Dreamy Cream of Potato Soup

In lieu of the Taco Tuesday I missed yesterday, I offer you the conversation that occurred last night over here at Mamachandra's.

Mamachandra: Dude. It's Tuesday night.

the Cap'n: It is.

Mamachandra: Damn.

the Cap'n: No. It's cool, I got all the trash out, even the recycling! All good.

Mamachandra (laughing): No, thank you, but no, it's Tuesday. Taco Tuesday. Taco Cleanse Taco Tuesday. for the blog.

the Cap'n: What'd you blog about today?

Mamachandra: Bacon. Tofu bacon.

the Cap'n: ooooooh, bacon! in tacos?

Mamachandra: nope. in soup. well, I put it in soup that I plan to blog about tomorrow, Wednesday.

silence... 

the Cap'n:  soooo.................................Taco Thursday?

See why I love this man?

I had something else planned for tomorrow. We'll see if I can't make it fit into a Taco Thursday theme. Until then......

Let's talk soup! Dreamy, creamy cream of potato soup.

Betty, my retro brown reconditioned Vitamix, has conquered smoothies, crushed juices, and beat down cashews to a smooth consistency. Now I'm hoping for her to wow us with some of the soup recipes that Vitamix has up on their site. Veganizing them looks super simple. I am really in love with the idea of a little chopping, a slight bit of cooking, then the flip of a switch and the turn of a dial to create some tasty dinners and lunches for the days ahead. T and I are headed out of town for a family birthday party and anything I cook I want to be able to freeze well so it doesn't sit in the refrigerator all weekend. With soups, I can easily pack up and take some with us, too!

Dreamy Cream of Potato Soup w/ Tofu Bacon

The first Vitamix soup recipe I stumbled on managed to contain ingredients I need to get rid of for my 'clean out the 'fridge' meal plan I have on the menu tonight. Red potatoes, onion, carrot, cauliflower, garlic. All of these I had on hand. No celery? No problem, I like using a tiny bit of celery seed in it's place as I rarely buy celery.

They call it simply Cream of Potato Soup. A little doctoring up and then time in the Vitamix though and this soup is so creamy it really is deserving of the 'Dreamy' title I gave it. It's so smooth with a few tender bites of veggies. The recipe is very basic. I smash-roasted my potatoes, upped the salt, swapped a tiny bit of celery seed for the celery stalk it called for, added a little thyme and garnished with some tofu bacon.

The dreamily smooth texture, studded with soft, tender veggies and spiked with salty bits of the tofu bacon was perfect. The roasted, smashed potatoes amped up the flavor and made it a bit richer. This means that my version is not oil-free like the original recipe, but I love it as is and am looking forward to finishing it up before moving onto my next Vitamix soup. Because I have a feeling from my new bookmarks there will be plenty more!

Dreamy Cream of Potato Soup w/ Tofu Bacon

Dreamy Cream of Potato Soup
adapted from Vitamix website Recipes
serves 4

1 1/2 c. almond milk
water for boiling veggies, reserving 1/3 cup of cooking water for soup
2-3 small red potatoes, cooked (I boiled to tender and salted, smashed, and roasted until golden brown)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped coarsely
2 c. cauliflower, chopped coarsely
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp veg. bouillion
1/2 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp celery seed
sea salt and pepper to taste

Place onion, carrot, cauliflower, garlic, celery seed and some sea salt in medium sauce pan. Add enough water to just cover veggies, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until just tender. Remove from heat, drain, but reserve 1/3 c. of cooking water. Also set aside a heaping cup of the cooked vegetables. Place almond milk, bullion, potatoes, thyme, reserved cooking liquid, and all but that reserved 1 cup cooked veggies. Blend until smooth. If using a Vitamix, set on variable speed one. Slowly increase variable speed to ten, switch to high, and blend for 3 minutes, tampering contents down sides as needed. Switch off of high and dial speed back down to variable 2. Remove plug from blender top and add reserved veggies, blending for only five seconds. Turn off blender. Taste for salt and adjust to your liking.  Pour soup into individual bowls. Top with favorite vegan bacon (I used tofu bacon) and fresh, cracked black pepper. Serve immediately. Unless it's Tuesday....or Thursday. Then file this delicious recipe away and just make yourself some tacos. :)

Tofu Bacon

I have made my weight in tempeh bacon ten times over, I'm sure, thanks to Vegan With A Vengeance's fool-proof recipe. I have made twice that with soy curls thanks to the amazing Smoky Soy Curls recipe in Vegan Diner. I have yet to try coconut or eggplant bacon, but they're on the list, to be sure.

Bacon flavor is one I am happy to replicate. It lends itself to BLT's, brunch sides, and soup and salad toppings perfectly with it's salty, crunchy, slightly sweet, smoky flavor. What's not to love about that?

Fueled by Clean Out The Fridge Night Dinner, I figured I'd take the fail-safe method utilizes the fewest ingredients from Vegan Diner and apply it to some tofu that had been wrapped in a tea towel in the 'fridge for a couple days.

well-pressed, extra firm sprouted tofu, sliced thin, ready for marinade

It turned out just as delicious as I'd hoped but not crispy in anyway. Still great for slapping on sandwiches or chopping and adding to a creamy soup, I'm happy I chose this way to use up some of the tofu I had in the 'fridge.

Basically I had very well-pressed tofu that I sliced very thin, then marinated the slices for a couple hours in a mix of tamari and liquid smoke.

tofu marinading in tamari & liquid smoke

Brushed and ready for baking

Blotted dry again, I brushed it with a mix of tamari, liquid smoke, and maple syrup in a 1:1:1 ratio then into a 450 degree oven it went (on a nonstick baking sheet) for about 10 minutes. I flipped it, brushed that side with tarmari/liquid smoke/syrup, and baked for another fifteen minutes.

Hot, out of the oven, allowed to firm a bit on the pan.

It did firm up a bit after baking, but never really crisped. I think if I'd cooked it any longer it would have crisped up but also would have burned quite a bit as both the tamari and the syrup char very easily. I don't know that I'll fool with this method again, but I did really enjoy it as is, chopped up in some dreamy, creamy potato soup.

The final product, chewy tofu bacon

Feeding My Mom and a Quick Sick Fix

The Cap'n and I just returned from a quick visit with my family in VA. While there I delighted my veggie mom with a few of my favorite things to eat. For dinner Sat, she and I had the Soba Noodle Salad I'm so fond of (sans the soybeans) and a side of Dreena's Lemon Herb Tofu made into a salad with a bit of Vegannaise and stuffed in romaine boats (this is my favorite way to eat it!!!). While I couldn't convince the rest of my omnivorous family members to try the tofu, they did all enjoy a bit of the Soba Salad and the vegan breakfast the next morning.

Mom's got the only shot of VwaV's tofu frittata, so when she emails it to me I'll be sure to share. We had it with a side of the Tempeh bacon from VwaV and some herbed roasted red potatoes.

My family's great in supporting my food choices and were extremely accomodating as finding somewhere to 'do lunch' together where they live can be quite a venture! We hit the Mellow Mushroom one georgeous day and I got to sit outside with the ones I love and relish a divine tempeh hoagie (hold the mayo and cheese, please!) loaded with avacado, sprouts, mushrooms, and onions on a whole wheat roll. The tempeh is marinated in some sort of teryaki sauce so with the added creamy avocado, there was no need for condiments. yum! Unfortunately, we were having such a good time, I never did take pictures of my meal there. Suffice it to say that, once we move back to Gville, the Mellow Mushroom there will gain a new patron in me!

During our flight home, I began to get a horrible headache and the chills. We made it home some time around eleven to find that I was running a mild temperature. That part is better today, but I'm feeling all 'round icky. soar throat, achey chest, reeeeally sleepy. so, for lunch, i decided to try out one of my more recent finds at my favorite place to shop for pantry items: Vegan Essentials. I LOVE that place! It's where I stock up on bars, Nutritional Yeast, Agave Nectar, you name it. They're really reasonably priced and the stuff comes super quick. Today, I was so happy to have purchased this:




ProBar's Whole Berry Blast Bar
It's made with all kinds of (raw) nuts, seeds, and fruits and has plenty of calories to replace a meal. typically, this would be great for lunch while hiking or kayaking, but definitely hit the spot when i was too tired and icky to make anything in need of being prepared. The flavor is great (which is saying something when everything tastes yucky like it does to me right now), the texture is just what I want from a bar, AND it's packed with 550mg of Omaga 3's and 1820mg of Omega 6's! I also love that the sweetness comes from fruits and fruit syrups and does not fall back on chocolate to make it yummy. I always hate that about nutrition bars.

Vegan Back Bean Taco Soup (Taco Soup for Taco Thursday!)

So, it's not Tuesday, and this blog post is not about tacos. Using that criteria, my 'Taco Tuesday' theme for this Vegan Month of Food is a fail...but stay with me.

Maybe I watch too much Top Chef. Maybe I just want to use my shiny, new Vitamix for every possible meal to justify it's very existence in my tiny kitchen. Maybe, because we'll be out of town this weekend I want to use what I have left in the refrigerator in a way that will freeze well and make for an easy start to the week once we return. Maybe all of the above. Yeah, definitely all of the above.

I totally went to bed last night, planning today's post, smiling to myself at how fun it would be, how clever to do 'Deconstructed Black Bean Tacos' for Taco Thursday. Maybe that's not clever at all and I'm just lazy.

Black Bean Taco Soup!

  Either way, I give you Deconstructed Black Bean Tacos. All of the elements, textures and flavors you want on taco night without having to pick all of the various parts that have fallen out up off your plate. Just think of them as tacos you can eat....with a spoon!

Or just call them...

Vegan Black Bean (Taco!) Soup
makes 4 large or 6 small bowls of soup
adapted from the Vitamix website recipe

for garnish:
1 c. green cabbage, sliced very thin
1/4 c. green onions, sliced very thin
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 tsp lime juice

for soup:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, half reserved
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I remove and discard skins), half reserved
3 c. vegetable stock (I dissolve 1 1/2 veggie bullion in 3 c water)
1/2 c. onion, chopped and sauteed
3 garlic cloves, chopped and sauteed
2 T lime juice*
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 T tomato paste
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp vegan Worcestershire
1/2 - 1 tsp chili powder (I used Tony Chachere's Creole Original Seasoning)
1/4 c. red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/4 c green onion, chopped
salt, to taste
vegan bacon, crumbled (optional)

Prep garnish:
In a medium bowl, toss sliced cabbage (the thinner, the better) and green onion with lime juice and cilantro. Set aside.

Saute onions and garlic:
Heat skillet on medium heat. Add onions and garlic, pinch of salt, and enough water to allow them to simmer and become translucent but not burn (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat.

Make soup in blender:
Place veggie stock, black beans, chickpeas, onion and garlic, lime juice (if using, see *note), jalapeno,  tomato paste, oregano, Worcestershire, and chili powder in blender. Blend until smooth. If using a Vitamix, turn Variable Speed Dial to 1. Turn on blender and slowly increase variable speed to 10 then switch to High. Allow to blend on high for 6-7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from vented lid. Turn variable speed dial to 4 and remove plug from lid. Add bell peppers and reserved black beans and chickpeas and blend for 10 more seconds. Taste for salt. Add as needed and blend on low for 2 seconds to season, if needed. Serve immediately in bowls and stir in crumbled vegan bacon, if using. Top with cabbage slaw and corn chips (I used crumbled leftover taco shells, heated in the toaster oven).

Crunchy, smoky, full of beans and flavor and topped with slaw, this soup hits all the notes I want in my tacos. Any toppings that you just have to have in your tacos would be great additions, chopped tomato or avocado, handful of corn kernels or a drizzle of cashew or tofu sour cream would all be wonderful things to throw in or on this soup. It can be frozen for a few months then thawed and topped with fresh slaw for a healthy, quick meal on any given Taco Tuesd....er....Thursday!

Black Bean Taco Soup!

*Personally, I'm all about the citrus. The Cap'n loved this soup but not the lime. While he was on board with the lime in the slaw providing a little lime kick, he'd prefer that it were not also in the soup. If you worry the lime will be too much in both parts, leave it out of the blender and add only if, upon tasting the finished soup, you think you want that extra lime goodness.  

Moroccan Chickpea Patties......WOW! ('n a bunch of food)

Thank you, Dreena Burton, for this aMAzing recipe. I've seen some of you blog about these before and have been itching to try it. I can tell we're going have these many, many times in the future. I served them on leaves of Boston (butter) lettuce, Dreena's suggested Ginger Dipping Sauce and with a side of our favorite sauteed broccoli (saute in olive oil with garlic until nutty smell is wafting thru your kitchen but don't burn!...add oregano, basil, and sea salt, a bit of water, cover, and steam til desired tenderness....tastes buttery!) and half a sweet potato with a teeny bit of EB, some sea salt, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.I did make a tiny change or two to the patties in that I tossed the sauteed fennel and pepper in the food processor to break them down a bit then added about a cup of brown rice to the mixture to try and give it a little more form. I coated them in panko breadcrumbs (our favorite) and used both white and black sesame seeds in the breading.

I cannot get over how yummy these are and reeeeally enjoy eating them by way of picking them up inside the lettuce leaves after drizzling with the dipping sauce. The only thing better than this dinner? LUNCH of leftovers and an apple the next day.
It'd been a while since I made VWaV's Tempeh Bacon so I thought it was high time we had some for TLT'n A wraps (Tempeh, Lettuce, Tomato 'n Avacado).
My avacaco, tho nice and soft to the touch, was not quite ripe so I mashed it up and added a touch of lime juice, salt and pepper, and some vegannaise before adding it to the wrap.

Leftover Tempeh Bacon made for a great breakfast the next day with herbed roasted tiny potatoes, some avacado,
and some banana with Silk blueberry yogurt.

Here's a His 'n Hers display:
His
Hers (with a touch of Toffuti's) BTSC
I really cannot admit enough how much I rely on Amy's Non-Dairy burritos when I don't have time to cook anything. I especially enjoy loading 'em up when I'm all by my lonesome and don't want to mess up the kitchen but want a full meal. Here's one on top of a huge bed of romaine lettuce, topped with some hummus, Tofutti Better'n Sour Cream, fresh tomato, Zappata's Salsa Verde, and avacado. I wish you could see the romaine in this picture. It was such a deep, vibrant green and really nice to mix in with everything. Like my own little (well, not that little, really) burrito salad.

Yesterday I decided to try my hand at bread for a second time. I like that I don't own a bread machine and really enjoy the whole kneading and baking process so La Dolce Vegan's Easy French Bread sounded like a great recipe to work with. SO EASY! and now? the Cap'n has requested that we have this bread at least EVERY DAY. hehe. Here it is in the oven, almost done, just misted with water to give it that crunchy crust. And here it is cooling, just begging to be torn apart and eaten hot out of the oven. the inside is so soft, perfect bread in no time and with little effort, even!
Wanting something warm and flavorful to sop up with this amazing bread I reverted back to the Tofu Marsala recipe that I'd stumbled upon a few months ago in Veg. Times.
I love this one pot meal and the flavor is really amazing. I didn't have enough Marsala wine in the house so i subbed half of what is called for with some Sherry and honestly? While I thought it smelled a bit different upon reducing, the end resulting flavor was just as delicious as I remember.

I served it with roasted brussel sprouts (something else the Cap'n wants only every day...me too!) and they were so fantastic at soaking up some of that marsala goodness inbetween their tender leaves. I swear, they are a perfect food!
I'm ashamed to say that, of those two loaves of bread pictured above, only a third of one remains today. We just could not stop eating the stuff! I'm going to have to limit my bread making in the future ;), but am really excited to get into making some whole grain baguettes.

Oh, and before I forget...I've been wanting to share with all of you my new, favorite snack. I've actually been enjoying it for quite some time but never seem to remember to blog about it. If you're anything like me you want a healthy snack from time to time but don't want to rely on processed foods, even the good organic varieties that lend themselves to all that packaging. Enter homemade TRAIL MIX!
I've been treating myself to bulk bins at the local healthfood store and stocking up on raw cashews, raw almonds, raw sunflower seeds, roasted pepitas, raisins, vegan chocolate chips, and my beloved crystallized ginger. I just chop it up and add with the rest of the above and keep in ziplocs or tupperware containers and basically always have some in my purse, just in case. I'm thinking I need to add some dried cherries or cranberries and maybe some coconut or dried mango the next trip to the store, but I am totally loving this combination as is right now.

Almost Forgot!!!!

When I visited my family last in VA, I delighted them with vegan fare for breakfast. I knew that herb-roasted potatoes would be a hit for omnivores, and I was fairly certain that VwaV's Tempeh Bacon would wow them over (tho, in my opinion, tempeh is not a hard sell to omnivores ;)...but what could I do for the main part of the meal that would really tantalize their tastebuds?????
VwaV's Frittata!!! Granted, I favor zuchini in my version over asparagus (i'm a purist about asparagus...I like it mostly all on it's own or with hollandaze, jut not in things as it tends to get overcooked or take over the flavor).

They adored this. A big Italian bunch, they were all amazed that what they were eating was tofu and that the flavor was so reminiscent of thier beloved lasagna. I've made this frittata again and again for guests who spend the night and there's never any leftovers. So good!

We're off to the beach (again! don't you just hate us, already?) to enjoy the last of the warmer weather. I plan on just packing up anything I have here already but will certainly share anything that comes out interesting.

Next week some great friends are coming over for dinner. We're having a Vegan Feast! I'm not sure which of my favorites I'm going to make yet (there are so many!), but I'm really excited to cook for vegetarian friends a complete vegan meal. Still can't figure out which cupcakes I want to make....but sooooo excited to make some, finally! Have a great weekend, everyone!