Lentil-Stew

This recipe came from a "what do I have on hand to make a delicious, nutritious vegetarian dinner" moment. I am one of those people that stalks the bulk foods section at Oliver's Market to check out what kind of goodies are there. It's a great way to try new foods without having to buy a huge package of something if I don't like it. One day I decided "hey Lentils are pretty; I think I'll buy some," even though the couple times I had lentils they were pretty lame. So they sat in my cupboard for a couple months (they're dried -- they're not gonnna waste away) until tonight.

Makes 6 one cup servings.

 

1 cup of lentils - I mixed green and red together
6 cups of vegan chicken stock, vegetable stock, or regular chicken stock
1/4 cup dehyrdated onions or 1/2 cup fresh minced white onion
3 to 6 oz. tomato paste: Whole Foods' 365 brand tube is perfect
1 15oz. can diced peeled tomatoes (no salt added)
4 to 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach
1 12 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water if needed

All Spices to Taste:
3-6 Tbs cumin (I like mine a little more bitter)
2 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
1-2 Tbs mild yellow curry powder
cayenne pepper to taste
sea salt to taste, if needed

1)  Bring the stock to a boil. Add dehydrated onions and lentils, and garlic and onion powders, and cook on high for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

2) Add the tomato paste, spinach, and can of tomatoes with the juice. Stir in the cumin and curry powder, starting with a moderate amount; you can always add more seasoning. If you overseason, you can add more water and let the soup reduce down. Let cook covered over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The lentils for this dish are best after they take on the texture of cooked black beans. It also gives them time to soak up the flavors of the spices and tomato base. Keep tasting as you stir. Add more cumin, curry, and salt if needed. Also watch the liquid. The lentils are greedy and will soak up a lot of the liquid, but it will also evaporate from cooking, so if it starts to look like a paste instead of a stewy-soup, you need to add water or broth.

3) Top with a dallop of greek-yoghurt or sour cream, and enjoy! I'm also eating mine with a side of Mediterranean pita, warmed up with a little olive oil in a hot pan -- but any crusty Italian or Mediterranean type bread would be delicious with this soup.

4) For you carnivores, mini-meatballs, small bits of greek flavored chicken sausage, leftover lamb, goat, pork, or some shredded chicken would work well in this stew-soup.

(FYI also good at room temperature! I know cuz it got cold while I was typing this!)

FYI #2 : This is great for people dieting or on low-glycemic diets; the fiber and protein counts in lentils are astronomical, the lycopene from the tomatoes is cancer fighting, and there's no fat because we didn't sautee or fry anything. Ok ok, so the sour cream or yoghurt add some fat, but you don't HAVE to put it on. :)

French Onion Soup

A classic, French onion soup generally combines caramelized onion and a rich beef broth, topped with a delicious crusty crouton and bubbly broiled cheese. It's satisfying, homey, and easy, and can be served either as a starter or as the main dish. I find it comforting on evenings when it has been cold and cloudy and windy/rainy. This is also one of the cheapest soups you can possibly make.




*2 to 3 yellow onions, sliced very thinly into half moons
*4 to 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
*2 Tbs olive oil
*Pinch of fine sea salt or Kosher salt
*3 cups of HOT water
*1 Tbs (to start) Better Than Bouillon No Beef vegan stock base
*1 to 2 tsp. evaporated cane juice/granulated sugar (to taste)

croutons
slices or shreds of Swiss, Gruyere, or low-moisture mozzarella cheese



1) Heat the oil over medium heat in a large sautee pan, and add your onions, garlic, and the salt. Cook about 20 minutes, stirring regularly, as the onions cook to a translucent, then caramelized state. You can add 1/2 tsp. of sugar to help the caramelization of the onions and to bring out their natural sweetness.

2) Mix the no beef base into the hot water and taste to check the flavor; you don't want it to be too salty. Pour the hot water over the onions. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

3) As the onions simmer in the broth, keep tasting the soup. You want a delicate balance of the sweet onions and the salty broth, but you don't want either to take over the soup.

4) Ladle into individual ramekins. Top with a handful of croutons and a generous portion of cheese. Place under the broiler (low) for about 5-7 minutes until cheese starts to get bubbly and golden. Carefully remove from oven and enjoy.

"Beef" Stock Review

I love the "Better Than Bouillon" stocks for making soups, sauces, and gravies. They have incredible flavor and ease of use, and they truly are better than bouillon cubes.

One of my current favorites is the No-Beef Vegan stock. Somehow, they are able to take roasted vegetables, concentrate them down, and create a dark, rich, delicious base that tastes like beef, without the fat and animal content of the regular beef base. I found it at the local health food market (but not Whole Foods, surprisingly) for somewhere between $4.99 and $6.99 for the 8 oz jar. I know that sounds expensive, but it's a very, very concentrated product, which makes at least 2 1/2 gallons or about 36 cups of broth depending on how strong you make your liquid.

This product has an unopened shelf-life of 2 years from production date; once opened, it needs to be used by the "best by date". Although it says "refrigerate after opening" on the jar, the company website specifically says it does not need to be refrigerated after opening, so if you forget to get it back in the fridge, you're still ok, and not out the money you paid for it.

This is a product I definitely intend to keep regularly in my kitchen. I may even purchase it by bulk and sell off extras at my cost to friends who have a hard time finding it.

I would bet money on the No Chicken Vegan base being just as good; doesn't your mouth just water thinking of a creamy-chicken flavored casserole or chicken gravy on biscuits?

"Cream" of Crimini Mushroom Soup

This was inspired by the mushroom soup sold at Oliver's Market (which is great!).



*1 lb. sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
*1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced very thin in "rainbow" shapes
*2-3 cups unsweetened milk substitute of your choice (almond, rice, coconut, hemp, soy)
*2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
*2 Tbs. butter [or Earth Balance] for sauteeing
*4-6 Tbs. butter [or Earth Balance] for the roux
*1/4 cup unbleached white flour
*3 Tbs Spice Hunter Onion Mix [I get it for $2.49 at Oliver's Market; from Amazon it's a set of 6 for $5.99 each]
*Kosher salt to taste
*pepper to taste



1) Sautee up your mushrooms, garlic, and onions in butter with a little salt (or garlic salt). Remove to a bowl and set aside after they're cooked.

2) Heat up 2 cups of your milk substitute in the microwave until it's warmed through.

3) In the same pan over medium heat, allow the second measurement of butter(4-6 Tbs) to melt, then slowly sprinkle in the flour and cook it with a wooden spoon until it's golden brown.

4) Slowly add the "milk" in a steady stream to the butter/flour mix while stirring. Let it combine and try to press out any lumps that form. When your mix is smooth but thickening, add your mushroom/onion mix back to the pan.

5) Bring to a simmer, and let the flavors combine. Now is a good time to add 1 Tsp. pepper, 1 Tsp. salt, and the dried onion mix. When the dried onions have been rehydrated, your soup is ready to serve. I stirred in about a Tbs of sour cream into my bowl and it was creamy, dreamy, and yummy.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

We all know broccoli soup is a comfort soup. We also know heavy cream is not so good for us. With this flavorful soup, no one will know that there is no cream unless you tell them. And of course if you want to use the yummy stuff like cream and butter, go for it. I'll give you the substitutions at the end.

(PS: I am not a vegan, but I live with one - I just add my dairy on the side to my own dish so I don't contaminate the whole soup)



1 lb of broccoli crowns, cut into florets and equal size stem pieces
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 large yellow or white onion, diced in equal size pieces
4 oz silken tofu
salt
pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Special Tools: Blender or Immersion Stick Blender; bowl of ice water big enough for the onion and broccoli

1) Bring the broth to a boil and wisk in the garlic powder. Add the onions and broccoli and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes until the broccoli is crisp tender. You do not want mushy broccoli.

2) Pour your soup through a colander and reserve the broth. Quickly transfer your broccoli/onion mix to the ice bath to "shock" the broccoli, keeping it bright green and stopping to cooking process. Allow the vegetable broth to cool as well.

3) Add the broccoli/onions to your blender with 1 cup of the broth. Blend on medium speed. Add the tofu and as much broth as you need to create a smooth blended soup.

3-Alternative) Blend the broccoli/onion mix with 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 Tbs butter, and as much broth as needed to create a smooth blended soup.

4) Return to the pot and heat. You can reduce down the liquid (boil it away) if you accidentally added too much broth, but be careful not to let it burn. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) TOPPINGS!!!! I love a nice medium to sharp cheddar cheese shredded on top, a few red onion dices, and of course, full fat sour cream. Yum! Also good are some nummy garlic butter croutons made from left-over white sandwich bread.

Vegan Black Bean Soup

Black beans are so yummy. They're inexpensive. They're shelf-stable. They're a great addition to food storage. And making them from their dried state, though it takes a little forethought and planning, is way better than using canned beans and is way easy. This soup is spicy, and yummy, and can be used to get more protein and fiber into your family's diet without adding fat or processed ingredients.

The pre-planning part of this recipe requires an overnight soak of the black beans. Before you go to bed, put about 1/2 to 1 cup of dried black beans with 6 cups of COLD water in a tupperware container with a lid. Place in the fridge and let them do their thing. In the morning, dump the beans in a colander and rinse them. You can't use this liquid for cooking because it is full of dissolved starches from the bean that cause "intestinal discomfort" - code for gas pain - and will make the beans basically inedible.

Cook the beans in 6 cups fresh water in a heavy pot for 60 to 90 minutes. Don't boil the beans, but rather bring the water up to JUST a boil, then turn down the heat so they simmer. Beans are done when you can easily smush them between your fingers. Reserve the cooking liquid.





*the prepared black beans (or 2 to 3 cans of no-salt added black beans, drained and rinsed)
*2 to 3 cups of reserved cooking liquid
*1 large or 2 small yellow onions, diced
*2 Tbs. no-sodium tomato paste
*1/2 package McCormick's 30% Less Sodium Taco Seasoning
OR homemade taco seasoning mix: 1 Tbs. each chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder; 1 Tsp. each paprika, ground oregano, fine sea salt; 1 dash (and I mean a dash) of cayenne pepper
*3 cups low or no-sodium vegetable broth (or 5 cups if you started with canned beans)
*1 Tbs. olive oil
*Kosher or sea salt

Special Equipment: Immersion Stick-Blender or Regular Blender





1) Heat the oil in a stock or soup pot. Gently sautee the onions with a pinch of salt until they are soft and begin to take on a light caramel type color.

2) Add the beans, the reserved cooking liquid, the vegetable broth, and either the homemade or packaged seasoning (remember to only use 1/2 the package, because the spice is strong). Let the liquid come almost to a boil.

3) Stir in the tomato paste; let cook for about 10 minutes.

4) Remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit then CAREFULLY use the immersion blender to blend the soup to a nice smooth consistency. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup in batches to a blender and blend til smooth. Add salt as needed.

5) Un-vegan this soup with yummy toppings: Sour cream and cheddar cheese and chopped onions. Or use the vegan options. Serve either as the main dish, or as a starter.