Hearty Barley Soup OR Hearty Irish Stew

We celebrated the first day of spring today with a snow day for the kids.  We are still below zero here so I am still all about the soups and stews.  If you are having warmer weather and don't feel like soup, I don't want to hear about it.  This recipes makes use of a quick stock--all of the veggie trimmings stuck in a pressure cooker to make a tasty broth.  Using the onion skins helps give the stock a rich colour and flavour, so make sure everything is well-washed.  As noted below, you can use this recipe to make an Irish Stew should you be so inclined.  Two for the price of one!

INGREDIENTS
Soup
- 3/4 cup pot barley
- water
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2.5 cup peeled potatoes cut in chunks
- 2 peeled carrots, halved and cut into thick slices
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mushroom soy sauce
- 2 tsp hoisin sauce
- 2 cups peas
- salt and pepper to taste

Quick Stock
- all trimmings from the veggies above (well washed), including onion skins
- 10 cups water
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 8-10 fresh thyme stems
- 1 tsp salt

METHOD
1. Cook the barley: put rinsed barley in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water.  Bring to boiling, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 mins.  Drain before adding to the soup.
2. Make the Quick Stock: while the barley is cooking, put all of the stock ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook for 30 mins.  Pass through a strainer before adding to the soup.
3. Make the Soup: Heat the oil in a stockpot somewhere between med-lo to medium heat.  Sauté the onions and celery for 15 mins, or until they are a deep brown, stirring regularly.  Don't burn them, so watch your heat.  If they are not a nice brown colour, keep going for another 5 mins or so.
4. Add garlic and sauté for 1 min.  Add the spices and fry for 1 min.  Add potatoes and carrots and mix well.
5. Add the strained stock, cooked and drained barley, and the sauces.  Bring to bubbling over high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for about 30 mins, or until the veggies are tender.  Add peas and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

TO MAKE IRISH STEW
No real recipe here, but rather some suggestions of how to use this recipe as the base for an Irish Stew.  Reduce the barley to 1/4 cup, add another onion, and more potatoes and carrots.  Add some sage to the spices.  Add a protein source: tofu cubes, seitan chunks, possibly white kidney beans. Up the water to about 12-13 cups.  Add some beer to the mix.  Cook uncovered to reduce the stew down. Thicken the stew after the veggies are cooked by mixing flour in with some soy milk and adding to the stew.  Add a few tbsp of tomato paste for a richer sauce.


And make some soda bread!

Peas and Pasta Soup

This recipe (a spin on an Italian soup with peas and pancetta) is fairly simple in that it does not have a lot of ingredients, and so its success relies on making sure those ingredients are top quality.  Making your own veggie stock is ideal, and making your own pasta is essential unless you are lucky enough to live in a place that sells eggless fresh pasta.  The key to the pasta is making a firm dough and giving the noodles some time to dry before they go into the broth.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup finely chopped firm or extra firm tofu
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ketchup
- 1/4 tsp liquid smoke

- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 onion, small dice
- 3 cups peas, frozen or fresh
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 recipe fresh pasta, rolled out to #4, cut into wide strips

METHOD
1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan over med-hi heat.  Add tofu and fry, stirring regularly, until golden brown on all sides.  Add salt, ketchup, and liquid smoke and mix well.  Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat margarine in a stock pot over medium heat.  Sauté onion for 5-7 mins, until softened.
3. Add peas, parsley, and stock.  Bring to boil over high heat.  Add pasta and tofu and cook until paste is tender.  Season to taste and serve.

Cream of Tomato Soup

This soup is thick and rich and creamy and perfect for a soup and sandwich lunch on a cold winter's day.  It does take a little time to make, but the flavour and the texture that comes from reducing all the ingredients down is well worth the wait.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups chopped cherry tomatoes (or plum tomatoes)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stems of fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/4 cup red lentils
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 can light coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Make a tomato paste: Place chopped cherry tomatoes in a small saucepan.  Bring to bubbling over medium heat and cook, uncovered, for 10-12 mins, until thickened and tomatoes have broken down.  Mash with a spoon as they cook.
2. Use a spoon to push the tomato mixture through a fine sieve until just the skins and seeds are left behind.  It will yield about 3/4 cup.
3. While tomatoes are cooking, sauté onions with a large pinch of salt over medium heat in a large pot for 5-7 mins, until softened.  Add garlic, thyme, carrot, and lentils and sauté for 2 mins more.
4. Add stock, canned tomatoes (juice and all), and the cherry tomato paste.  Bring to bubbling over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for about 40 mins, or until liquid has reduced by a third and veggies are barely covered.  REMOVE THYME STEMS.
5. Blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender, until very smooth.  Return to heat and add coconut milk.  Mix well.  Heat through, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve.

Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

A new year, the Gregorian calendar tells us.  What will 2014 bring?  For me, it brings a return to blogging.  Inspired by my time at the Atlanta Veg Fest, I am recipe developing and testing once again and posting the results here.  I am still pretty busy in my non-blogging life, but I realized that I really needed the creative outlet that is this blog.  Plus, I met so many great people in Georgia who love what I do, even though I had not been doing it for a while.  So thanks to everyone: the people who email me about the recipes they like, the almost 27,000 likes on Facebook, the amazing people I have met in person during my travels, etc., etc.  Here's to the vegan family in 2014!

This Christmas Santa brought me a Breville FastSlow Cooker--a slow cooker and a pressure cooker all in one.  My mom never was into the whole crock pot thing, so it's not something I am familiar with.  If you are also unfamiliar with the ways of the slow cooker, this recipe will show everything you need to know.  The beauty of slow cooking this soup (besides dinner being ready when you come home from work) is that is makes the chunks of sweet potato tender and delicate without being mushy and breaking apart in the broth.  Delightful.  This soup is reminiscent of Indian dal, and so its warm spices and hearty lentil goodness are perfect for a cold polar vortex kind of day.

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 cups of sliced onions (halve and slice onions, then measure)
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and minced (optional, or more if you want more heat)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 6 cups of peeled sweet potato chunks (large, but still bite-sized)
- 1.5 cups chopped tomato (canned or fresh)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 6 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 tsp salt (or as needed, to taste)
- chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

METHOD
This method is for the Breville FastSlow Cooker.  You may have to adjust for your own appliance.
1. Set the slow cooker to the saute setting.  Sauté onions for 8-10 mins, until deep golden brown.  Add garlic and jalapeno (if using) and sauté for 1 min.
2. Add spices and sauté for 1 min.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Adjust salt as needed (it depends on how salty your broth is).  Put the lid of the slow cooker on and cook for 8 hours.  Adjust seasoning as needed.  Top with chopped cilantro if you like it.  Serve.

Thai Mushroom Soup

I made this soup a while ago (i.e. before the heat wave) but never got around to blogging it. It is actually quite good at room temp, so it is a good summer soup. It is based on a seafood soup recipe in a cookbook I have and I had every intention of using oyster mushrooms but there were none at the store. Turns out, plain ol' white mushrooms work really well, too. I also threw in some lobster mushrooms for colour and texture, but they are totally optional. So, once the heat breaks wherever you are, give this recipe a try.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 cups veggie stock, or water
- 1" piece fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
- 3 limes leaves, sliced if fresh, crumbled if dried
- 2 stalks lemon grass, chopped
- 5 stalks cilantro
- 1 tbsp oil
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 16 oz mushrooms, chopped (white, oyster, etc., or a mix)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- green curry paste, to taste
- 1 14 oz can light coconut milk
- juice of 1/3 lime
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Put stock, ginger, lemon grass, and lime leaves into a pot. Strip leaves from cilantro and add the stalks as well. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 mins. Strain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, the saute shallots for 5-7 mins, until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are just releasing their water. Add strained stock to the pot, then add soy sauce and curry paste.
3. Add coconut milk and lime juice and mix well. Season to taste. Chop cilantro leaves and mix in. You can heat this up as much as you want before serving.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This is a nice, simple soup, perfect with the baguettes you see in the background.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
- about 3 cups water
- 2 cups cashew cream (or soy creamer/soy milk/coconut milk)
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, shallot, celery, and garlic for 15 mins, until nice and soft and stating to get golden.
2. Add broccoli and enough water to cover about 3/4 of the way up (about 3 cups). You don't want too much water or the final soup will be too thin. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins, until veggies are soft.
3. Blend broccoli mixture with an immersion blender (or what have you) until very smooth. Add in cashew cream and season to taste. Heat to desired temperature, then serve.

Green Potato Soup

I am a negligent blogger! Christmas is in nine days and I have nothing ready! Nada! I don't even know what the entree will be! Oh, stupid job getting in the way of the holidays! While I scramble around trying to make Christmas happen, here is an awesome soup to keep away the winter chill. The most amazing thing is that the kids ate it without a single whine. Put a pile of greens on their plate and the wailing can be heard for blocks, but put it in a soup and they bolt it down. Go figure.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 leeks, white and light green part, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small bunch swiss chard, stalks removed, chopped
- 4 cups water (more if needed)
- 1.5 lbs diced red potatoes
- 1 cup plain soy milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 cups baby spinach
- salt to taste
- lots of freshly ground pepper

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute leeks, celery, and garlic for 10 mins, until soft. Add chard and saute until wilted. Add water a blend with a hand blender until smooth.
2. Add potatoes. The liquid should almost cover the potatoes. Add more water, if needed. Bring to bubbling, cover, and simmer for 20 mins, or until potatoes are cooked.
3. Add soy milk and nutritional yeast and mix well. Season to taste. I made the soup rather peppery. Then add spinach a stir until wilted but still vibrant green. Serve.

Blog Tour: Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons

Tonight I am doing something different. Nava Atlas asked me to be part of a blog tour for her latest book, Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons (it's actually the 4th edition of a cookbook she originally published as Vegetarian Soups For All Seasons). The idea is for various bloggers to try a recipe from the book and then blog about it on an assigned day. Neat, eh? The cookbook is divided into the four seasons with plenty of soups and stews in each. From Harvest Stew to Carrot Bisque to Asparagus and Spinach Soup to Melon Medley, this cookbook has over 1o0 recipes for you to try. The final chapter contains recipes for breads, muffins, and biscuits to complement all that soupy goodness.

I chose the New England Clam-less Chowder, being in the mood for something hearty. I have never had actual clam chowder so I can't comment on how it compares, but I will say that it was very, very tasty. Son # 2 described it as "super good," and Son #1 also gave it the thumbs up. I did make one change. The original recipe called for baked tofu to replace the clams, but I didn't have any. Instead, I used chopped king oyster mushrooms. It worked perfectly since the mushrooms have a bit of bouncy chew to them--kind of like what I imagine the texture of a clam would be. Son #1, who claims to hate mushrooms, immediately asked what the chunks were in his soup. Wanting to avoid a huge argument over picky eating, I just said "fake clams." "They are really good!," he replied, and ate up his soup.

Cream of Potato and Broccoli Soup

Ah, the news year is here. I am desperately trying to ignore the fact that I have two courses to teach on Monday, starting at 8:30 in the morning. Gack! On the other hand, it is high time the kids stop kicking around the house and get back to school. I am not really one for new year's resolutions, so I think I will just try to keep on keepin' on (as a wise man once said). 2009 promises to bring many new challenges, not the least of which is a 4th addition to our Vegan Family. Yep. 4 kids. Wow, eh? My very own vegan commune. If your kids are like mine, they like broccoli and they like potatoes. Why not put them together in a creamy soup? I keep the skins on for this recipe, but you can peel your potatoes if that is more your style.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large sweet onion, small dice

- 1 stalk celery, minced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 4-5 medium red potatoes, skins on, small dice

- 1 cup water, or veggie broth

- 3 cups plain soy milk

- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/2 cup soy creamer, or coconut milk cream (i.e. place a can of coconut milk in the fridge to let the fat separate from the water)

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, and garlic for 5 mins, until softened. Add potatoes and saute for 2 mins.

2. Add water and soy milk to the pot (should cover most of the potatoes--add more if needed). Bring to bubbling, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 mins, until potatoes are soft.

3. Remove half of the soup from the pot and blend until smooth. Return to pot along with the broccoli. Return to bubbling, and cook for 5-7 mins, until broccoli is cooked (soft, but not mushy).

4. Add nutritional yeast, creamer, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with some baguettes. Look at these awesome baguette forms Vegan Mom got me for Christmas!

Creamy Corn Soup

If you are a low fat vegan type you probably should stop reading now. As I was putting the cookbook together (almost done!) I noticed how much of my food is related to some childhood memory. This soup is no exception. I always got to choose my birthday dinner as a kid, and I usually asked for tacos and corn soup. The original is made with cream and milk, so I used soy milk and coconut milk. It's pretty rich, but also pretty tasty. We always garnished it with corn chips, but I didn't have any on hand.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 5-6

- 3 tbsp margarine

- 3 cups plain soy milk

- 1 cup soy creamer

- 4 cups corn

- 1 can coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen--it is less "coconuty" for stuff like this)

- salt and pepper to taste

- corn chips to garnish

METHOD

1. Melt margarine over medium heat in a large pot. Add soy milk and creamer and bring to bubbling.

2. Add corn and return to bubbling. Simmer for 5 mins, stirring regularly.

3. Add coconut milk and season to taste with salt and pepper. (I like a good amount of pepper to contrast the creaminess). Do not boil.

4. Serve garnished with some corn chips.

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.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Here is the other dish from our Italian date night. Ontario red peppers are in season which means they are huge in size and low in price. This is a fairly simple soup that tastes great (if you like roasted red peppers) and has a deep red colour. They say that red stimulates the appetite, so this is the perfect starter for your Italian meal.

INGREDIENTS

- 4 large red peppers (5 regular size)

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 large sweet onion

- 2 cloves garlic, chopped

- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 4 or 5 cups of vegetable stock (see note below)

- 1-2 tsp oregano

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 cup soy creamer

METHOD

1. Roast peppers under the broiler or on the BBQ (I think this is the easiest way), rotating until skins are blackened and wrinkled all over. Place in a large bowl, cover with a plate, and let steam for 15 mins. Skin peppers and chop.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute onions and garlic for 5-7 mins, until onion is translucent. Add potatoes and fry for 1 min. Add peppers and water and bring to bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 mins, or until potatoes are soft.

3. Blend soup with a hand blender until smooth, then season to taste. Before serving, stir in soy creamer.

NOTE: If you are in a rush, use only four cups of water and serve after you have blended and seasoned the soup. If you have the time, use 5 cups of water, but let soup simmer, uncovered, for a few hours after blending. This will thicken the soup and let the flavours develop.

Thick and Hearty Tomato Bean Soup

We have been going through a bit of a cool spell here--highs around 20 C and lows around 10 C. So I was in the mood for some soup. This is really easy to make for nights when you are pinched for time.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 48 oz can tomato juice

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 cup maple syrup

- 1 tsp dill

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 2 tsp mild chili powder

- salt to taste

- 1 can mixed beans

- 3/4 alphabet pasta (or some other small pasta)

- 1/2 cup vegan sour cream

METHOD

1. Put juice, spices, and beans in a large pot and bring to bubbling. Add pasta and simmer until done. Be sure sure to stir often to keep the pasts from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. If you want, add a dollop of sour cream to the centre of each bowl before serving.

Hearty Broccoli Soup

A few days ago I asked Son#1 what he wanted for dinner and he said, "broccoli soup!" That was kind of weird. I mean, what kid asks for broccoli soup? Well, tonight Vegan Mom made his dreams come true with this tasty and hearty soup that is perfect for those days when there is still a chill in the air.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 rib of celery, diced

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets

- water

- 1 cup soy milk

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt margarine in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic for 5 mins, until onion is translucent. Add potatoes and three quarters of the broccoli florets. Add enough water to barely cover the veggies (some veggies should still be sticking out of the water). Bring to bubbling, lower heat, and cover and cook 15-20 mins, until veggies are very soft.

2. Blend veggies with a hand blender until smooth. Add soy milk and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in remaining florets and cook, uncovered, until florets are soft. Serve.

Creamy Zucchini Soup

Don't let the crappy photo fool you--this soup is awesome. While I love to cook, I really don't know a thing about photography. Basically, I put my dishes on the ironing board and take pics with a flash and tripod. I still have yet to figure out a good way to photograph soup.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp non-hydrogenated margarine
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 6 zucchini, sliced (or 2 lbs)
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup plain soy milk, or soy creamer
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil and margarine in a stockpot over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic for about 5 mins, until onions are translucent.
2. Add in sliced zucchini and oregano. Cook for 5 mins, or until zucchini begins to soften.
3. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Partially cover, lower heat, and simmer for 20 mins, or until zucchini is cooked through.
4. Remove from heat and blend with a hand blender until very smooth. Stir in nutritional yeast and soy milk/creamer. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat if necessary. Serve.


The End of Vegan Mofo
Unfortunately, Vegan Mofo ended on more of a whimper than a bang in my house. First, I had planned to make a delicious risotto to go with the soup, only to find that I forgot to buy arborio rice at the bulk food store. (snort) I also decided that I would try the chickpea cutlets again, with a nice white wine/garlic/lemon sauce to go on top. I took my own advice and pulsed the chickpeas, which worked beautifully. I also decided to bake them this time. Everything was going great, but I miscalculated cooking times and ended up finishing the cutlets before the soup. I decided I could keep them warm in the oven while everything else finished up. Well, that was a big mistake. I ended up baking the cutlets into chickpea briquettes. To top it off, no one liked my white wine/garlic/lemon sauce. *sigh* I don't take failure in the kitchen very well. If only a case of beer was in the grocery budget . . . .

Carrot Cashew Curry Coconut Soup

We finally had that fall party we tried to throw last month but was stymied by our kids getting sick. I revived the same menu, despite the fact that about 15 centimetres of snow fell today. Even though it looked like winter, the fall-inspired dishes still worked. The hot cider smelled wonderful, as did the roasted apple chutney. I added this Carrot Cashew Curry Coconut Soup (from the Chez Piggy Cookbook)--a wonderful balance between creamy coconut milk and spicy curry (not that this picture does it any justice).

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 2 onions, diced

- 2 celery stalks, sliced

- 3 cloves of garlic, diced

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger

- 1 tbsp curry powder

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp coriander

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 cups raw cashews

- 1 1/2 lbs carrots, grated

- 6 cups vegetable stock

- 1 can coconut milk

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Heat oil in a stockpot and saute onion, celery, garlic and ginger for 15 mins, until onions are golden brown. Add in spices and cashews and cook for another minute.

2. Add carrots and mix thoroughly. Add stock and bring to bubbling. Lower heat, cover, and cook until carrots are soft. Really, the longer you can cook this the better--it lets the flavours develop.

3. Blend with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in coconut milk and heat (but don't boil). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup

We had two unused heads of cauliflower in the fridge, so I whipped up this soup for lunch. I was aiming for a creamy yet hearty texture, and this really fit the bill.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 leeks, thinly sliced (just the white parts)
- 2 heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
- water
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 cup nutritional yeast
- plain soymilk
- salt and pepper to taste
- dried herbs for garnish (I used parsley, but I think chives would be nice)

METHOD
1. Saute onions, celery, and leeks for 15 mins on med-hi in a big stockpot. Seriously. This recipe makes a lot of soup.
2. Meanwhile, peel all the cloves in the head of garlic. Place in a pouch of aluminum foil with a splash of oil. Roast on a med-hi BBQ for about 15 mins.
3. Add in cauliflower florets. Add in water until it sits just under the veggies (i.e. not covering them). Cover and simmer until cauliflower is soft and easily broken up with a spoon.
4. Add in garlic cloves and blend in the pot with a hand blender. Blend in soymilk until desired consistency is reached (I used about 3 cups). Blend in nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each bowl with dried herbs when serving.

Caribbean Night

Tonight's meal plan started with the Jerk Seitan from Vegan With a Vengeance. This is a fantastic recipe that gets its heat from cayenne pepper instead of scotch bonnet peppers, so you can easily adjust the heat level (we kept it pretty low for the kids). Since cold weather never keeps me from the BBQ, I grilled the seitan for a wonderfuly smoky flavour. But what to serve with the seitan? I searched a few Caribbean food recipes online, made several modifications, and served up these dishes.

Sweetcorn Soup

This is delicious and creamy and filled with with pumpkiny goodness.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1/2 red onion, diced

- 1 rib celery, diced

- 4 green onions, sliced

- 1/2 pie pumpkin, peeled, seeded, diced

- 2 cups frozen corn

- 2 tomatoes, diced

- 2 red potatoes, diced

- 2 yellow potatoes, diced

- 1 can coconut milk

- 2 cups water or vegetable stock

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- pinch of cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper to taste

- juice of 2 limes

METHOD:

1. Saute red onion and celery in a large stockpot until translucent. Add in green onions, pumpkin, corn, tomatoes, and potatoes and cook for 5 mins.

2. Add in coconut milk and water. Add thyme, cayenne, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes (until veggies are tender).

3. Before serving, stir in lime juice.

Rice and Beans

This is supposed to be made with kidney beans, but I did not have any on hand. The Black beans worked just fine.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 can kidney (or black) beans, rinsed

- 1 can coconut milk

- 2+ cups water

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 2 cups long grain rice

METHOD

1. Put coconut milk in a saucepan and enough water to make 4 cups. Add thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.

2. Add in rice and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 mins, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. I recommend stirring every now and then--the coconut milk had a bad habit of sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Soup and Pumpkin Scones

Tonight was a case of when bad things happen to good meal. Somehow the salt got left out of the pizza dough, making the yeast go wild and ruining the whole batch. So, we had to whip up something at the last minute. Fortunately, Vegan Mom had made a vegetable soup for lunch. We fired a few meatless meatballs in for variety and baked these pumpkin scones.

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 tbsp baking powder

- 3/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp allspice

- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg

- 3/4 cup pumpkin (canned, or cooked fresh)

- 1/2 cup soy milk

- 3 tbsp oil

- 1 tbsp maple syrup

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl.

2. Whisk pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and maple syrup in a separate bowl. Add to flour mixture and mix gently until moist. Add a little more liquid if need be.

3. Place large spoonfuls of dough on a non-stick baking sheet.

4. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until browned.

TIPS FOR SOUP: Vegetable soup is easy to make and is a great way to cram in a variety of veggies. Saute onions and celery as a base, then add whatever suits your fancy. We like potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, eggplant, carrots, chickpeas, cannelini beans, tomatoes (plus some spaghetti sauce for flavour), and pasta (the kids like alphabets).

Pumpkin Soup and Scones

Today was one of those miserable fall days where the damp cold makes you shiver and huddle around a steaming cup of tea. In other words, it was the perfect day for pumpkin soup and scones. This is my grandma's recipe (well, she never used soymilk) so that means there is no real recipe. Measuring cups and teaspoons are just not her style (which means her baking leaves something to be desired). This soup, however, is awesome.

INGREDIENTS:

- one pie pumpkin

- non-hydrogenated margarine

- soymilk

- sugar

- salt

The amounts here are up to you, depending on what kind of soup you want. It can be thin or thich, sweeter or saltier. I like a thicker and sweeter soup.

METHOD:

1. Peel pumpkin. Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Chop up pumpkin into small pieces.

2. Boil pumpkin in water in a large soup pot until tender (about 25 mins).

3. Drain off water, add a lump of margarine, and mash pumpkin (or blend with a hand mixer).

4. Put back on heat. Thin with soymilk until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and sugar to taste. Heat until steaming, but not boiling.