Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

and seriously the best soup I've ever made. Being that I made it when this end of summer, awful chest cold was descending upon me, I'd say it's pretty simple to throw together. I use a Vitamix for mine, but any blender or food processor or immersion blender will do. The first batch all I had was white mushrooms. Was divine. The second time I used half white and half baby 'bellas. Even more amazing. I plan to try with some shiitakes in the mix next. I don't think you can go wrong, really.

Served some up to the resident omni yesterday and he agrees, this stuff you just wanna eat until you can eat no more. How many soups can ya say that about? ;)

What this soup lacks in difficulty to throw together, it has tenfold in rich, deep mushroom flavor. It's hearty and rich and warming and absolutely delicious and creamy without dairy or soy or wheat. It's our new favorite soup. Hope you love it, too!

Cream and delicious Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

(serves 4)

1 T unrefined coconut oil (or oil of your choice)

1 sweet onion, diced

16 oz. mushrooms, stems and caps wiped clean and chopped

1 T vegan Smart or Earth Balance buttery spread (optional)

1 can lite coconut milk

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 c. hot water mixed with 1 T white/mellow miso paste

thyme (just shy of one tsp)

nutmeg

sea salt

black pepper

fresh green onions, chopped, white and some green parts

Heat oil in nonstick pan or pot (I've been using a largish dutch oven style pot, but any will do, really). Add onion and a few grinds of sea salt, saute for about five minutes until onions start to become translucent. Add mushrooms and garlic, thyme, (you can add the buttery spread here if you're using, but I've made it with and without and, in the interest of less calories it really doesn't need the decadent add in my opinion, but some people may want that extra flavor boost. try it both ways!) a few more grinds of salt and a pinch of nutmeg (I have started using fresh nutmeg on a microplane grater. lasts forever, only use a tiny bit at a time, great flavor!). Saute, stirring often, for about ten minutes or until almost all moisture has been released and cooked out of mushrooms. Add a few splashes of your miso to the pan to deglaze and stir for a few minutes to allow the miso to cook into the 'shrooms. Remove from heat.

Add to blender/processor* remaining miso broth, can of coconut milk, and half to 2/3 mushroom mixture. Blend to smoothe. Add remaining mushroom mixture and pulse to combine. Taste for salt and add to taste. 

Serve and top with hopped cfresh green onion and fresh black pepper.

Enjoy!

*If you're using an immersion blender, remove 1/2 - 1/3 mushroom mix from pot, add coconut milk and miso broth to pot and blend pot contents to smoothe. Add remaining 'shroom mix back in and pulse or stir to combine.

Basil 'Cream' Sauce

Basil Sauce (dried basil used) w/ GF pasta, spinach and crispy baked tofu!

 This sauce started out as a family 'recipe' that my sister-in-law got from her mother-in-law. I use the quotes because it's one that has always gone something like this:

Mix equal parts of Vegenaise and Plain Yogurt. Add nutritional yeast. Add more nutritional yeast. Add onion powder. Add more onion powder. Add dried oregano. Add more dried oregano. taste. adjust. Serve on veggies, tofu, pasta, rice dishes, anything and everything you want basil-y delicious!

When I went vegan I thought I'd just sub soy or any other vegan yogurt but it never tasted the same. It tasted off, and I was sad. I missed this sauce. I missed it a lot. It was one that truly tasted amazing without the need for fresh ingredients and elevated any simple, thrown together meal to something that felt restaurant-worthy. The kids loved it, too!

Breakfast with Basil Sauce (fresh basil used) over quinoa and Vegan Diner's Smoky Curls

Then, the other day, while harvesting some fresh basil from our newly planted container garden, I had an epiphany. I can't really take much credit. All I did here was take an already amazing recipe and change the flavors to become my beloved basil sauce. 

Most vegans who frequent the internet are familiar with Mama Pea of the now dismantled Peas And Thank You site (or cookbook by the same name) and her amazing Mmmm Sauce. Flavored with curry and dried cilantro and with a base of almond and chickpeas it is a super creamy and delicious sauce that is totally vegan and totally, turns out, versatile!

So here ya have it. Basil Sauce. Thanks to Mama Pea Sara for her generous vegan creativity, my genius mother-in-law(-in-law) for her original amazing recipe, and my tiny little lively basil plant who keeps giving me tons of bright green herbs and loads of inspiration! (You can nix the dried basil and use fresh basil if you have it on hand, but it's not necessary. Just use one chopped tablespoon of fresh herbs for every tsp of dried.)

Basil Sauce
makes approx (just under) 3 cups of sauce

1/2 c. canola, olive or other mild tasting oil
1/2 c. almonds*
2/3 c. water (+ more for thinning to desired consistency)
1/2 c. chickpeas
1/2 c. + 1 T nutritional yeast
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp light agave 
1 1/2 tsp dried basil (or 1 1/2 T fresh chopped basil)
**

Add all ingredients but basil to high powered blender, stick blender container, bullet, or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy adding water one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Sauce will be somewhat thick but definitely spreadable. It's up to you if you want it pourable. Add basil and pulse to incorporate without turning your sauce green. Unless green sauce is what your after, then blend away! Taste and adjust seasonings.

*I use a Vitamix so I use plain, raw almonds without soaking but if you find that your blending device has issues with whole, raw nuts you might want to soak yours for a couple hours prior in the 2/3 c water. 

**I have two adjustments I haven't tried to this recipe and will report back once I do, but the first is to add a bulb of roasted garlic. I mean, how could that be a bad idea?! I don't think garlic powder would do, but roasted garlic? yes, please! the other change I'm thinking of toying with is to use a 2:1 ratio of almonds to cashews to see if I could get it a bit smoother. With this option I will omit the agave until it's all been blended and see how it tastes before adding since cashews always seem to add their own bit of sweetness. If you happen to try either of these variations, do let me know how they turn out for you!

Clean out the 'fridge dinner! Basil Sauce over Smoky Curls, 'shrooms, spinach, and quinoa & onions

Korean(ish) Soy Curls

I should start this post by admitting that the closest thing I've ever had to food that could be deemed 'Korean' was any time our dear Korean friend Francis, the sushi chef, made me dinner. Even then though, there wasn't a lot of drawing from his culture, even if his knife skills are mad impressive!

That said, I've always wanted to try a Korean restaurant but have always been scared of the meat-centric cuisine. Enter Butler Foods Soy Curls. There's pretty much nothing this dehydrated meat stand-in can't replicate in the way of mouth feel or deliver in the way of flavor (I still can't believe I've never blogged about Vegan Diner's Smoky Soy Curls, oh man. Bacon. Yum.). 

So I did some Googling, took some notes, and scribbled down a bunch of ingredients that kept reappearing. I made a sauce, hydrated my Curls, and got to cooking. Easy, sweet, peppery, delicious! I have NO clue if these are anywhere near the flavors of what a Korean dish would deliver, but since the recipe is born of some serious Korean internet searching, I'm going with Korean(ish) Soy Curls. And I plan to make them again. And again!

Korean(ish) Soy Curls
makes approx. 4 meal-sized servings

1/3 bag rehydrated (in boiling water) Butler Soy Curls

marinade:
3 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
6 T shoyu
2 1/2 T light agave syrup
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T ginger paste

Squeeze water from rehydrated Soy Curls. Toss in marinade, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight. Heat 1-2 T peanut or coconut oil over med heat. Squeeze excess marinade out of Curls and place in hot oil, tossing every few minutes to brown but not burn. Add veggie of choice (I used some fresh chopped broccoli) and saute, stirring often until crisp tender. Serve over rice noodles, bean thread noodles, or rice. There will not be much of a sauce. You could always add some water or some of the marinade if you want more of that. I like the flavor all in the Curls sans sauce. 

You could easily add any veggies you like to this. The fresh flavor of the vegetables will balance the sweet peppery taste of the Soy Curls. I just had a hankering for some broccoli. Then again, I find I always have a hankering for some broccoli. Also, I wanted to finish this off with a sprinkling of some toasted sesame seeds, but had none on hand. Next time! 

Peanut Lime Cilantro Dressed Salad

Whenever we have guests, I will spend the days leading up to their arrival dreaming up menus, planning to pull out all the stops, wanting to woo them with vegan goodness they'll be craving for meals to come after their departure. If they're lucky, I'll actually have a sauce or dressing in the 'fridge already and at least one perfect plate will make it to them amid all of the fun, non-eating things that tend to get packed into a visit instead of cooking and the cleaning up of my tiny kitchen. 

When one of those plates is like this one on a hot summer day and the diner is my ever appreciative mom I'm more than happy!

This recipe certainly isn't anything you haven't seen before, but what it is is a perfect way to balance sweet and salty tangy and savory and dress a ton of raw, crunchy veggies in the most delicious way!

Above you see whatever we happened to have on hand during mom and dad's visit; butter lettuce, green cabbage, some spiralized raw zucchini, cucumbers, red bell pepper, and carrots. I served this to mom with a side of Korean(ish) Soy Curls and Broccoli, but I've also done this similarly with a handful of chickpeas and some dry pan fried tofu or edamame for some added protein and topped with 1/3 cup of cold soba noodles and called it dinner. 

Also, as a side, I started enjoying this tossed with a cup of shredded green cabbage, small hand fulls of shredded bell pepper, carrot, and cucumber and topping with more fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. It's become a pretty stellar staple!

Whatever you're gracing with this light but flavorful dressing, you'll just call it tasty!

Peanut Lime Cilantro Salad Dressing
(I usually make mine and store in an old 32oz Veganaise jar. It doesn't fill the jar completely, but is enough to dress quite a few salads and/or veggies!) Can easily be halved if you're just making for a lesser number of servings. 

1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 c. lime juice
2 T shoyu (or soy sauce or tamari)
2 - 3 T agave (to taste. I start with 2 and taste and adjust from there)
1/4 c. peanut oil (or other light tasting oil of your choosing)
3 garlic cloves
1 - 2 T chopped ginger or ginger paste
1 - 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c. fresh cilantro

Put all ingredients but cilantro into food processor, high speed blender, or container to use with immersion blender. Blend until smooth and taste to adjust seasonings/sweeteners to your liking. Add cilantro and pulse to just blend in but not turn green. 

Drizzle in 2 or 3 tablespoon serving sizes over salads or veggies and store remaining dressing in air tight container in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Black Eyed Peas and Spinach

Happy New Year! I haven't been around the blogosphere of late, but I have been enjoying time in the kitchen over the holiday. Getting back to the simple dishes that pack a nutritional punch and deliver seriously good flavor. In honor of my New Year's Resolution to love myself more (the rest will follow), here's the first dinner of 2014 that I will DEFINITELY be adding to the rotation of go-to favorites. 

Black Eyed Peas & Spinach

Serves 3 as a meal or 6 as a side

½ T olive oil (I use a light tasting variety, not EVOO)

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 – 1 ½ bags fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4-5 cloves fresh garlic

1 small tomato, chopped (can also chop grape tomatoes, about 8-10)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine

Red wine vinegar

Pinch of sugar

Sea salt

Fresh avocado, sliced

Marinate tomatoes: Place chopped tomatoes in a non-metal bowl.  Add 2-3 splashes of vinegar, sea salt to taste, pinch of sugar, and parsley. Toss to combine and set aside.

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onion and sea salt to taste, stirring until transluscent (about three to five minutes). If you want to carmelize them a bit, lower heat, cover and check on them every few minutes, stirring as needed. It will take 5-10 minutes for them to brown, careful not to burn. Add garlic and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, careful not to burn. Add spinach, salt to taste, and stir. Add 1 T of water and cover to wilt. When spinach is almost totally wilted (only takes a few minutes), add black eyed peas and stir to heat through. Stir in tomatoes and cover. Remove from heat. Allow to sit covered for maybe 5 minutes to heat tomatoes through. Serve with fresh avocado.