My Favorite Creamy Macaroni and Cheese...

I know I’ve been ridiculously absent since Canadian Thanksgiving and for that I’m sorry. I just haven’t had the cooking spirit lately. My Oma’s somewhat unexpected passing has been hard on me, and the rest of the past month wasn’t much better. A variety of things culminated to leave me feeling uninspired and uninterested in doing much cooking, or blogging. For almost the entire week post-Thanksgiving we ate leftovers. Then we ate simple rice bowls that tasted delicious but aren’t exactly blog-worthy in my opinion. Then the past week we’ve been having something of a pizza extravaganza - of which I meant to take photos but my camera battery is dead and every day I absentmindedly forgot to re-charge it - thanks to my latest cook book purchase of “Vegan Pizza” by Julie Hasson. But now we’re into a new month, and I’m feeling better, re-inspired, and I’ve missed the blogesphere, and so Im going to make a greater effort to be more active this month.

To kick things off I thought I’d share a favorite Mac and Cheese recipe with you. I know there are tons of mac-loving vegans out there, vegan mac is like the holy grail for some, and yet I’ve never been much of a mac lover. Blasphemy I know, but I was never one to eat food from a box, that had a lot to do with my upbringing I suppose. Certainly as a kid I ate macaroni and cheese now and then, and I’m sure I liked it well enough but I never developed that ‘ohmygodgottahaveit!’ love affair with it. After I grew up and moved out I don’t think I ate Macaroni and Cheese at all, except for maybe trying my hand at making a home-made baked mac once or twice. My husband was also not a mac and cheese fan - he didn’t like cheese at all in any form in fact - and so it was not a meal that ever made it onto our radar.

Of course, as happens with so many things, the minute you go vegan all your previous ideas and notions about food go out the window. I like Mac and Cheese much more now, then I ever did growing up, and these days I really love and appreciate creative mac and cheese recipes. While I still wouldn’t consider it anything close to being a favorite food, I do now and then find myself getting a wicked bad craving for it. One such crazy craving hit me out of the blue in mid-October as I was reminiscing about the Toronto Vegetarian Festival - more to come about that in a very belated review post. - and the epic Mac and Cheese Burrito we ate there courtesy of Hot Beans. - More on that to come as well. - My husband and I were so blown away by this absurd concoction that we just knew we’d have to eat it again. Of course Toronto is a far way to travel from Chicago just for a burrito and so I decided to try and recreate this masterpiece at home.

Now, the first step to making any mac and cheese burrito is making mac and cheese. Essentially you can use any mac and cheese recipe you like, but the following recipe is one of my very favorite mac recipes. - Inspired by THIS recipe from Vegan Mischief who also happens to be a Vancouver Vegan -  Coconut milk is really the silent star here, as it gives the mac a thick and creamy texture without imparting any coconut flavor. It is hands down my favorite non-dairy milk to use when making macaroni and cheese, and I love the unique combination of spices. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

My Favorite Creamy Macaroni and Cheese 

½ Small Yellow Onion minced
1 tbsp Olive oil
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4-1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Mild Curry Powder
½ -1 Tbsp Ground Fenugreek
1/4 tsp White Pepper
½ tsp Dried Oregano
½ tsp Dried Basil
1 Vegan Chicken Flavor Bouillon cube
2 Tbsp White Miso
4 Tbsp Water
1/4 C Nutritional Yeast
2 C Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Water
1 Bag Daiya Cheddar Shreds
12-16oz Elbow Macaroni Noodles (Gluten-Free)
Salt and Pepper to taste (Optional)

- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander and then return to the pot until your sauce is ready.

- Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add in the minced onion and saute for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add in the garlic and saute another 2 minutes.

- Add Smoked Paprika, Turmeric, Curry, Fenugreek, white pepper, oregano, and basil. Saute another 2 minutes.

- Meanwhile combine the 2 tbsp of Miso with 2 tbsp of water, stir until smooth.

- Also combine the vegan chicken bouillon cube with 2 tbsp of water and mix until smooth.

- Add the Nutritional Yeast and the Coconut milk to the pot with the onions, whisk until combined and smooth. Add in the Bouillon mix, along with the miso mix, and let simmer stirring frequently for five minutes.

- Whisk together the cornstarch and the 1 tbsp of water to make a slurry.

- Add the cornstarch mixture to the Pot, along with the Dijon Mustard, and the Bag of Daiya shreds. Continue to simmer, whisking until all the daiya has melted into the sauce and the sauce has thickened. This could take roughly 5-10 minutes.

- Once the daiya has melted and the sauce has reached a creamy thickness that you like, taste for flavor and if you feel it’s needed you can add ½ -1 tsp of sea salt, along with a bit of fresh cracked black pepper.

- Then add the sauce to your cooked Macaroni and serve as is garnished with a bit of Italian parsley or use it to make an epic mac and cheese burrito - recipe to come tomorrow!

As always, enjoy!

*** Note - I typically always use gluten-free noodles, if you do then the dish is gluten-free. You can also make the dish soy free by using a soy-free miso such as chickpea miso.***

Creamy Carrot Top Pesto...

So, you go to the farmer’s market, and you see bunches upon bunches of beautiful long, thin, baby carrots. They’re bright orange, and luscious looking, with beautiful bushy tops that scream a bright vibrant green. You can’t help yourself from buying them because they’re everything that summer seems to represent. You take them home, and you use the carrots in whatever way most appeals to you, but then you’re left with a massive pile of carrot tops. Now the dilemma begins, because what is one suppose to do with a bunch of carrot tops anyway?

Carrot Top Pesto on some Thin Vegetable Ribbons

Carrot tops are not an item found on many restaurant menus. They’re not an item commonly features in cook books or on the food network. We don’t really live in a world where carrot tops are considered food, they are - more often then not - discarded, which to me seems like a terrible waste. Carrot tops are viable food, they’re full of nutrients just like any other green, and are probably better for you then the actually carrot itself. Still everyday they get thrown away as garbage, so if you’re like me and you hate to see waste, next time you buy some carrots at the Farmer’s Market put those tops to use in this delicious and creamy pesto!  It’s time for us to take carrot tops back and make them a feature on our plates rather then just another item in our compost or rubbish bins. Hopefully over the course of the summer I’ll come up with a few more creative uses for these delicate greens to share with you all, but this pesto is so good I might get side tracked and just make this all summer long instead! Oh, and did I mention what the bonus of making a pesto with carrot tops instead of basil is? You can get 4 Cups of carrot tops - plus the carrots they’re attached to - for half the coast of 2 oz of Basil. Maybe this depends on where you live, but in IL basil is expensive, at roughly $5 for 2oz organic basil, when I can get 2 bunches of carrots with 4 Cups of tops for $4.

My vegetable pasta contained Carrot and Zucchini Ribbon Noodles
Chopped Roma Tomatoes, and some Diced Green Onion
A Delicious combination with the Carrot Top Pesto 

Anyway, enjoy this pesto like you would any other, in a wrap or on a sandwich, in a warm or chilled soup, as a dip, as a sauce, as a dressing, on a pizza. I ended up enjoying it on raw noodles, you could do that too or use it on fresh cooked pasta. It’s up to you, it’s so versatile that the options are endless. As always enjoy!

Creamy Carrot Top Pesto 

Carrot Tops from 2 Bunches Carrots - Roughly 4 C
½ C Slivered Almonds
3 Green Onions
1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder - or 2 Cloves fresh Garlic
½ tsp Sea Salt
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
2-3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
½ C Flaxseed Oil
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Mellow White Miso
1/4 tsp White Pepper
Slightly less then 1/4 C Water (Optional depending on how thin or thick you want your pesto)
Fresh Black Pepper to taste

- Add the almonds to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

- Add the carrot tops and garlic and pulse until fine.

- Add in all the other ingredients - except water -  and pulse until you have a smooth paste. At this point check for consistency, if it’s too thick for your liking add in some water to thin. I used less then 1/4 cup but you can add as much as you need to, to get the pesto to your preferred consistency.

- Serve however you see fit and enjoy!

*** Note: I highly recommend using the miso as it adds a depth of flavor. However if you're following a soy-free diet you can leave it out, or you can replace the soy-based miso with an alternative miso like Chickpea Miso which is soy-free.***

Arugula Lasagna with Garlic Scape Pesto and Tofu Ricotta...

Okay, so I know it’s summer, and I know a lot of you are living in placed where it’s currently hot, hot, hot, but here in IL yesterday it was actually quite nice. It felt more like spring then summer with a cool breeze and no humidity. It was a perfect day, and while it might not have been a lasagna day per say, that’s inevitably what I ended up making for dinner.

You see, yesterday I was extremely busy writing essays and doing other homework. It consumed most of my day up until about 3pm. By then I was feeling a little tired and brain-fried and so I didn’t really feel like thinking to hard about making dinner. Originally I was just going to cook something from a cook book, but every recipe I found that was ‘quick and easy’ and looked appealing didn’t really utilize the bounty of fresh produce I had on hand. I had pounds of arugula, garlic scapes, kale, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage and beets and so I really wanted to make something that would use at least one or more of the most perishable items in that list. I started thinking about noodles, using my garlic scapes and kale to make a pasta dish but I didn’t feel like spaghetti. Then I remembered a box of whole wheat lasagna noodles my mom gave me to take home with me when I left Vancouver in May. Hm... Lasagna.....

So the wheels got turning, and I must say as much as I love a good lasagna I really hate actually making lasagna. It’s always such a process, but once I got thinking about it I couldn’t stop. I mean what if I put garlic scapes and arugula in a lasagna? I’d never heard of that before, It could be very interesting. What about some olives? Do I have tofu to make ricotta? What if I made a pesto out of the garlic scapes? Hm.. The questions just kept on coming and finally I decided, ‘lets do this thing!’ Of course pesto alone in a lasagna might be a bit too overpowering I thought, so I made a red sauce too, and everything combined together made the most perfect, and delicious lasagna. My husband says this is one of my best ever. No one flavor overpowers another, they all work In perfect harmony together. So If you like lasagna I urge you to make this one, it’s unique blend of flavors is really a pleasure. Of course, if it’s a bit too hot where you live to turn on the oven, then wait for a cool day to try it!

Arugula Lasagna with Garlic Scape Pesto and Tofu Ricotta 

Lasagna

14oz Whole Wheat or Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles
1 Large Yellow Onion Diced
½-1 lb Baby Arugula (I used roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of a 1 lb package)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tomatoes Sliced
Handful of Kalamata Olives
Sea salt and Black Pepper to garnish if desired
1 Recipe Tomato Sauce
1 Recipe Garlic Scape Pesto
1 Recipe Tofu Ricotta

Tomato Sauce 

1 28oz Can Diced Tomatoes
8oz Can Tomato Sauce
3 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/4 C Capers

Garlic Scape Pesto 

14 Garlic Scapes Steamed
½ C Walnuts
½ C Olive Oil
½ C Water
2-4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (to taste)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Smokes Paprika
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2oz Fresh Basil

Tofu Ricotta 

1 lb Extra Firm Tofu drained and Pressed
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Dried Oregano
½-1 tsp Sea salt
Black Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Mellow White Miso
Slightly less then 1/4 C Water

To Make the Tomato Sauce 

- Combine all ingredients except capers and blend until smooth, add in the capers and give a gentle blend for 2 seconds just to incorporate.

- Set aside until ready to use.

To Make the Pesto 

- Trim the ends off of your garlic scapes and steam in a pot fitted with a steamer basket for 5-7 minutes until bright and fragrant.

- Pulse Walnuts in a food processor until very fine.

- Add in Olive oil and garlic scapes. Process until relatively smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

- Add in all other ingredients along with the water. Process again until you reach your desired consistency. (I like my pesto slightly textured.)

- Set aside till ready to use

*** Note - You can use more or less water depending on your desired thickness. You can also leave the garlic scapes raw if you prefer, but some people find the taste too strong which is why I suggest steaming them for a few minutes before hand.***

To Make the Tofu Ricotta 

- Crumble Tofu into a mixing bowl.

- Mix the White Miso with the water until smooth.

- Add all other ingredients to the tofu including the miso water mixture and use a fork to mash until everything is thoroughly combined and tofu reached desired ricotta-like consistency.

- Set aside until ready to use.

For the Lasagna 

- Boil the Noodles per package directions then drain and rinse under cold water.

- Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan and saute the onion until soft. Add in the arugula and saute for roughly 5 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Assembly 

- Preheat oven to 400'F

- Fill the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of the sauce. Place a layer of cooked noodles over top.

- Place half of the pesto mixture on top of the Noodles and spread to coat evenly.

- Spread half of the arugula mixture over top of the pesto.

- Spread half of the tofu mixture over top of the arugula mixture and spread as evenly as possible.

It’s okay if the Arugula shows through the tofu.

- Spread another thin layer of sauce over the tofu mixture, then top with another layer of noodles.

- Spread the remaining pesto over the noodles.

- Spread the remaining arugula mixture over the pesto

- Spread the remaining tofu over the arugula and top with another layer of noodles.

- Spread the remaining sauce over top of the noodles. Then garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes, kalamata olives and a bit of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper if desired.

- Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until tomatoes are shriveled and sauce is bubbling.

- Let cool for 15 minutes then cut into the Lasagna and enjoy!

***Note: This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free noodles.*** 

Crispy Cabbage and Rice Bowl with Miso Molasses Dressing...

Lately, when it comes to food I’ve been feeling really uninspired and over-stimulated. What I mean by that, is in my mind I’ve been battling two contrasting desires. On the one hand I want to make everything. I want to make all those delicious, gourmet meals that has my mouth watering when I log into the blogosphere, or crack open a cook book, yet on the other hand everything sounds so good that nothing seems right, does that make sense? Plus I just can’t seem to muster the energy to do any ‘gourmet’ cooking. I want food that quick, simple, and easy, I want food that’s low calorie and high in nutritional density, I want food that’s good for my body, food that is fuel. Yet I want it to taste amazing and I want it to seem decadent.

All these contrasting desires have been leaving me feeling so blah in the kitchen, not to mention that I’ve just been feeling really ‘fooded’ out since being back from Vancouver. In Vancouver we didn’t exactly eat junk, but we did eat a lot, and I mean a lot. There are so many good vegan restaurants in Vancouver that we probably ate double the amount of food we normally do, so that’s where this intense desire for simple, and basic food is coming from.  Since our return I’ve been really into smoothies, juices, beans, salads, bowls and superfoods. We ate a lot of that kind of stuff in Vancouver and now that I’m back I want to really focus on good for you whole foods. Unfortunately there are only so many salads and so many bowls that one can make before you start to get bored. As I already said the 100+ cook books in my collection haven’t been much help as I feel kind of uninspired to actually put in any of the work they require.

So lately my meals have revolved around four basic principals, and I actually find that these four things are actually the best things to consider when making a bowl - or even a salad. Firstly a survey of what you have in the pantry and fridge is an absolute necessity. Second it’s good to look for what you have in abundance or what needs to be used ASAP. Third it’s always important to take into consideration any food craving or interest you may be having that day. Lastly pick one culinary or cultural theme, whatever inspires you the most in that moment. Once you’ve gone through these steps putting together a bowl or salad is pretty effortless work.

At least that’s how it works for me. This is the method I employed to make dinner Thursday and surprisingly it came together rather well. As it happened I had a lot of cabbage, rice and various seeds. The cabbage needed to be used. I wanted something sugar-free and nutritionally dense, and I was interested in an Asian sort of flavor. The miso molasses dressing might sound strange to you, but I assure you it’s quite good. Molasses is great because it’s relatively low in sugar with a low-glycemic load plus it has a bounty of trace minerals like copper, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, B6, and selenium. The cool thing is that you don’t even need to eat that much molasses to get the nutritional benefits, a Tbsp is enough to enjoy the nutrition. It’s also much lower in calories then other liquid sweeteners - such as Agave or Maple Syrup. So when I decided to add a touch of sweetness to my miso dressing that’s why I chose to try Molasses. “What’s the worst that can happen?” I reasoned, and much to my surprise it turned out fantastic.

I also love the combination of slightly wilted cabbage with crispy kimchi, crunchy seeds, a creamy dressing and cooked rice. All these things just seem to go together in perfect textural harmony. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean!

Crispy Cabbage and Rice Bowl with Miso Molasses Dressing 

1 C Brown Rice
3 C Shredded Green Cabbage
1 C Shredded Red Cabbage
½ Large Yellow Onion
5 Green Onions Sliced
1 Tbsp Hemp Seeds (per serving)
1 Tbsp Black Sesame Seeds (per serving)
1 Tbsp Ground Golden Flaxseed (per serving)
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1/3 C Kimchi (per serving)


Miso Molasses Dressing 

1/3 C Rice Vinegar
½ C Water
4 Tbsp Mellow White Miso
1 ½ Tbsp Molasses
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

- Cook brown rice according to package instructions.

- Heat sesame oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When hot add the cabbage and the onion and stir-fry for 6-8 minutes until onion begins to turn soft and cabbage is sightly wilted. Do not overcook, you want the cabbage to still have some texture!

- Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Assembly.

- Divide the rice amongst 2 - large portions - or 3 - smaller portions - bowls. Divide the cabbage mixture evenly between the bowls and sprinkle each bowl with 1 Tbsp hemp seeds, 1 Tbsp black sesame seeds, and 1 Tbsp Ground Golden Flaxseed.

- Garnish with desired amount of sliced green onions, and add 1/3C of kimchi to each bowl. Top with desired amount of dressing and serve!

*** Note - Can be made soy-free if using a soy-free miso like Chickpea Miso.***

Arugula Risotto with Leek and Fresh Herbs...

Risotto is one of those pain in the ass Italian dishes that everyone loves and noone likes to make. Well, actually I don’t mind making risotto, yes it’s usually a lot of prep work, and it’s definitely a lot of stirring, but there’s something about it that I kind of love. I love watching the rice go from small hard granules to this very rich, and creamy aromatic concoction. There’s something really satisfying in witnessing this transformation, and risotto is universally perfect for cold winter nights and late summer evenings. It’s the kind of dinner you decide to make when you just want to chill by the oven and daydream. You put on some good music, open a nice bottle of wine to sip, and you daydream about far away places.

Anyway this particular recipe was inspired by a recent trip to the library. I was browsing through the cook books as I so often do when I’m there and book entitled ‘La Tartine Gourmande’ caught my eye. This is by no means a vegan cook book, or even a vegetarian cook book, I wouldn’t say that it’s even particularly vegan friendly but the cover photo was so beautiful and I was intrigued by the French so I picked it up and started flipping through it. Now it’s not very often that I find myself inspired by non-vegan recipes but when I saw the author Beatrice Peltre had made a risotto utilizing Arugula I knew I would have to try the combination. Ever since my trip to Europe I’ve been obsessed with Arugula I use it frequently these days and throw it into all sorts of dishes. I’m always on the lookout for creative ways to use this new favorite green of mine, so when I saw this recipe I knew it was a must.

Initially I wasn’t sure how arugula would go In a risotto since it has the tendency to be bitter but it worked out perfectly and wasn’t bitter at all. I love the accent from the lemon and subtle flavor of the wine and the leek. The parsley and basil make it almost reminiscent of a light pesto, and the miso gives it that rich, tart flavor that cheese would traditionally provide. However if you prefer you can leave the miso out and I’m sure it would be just as delicious! So here is my recipe adapted from ‘La Tartine Gourmande’ No matter how you decide to make it, just make it!

Arugula Risotto with Leek and Fresh Herbs

4 C Packed Arugula
1 C Packed Fresh Basil
1 C Packed Fresh Parsley
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Minced Rosemary
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Leek Sliced thin
½ Red Onion chopped
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Sea salt
1 ½ C of Arbrorio Rice
½ C Dry White Wine
2 C Vegetable Broth + 2 C Vegan Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Earth Balance
1 ½ Tbsp White Miso mixed with 3 Tbsp water
Black Pepper to taste
Fresh Minced Parsley for garnish

- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling add the Arugula, Basil, and Parsley. Blanch for one minute then drain and run under cold water.

- Once cool enough to handle squeeze all the excess water from the arugula and herbs. Then place on a cutting board and finely chop and set aside.

- In the same pot you used to blanch the arugula heat the vegetable/vegan chicken broth and keep warm.

- Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the leek, and red onion. Saute for 4-5 minutes then add the lemon zest and garlic powder. Saute for another 2 minutes then add the rice, and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

- Add the white wine, and cook stirring until the liquid has been absorbed.

- Add the salt and minced Rosemary along with 1 cup of warmed broth and cook stirring occasionally until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat this process until you have no more broth left and the rice is thoroughly cooked and creamy. This takes roughly 20 minutes or so depending on your oven. Depending on how hot your burners get you may need to readjust the heat to a lower setting. Either medium, or even medium low so that the rice doesn’t cook too quickly.

- With the last cup of broth add in the chopped Arugula and herbs. Stir to thoroughly mix the arugula and herbs in. Once the liquid has been absorbed turn off the heat and stir in the tablespoon of Earth Balance, along with the white miso/water mixture, and black pepper to taste. Stir until fully incorporated.

- Taste for flavor and adjust seasonings as needed. Garnish with fresh minced parsley.

Enjoy on a cold winter night with some crusty bread, a glass of wine and dreams of a warm Mediterranean climate.

*** Note - If you prefer you can use all vegetable broth or all vegan chicken broth. I used half and half because I only had 2 cups of vegetable broth left, so I subbed in 2 cups of water with one vegan chicken bouillon cube. Also if you need to be soy-free you can use a soy-free barley miso or chickpea miso instead, or as I already suggested you can leave it out altogether.***

Coconut Curry Miso Soup...

I can’t believe I forgot to post about this recipe, or maybe I can believe it. Things have been so busy around here lately that it’s easy to loose track. Well, the day I received my first CSA box I was so excited to use that Tat Soi that I decided to make it for lunch. It was a Friday afternoon and I needed something filling, hearty and warming before heading to work for the night shift. Originally I thought about making Miso soup, that seems to be my most common go to meal when I need something delicious and filling on short notice, but as much as I love Miso soup I was looking for something more. The more I thought about it the more I realized I was also in the mood for curry, and coconut. Now I know from past experiments that miso and curry actually go pretty well together but I wasn’t sure on the coconut. I envisioned like a Thai coconut curry of sorts but with the addition of Miso to give it that bold, well rounded, and savory flavor I love so much from miso soup.

I didn’t know if it would workout but in the end I thought I couldn’t do that much harm. I guess I needn’t have worried too much, because the soup turned out so good that my husband and I gobbled up the whole pot. That’s two huge heaping bowls a piece. Now as much as you may want to eat this whole pot yourself once you make it, I highly suggest you share it with a loved one instead and serve a salad alongside it to complete the meal.

Coconut Curry Miso Soup

2 ½ C Water
2/3 C Coconut Cream***
1/4 C Red Miso
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
Thumb Sized piece of Ginger minced
2 tsp Red Curry Paste
1/4 C Frozen Green Peas
1/4 C Green Onion sliced
½ Head of Tat Soi Sliced
1 Carrot Grated
1/3 C Black Soybeans
½ C Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms
1/4 tsp Ground Turmeric
2 ½ tsp Sliced Lemon Grass
Black Pepper to taste

- Combine Water, coconut cream, and red miso in a medium sized pot. Place over medium heat and stir until all the miso and coconut cream is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

- Add in the garlic, ginger, lemon grass, curry paste, and turmeric. Mix to incorporate, until curry paste is dissolved.

- Add mushrooms, tat soi, and simmer for 10-15 minutes over medium or medium low heat until vegetables are soft.

- Add all other ingredients and simmer for 5-8 more minutes until warmed through.

-Serve hot and enjoy!

*** Note - Coconut Cream is the thick cream that normally rises to the top of a can of coconut milk. Scrape the cream out of the can and use, do not use the liquid for this recipe. Reserve it for another use. Also in some Asian groceries and markets canned coconut cream is available.

PS: If you don't have Tat Soi you can use another Asian Green, though I highly recommend searching for the tat soi.

Memories of Ireland, Potato and Leek Soup

When my husband and I were in Ireland in 2009 we ate a ton of Potato and Leek soup, we probably ate it once everyday, served with a few slices of thick dark bread. It was the main staple of our diet on that particular trip, and not because we were vegetarian - at the time neither of us were - but because it was cheap, abundant, delicious and filling. My husband and I have never been the kind of people that travel for the food. We don’t seek out exotic culinary delights, or spend copious amounts of money on fine dining. When we travel we spend our money on seeing and doing amazing things, because if you’re not going to get the most out of your trip then what’s the point in going right? Which explains the potato and leek soup. You see, it’s a pretty standard offering in most pubs and restaurants in Ireland, and when we were there you could get a nice hearty bowl of it with bread for between four to six euro, four to six pounds if we’re talking about Northern Ireland. That makes for a pretty cheap lunch or dinner for two people while traveling and because potatoes are so heavy one bowl really is sufficient. If you’re extra hungry you might want to throw a three euro side salad into the mix, but it still keeps the cost pretty low.

We traveled to fourteen different cities in Ireland, and we ate Potato and Leek soup all the way from Dublin to Belfast, to Derry, to Galway, to Killkenny, to Cork, to Waterford, back to Dublin. No matter where we went the soup was always phenomenal, and I just fell in love with it - as I did so many other things about Ireland. After we returned home, despite having eaten it every day for the duration of our trip I wanted more potato leek soup. So began my mission to make a potato leek soup from scratch that was just as good as those I’d sampled in Ireland. For the past 2 and a half years I’ve failed at every turn and I have tried so, so many recipes. Whether the recipes be vegetarian or vegan I was never able to find a good recipe, not online and not in any cook book. Every recipe I’ve tried the soup was too bland, too thick, too much potato, too much thyme. The consistency was never right, the flavor was never spot on, it was never quite rich enough or creamy enough, and for a while I thought all was lost.

Then Friday I woke up to cold weather as one so often does in Chicago at the end of November, and I found myself with a hankering for potato and leek soup! I looked through a handful of my cook books trying to find recipes for said soup that I hadn’t yet tried, but to no avail. Nothing was catching my eye. After some moments of impatient contemplation I realized I didn’t really need a recipe at all. All I needed was my own creativity and knowhow, and so I went to the kitchen and set myself to work, with nothing to guide my endeavor except countless memories of Irish pubs and magical landscapes.

After having tried so many recipes - some from very renown people in the culinary profession - I had no hope that my little effort would yield anything palatable, but I had to try, and in the end, when I tasted what I had created I knew I had come as close to the perfect Irish bowl of potato and leek soup that I ever would. This soup turned out so rich and creamy, and bursting with flavor. It is everything a good potato and leek soup should be, and it’s fairly quick and easy to prepare. If you’re a potato leek soup fan I urge you to try it, and serve it a long a nice thick slice of pumpernickel bread.

Memories of Ireland, Potato and Leek Soup

2 Tbsp Earth Balance or other Vegan non-dairy Butter
1 Very large leek, washed and sliced.
3 medium sized Yukon Gold Potatoes skin on chopped
2-3 Celery Ribs chopped
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Thyme
½ tsp Sage
½ tsp White Pepper
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste
1 ½ C Vegetable Broth
1 ½ C Water + 1 Vegan ‘Chicken’ Bouillon Cube
1 Bunch Parsley Minced
2/3 C Cashews + additional 1/3 C Cashews as needed
1 C Water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp White Miso

- Melt Earth Balance in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Add in the leek and celery. Saute for 4 minutes then add in the garlic, bay leaves, thyme and sage and saute another 4-5 minutes until leeks are tender and bright green.

- Add in the potatoes, the vegetable broth and the water with the bouillon cube. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a good simmer. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.  Around the last five minutes of simmering add in the white pepper, smoked paprika, black pepper and salt. Stir to combine.

- While the soup is simmering combine the cashews, the water, the lemon juice and the white miso in a high speed blender and process on high until completely smooth. About 1 minute. If the mixture looks a little to watery you can add in up to another 1/3 cup of cashews for a thicker cream.

- Remove the cashew cream to a measuring cup and set aside. It should have yielded roughly one and a half cups of cream.

- No need to clean the blender out, instead remove the bay leaves from the soup and discard then transfer the hot soup to the blender being careful not to spill any or burn yourself. Once all of the soup is in the blender blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Return the soup to the pot.

- Stir in 1 cup of the cashew cream. Stir in minced parsley, and season with any additional salt and pepper.

- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with an additional swirl of the cashew cream, and a few twists of a black pepper mill. Enjoy!

PS: You can make this soup oil-free by using water to saute instead of earth balance. You can make the soup soy-free by using a chickpea or barley based miso instead of a soy one, or just leave the miso out altogether.

PPS: If you’ve never been to Ireland you really must go. It is one of the most spectacular places I have ever been! 

Creamy Spring Pea Soup...

What better vegetable to represent Spring than peas? Fresh or frozen they are absolutely delicious with their bright green color, pleasant aroma, and sweet snappy crunch. When I was thinking up ideas for what to serve as part of my Earth Day dinner I decided peas would have to get worked in somehow. However after quite a bit of thought on the matter I was no closer to figuring out how exactly I wanted to prepare them, so it was off to my shelves of cook books for inspiration.

After searching and searching through book after book I came upon the realization that peas are A) a strangely under-utilized vegetable, and B) Seem to only get tossed into a lot of rice, and pasta dishes merely as an afterthought. During my search I did happen across a few pea soup recipes that use call for green peas but I found them uninspired. Mostly the recipes called for peas to be pureed with water and spices like parsley or mint - bleh, boring.

I myself love green peas, have always been a fan, and have never had any problem eating them plain. They are both sweet and savory enough to be totally satisfying on their own without any further alteration. In fact as a kid, when my mother or Oma or somebody was cooking with peas I’d often hang around and pop semi-frozen peas into my mouth like they were candy. It sounds strange I know, but they’re surprisingly good in that state. Anyway, I knew if I was going to present my Earth Day dinner to share with all of you, I’d have to do something a little more creative then serve a bowl of plain peas, and lets be honest as good as they are there isn’t anything the least bit elegant or ceremonious about plain peas. Right?

I did quite like the idea of a soup though, and with that idea in mind ingredient parings started bubbling to the surface and a recipe began to take shape. I wanted to keep it quick and simple, lightly seasoned but thick and flavorful and serve it roughly around room temperature rather then piping hot. Since it is suppose to be a spring soup, and many spring days are quite warm I wanted to create a dish that would refresh. What I came up with far exceeded my expectations and my husband went crazy for it.

The soup has a really lovely pale green color - something that’s not very well reflected in my photos, I’m sorry. Unfortunately the photos I took on Earth Day were unusable and so I had to redo them today using the leftovers, however as luck would have it, it’s very overcast out today. Which means very little natural light, which in turn means I had to use my inadequate kitchen lighting, which as I’ve mentioned before tends to give everything a slightly golden hue. Red, Orange, Green, and Yellow foods never properly photograph, but at least you get the idea. - It also has a lovely thick and creamy texture thanks to the cashews. If you want an even creamier soup you can soak the cashews in water for 1-2 hours before you use them, just make sure to drain them and rinse them afterwards and to use fresh water for the soup. Also since peas are quite sweet naturally you may want to opt out of using the Agave, it’s up to you, and finally if you prefer you can use fresh instead of frozen peas. Just keep in mind they’ll take a couple more minutes to cook.

Creamy Spring Pea Soup

1 C Raw Cashews
1 C Water
1-2 Tbsp White Miso (to taste)
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Agave (Optional)
1 tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Ground Mustard Powder
3-4 Garlic Cloves
Black Pepper to taste
Smoked Paprika to taste
16oz Frozen Peas + 1 C additional Frozen Peas
½ C water
A bit of minced Parsley to garnish (Optional)

- Place Cashews, water, Miso, lemon juice, onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic, mustard powder, and agave in a high speed blender. Blend on high for 30-90 seconds until completely smooth. Taste for flavor and adjust as needed. Then leave the cashew mixture inside your blender as you move onto the next step.

- Place 16oz of the Frozen peas and ½ C of water in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Bring to boil, and then reduce heat to simmer for 2-4 minutes until peas are bright green and thawed out.

- Carefully add the contents of the pot to your blender. Blend on medium speed until peas have been incorporated. You don’t need to puree the whole thing, it’s okay if some peas don’t get broken up.

- Once peas have been incorporated, pour the mixture back into the pot, over medium-low heat. Add the extra 1C of frozen peas. Along with black pepper to taste. Simmer until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed then serve garnished with fresh minced parsley a sprinkle of smoked paprika and enjoy!

*** Note - This recipe can be made soy-free if you use chickpea Miso***

Garden Veggie Miso Soup...

I was inspired to make this soup last month when I was really in the mood for some miso soup but didn’t have any seaweed, or tofu on hand, and frankly wasn’t interested in eating either that particular night anyway. What I really wanted was something light, colorful, and warm yet not necessarily ‘cooked.’ Scanning the fridge I realized I was running low on groceries, but what I did have was just enough to make a delicious, healthful, and surprisingly hearty soup. Everything about this soup screams Spring to me, but really I think it’s perfect anytime of year, and the great thing about it is that you can have it done and on the table in 25-30 minutes. Using some frozen vegetables helps make the soup come together fast, and slicing the veggies thin or grating them helps them soften while simmering without needing to cook or boil them to death, so you retain more nutrition. Who doesn’t love that? This soup can also conveniently be made in a large batch and stored in the fridge for a couple of days for easy access to a nice healthy meal at lunch or dinner, on days when you might not have as much time to cook as you’d like. The first time I made this soup I served it with a simple salad, last night I served it with some hand-rolled sushi, but this soup can just as easily be enjoyed on it’s own. I really do love the combination of miso with the sweetness of peas, and the crispness of broccoli... Mm... mm... Try it for yourself and see!

Garden Veggie Miso Soup

1 Large Carrot Grated
2 Small Zucchini cut in half moons or 1 large cut in quarters
1 bunch green onion chopped (green part only)
1 C Frozen Green Peas
Frozen Broccoli to taste (Couple handfuls)
Garlic Powder, Ginger Powder and Black Pepper to taste
1/4-2/3 C Mellow White Miso
3-5 C Water

- Whisk together the Miso and Water in a medium sized pot until dissolved. Turn the heat onto medium and bring to a simmer.

- Add in all of your veggies, and season to taste with garlic powder, ginger powder and black pepper.

- Simmer for 20-25 minutes until veggies are tender but still crisp. Do not bring to a boil. If over medium heat the soup starts bubbling too heavily reduce the heat to low and finish simmering. You want the veggies to be soft, but not cooked all the way though, you don’t want them to be boiled to death and mushy. You want texture and a nice bite.

- Serve with homemade hand-rolled sushi, Summer or Spring Rolls, or a salad, and enjoy.

*** Note - If you have fresh garlic and ginger feel free to finely mince or grate them and use it instead of powdered. I didn’t have fresh on hand, otherwise I would have used it. Also keep in mind that the amount of miso you want to use will be dependant on your personal taste preference. I like a medium flavored miso broth, not weak, and not too overpowering. Usually 1/4-1/2C is good for 3-4 C of water, and ½-2/3 C is good for 4-5 C of water, depending on your taste. You can also use any color miso you want, but remember that darker shades of miso have a more pungent flavor and so less will be required. White miso is personally my favorite because I find it to be the most versatile. But feel free to experiment ***

Fusilli In Cream Sauce With Caramelized Onions, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Crushed Pink Peppercorns...

A few nights ago I was in the mood for pasta, but not just any kind of pasta. I wanted a rich and creamy white sauce, rather then olive oil, pesto, or marinara and I wanted it to be kind of cheesy. Whenever I think of cream sauce I think of Alfredo, but that’s not really what I wanted. I wanted something ‘cleaner’ if that makes sense, that was just a tad sweet, with just a touch of delicious cheesy goodness.

White Miso, Nutritional Yeast and Coconut Milk immediately sprung to mind. Now you may have done a double take on the words coconut milk, but trust me on this. The best, richest, and creamiest sauces I’ve made yet for pasta whether they be for mac and cheese, Alfredo or other have all been made with coconut milk. I don’t know what it is about coconut milk but it works so much better then any other non-dairy milk or cream that I’ve tried for that rich flavor and thick texture. I know you might be skeptical but it’s true, and you may be asking yourself ‘doesn’t it make what you’re cooking taste like coconut’ and the answer is no. I find that if you don’t add sugar into your coconut milk, and use savory seasonings there isn’t any coconut flavor at all. I know it sounds crazy right? And I get your reluctance, because I was a total skeptic too when I first happened upon this amazing culinary discovery, but then I tried my first coconut milk mac and cheese and nearly lost my mind! I really is that good, so phenomenal in fact that coconut milk has since become my ‘go-to’ for cream sauce as well as a few other things.

As for the White miso and the Nutritional Yeast, it’s only natural they sprung to mind for this recipe considering the cheesy taste they impart to dishes. People think I’m a little crazy for thinking that White Miso has a cheese like flavor, but I don’t know, that’s what I taste. Something about the fermentation I think gives it a quality similar to aged cheeses. It has that sharp, salty full-bodied flavor you -or at least I - associate with a rich aged cheddar. So whenever I want to make something cheesy White Miso is my ‘go-to.’ Darker Miso, such as red or brown doesn’t really have the same flavor or quality. It’s more salty and bitter to me rather then cheese like so I wouldn’t recommend using them for this. Stick to white miso, or perhaps yellow. As for the Nooch. Since I’m not a big fan of nutritional yeast I played it kind of conservative here, but if you like the taste of nooch then by all means feel free to add in more. I went with the 1/4 cup but think a 1/3 cup would be just as good too, but if you really want to heighten the flavor you could go up to a ½ cup.

Of course once I had the sauce all figured out there was still the matter of what else to put in the pasta. After some careful consideration I decided to go with red onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh parsley and pink peppercorns. Since the pasta is a tan color, and the sauce is so white I wanted to include ingredients that would really stand out and pop with brightness when they came together in my bowl. Red onion, sun-dried tomatoes and parsley are perfect for that, and the pink peppercorns give the dish a cute pink dusting and interesting flavor.

However Pink Peppercorns definitely have a distinct and unique flavor, they’re not hot, but rather have a delicate almost fruity flavor. For some they may be an acquired taste, so if they’re not your cup of tea so to speak, or you’re unable to find them then by all means leave them out and add in white pepper or even black pepper instead. I don’t think the dish will suffer any from their absence, and in fact I think white pepper might give it another distinctive component. The pink peppercorns do lend a hint of sophistication though, and I do really enjoy them.

Now, before we get started I do want to say that there are a couple of steps to this recipe, but if you plan it well it can all come together rather quickly, so don’t feel intimidated!

Fusilli In Cream Sauce With Caramelized Onions, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Crushed Pink Peppercorns

1 lb Whole Wheat or Gluten-Free Fusilli

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Red Onion
8 Cloves Garlic minced
½-1 C Sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed)

3/4 C Raw Cashews
½ C water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
3-5 Tbsp Mellow White Miso

1 15oz Can Coconut Milk (not light)
½ tsp Smoked Paprika (or to taste)
½ tsp rubbed Sage (or to taste)
1/4 tsp ground Nutmeg (or to taste)
1/4-1/3 Cup Nutritional Yeast
½ Bunch Fresh Parsley Finely Minced
*** ½-1 Tbsp Pink Peppercorns (crushed or ground with a mortar and pestle) (Optional)

- Bring a pot of water to boil and cook Fusilli as directed by the package. When cooked drain, and return to pot.

- Meanwhile, place oil in pan or pot, over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute over medium-high heat for five minutes. Lower to medium and saute another five minutes. Add in garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes. Cover and let saute until onions become very soft and light golden brown. Roughly another ten minutes. Make sure to stir every once in a while so the onions and garlic don’t stick. Add a little water If they do.

- When onions are caramelized to your liking transfer them to a plate or bowl and set aside.

- While onions are caramelizing you can blend the cashews, water, lemon juice, and miso in a highspeed blender on high for 30-60 seconds until super smooth and creamy. Taste for flavor and adjust miso as needed.

- Next begin your sauce. Poor coconut milk into medium pot. Add the cashew-miso mixture from your blender making sure to scrape out as much as possible, and whisk until combined. Whisk in Nutritional Yeast, smoked paprika, sage and nutmeg and taste for flavor. Adjust as needed. Let simmer on the stove for roughly ten minutes. Add in crushed pink peppercorns and minced parsley.

- Add your caramelized onion mixture into the pot with your fusilli, then pour in your cream sauce. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined and then serve garnished with a little extra parsley and crushed pink peppercorn if desired.

*** Note - Soy-Free if using Chickpea Miso***