Mixed Vegetable Chowder

Back in the day (read: when I was an undergrad) I use to make a quick and easy corn chowder: 1 can cream of celery soup, 1 can cream of potato soup, 1 can corn, 1 cup of milk. This recipe is an attempt to recreate something like that chowder. I didn't realize that we were totally out of corn (the frozen kind--I don't really go for canned), so I had to go with mixed veggies. That was OK, though, since it gave the soup some colour. If you are in the mood for a thick and creamy chowder, then this is the soup for you.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large onion, finely diced

- 3 stalks of celery, finely diced

- 1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/2 cup soy creamer

- 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 can coconut milk

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and celery for 5-7 mins, until soft. Add potatoes and saute for 2 mins, stirring constantly.

2. Add water and deglaze the pan. Add soy creamer, a bit of salt, and bring to bubbling. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 mins, or until potatoes are nice and soft.

3. Add vegetables, bring to bubbling, and cook for 5 mins. Add coconut milk and mix well. Using a hand blender, blend about half of the chowder to thicken. Or, transfer half of the soup to a blender and process. Make sure the soup does not boil after you have added the coconut milk (a little simmering is OK).

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Creamy Lemon Dill Stew: A Dish in Process

I like the idea and taste of this dish, but the execution/method needs work. I envisioned a creamy stew with a lemony zing complemented by the unique flavour of dill. As far as taste goes, everything worked. The potatoes and asparagus blended well with the spices, while the chickpeas provided an earthy undertone (and the tofu packing an extra protein punch). The problem lay with the cream sauce. I knew that lemon would make soy milk curdle, but I figured it would all come together when I thickened the sauce with flour. Not so much. The sauce remained "grainy" and so the dish did not look all that great.

Rather than post a recipe, here is the basic idea of the dish. I started by parboiling baby yellow potatoes, and sauteing a sliced leek and some garlic in olive oil. I added cubed tofu and chickpeas, the potatoes cut into large chunks, and asparagus. I then added about 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 tsp of dill, and then 2 cups of soy milk. After seasoning with salt and pepper, I blended flour in some water and added it to thicken the sauce.

Does anyone know how to make a creamy sauce with lemon? I assume there is a way to mix the two since I have seen vegan lemon cheesecake and lemon curd. Maybe it needs to be blended first and then added?

Pumpkin Spice Sweet Rolls

Here is the other pumpkin bread I am featuring during October at the bakery. This is a variation of the lemon currant rolls made with a sweet pumpkin dough and a filling reminiscent of pumpkin pie. I made a batch for Vegan Mom's Greening Committe meeting and they met with the approval of all in attendance. I have a feeling they will willing volunteer to test any future experimentations.

Makes 12 large rolls

DOUGH
- 2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 c warm water
- 3/4 c firm tofu
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin

- 1/2 c plain soymilk
- 1/2 c non-hydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance)
- 7 c all purpose flour
- 1/2 c sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt

FILLING
- 1/3 c non-hydrogenated margarine, room temp
- 1 1/4 c brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp allspice

- 1 tsp ginger

ICING
- 2 tbsp soy creamer
- 1 1/2 c icing sugar

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

METHOD:
1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Set aside to proof.
2. While yeast is proofing, warm soymilk, margarine tofu, and pumpkin gently on stove in a medium saucepan, until margarine is melted. Blend with a hand blender, or in a food processor until smooth.
3. Mix together flour, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl. Fold dry ingredients into liquid ingredients.
4. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a ball and place in a bowl greased with margarine. Turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size.
5. Make filling and set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle measuring 10"x 36".
7. Spread filling evenly over the dough and roll dough into a long cylinder along the long side (i.e. you will have a 36" cylinder.
8. Cut dough into 12 pieces, measuring 3" each. Place each piece in large muffins tins (you will need two tins).
9. Bake for 18-22 mins, until golden. Cool in tins on racks.
10. In a small saucepan heat soy creamer over med-lo heat. Add icing sugar and spices, stirring until sugar dissolves. Drizzle over slightly warm rolls.

Rustic Pumpkin Bread

I am featuring pumpkin in some of my breads this month at the bakery. Instead of making straight pumpkin bread, I decided to go with breads with pumpkin in them. This is a modified version of the rustic bread I made a while back, and it is delicious. The pumpkin gives the bread a soft texture and a light yellow-orange colour. This is the perfect bread to serve with a hearty vegetable soup, or with the pumpkin soup pictured below.

INGREDIENTS

Preferment:

- 3 1/2 cups bread flour

- 1 1/4 cups water

- 1/2 tablespoon salt

- 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

Final dough:

- 2 1/4 cups bread flour

- 3/4 cup spelt flour

- 3/4 cup kamut flour

- 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten

- 1 cup pureed pumpkin (I boil pumpkin chunks in water, drain, then process)

- 1/3 cup water

- 1/2 tablespoon salt

- 1 teaspoon instant yeast

- all of the preferment

METHOD

1. Make the preferment: Put the yeast in the water and stir. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl and pour in the yeasted water. Mix until the flour is hydrated, adding a little more water if necessary. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the pre-ferment out at room temperature overnight (up to 16 hours).
2. Make the dough: To make the final dough, combine all of the ingredients except the pre-ferment in a mixing bowl. Chop the pre-ferment up into small pieces and mix in. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins, until smooth and thoroughly combined. Dough should be tacky but not sticky, so knead in flour accordingly.
3. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp towel, and ferment for 2 1/2 hours, folding the dough at 1 hr, and 1:45. (To fold dough, take the dough out of the bowl, spread it out a little on a clean surface and fold it in thirds like a letter. Rotate it 90 degrees and fold it up again. Return the dough to the bowl and cover again.)
4. At the end of the fermentation, divide the dough into two pieces and preshape each into a ball. Cover with the towel and let each rest for 5 to 10 minutes before shaping into a loaf with tapered ends. Once shaped, place on a floured linen towel and cover the loaves with the damp towel. Let rise for 1 hour, gently rolling the loaves over after 30 mins.
5. Halfway though the final rise, begin preheating the oven and baking stone to 450 degrees. Place a cast iron pot on the bottom rack and fill with boiling water 10 mins before you start baking the bread.
6. Transfer to a floured peel, and slash the tops of the loaves with a razor blade. Bake for 25-30 mins, rotating the loaves 180 degrees after 12 mins so that they'll bake evenly. Crust should be a deep golden brown, and loaves should sound hollow when you knock on the bottom.

Supper at the Beach

Today was warm--warmer than a lot of days we had in our so-called summer. So we packed ourselves a picnic lunch and hit the beach this evening. We played in the sand, splashed in the water, and watched the sun slowly set over the water. It was amazing.

I have been working on some pumpkin-based breads to sell at the bakery this month. I will post them starting tomorrow.