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. 

Happy Holidays 2013

Around here lately there's been Fronch Toast, of the PB & Banana variety... 

and sometimes kale quiches with sweet potato crust,

and Thanksgiving I stumbled upon the most amazing Stuffed Seitan Roast.

 (For, in this house, seitan on Thanksgiving's a must!).

 A bounty of summer squash and zucchini became the best bread for gifting,

But if you wonder why I've not posted, it's because of a certain elf's holiday spirit lifting!

Click HERE to see the (mis)adventures of our Elf on the Shelf, Elfie!

Whew. I'm tired, and done with rhyming! but head on over to my blog about our elf on the shelf if you want to see what has kept me up at night and away from the computer blogging. Will the new year bring back posts of vegan deliciousness? Only time will tell! But until then Happy Holidays, I wish you all well!

Oh boy, it's a problem. :)

The French toast is just VWaV's Fronch Toast smothered in peanut butter and topped with banana and maple syrup.

The Quiche is Vegan Brunch's Broccoli Quiche but with 3 cups cooked Kale and onions in place of the broccoli. I then poured into a pan that was lined with thinly sliced sweet potatoes, prebaked for about 25 minutes before adding quiche filling.

The seitan roast was a mixture of a few different seitan roast recipes I put together on the fly Thanksgiving Day. Turned out to be the best seitan roast I'd ever made! The filling was also amazing. When I have time remember what I did with the roast I'll be sure to post it. Hell, I'll probably make it again and then post it. SO good! (the stuffing filling is Vedged Out's recipe and is 'Easily the BEST stuffing I have EVER had. EVER' said the Cap'n. I tend to agree).

The Zucchini Bread is my new go to for holiday gifting or for just using up zucchini so that I may stuff as much deliciousness in my mouth as possible. The recips is this one from Isa on theppk.com. The only changes I made were to replace the oil with some more applesauce and just a little bit of coconut oil, then nix nuts or raisins and add 1/3 cup cherry infused dried cranberries and 1/3 cup chocolate chips. I think next time I make it I'll go with dried cherries though. Mmmmmm, cherry and chocolate. yes, please! This stuff is perfection.

May the New Year bring you laughter, love, and the pursuit of seriously delicious vegan food!

Vegan Fondue

First, I should say that this is not my creation.

I should also mention that I've even blogged about this before.

But since this is the Vegan Month of Food and because I told myself I really need to post thirty posts in thirty days, aaaaand because I will be out of town this weekend and will likely not post until Monday, I am going to repeat myself.

I can't believe this recipe is not 'a thing', plastered on veg blogs across the land. It's so easy to make, really really, really tasty, and impressive without any faux or processed foods.

Vegan Fondue! Need I really say more?
(from About.com)

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp margarine + 2 tbsp
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 vegetarian bouillon cube or 1 tbsp dry veggie broth mix
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups soy milk
• 1/2 tsp miso
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Preparation:

Sautee garlic, onions and mushrooms in 3 tbsp margarine until soft. In separate saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and simmer until mixture thickens. If your mixture does not thicken, add more flour and mix well. Allow to cool.

Add mushrooms, garlic and onion mix to the soy milk mix and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Reheat the blended mix, stirring occasionally, and allow to cool slightly before transferring to fondue pot, or just serve piping hot with a spoon from a bowl to drizzle over

Fresh French Bread,

A Plate of Seitanroni, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and Veggie Bean Loaf

under Tofu Patties w/ Sauteed 'Shrooms and Fresh Clover Sprouts

mix with your favorite red sauce to top Gnocchi,

or, you know, eat that stuff with a spoon! It's that good!

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.  

Grilled Tofu Marinade

I wish I had a picture of this tofu. I don't.

Full Disclosure: I am entering a giveaway over at Veganmofo.com and want to link to an actual recipe. Not just any recipe, but a recipe that never fails and always wins people over. For a lot of people and tofu, that's a tall order.

Every time I make tofu with this marinade, it gets gobbled up lickity-split by veg's and omni's alike. It's super tasty and causes the tofu to char beautifully. The key is to get the firmest tofu you can and let it press for as long as you can so that it's pretty dry and soaks up the flavor and holds it's shape when grilling. It can stick to the grill pretty badly (been there, done that), so also make sure to start with a clean, non-stick grill surface. Turning often is also important to let it char evenly.

Made of simple ingredients, this one is my go-to, gifted to me by sister-in-law's mother-in-law, Paula. She is a whiz in the kitchen, a skilled artist behind the sewing machine*, and basically just a beautiful and amazing spirit all around. She made us each a cookbook, full of hand-written and delicious family favorites, complete with inspirational words and cute illustrations. It is one of my most beloved and most used cookbooks, and this recipe is one of my most favorite ways to prepare and to share tofu.

While you're enjoying the last of summer's BBQ's, or maybe you're firing up the grill to welcome fall, press some extra firm tofu and throw it in this marinade for a few hours, then delight the tastebuds of your grilling companions and let them see how, with the right ingredients, tofu is something everyone can enjoy! Don't be afraid to make so much, it's wonderful left over on sandwiches, just pile a few chunks on your favorite bread and with your favorite sammy toppings. I like mine cold the next day with butter lettuce, Vegenaise, red onion, and tomato.

Grilled Tofu Marinade
makes a ton, enough for 2 blocks of tofu, easily
half the recipe if you're only using one block of tofu, but if you're bringing to a BBQ, you'll want enough for yourself and everyone to try!

2 blocks extra firm tofu, pressed very well, cut into large blocks or triangles
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup tamari
1 cup olive oil
3 T nutritional yeast
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T dried oregano
2 T onion powder
1 tsp salt

(For two blocks of tofu, you will need to mix marinade and separate into two baking pans). Combine all ingredients but tofu in a 9x11 baking dish. mix well. add tofu pieces to marinade. Allow to marinade for at least two hours. Remove from marinade and grill until charred to your liking, turning and basting with marinade often. I typically let it sit for about five minutes and then turn, am usually done at about the 20-25 minute mark using pretty hot grill. Tastes best when allowed to sit for a few minutes after grilling.

* Paula designs and creates the most beautiful quilts and quilted wall hangings. Her work is equisite. Check out her site, Paula's Originals, to see some truly gorgeous things she's created from cozy quilts and handy pot holders to intricate wall-hangings an unique calendar boards. Then maybe gift someone you love with a one-of-a-kind piece of her mastery!

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

Juicing with a Vitamix

Leftovers and cookies. That's about all that's been going on in my kitchen. Today we woke up to a dreary, humid, cloudy Monday.

I have a few things bookmarked to make and blog about, but need to go to the store before any of that can happen. Tonight I'll surely be cleaning out the 'fridge and can't promise that will be blog worthy.

But wanting something bright and refreshing this morning along with my toast topped with chocolate hazelnut butter (breakfast of champions, I say!), I decided it was time to test the Vitamix's juicing capabilites.

Go Betty, go! Am I the only on who stands there a bit freaked out by this thing's power?

This is the Vitamix that I now call my own. She's of the reconditioned variety, and they were offering free shipping.  I got her in 'espresso' because I'm retro brown like that. And because my favorite color is orange; the brown goes nicely with what I already have all over my little orange kitchen.  I have made many a peach, blueberry banana or green smoothie so far and have zapped  a bit of cashews in her (her name is Betty ) with fabulous success,  but have yet to try juicing. I've never owned a juicer, but I really like the idea of drinking my fruits and veggies, fiber included, on those days when I feel I may not get them all in otherwise.

Today, a quick survey of the refrigerator's contents revealed that carrot juice should be my first attempt. We always have carrots. Always. Is that odd?  I've never been a huge fan of carrot juice, but love carrots. I think commercial bought carrot juices are too sweet. Vitamix has a recipe for carrot juice that uses water and a bit of lemon juice. I grabbed half a cucumber to make it even more refreshing. 

Refreshing Vitamix'd Carrot Juice

 The verdict? Success! Sure, if you don't want any fibrous bits in your juice, this is not for you unless you plan to pass it through some cheesecloth, but I like it just like it is. I taste each ingredient, and it's filling, but to me the bits are not distracting. The Vitamix definitely does a great job of getting the fibrous content down to a teeny tiny size that is super easy to drink.

I love that it tastes and fresh and vibrant as it looks. And it's full of fiber!

The Cap'n said it was really good (he LOVES commercially made carrot juice) as long as one knows what to expect, that it would not be smooth, but it's definitely refreshing and delicious. Unlike me, he wouldn't drink something that he didn't like just because it's good for you, so it always helps me to test things out on his palette.

I love how vibrant and fresh this is. The cucumber is definitely noticeable and the lemon cuts the sweetness of carrot. If your carrots aren't too sweet or you need some sweetness, I'd add a shot of apple or orange juice to this and/or leave the lemon out.

Personally, I enjoyed this as is, and am so looking forward to other combinations in the future and making juicing in the Vitamix a part of my weekly routine. I think the next one I'd like to try is carrot/cucumber/apple/ginger. What are some of your favorite juicing, fruit/veggie combinations?

Refreshing Vitmamix'd Carrot Juice
makes two servings

1 cup filtered water
2 med-large organic carrots*, peeled and chopped (I actually used my peeler for most of the carrot and chopped that, then finely chopped the rest)
1/2 cucumber, seeded, coarsely choppped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (or 1 tsp lemon concentrate)
1 cup ice

Add ingredients (except the ice) in the Vitamix in the order listed. I put the carrots in water before I chopped the cucumber or squeezed the lemon just to give them a few extra minutes to soak. Set Vitamix to Variable, 1 and turn on. Slowly increase speed. Once you have reached ten, turn Vitamix to High speed for one minute, pour and enjoy. If adding apple or orange juice, add some once poured into glasses.

*While I buy organic as much as possible because I want as few chemicals on my food as I can control, carrots are one of those veggies that actually taste night and day better to me than their non-organic counterpart. I find them to be sweeter and more flavorful in general. Thankfully, the grocer I use is never out of organic carrots or I'd likely just never buy them! They taste that different to me.