Breakfast Soup!

Okay, that's sort of a misnomer. It's not exactly a breakfast soup, but I've been making it at breakfast time several days in a row this week, and I love it to pieces. It uses up my leftover veggies, keeps me from skipping breakfast, smells delicious, gets my appetite going, and makes enough that I can eat it for several tasty meals. I also appreciate the fact that it's very light, lacking the processed-ness of bread or tofu. Sometimes you just need your food to be simpler. Your tummy will thank you.

This is the exact version I made today.

Breakfast Soup

2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 small carrots, sliced
1-14 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
3 cans water
2 large vegetable bullion squares
5-6 baby red potatoes, quartered, sliced and rinsed
1-14 oz. can navy beans (including liquid)
1/4 tsp each marjoram, ground thyme and garlic powder
1/2 tsp. agave syrup (sugar would be fine)
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked rice

In a dutch oven or large saucepan, cook onion in vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat until it starts to soften. Add peppers and carrots and continue stirring over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cooked rice. (Note: rinsing the potatoes will wash off some of the starch and prevent icky foam from forming on top of your soup.) If you're not using leftover rice like I did, you can throw in 1/3 cup or so of uncooked rice at any point before you bring everything to a rolling boil. Once it's boiling pretty good, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. If you're using cooked rice, add in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Delicious with ritz-y crackers, rye toast, or just by itself.

Quick Minestrone

Lots of "oh crap, it's dinnertime and I have no idea what to cook" recipes creeping in here. Which isn't a bad thing, I suppose. Everyone needs a stash of pantry-heavy staples to fill in when you just don't feel energetic enough to go all-out, or when you lack the fresh ingredients to make something else happen.

This soup is warm, flavorful and easy to slap together. If you were feeling slightly more motivated than I was, you could start by sauteing half a chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic in the pan before you add the other ingredients, and omit the garlic and onion powder.

I was just feeling lazy.

PS. Sorry, my husband and I ate all the soup before I had a chance to take a picture. I'll be sure to immortalize the next batch for you all.

PPS. I dunno if you're "allowed" to use pinto beans and call it minestrone. I don't care either! Kidney beans are not my favorite. I like pintos in something like this. They're more buttery and bland.


Quick Minestrone

1 can petite-dice tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, including liquid
1.5 cans water
1 large vegetable bullion square
1/4 cup green salsa
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
2 small zucchini, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp thyme, oregano, basil and/or marjoram
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup orzo pasta (uncooked) (any small, short pasta will work, I like orzo)

Dump everything into a pot (about 2 quarts should do ya, if you're not using big cans of tomatoes and beans) and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low heat until the mushrooms and zucchini start to look cooked, about 10 minutes. Then add orzo, stirring well, and bring it back to a boil. Simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the cooking time of the pasta you chose. Serve hot with warm rolls or crackers.

Tofu Breakfast Sandwiches

Yum, yum, yum. I haunt VegWeb.com all the time looking for good food porn and new recipes to spark ideas or introduce a little variety in our diet. (You should check it out, it's a really awesome resource for vegetarians. All the recipes and photos are user-submitted, and vegan to boot. It's also got a pretty extensive social network built into it, so if you're looking for veggie forums, this is a place you wanna go.)

This recipe looked promising, and I finally tried it yesterday with a few adaptations and found it to be a really delicious, simple way to prepare tofu. Pressing the tofu for just 30 minutes to an hour keeps the center light and fluffy, replicating the texture of the best egg ever cooked and tossed into a sandwich.

I just ate the sandwich in the picture above. It was tasty and filling, and my husband (who is not a vegetarian, just exceptionally tolerant) raved about how good they smelled and tasted.


Tofu Breakfast Sandwich

1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed

Marinade:
3 T vinegar
1-1/2 tsp country-style dijon mustard (I prefer the brown mustards over regular dijon, they're less bitter)
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 T nutritional yeast
generous sprinklings of turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Cut tofu block in half, making two fat rectangles, then slice each into thirds. You should end up with 6 pieces roughly the size and shape of a deck of cards. In a flat-bottomed bowl just big enough to fit one slice of tofu, mix the marinade ingredients until it makes a thick sauce. Dredge each piece in the marinade til coated and drop into a skillet on medium heat, scooping any remaining marinade over the slices. Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until browned. If you like, put a small piece of non-dairy cheese on each tofu slab after turning and let it melt in while the bottom finishes cooking.

Serve on a warm soft roll or toast with a little vegan mayo, or with tomato and avocado slices. Makes enough for 3 hearty servings, or 6 small ones. I bet they'd be pretty fantastic on a homemade biscuit with a vegan sausage patty, too... *drool*

One-Pot Spinach and Pasta

This is another one of those recipes that you can make when you have literally nothing fresh in the house... you just need a few essentials from the pantry and freezer, and a few basic seasonings to make it happen. Of course, adding strips or chunks of mock chicken and some kick-ass tofu ricotta makes it that much better. My 7 year old absolutely loves this, tomatoes, spinach and all, and will eat as much as I let him. (I try to make sure he doesn't eat so much that he comes to me afterward clutching his belly and saying "I hurt my body..." again.)

Here are some extra tips, since I'm feeling excessive this morning:

• If you like it, double the spinach for extra veggie love here... those little boxes of plain frozen spinach are a fantastic deal at around $1 each, and packed full of vitamins and minerals.
• Make this extra-nice if you *do* have fresh produce. Chop an onion and saute it with a clove or two of fresh minced garlic, then add 1/2-1 lb of sliced mushrooms or zucchini and stir till the veggies are cooked. Complete the recipe as follows (omitting the onion and garlic powder, of course).
• I "thaw" my spinach by dropping the sealed plastic pouch into the pasta water and taking it out when it boils.
  

One-Pot Spinach & Pasta

1 lb medium shell pasta, cooked (rotini and macaroni work great too)

1 package frozen spinach, thawed
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can navy beans, drained
2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped chicken substitute (optional)
1 recipe Basil-Tofu Ricotta (also optional)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional but delicious)
1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powder
1/2 tsp each thyme, basil and oregano or 1 T italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions while you open cans and get out your sauce ingredients. Drain pasta in a colander and set aside. Add all other ingredients to the now-empty pasta pot (hooray, fewer dishes) and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Taste it for salt now- this is important, since a lot of these ingredients can vary widely in salt content and once you put it in, you can't take it back out! When you're satisfied with the tastiness of your sauce, add the drained noodles back to the pot and stir well. Makes a LOT, and refrigerates very well for leftovers. Serve by itself, or with garlic bread and a salad.

Cabbage Soup

I love cabbage soup. It's easy to make, and warms you up on a cold day. I wish I'd added a handful of barley or brown rice to this while it was simmering, but it was delicious without. We ate it with buttered whole wheat toast.

Cabbage Soup

2-3 T vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, quartered and sliced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 head small/medium cabbage, halved, cored and coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, including liquid

8 cups vegetable stock -OR- 8 cups water and 2 large vegetable bullion squares

a few pinches of thyme, marjoram, and freshly ground black pepper
season salt to taste

In a large pot, saute onion in oil on medium heat until it just starts to soften. Add garlic and cook another two minutes, until fragrant, then add celery, carrot and pepper. Stir another few minutes until the veggies are bright and fragrant, then dump in the cabbage, chickpeas, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.

If you want to add brown rice or barley, just throw 1/2 cup in with the cabbage and make sure they're tender before serving.

Kiwi Jam

Mom brought me a copy of the Vegetarian Times while I was in the hospital, and it was chock-full of really amazing recipes. I got the idea for this pretty speckled green jam out of that magazine, but scaled it down and skipped the canning process. Because of this, I recommend storing it in the fridge or freezer. I don't know how long it keeps, but since the recipe yields a bit less than two cups, it should go quickly... use it as a topping for ice cream, between cake layers, on toast, pancakes or even on a good ol' PBJ. You can even stir a spoonful into your favorite salsa and eat on tortilla chips. But you don't need me to tell you what to do with jam, do you? Eat it hot right out of the pan, I won't tell.

Kiwi Jam

5-6 ripe kiwifruit, peeled and halved
1 cup sugar
1 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Mash kiwi until smooth. In a saucepan, stir kiwi, sugar and lemon juice together and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes or until thickened. (It will set up a bit thicker when chilled.) Pour into a clean container (I like to use an empty margarine tub, gets more mileage out of that plastic!) and stick it in the fridge.

Chili Mac

This ain't gourmet. This is "we need to go shopping, TOMORROW" food, but it's tasty and you can make it with a few ingredients from your spice cupboard and pantry. We eat this once or twice a month at my house. If you have an onion (I usually do), chop it up and saute it in the margarine before adding the other ingredients.

Chili Mac

1/2 lb dried pasta, cooked
1/4 cup margarine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans in sauce (plain pinto beans work too)
1 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder (the blend, not straight-up red pepper)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a saucepan, mix margarine, tomatoes, beans and spices and bring to a boil; add nutritional yeast, cooked pasta and stir. Remove from heat and serve.

Banana Cake

Moist, sweet and dense, this cake is easy to make and so tasty... like little spiced banana brownies. It holds up really well and has a creamy, almost custard-like texture on top after a day or so. I want to try making this with cocoa powder sometime and see if it's as good as it sounds!

Banana Cake

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 T pumpkin pie spice
1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3)
3/4 cup soy milk with 1 T apple cider vinegar mixed in (let sit a minute or two before adding to batter)
2/3 cup vegetable shortening (can reduce to 1/2 cup)
1 tsp vanilla

Grease and lightly flour a 9x13" baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, cut sugar into shortening until fluffy. Add remaining wet ingredients and blend with a mixer or whisk until smooth.
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer, again, until the batter is smooth. Pour into the floured 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool thoroughly on a rack before serving.

Basil-Tofu Ricotta

Mom got me a copy of Vegan with a Vengeance for Christmas last year, and I've found some real gems in there. This seasoned tofu is so, so good... the author recommends putting it on pizza or stuffing it into pasta shells, but I also like it on crackers, in sandwiches and I've even sort of eaten it right out of the bowl. >_>

Basil-Tofu Ricotta

1 lb firm tofu, pressed
2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
dash of freshly-ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 c nutritional yeast

In a large bowl, mush the tofu, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil thoroughly with your hands until it's about the consistency of ricotta cheese. This may take 2-5 minutes! Next, add the olive oil and nutritional yeast and stir well. Don't use your hands for this part, you'll get all sticky. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

(Note: I've had success using a fork to mash this, if I don't feel like getting my hands dirty. It's a bit more lumpy, which makes it a perfect substitute for egg salad. Do yourself a favor and make a sandwich out of this. I just ate one. It was friggin' good.)

Split Pea Soup

Sorry mom. I didn't like split pea soup, even though you made it with love. It was green, grainy mush with creepy ham bits in it. I'm sure it's not really as bad as I remember it being when I was a kid, but gawd I would have eaten grass off the front lawn instead, if I'd had a choice! Recently, I went to the Atlanta farmer's market and saw a bag of dry yellow split peas and decided that for under a buck, I could give 'em another shot. It was totally worth it! This soup is colorful, flavorful and delicious... even Ethan loved it.

Split Pea Soup

1 lb dry yellow split peas, sorted and rinsed
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 large vegetable bullion square
1 tsp salt
several dashes freshly-ground black pepper
8 cups water

Saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes, then add carrot and celery and cook another 5 minutes or so, until soft. Add remaining ingredients (or transfer to a large soup pot, if you're not using the same pan) and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmering for 45 minutes to an hour, until peas are very tender and falling apart. (Some people recommend putting some or all of the soup through a blender, but I like the texture as is.) Serve hot with whole-grain toast or dinner rolls, yum.

Taco Soup

My great-aunt Joanne first made this soup for a family gathering, and mom liked it so much she asked for the recipe and we've been using it ever since. It was really easy to adapt for vegetarians, I just left out the ground beef and added a variety of canned beans. Part of the beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity... you just dump everything in a pot, liquid included. Instant comfort food!

Taco Soup

1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can sliced black olives
2 cans tomatoes (I use petite dice)
1 can green beans
1 cup frozen corn
1-2 packets taco seasoning (adjust to taste!)
1/2 cup dry macaroni

Toppings (optional):
fritos
vegan sour cream and/or shredded cheese

In a large soup pot/dutch oven on medium-high heat, dump everything but the macaroni and stir. DON'T DRAIN THE CANNED STUFF. Just dump it all in the pot, liquid and all. (Tip: just add one packet of taco seasoning to start. If it doesn't taste quite spicy/salty enough with one, add more from a second packet until it's just right.) When it comes to a boil, add macaroni, stir, and turn down heat a little so it doesn't boil over. When the noodles are cooked, turn off heat. If the soup is too thick, you may want to add some water to thin it out a little. Serve in bowls with or without toppings.

Mock Tuna Salad

Sometimes I get a craving for a tuna sandwich. You know, the kind that's loaded with mayo and pickle relish and chunks of... oh, right. Tuna. WELL! I've found that garbanzo beans make a good substitute in sandwich spreads. The texture is similar and the flavor is close (minus the fishy part... does that even make sense?!), just mash your beans and dress them up the same way you would a can of drained tuna. I like to put mine on toasted grainy bread.

Mock Tuna Salad

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 T. sweet pickle relish
2-3 T. onion, minced
1-2 T. vegan mayonnaise
1-2 tsp. whole-grain mustard (I use Grey Poupon country style)
celery salt
freshly ground black pepper

Dump your garbanzo beans into a medium-sized bowl and mash with a fork until most of the beans are broken up. It's ok if there are a few whole beans left! Add the rest of the ingredients to taste and mix well, then cover and chill until ready to use.

Hummus

A lot of people I've known tend to dismiss hummus out-of-hand as a "hippie food", something that only smug, self-satisfied martyrs are willing to put into their undernourished mouths. Oh, and I guess those guys in the middle east somewhere eat it too, right? Sometimes I want to swat these people. Hummus is, in essence, BEAN DIP. An exceptionally awesome bean dip, at that. You can shovel it in using raw vegetables, eat it with chips, crackers or bread, or even slather it on sandwiches. It's just that good. This recipe tastes a lot like the hummus my Jordanian teacher used to bring for school functions, and is really easy to make.

Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed, liquid reserved
1 large clove garlic, pressed
3 T. tahini (ground sesame seeds)
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
salt to taste

In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients EXCEPT the bean liquid and salt until smooth. EDIT: Turns out the hummus comes out smoother and creamier if you start by blending the tahini with the lemon juice first. This emulsifies the tahini and gives it a really great texture! Next, add the garlic and whip until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients now, using the reserved liquid to thin the mixture as you blend it. You could need anywhere from 3 T. to a half cup of liquid, depending on how thick you like your hummus. Taste before adding salt. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge until ready to use.

You want to avoid oversalting this! I've done it before. It's pretty tough to enjoy eating overly-salted hummus with salty crackers. Try adding some roasted peppers and/or a teaspoon of cumin powder, or serve with extra olive oil and paprika on top for something different.

Totally Taco Salad

I hate to put up another salad recipe and perpetuate the myth that vegetarians only ever eat salads, but it was really tasty, used up some of my leftover rice, and my kid ate a big bowl of the stuff. That's gotta be a sign!

Totally Taco Salad

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup cooked rice, chilled
1/4 cup salsa
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)
1 large romaine heart, washed and shredded
1 green onion, thinly sliced
12 tortilla chips, crushed


Cheater Sauce:
2 T. vegan mayonnaise
4 T. taco sauce
dash of garlic powder, onion powder and cumin to taste

Toss the rice, beans, salsa, yeast and sauce together till thoroughly mixed. Stir in lettuce, onion, and crushed chips just before serving. Should feed two adults as a main dish.

Ethan's Ribbon Salad

My son has always been pretty picky about what foods he will eat, but I've been wearing him down over the last year or so, trying to get him to try new things by preparing them in different ways. I made a simple salad using my peanut dressing and was happy to find that he would tolerate eating more than just a bite, so I've added it to my regular recipe rotation. The trick is, I think, in shredding the lettuce. It turns it into little green ribbons that have a fun texture and coat well using very little dressing.

Ethan's Ribbon Salad

1 head romaine lettuce (or two romaine hearts)
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/4 c. sliced almonds
2 tsp. flax seeds
1-2 T. Tangy Peanut Dressing (to taste)

Wash the romaine and shake off as much excess water as you can. Blot leaves dry with a clean towel and stack on a cutting board, holding the leaves together in a tight bundle, and slice thinly across. (I like my threads to be about as wide as a linguine noodle, maybe a little smaller... I just eyeball it!) Toss in a medium-large bowl with the green onion. You can refrigerate the salad here, or let it sit for a while to let the onion flavor to come out a bit. When you are ready to serve the salad, top with almonds, flax seeds, and dressing and toss till coated. I use the minimum amount of dressing on this salad, as it's pretty potent and I don't like the other flavors in the salad to be overwhelmed.

You can also add shredded carrot, thinly sliced celery, or peeled and seeded cucumber chunks to your salad and it will be fabulous.