Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen.  I have made it many times now and it is delicious and very easy.  I've also made a few changes to suit my taste - decreasing the oil and leaving out the onions.  You can also make this soup using wheat bread or whatever you have on hand and it is just as good in my opinion.  You can even throw in the crusts unless you are using bread that has a very chewy or crispy crust than won't break down during cooking.  

Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil 

1 medium onion, chopped (optional)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced 

1 bay leaf 

1 (28-ounce) can good quality whole peeled plum tomatoes packed in juice (unsalted) 

2 tablespoons brown sugar (or to taste-- it depends on your tomatoes)

3 large slices commercial Italian bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces 

2 cups chicken-style veggie broth

1 teaspoon salt (less if you use salted tomatoes, in which case, salt to taste) 
freshly-ground black pepper to taste 

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes (less if not using the onion).
• Stir in the tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in the sugar and bread and bring the mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, which takes about 5 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. 
• Transfer the mixture to blender (or use an immersion blender like I did). Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Rise out the pot and return the blended mixture to the pot. Stir in the broth. If using an immersion blender you may add the broth to the pot before blending.  Reheat soup to your liking, add salt, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls.  Yield: about 4 1/2 cups 

Cranberry-Ginger Relish and Thanksgiving Menu

I'm starting to feel the pressure...all the planning and cooking and baking, not to mention the cleaning.  This is the first time I'll be the sole person responsible for planning and executing Thanksgiving dinner for more than just two people.  I'm actually kind of excited because I think its going to be really good!  I've planned the timing of all the cooking out carefully since it will just be me doing most of it.  I'll have some help on Thanksgiving Day, but not much time, so I'm going to make it as stress free as possible by preparing what I can in advance.  Today I made this Cranberry-Ginger Relish recipe I saw on a Martha Stewart show last year around this time.  This is the first time I've made it, but I think it's going to be yummy!  The picture is from marthastewart.com since I didn't have time to take one myself.  I promise mine looks exactly the same!  

Cranberry-Ginger Relish from Martha Stewart

1 bag (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar

• In a large saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, ginger, and 2 tablespoons of water to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until most of the cranberries have popped, 10-15 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.
• Remove relish from heat.  Let cool to room temperature and serve (or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days).

Here is my menu plan for Thanksgiving, inspired by great recipes from all over the blogosphere.

FriChik (veggie meat substitute in a can)

Gravy (made from the FriChik juice)

Slow Cooked Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes (From Coconut & Lime)
Roasted Root Vegetables with Maple Glaze (From Cooking Light Magazine, see my post)

Spicy Roasted Brussel Sprouts (another Martha Stewart recipe)

Skillet Cornbread Dressing (from Vegetarian Times Vegetarian Entertaining)

Buttermilk Cluster Rolls (found at The Fresh Loaf)

Cranberry-Ginger Relish (see above)

Cranberry Spice Pinwheel Cookies (from Eating Well, see my post)

Impossible Pumpkin Pie (from FatFree Vegan Kitchen)

So that is what I'll be working on over the next few days.  Some of these things I've made before and already posted, others I'll be posting about later.  I wanted to make my own seitan roast, but I'll have to save that one for Christmas, because I'm just not going to have the time this week.  There is one more thing not listed here, but that's a surprise, so you'll have to wait to find out what it is!

Matter Paneer Made Vegan

My husband really likes Indian food.  When we started dating, he took me out to an Indian restaurant for my first taste of it.  I love that there are so many vegetarian options and it's all so good!  It's loaded with calories though, so we don't go out for it very often.  I was thrilled when I found this recipe for Matter Paneer in the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.  It can be made either vegan or vegetarian, depending on your preference.  The first time I made it, I was able to find some paneer at a local Indian grocery store, and it was delicious but full of calories and saturated fat.  After that, I used the suggestion from VT to make it with tofu and I think it is really good that way.

Serves 4-6

1 large onion, quartered

1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. whole brown mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. garam masala

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas, thawed (1 generous cup)

3 Tbs. reduced-fat or fat free sour cream (or soy yogurt, or leave out completely)

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 8-oz. pkg. tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes (or paneer if you choose)

• Purée onion in food processor.
• Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin and bay leaf. Cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Add onion and garlic, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned. Stir in tomato sauce, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, salt and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes, or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add up to 1/2 cup water if sauce is too thick. I don't usually have to add any water.  
• Stir in peas, tofu, sour cream (or soy yogurt or nothing) and sugar. Simmer 15-20 minutes more.  Remove bay leaf and serve hot with basmati rice or naan bread.   
• If making with paneer, add the paneer 5 minutes after adding the peas and cook for only about three more minutes.
  

My tofu of choice is Mori Nu Lite Firm Tofu.  I like it because it has the fewest calories of any light tofu I have found, and it doesn't have to be refrigerated until opening.  I buy it in bulk so I always have some on hand.  This tofu comes in 12.3 ounce packages, so you may use only half the package for this recipe.  I usually double the recipe so I can use up a whole package.  It is good leftover and it never lasts long!  Your amounts of tofu and peas don't have to be exact for this recipe, but I generally add 2 1/3 cups frozen peas if I double the recipe.  I also like to serve this as a main dish meal, so if I make it as written, I divide it in half to make just two servings (1 1/2 cups per serving, makes 3 cups total or 6 if doubled).  I serve 1 1/2 cups of the matter paneer over 1 cup of basmati rice which makes a nice meal for about 475 calories (275 for the matter paneer, 200 for the rice).

When I started making this, I had trouble finding garam masala.  Here is a recipe to make your own, also from Vegetarian Times (I don't remember what issue).

Garam Masala
1 TBS ground cumin
1 TBS ground coriander
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Mix together well and store in an airtight container away from light.

If you want to make fragrant basmati rice, like you get in Indian restaurants, here is how.

8 whole green cardamom pods
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vegetable oil (optional, I leave it out)
1 cinnamon stick
Add to basmati rice and cook according to package directions.  Remove cardamom and cinnamon before serving.  Note: I wasn't able to find whole green cardamom pods, so I used a couple pinches of dried whole cardamom.  It worked well, and you don't have to worry about removing them at the end - they're a little crunchy but not hard or unpleasant.

Enjoy!

"Mix in the Pan" Vegan Chocolate Cake

Recently, my sister-in-law L had a birthday (Happy 17th!).  She is vegan, so I wanted to make something she could enjoy.  This recipe from Choosing Voluntary Simplicity was just perfect.  Go here to get the recipe and see the original post.  I don't know the name of the lady who does this blog, but whoever you are, I like your site!  I have found more than a few great recipes there, along with some excellent advice.  This cake is so simple to make, and results in a moist chocolatey cake that is so delicious you would never know it has no dairy or eggs (soy free too).  This was also my first attempt at making vegan cake frosting and it was a flop, unfortunately.  I found some recipes online that looked good. but required special ingredients I did not have, such as egg replacer.  I tried making a frosting with a substitution, and it was okay at first but started to separate and look a little funny after a while.  If anyone has a good vegan frosting recipe with a consistency similar to regular buttercream I would love to know about it.  Anyway, I was very happy with how this cake turned out.  It is also very low in calories for cake - ONLY 133 CALORIES PER PIECE!  That is if you cut it into 16 pieces, and it is made in an 8-inch square pan.

Split Pea Soup

This is my Mom's recipe for Split Pea Soup.  It is another simple, healthy, frugal meal, similar to the Simple Lentil Stew.  It is good with sandwiches or salad, and any of the breads I've blogged about so far.  

Split Pea Soup (Serves 2-4)

4-5 cups water

1 cup split peas

2 carrots finely diced

2 stalks celery finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced

1 cup noodle style pasta (elbow macaroni, spaghetti , angel hair, or whatever)

pinch of celery seed

salt and black pepper to taste

• Place water and split peas in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until peas begin to soften, 25-35 minutes.
• Add carrots, celery, onion, and seasonings.  Depending on what type of pasta you use, you may want to add it now or wait a few minutes.
• Cook until all ingredients are tender/done, about another 10-15 minutes.
• Watch pot closely, and simmer with lid tilted, as split peas have a tendency to boil over easily.  Towards the end of cooking, you may need to stir frequently to prevent burning.

This soup is one of my favorite meals.  I think it is best eaten when freshly made.  It tastes fine leftover, but has a tendency to turn into a split pea brick in the refrigerator.  If you do have some left, you will need to add a little water when reheating.  Whatever pasta I choose, I always add a 2 oz. (one) serving.  I used penne this time, so I added it with the veggies since it takes longer to cook.  The recipe should make approximately 4 cups of soup at 175 calories per cup.

Gourmet Black Beans and Rice

I found this recipe in my mom's little handwritten book of recipes many years ago, and it was one of my favorite dishes when she made it.  I think I must have copied it down for myself when I was about 15 or 16.  I've started making it fairly often and it is delicious and simple. I usually serve the black beans over brown long grain or basmati rice as you see here.

Gourmet Black Beans - serves 4-6

1 cup (1/2 pound) dried black beans (sorted, rinsed and soaked overnight per package directions)

3-4 cups water (I usually use 4 cups, use less if you prefer your beans with less liquid)

1-4 tablespoons of olive oil (I prefer only 1 tablespoon)

1 large onion, chopped

1 4 oz. jar pimientos

salt to taste

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon sugar

• Drain soaking water off beans, combine beans and water in saucepan.  Cook beans until they are just becoming tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer until desired doneness is reached, 20-30 minutes more.
• Serve over rice.  It is very good plain, or with a little cheese or sour cream.  I usually leave out the onions since my husband doesn't like them and add some onion powder to enhance the flavor.  If dividing the recipe four ways, the beans are about 135 calories per serving (approximately 2/3 cup each) the way I made them.

Simple Lentil Stew

My Mom has been making lentil stew for as long as I can remember. I didn't really appreciate it that much when I was a kid. It just wasn't exciting enough then, but it appeals much more to me now and I realized I actually missed having it. Its a very simple, frugal meal to make and it doesn't take much time or effort. It goes great with the Almost Fat Free Cornbread or the Basic Hearth Bread, or whatever kind of sandwich you might like to have with it. It is also low in calories (about 100 calories per cup), fat free, high in fiber (13 grams per cup) and provides a good amount of protein (11 grams per cup).

Makes about 8 cups
7 cups water
2 cups lentils, rinsed and sorted
4 medium carrots, peeled if desired and chopped no more than 1/4 inch wide
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, diced (I leave out the onion since my husband doesn't like them)
OR 1 tsp onion powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4-1/2 teaspoon celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

• Place water, lentils and cut veggies in a large pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add the seasonings after the first 10-15 minutes of cooking. Simmer until lentils and veggies are tender, approximately 20 minutes.

Seasoning amounts are approximate, I usually just sprinkle things in without measuring them. Play around with the seasonings and add whatever you like. My Mom never made the stew with the garam masala, but I find it adds a nice flavor.