many bowls of this soup! Art liked it too.



Here is just one of Dan Piraro's brilliant cartoons concerning the state of our planet. I share his and many of your reactions & sentiments toward Al Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." So you can imagine my overwhelming emotions holding the ticket below in my hands.....








January 22, I will hear Al Gore speak at 7 pm. "Global Warming --- Beyond The Inconvenient Truth" I CAN NOT wait. After seeing the movie & reading book, I'm anxious for the "Beyond" part. Beyond the facts and shocking truth, and on to solutions and some encouraging words for this fragile planet of ours. It is true, Gore would make his point more effectively if he was a vegetarian, but I can certainly overlook it because he seems to be the only powerful person in the US who gives a damn about this issue. That said, do you think he will mention the "V" word? Will he mention that possibly the most powerful step we can take as individuals to avert global warming is to stop consuming animal products? We'll see... And regardless, I'd like to say to Al (if he's lurking!) "Welcome to my home town, Former Vice President & World Leader on Global Warming!"

Crockpot Applesauce & Bread & Potatoes

We still have lots of apples from our day of apple picking -- combine that with the fact that I still hadn't christened my Crockpot, and this is what you get. Homemade apple sauce. We sprinkled some dried cranberries on top for some added zing. My kindergarten students loved discovering the star inside apples -- just cut them horizontally. These make pretty prints & are perfect for little hands to hold and stamp. Use some paints and make some homemade cards, wrapping paper, T-shirts, or whatever. I'm hoping to get to some of these activities soon!


Olivia wasn't feeling well, and this was just what the Doctor ordered. It was pleasant to have the aroma of apples all day, and it did wonders to coax ill taste buds.

CROCKPOT APPLE SAUCE
5 Apples - peeled & chopped
1/2 C. Sugar
1 C. Water

Combine all ingredients. Cook on High 4 Hours.



More comfort food! I'm including these spuds because I'm a total potato fiend.

VICKI'S ROASTED POTATOES
Yukon Golds - medium=quartered; small=halves
Whole Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 400*F. Toss everything in a bowl and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for about 40 minutes.



This is a loaf of 'Maple Banana Loaf' from The Everyday Vegan, pg. 167. This was delicious. I used all whole wheat pasty flour because that's all I had (all out of white + spelt, & kamut!) The recipe calls for 1 cup very ripe banana, and that meant 2 bananas for me -- which was exactly what I had on hand. I used vanilla soy milk, and threw in 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Very yummy!

Spuds, Soup, & Sauces

Here's some of our famous Idaho Potatoes mashed with Earth Balance, Vanilla Silk, and Sea Salt. Served with 'Mi-So Good Gravy!' from The Everyday Vegan -- I omitted the ginger for personal preference. The gravy was tangy good and made friends with everybody on the plate. Also on the plate is 'Tempeh Bacon' from Vegan with a Vengeance.





Quick, Punk Heads! What's wrong with the ingredient line-up for the 'Tempeh Bacon'? What shouldn't be there? The vinegar. I figured it out in time that I needed apple cider -- we had some apple juice that worked fine. The tempeh is Turtle Island Five Grain, Jess says it's her favorite. I didn't have the recommended peanut oil, so I used sesame oil instead -- and I don't have liquid smoke, so I subbed agave nectar. This marinade is perfect, but next time I'll double the recipe because my 16 strips weren't all submerged. They marinated overnight with several careful flippings.


It rained the other day, so I made some soup. It was delicious, and I froze the left-overs.

BARLEY VEGETABLE SOUP
2 C. uncooked Barley (cook b/f adding)
2 Cloves Garlic
1 White med. Onion
Olive Oil (saute garlic & onion b/f liquid)
1 Carton Imagine Organic Vegetable Broth
2 C. Water
1 Stalk Celery
2 C. Carrots
1 Red Bell Pepper
3 Leaves Kale
1/4 C. Tamari
16 oz. Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
1 Tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cumin



These are 'Carrot-Raisin Muffins' from Vegan with a Vengeance. I really like these muffins and even ate several the next day. Too bad the girls didn't care for them -- I'm not surprised with Liv, but Abi usually likes everything. Oh well, can't win them all, and we'll try another kind next time.







It was dinner for just myself, and this is what I chose. A cup of guacamole (avocado, tomato, garlic, lime, cilantro, cayenne pepper, sea salt) and a cup of black-eyed pea chipotle dip (blk eyed peas, tomato paste, onion, chipotle pepper, cilantro, garlic, lemon, cumin) from the Sept. 18 issue of Meatout Mondays. For dipping, I have fresh celery and homemade pita chips (WW pita bread cut into wedges, brush on olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake @ 350* for 10 minutes)

Soul Seitan

Those of you who check in from time to time know that we love soul food. Here's our latest helping: Blackeyed Peas, Greens, & Seitan.











This time, Art cooked the greens. They were extra good because the full flavor emerged & wasn't covered up. This is how he prepared it:

1 bunch each: Collard Greens, Purple Kale, Green Kale
1/4 Onion, finely chopped
2 small cloves Garlic
2 tbs. Olive Oil
Sea Salt

Boil Greens in 4 quarts Water. Add Salt after simmering 1 hour. Drain, add 2 cups fresh Water & reboil to steam. Serve with Earth Balance & Sea Salt.



I've been wanting to make this jerk, Seitan, for a while now & was inspired even more by Matt over @ the BakeHouse. Experimenting is fun, so I marinated the seitan (VwaV p. 157) four different ways:
1. BBQ Sauce
2. Sweet & Sour Sauce
3. Soy Vay Teriyaki
4. Jerk Mainade (VwaV p. 159)
We think the seitan tastes best when cut into thin strips and fried.



The seitan took several hours to prepare -- mostly with tasks that don't require a lot of attention like simmering & marinating. So it was a good day to get things done around the house......

Like organizing the tupperware drawer.

Good idea, Abi! :o)






The next day, I whipped up these drop biscuits from The Vegan Family Cookbook. While the biscuits were baking, I cooked some of the bbq seitan. Put them together, & you have a little sandwich. They were so good & cute. They disappeared too quickly for a photo.







We make a lot of muffins around here, but this is my first time making Dreena's 'As-You-Like Muffins' from TEV. I used half whole wheat pasty flour & half unbleached all-purpose. This is a basic muffin recipe, and she offers many variations to make them as you like. This time, I liked mine with dried blueberries & cherries. They were delicious warm with Earth Balance and had a sweet hint of applesauce.

Orange-Glazed Beets, Quick Asparagus Saute, & Creamy Hummus

I really love beets, especially the orange ones. They are less messy than the red and the flavor is so sweet. I had some organic beets on hand, and instead of making them my regular way, I decided to turn to the cookbooks. I found 'Orange-Glazed Beets' in VwaV and busted out my veggie peeler - something I never use when it comes to beets. What I usually do is trim off the top and boil - leaving on the skin. Then after the beet cools, voila! the skin just slides off - leaving a naturally juicy beet. I'll go back to doing that next time. For the asparagus, I also decided to use a recipe and found Dreena's 'Quick Asparagus Saute' in TEV. The asparagus was perfect! But inquiring minds ask, "Why does asparagus make your pee smell funny?" On the plate, you also see: lemon for the asparagus, fresh apricot, & citrus sparerib cutlets.



Earlier that day, we were famished! I kicked into auto-pilot and made Dreena's 'Creamy Hummus' from Vive by heart. It's because I *heart* this recipe! I threw some fresh parsley in the food processor for some added zing, and topped off with a fresh tomato. This was gone in no time at all!

Creamy Potato Leek Bake & Garlicky Kale + Tahini Dressing

I found some info. on leeks: the leek is a member of the onion family, but the flavor is much more refined, subtle, and sweet than the standard onion. European chefs call leeks "poor man's asparagus." Asparagus is actually a distant relative of the leek, residing in the same Lily family as onions. Although giant leeks do not make for great eating, Britain holds a yearly competition and awards a prize to the largest leek, which can range from 4 to 5 inches in diameter. In 640 A.D., the Welsh wore leeks in their hats to distinguish themselves from the enemy during the battle between King Cadwallader of Wales and the Saxons.


Art requested a potato dish, so I looked through a few cookbooks, and came up with 'Creamy Potato Leek Bake' from Dreena's Everyday Vegan. There are 3 layers in this dish: Potato, Leek (what you see on top of this picture), & an optional soy/rice parmesan. I spaced on the Arrowroot flour, so Art & Liv made a store run and couldn't find it either, so I substituted the same amount of Corn Starch. Another major "DOH" is that I didn't have thyme, oregano, or savory! I didn't substitue for the spices, and this dish was really delicious plain! This is one of those warm comfort foods, probably ideal for winter but it's been a bit rainy (odd for June) and it really hit the spot. I'll make this one again.


The 'Garlicky Kale with Tahini Dressing' came from Vegan with a Vengeance. I was excited to try a recipe from Isa's cookbook other than fries (which are really great). I like this recipe because after getting the fresh kale & parsley all the other ingredients are always on hand. Art is a "big kale eater" (not big in stature, but rather "big" as in large quantities of kale consumed!), and he says it could be better, so we'll collaborate next time. This time, I cooked it (my first time), and I ate it (not a first), and thought it was delicious (also a first). So there'll be more kale in our future. Also on the plate, you see Vegetarian Sparerib Cutlets.


To go with the kale, I made Isa's 'Tahini Dressing' and stored it in this water bottle. We always consider the packaging when we buy things, and normally something like this would stay on the shelf. But take a look at the beauty of this bottle. It has that awesome self-contained rubber cork which is perfect for storing things airtight, so we splurged that day and bought 2 French Leamonades just so we could reuse the bottles. The leamonade was good too!

Oh, and I also made La Dolce Vegan!'s 'Green Bean Zasmashha' without snapping a photo. This recipe only has 3 items: breadcrumbs, green beans, & Earth Balance ~ extremely simple and surprisingly tasty.

Pumpkin Raisin Loaf & Pumpkin Dip

I ran into Starbuck's for a gift certificate, and also got a slice of pumpkin bread for the girls to share because it looked like the healthiest thing available. Liv & Abi haven't eaten pumpkin before so I was a little surprised that both girls devoured the bread. I can make that, I thought to myself. Well, I could if I had a recipe! :o) I was pleased to find this one in The Everyday Vegan by Dreena Burton. I had all the ingredients and I followed the recipe exactly, using golden raisins and vanilla soy milk. The bread was perfect! The girls liked it as much...maybe more than the Starbuck's bread! I did too.


There was some pumpkin left over from the loaf, and recently I received some recipes from Catherine to test for her cookbook, one of which uses a smallish amount of pumpkin. Perfect! I used the balance of the pumpkin to create this yummy pumpkin dip to go along with some pears & apples. Catherine is right, kids love to dip things, and double-dip, and I even saw some triple-dipping today! Dipping the fruit was a big hit for the kids, but my personal favorite was something slightly different......




I know what you're thinking, and you're absolutely right. The pumpkin dip was amazingly delicious spread on top of the pumpkin bread! They complimented each other perfectly. Thanks for letting me try out your recipe, Catherine!